Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1936)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY Monday, October 19, 1936 MOTION PICTURE DAILY (Registered U. S. Patent Office) Vol. 40 October 19, 1936 No. 93 Martin Quigley Editor-in-Chief and Publisher MAURICE KANN, Editor J. M. JERAULD, Managing Editor JAMES A. CRON, Advertising Manager Published daily except Sunday and holidays by Quigley Publishing Company, Inc., Martin Quigley, president; Colvin Brown, vice-president and treasurer. Publication Office: 1270 Sixth Avenue, at Rockefeller Center, New York. Telephone Circle 7-3100. Cable address "Quigpubco, New York." All contents copyrighted 1936 by Quigley Publishing Company, Inc. Address all correspondence to the New York Office. Other Quigley publications, Motion Picture Herald, Be.tter Theatres, Teatro Al Dia, International Motion Picture Almanac and The BoxOffice Check-Up. Hollywood Bureau: Postal Union Life Building, Vine and Yucca Streets, Boone Mancall, Manager; Chicago Bureau: 624 South Michigan Avenue., C. B. O'Neill, Manager; London Bureau: 4 Golden Square, London W, 1, Bruce Allan, Representative. Cable Address "Quigpubco, London"; Berlin Bureau: Stuelerstrasse 2, Berlin W 35; Joachim K. Rutenberg , Representative; Paris Bureau: 29, Rue Marsoulan, Pierre Autre, Representative; Rome Bureau: Viale Gorizia, Vittorio Malpassuti, Representative; Australian Bureau : Regent Theatre Buildings, 191 Collins Street, Melbourne, Cliff Holt, Representative; Mexico City Bureau: Apartado 269, James Lockhart, Representative; Budapest Bureau: 3, Kaplar-u, Budapest, II, Endre Hevesi, Representative; Tokyo Bureau: 880 Sasazuka, Ichikawa-shi, Chiba-Ken, H. Tominaga, Representative; Prague Bureau: Uhelny trh 2, Prague 1, Harry Knopf, Representative; Shanghai Bureau: Rooms 38-41, Capital Theatre Building, 142 Museum Road, /. P. Koehler, Representative; Rio de Janeiro Bureau: Caixa Postal 3358, A. Weissman. Representative; Buenos Aires Bureau: Corrientes 2495, N. Bruski, Representative; Barcelona Bureau: Hotel Ritz, Plaza de las Cortes, Harry Chapin Plummer, Representative; Montevideo Bureau: P. 0. Box 664, Paul Bodo, Representative; Moscow Bureau: Petrovski Per 8j Beatrice Stem, Representative; Vienna Bureau: Neustiftgasse, 54, Vienna VII, Hans Lorant, Representative; Amsterdam Bureau: Zuider Amstellaan 5, Philip de Schaap, Representative. Entered as second class matter, January 4, 1926, at the Post Office at New York City, N. Y., under Act of March 3, 1879. Subscription rates per year $6 in the Americas, and foreign $12. Single copies: 1 0 cents. Legion Approves 6 Of 7 New Pictures The National Legion of Decency, in its list of new pictures reviewed and classified for the current week, has approved six of seven new films. Five were classified as unobjectionable for general patronage, one as unobjectionable for adults, and one as objectionable in part. The new films, and their classification, follow : Class A-l, Unobjectionable for General Patronage — "California Mail," "Code of the Range," "IS Maiden Lane," "Polo Joe," "Tundra." Class A-2, Unobjectionable for Adults— "The Man I Marry." Class B, Objectionable in Part — "The Man Who Lived Again." Republic Starting Three Hollywood, Oct. 18. — Republic will start production of three pictures this week. They are: "The Chinese Orange Mystery," which Ralph Staub will direct ; "Roaring Lead," Sam Newfeld directing, and "Old Corral," which James Kane will direct. The last named is the next Gene Autry picture on the schedule. Looking 'Em Over The Longest Night" {M-G-M) Starting as a gang film, slipping into what begins to give promise of a lively murder mystery yarn, and then abruptly degenerating into virtually slapstick comedy, this emerges as screen fare for those whose desire is the mere idle employment of something less than an hour. The leaders in the cast, Robert Young, Florence Rice and Julie Haydon, deserve better material than that given to them by the story of Cortland Fitzimmons and the screen play of Robert Andrews. Ted Healy, as the studio policeman, is occasionally amusing in his role, and Leslie Fenton is good in his few screen minutes as a thief. The others appear to be beating their heads against the stone wall of an entirely inconsequential plot. Young is the absent young department store owner who arrives in time to fall in love with Miss Rice, salesgirl, and become considerably involved in two murders and several close calls immediately after the store has closed. Fenton, in love with Miss Rice's sister, is killed, after his mother, important employe, is found dead. Then it slips, and from then on is a series of supposedly amusing pursuits, frights and general hokum, until the murder gang is brought to book, and Miss Rice says yes to Young. Errol Taggart directed. Production Code Seal No. 2,557. Running time, 51 minutes. "G." "The White Legion" { Zeidman-Grand National) There is a fairly good underlying theme in the plot of "White Legion," but the situations and dialogue lack the spark which might have injected stirring and compelling drama. It is an ample item for the dual bill