Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1936)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY i Purely Personal ► Monday, December 7, 1936 MPTOA Seeks United Front On New Laws (.Continued from page 1) return of false box-office statements as embezzlement ; compulsory public 5> liability insurance ; employment of a full-time house fireman ; an increase of municipal censor boards and "all of the 'half-baked' statutes that will be thought up 'to protect the safety of the theatre patron' once the lawmakers are started on regulation by statute." The bulletin denies that the NeelyPettengill bill will eliminate block booking and declares that its passage would be certain to bring on a "swarm" of new censor boards, increase censorship powers and censor fees. "Such measures as the proposed criminal laws to prevent designated playdates and to put the affiliated circuits out of business," it says, "are obviously unconstitutional on numerous grounds, will undoubtedly be tied up in litigation for many years and can easily be evaded in innumerable ways." Congressional Appeal Asked The bulletin asserts, however, that if such "futile" legislation "should get completely out of hand," then organized theatre owners must have a voice in its provisions and be heard by Congress in order that their interests may be protected from the non-theatre owning interests which, it says, drafted the bills now in existence. The M. P. T. O. A. statement urges a liberal unrestricted cancellation privilege as the only satisfactory solution for block booking problems and asserts that the present and prospective concessions from distributors on the M. P. T. O. A.'s 10-point trade practice program are indicative that real relief of this kind is at hand for every exhibitor. The bulletin stresses the improvement in the moral tone of pictures during the past two years and declares that, as a result, "the only remaining agitation against the morals of the movies is by those who make a living out of such agitation." "Allah" at $86,000 Betters First Week (.Continued from page 1) proximately $42,000 in its eight-day run at the Capitol where the picture was replaced yesterday by "Born to Dance." Lines formed at the theatre early and by the time the cashiers were ready to get to work the customers reached a good distance on the 51st St. side of the house. The Roxy, with "Reunion" and a stage show, took in slightly over $40,000 on eight days. "Banjo on My Knee" will open next Friday and after a week's engagement will be followed by "Stowaway," which will run through the Christmas period. "One in a Million" is dated to open Dec. 31. Apparently resigned to a dual feature policy, the Criterion has slated "Accused" and "Captain Calamity" to open next Wednesday. "Lloyds of London" tallied approximately $17,000 in the first week at two-a-day prices at the Astor. MILTON KUSELL left for Buffalo yesterday to meet Marsha Hunt, Paramount player. From Buffalo, Kusell will escort Miss Hunt to Albany, then back to New York, Philadelphia and Washington. Gail Patrick, who arrived Saturday from the coast, will meet Kusell in New Orleans next Sunday and from there will make a tour of Paramount exchanges in connection with the Zukor Jubilee. • J. J. Unger, Paramount district manager, will leave tomorrow for Birmingham, where he will speak to managers of Wilby-Kincey at a special meeting. • Will H. Hays and Mrs. Hays, Mistinguett and Hans Feher are due today aboard the Normandie. • William Hawks, brother of Howard and partner in a coast agency, is in town on business. Hollywood, Dec. 6. — "Happiness Preferred," a Major Prod, unit, is scheduled to hurry to Truckee as soon as snow is reported. Ernest Pascal, writer and. collaborator on "Lloyds of London," signed to new term contract by Darryl Zanuck. . . . Marguerite Clark to fly here from New Orleans to attend the Zukor Jubilee Dinner. . . . Claudette Colbert home from her Palm Springs vacation. . . . Boris Morros back at work after an illness. . . . Ralph Ranger goes to the desert to finish recuperating. Edgar Anderson and Paul Wing back from Panama with background shots for Paramount's "Swing High, Swing Low." . . . Joseph and Henry Mankiewicz to fly to New York Dec. 10. . . . Michael Levison and David Milgram, Philadelphia exhibitors, visitors here. . . . Short featuring alumni and present members of Our Gang scheduled to start soon. . . . Hal Roach may build another stage as part of expansion program. C. C. Burr, about to produce six "Crime and Courage" features, opens offices at International Studios. . . . Paramount advances start of "Tightwad" with Lew Ayres and Mary Carlisle to Dec. 14. . . . Jack Haley signed to term pact with 20th CenturyFox. + Casting — Joseph Schildkraut in "Souls at Sea," Paramount. . . . Howard Hickman in "Join the Marines" and Roscoe Gerall in "Dick Tracy," Republic. . . . Phyllis Barry gets lead in "The Prince and the Pauper," Warners. . . . Donald Barry, Lee Phelps and Vivian Oakland in "When's Your Birthday ?" . . . Tyrone Power and Gregory Ratoff in "Cafe Metropole," Twentieth Century-Fox. . . . John Harron signed to term contract by Warners. Adolphe Menjou to play role of Blackie Daw in "The World's Our Oyster," with Edward Arnold. . . . John Carradine added to cast of "Seventh Heaven," Twentieth Century-Fox. + Writers — Mervyn LeRoy signs WILLIAM JAFFE, law partner of Sol A. Rosenblatt, became a daddy for the first time the other day. It was an eight-pound boy at Doctors' Hospital with Mrs. Jaffe reported doing nicely. • Maud K. Miller, for many years manager of Paramount's New York story department, has joined Major Prod, in an edit6rial capacity. She will be associated with George Palmer Putnam, who heads the New York office of Major. • Lulu Deste, new star signed by B. P. Schulberg, and Marion Gering, director, will arrive from Europe on the next trip of the Champlain. • William Mallard, general counsel for RKO, plans to head for the coast after the first of the year. • Edward G. Robinson is due to arrive on the Normamdie Dec. 23. Aben Kandell to do screenplay of "Death in the Deep South." . . . Tom Lennon working on "Women Are Poison," Radio. . . . Wolfe Gilbert doing musical score of "Escadrille," same studio. . . . Universal signs Hans Kraly to do original for Deanna Durbin. li Berry Claims All Majors to Attend Parley (Continued from page 1) the conferences, it was declared, but the list showed only 24 individuals, including Merlin H. Aylesworth of RKO, and although "scores of national trade groups" are to be represented, only 16 were listed. Declaring the conference to be "the nation's most important post-election development," Berry said advices indicated the program would have unprecedented support from business, industry and labor. A tentative program released today showed that Berry will deliver the opening address, other speakers including Senator Wheeler of Montana, Representative Rayburn of Texas, Assistant Attorney General John Dickinson and William Green, president of the A.F.L. Rosenblatt Will Go To Berry Conference Sol A. Rosenblatt, former NRA code administrator, will leave for Washington tomorrow night to confer with Major George L. Berry's National Council for Industrial Progress. The meeting is slated for Wednesday. Rosenblatt on Saturday said he had not been advised of any film executives who will attend the sessions. MORE WARNER DAYS TO CHRISTMAS Out Hollywood Way