Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1936)

Moti Picture Industry MOTION PICTURE DAILY VOL. 39. NO. 77 NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 1936 TEN CENTS Several New Faces Slated On "IT Board Five or Six Changes Due After Sale Tomorrow Five or six new directors will be elected to the board of Universal Pictures Corp. tomorrow following the transfer of control from Carl Laemmle to Standard Capital Corp. and Charles R. Rogers. Xew members of the board will include J. Cheever Cowdin and Lawrence Fox of Standard Capital, Rogers, C. M. Woolf and Herbert Wilcox. The latter two represent the British interests which are participating in the Universal option financing. Erpi and Eastman Kodak, other participants in the financing, will have representation through the two Standard Capital executives and a possible sixth nominee for the board. The addition of a sixth new member is said to be still under discussion. Likewise, no final decision has been made on the election of Rogers, whose post as executive vice-president in charge of production may make it impractical for him to leave the studio regularly to attend meetings in the east. How (Continticd on page 13) WPA Census Count Under Bureau Fire Washington, March 31. — Difficulty in securing adequate personnel and resultant delay in the taking of the second census of business and amusements is being experienced because of the fact that the work, undertaken with WPA funds, is under the control of the WPA instead of being directed by the Census Bureau, it was disclosed today. Hearings on the Department of Commerce supply bill, made public this morning, show that the $8,077,000 assigned for the census by the WPA could have been used more efficiently had the work been turned over to the Census Bureau. Criticising the difficulties which {Continued on page 13) Nat Levine Denies Resignation Report Hollywood, March 31. — Rumors that he intends to quit Republic have prompted Nat Levine to issue a formal denial. He points out that he owns 50 per cent of the producing company, Republic Prod., Inc., of which he is president. His statement read : "I have no in (Continued on page 13) By Rail and Air Will H. Hays left for Hollywood yesterday to remain there two weeks. Al Lichtman, back from Bermuda and entirely recovered from the flu and bronchial pneumonia, leaves by air for the M-G-M studio shortly. This will be his final conference on the 1936-37 program after which he will set the date for the annual sales convention. At the present time it looks like Chicago. S. R. Kent sails for the Continent April 21 accompanied by Joseph M. Schenck. A Twentieth Century-Fox sales meeting in London impends. Gradwell L. Sears, A. W. Smith. Jr., and S. Charles Einfeld, vice-presidents all of Vitagraph, take the sky route to Hollywood tomorrow. The new season's schedule is the reason. John D. Clark goes west in the near future on Twentieth Century-Fox's new lineup after which he, too, will set plans for the company's sales parley. Joseph H. Moskowitz of the same company is eyeing western train schedules. He will head for the studio in about a week. Jeffrey Bernerd of Gaumont British is due in from Hollywood this morning. Barney Balaban, just returned from Waikiki, and his brother, John, as well as Jules Ruben of Great States Theatres hie themselves back to Chicago in a few days. E. V. Richards, Jr., of Saenger Theatres is another visitor. Ditto for George W. Trendle of Detroit. All in and out by the end of the week. LOEW GOES INTO CHICAGO, DETROIT Funds Sought For New U. S. Trust Probers Washington, March 31. — Establishment in the Department of Justice of a new unit under the anti-trust division to investigate situations concerning which no complaint has been made but where there exists the possibility of anti-trust law violation, was suggested last month to the House Appropriations Committee by Assistant Attorney General John Dickinson, it was revealed today with the release of the testimony taken during consideration of the department's appropriation bill for the coming fiscal year. It was explained to the committee by Dickinson that while during the last fiscal year nearly 1,500 complaints were received, there are a number of situations regarding which no complaint has been made, but where investigation might disclose anti-trust law violations. While no mention was made of the fact, it is generally understood that this information has been secured through a detailed study of NRA codes. If the Department of Justice is to undertake "fishing expeditions" of this nature, Dickinson said, an additional fund of $100,000 will be necessary to set up the organization. NRA Dies Today with Only Former Employes Mourning By BERTRAM F. LINZ Washington, March 31. — With only its former employes as mourners, NRA tomorrow will be buried in history with the expiration of the last vestige of legislation originally adopted in June, 1933. The expense of the experiment in industrial regimentation has never been calculated, but it is estimated that it ran into many millions of dollars. Every segment of the film industry felt the effects of Government control under the code approved by President Roosevelt Nov. 27, 1933, and effective until the Supreme Court declared the codes invalid last May in the ''sick chicken" decision. Whether the President has entirely abandoned his plan for control of the industry has never been divulged, but the possibilities of further legislation along that line have been held out at intervals, notably in his message _ to Congress on relief March 18, in which veiled suggestions were made that, unless business accepted its share of the relief problem by increasing em(Continued on page 10) Takes Over Management Of United Artists Theatres There Loew-M-G-M have concluded arrangements with United Artists Theatre Circuit under which they will take over operation of the United Artists theatres in Chicago and Detroit, marking for the first time the entry of these companies in both cities. The deal is effective on the expiration within a year of the present management operating agreements for the two theatres held by the Paramount subsidiaries, B. & K. and United Detroit Theatres. The deal will include an M-G-M preferred product supply for the two houses. The Detroit theatre has had this in the past but the Chicago house has concentrated on United Artists and Paramount pictures. Both houses are understood to have United Artists franchises which continue their supply from that company. Reports yesterday indicated that Loew's-M-G-M may have acquired a stock interest in the two houses from either Paramount or United Artists Circuit, but Joseph M. Schenck, head of the latter company, said that no stock sale is involved in the deal. He (Continued on page 11) Yates Considering British Laboratory By BRUCE ALLAN London, March 31. — Herbert J. Yates, president of Consolidated Film Industries, Inc., is reported to be considering various sites for the construction of a British Consolidated laboratory. It is indicated that he will make a decision on a site before his departure for New York on April 4, the most likely sites being Denham and the Iver district. Unconfirmed reports here have linked Yates with various plans to finance studio operations. IT OA Federal Suit Against Majors Due The I. T. O. A., within the next week or two, will file an action in Federal court here against all the major distributors, alleging violation of the Federal anti-trust laws with respect to the contract clauses allegedly forcing the playing of shorts with features. The action had been (Continued on page 11)