houses. Set in the days when the Panama Canal was being put through, the story takes up the work of four volunteer doctors who came to help stamp out the yellow fever epidemic. With the arrival of the quartet there follows a struggle with the natives, the beginning of preventive technique and then personal affairs which revolve around the quarantining of a senator and his attractive daughter. The romance angle is worked in by Ian Keith, one of the medicos, and Susanne Kaaren, the daughter of the senatorial investigator. However, true love later reveals itself when Keith infects himself with the disease, cures Miss Kaaren, who is unaware she is a carrier of the germ. He recovers and completes a romance with Tala Birell, another doctor. Shortly afterward they depart for new germs to conquer. There are dramatic sequences in which Ferdinand Gottschalk, Teru Shimada, Ferdinand Munier, Lionel Pope, Rollo Lloyd and Robert Warwick give adequate performances. A comic element of sorts is worked in by Warner Richmond, Harry Allen, Don Barclay and Snub Pollard as the quarantine guard. Production Code Seal No. 1,997. Running time, 81 minutes. "G." Overseas Previews It's You I Want (British Lion-London) London, Oct. 9. — From a Daly's Theatre farce which was a box-office hit, this film is still stage material, of a very amusing type, somewhat risque in situation and dialogue, and possibly too British to get its full flavor over in the States, even though the American, Ralph Ince, directed it. Where they have an understanding of Sir Seymour Hicks and a liking for innuendo it will be a useful light booking, but it is essentially for sophisticated big city audiences. Hicks is excellent as the philanderer type presented in "It's You I Want," a gay bachelor of 50 who has given the key of his flat to so many women that, when he tries to assist the intrigue of a friend with similar habits, it becomes a case of two sets of married couples having to be hidden in various rooms, escorted down the fire escape and what not. It is spicy, amusing if you understand the talk, and unmoral or immoral according to the sense of propriety — or of humor. The women in the cast are not too capable, but Hugh Wakefield is a good comedy second to Hicks. Running time, 70 minutes. "A." Allan. (Additional reviews on page 7) Former Para, Head In Tokyo Is Signed By TETSUYA MORI Tokyo, Sept. 26. — In an effort to strengthen the distribution arm of their newly merged units, «Toho and Nikkatsu have signed several leading figures in the field. Most important acquisition in manpower is S. Sasho, former Paramount manager here, who had worked for Paramount for 18 years, and is generally recognized as one of the most able distribution executives here, who has been signed as general manager of distribution. * * * Empire Trading Co. here has acquired the Japanese distribution rights to the Celebrity cartoons. Eight color cartoons will be included in the first group to be handled by Empire. The contract for distribution in Japan and Manchukuo of Republic product, the subject of considerable interest here, has been obtained by Ohbei Eiga-sha, following negotiations carried on in New York between Republic officials and K. Ono, nephew of the president of Ohbei. It is reported that the company will release 25 Republic films here annually, of which 10 will be brought here between now and next May. * * * The decision to hold the next Olympic Games here in 1940 has led to increased activity in the television field, looking to a practical application of the device generally during the games. A public demonstration of the Hamamatsu System, developed at Waseda University and the Hamamatsu Technical school, and held at the Uyeno Scientific Museum here, was pronounced an outstanding success by the capacity audience. Danish Production Quiet Washington, Oct. 18.— The Danish film industry will be relatively quiet during the winter, reports Assistant Trade Commissioner Paul H. Pearson, at Copenhagen, to the U. S. Dept. of Commerce. Two of the three domestic companies probably will release one film each. The third company's studio is in the process of construction and will hardly be completed in time to turn out films for the coming winter season. Palladium is reported to have several films under contemplation but it is doubtful if they will be ready for the market before spring. Nordisk Film is said to be handicapped by the lack of suitable manuscripts. Gibson Planning Eight Hollywood, Oct. 18. — Hoot Gibson is planning eight films with headquarters at Talisman Studios, though most of the shooting will be done near San Diego. The new company is Occidental Pictures, Inc. Dave Thomas is business manager. The first will be "Dude Ranchers," written by Gibson and Art Rosson, who will direct. No release arrangement has been made. Fights "Ecstacy" Cuts Sacramento, Oct. 18. — An effort to prevent the cutting of three scenes from "Ecstacy" is being made here by Charles Holtz, manager of the Sierra. The deletions were ordered by the authorities who viewed the picture after the City Better Films Board complained of nudity in the film.