Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1937)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY Thursday, January 7, 1937 MOTION PICTURI DAILY (Registered U. S. Patent Office) Vol. 41 January 7, 1937 No. 5 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 1937 by Quigley Publishing Company, Inc. Address all correspondence to the New York Office. Other Quigley publications, Motion Picture Herald, Better Theatres, Teatro Al Dia, International Motion Picture Almanac and Fame: The Box Office 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, lames Lockhart, Representative; Budapest Bureau: 3 Kaplar-u, Budapest, II, Endre Hevesi, Representative; Tokyo Bureau: 880 Sasazuka, Ichikawa-shi. Chiba-Ken, Tominacia, 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 Janiero Bureau: Caixa Postal 3358, A. Wcissman, Representative; Buenos Aires Bureau: Corrientes 2495, N. Brushi, Representative; Montevideo Bureau: P. O. Box 664, Paul Bodo, Representative: Moscow Bureau: Petrovski Per 8, Beatrice Stern, Representative; Vienna Bureau: Neustiftgasse, 55, Vienna VII, Hans Lorant, Representative; Amsterdam Bureau Zuider Amsteilaan 5, Philip de Schaap. Representative; Helsingfors Bureau: Fredriksgatan 19 C, Charlotte Lasalo, 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: 10 cents. W anger to Produce Musicals Annually Walter Wanger will produce one big musical a year under the title of "Walter Wander's Vogues." Hal Home, who will have charge of these productions, arrived yesterday from the coast to spend three weeks here casting the first "Walter Wanger's Vogues of 1938." The eastern setup of Wanger's office has been completed. Rodney Bush will be in charge. Loew Theatre Unit '36 Net $423,699 "Million" Held Over "One in a Million" is being held over in 17 first runs, according to John D. Clark, general manager of distribution of 20th Century-Fox. Clark says it is outgrossing "Pigskin Parade" and "Sing, Babv. Sing." It is scheduled to open in 100 key cities over the weekend. RKO Takes "Carnival" RKO has closed a deal with American Tobis for "Carnival in Flanders" in 42 Greater New York theatres. Negotiations are pending on a national deal. Washington, Jan. 6. — A net income of $423,699 for the fiscal year ending Aug. 31 is shown by Loew's Theatre and Realty Corp. in its annual report as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The balance sheet of the company showed, among other items, theatre reciepts and miscellaneous income of $6,400,440 and rent income of $405,249. Theatre operations, including film rentals,_ cost $3,538,544 and $317,200 was paid in booking fees to an allied corporation and $1,828,292 in rents on leased property. The company, a subsidiary of Loew's, Inc., which holds 100 per cent of its equity stocks, is in turn full owner of six subsidiaries and part owner of three others. The major holder of securities other than equity stocks were Nicholas M. Schenck, president, who held $69,000 in six per cent bonds ; Leopold Friedman, secretary, $22,900 in the same bonds ; Isadore Frey, assistant secretary, $5,000, and H. Halborn, assistant secretary, $4,500. A balance sheet for the theatre corporation and its wholly owned subsidiaries showed theatre receipts and miscellaneous income as $6,691,716, and rent income of $500,389. Theatre operations, including film rentals, cost $3,721,901, booking fees to an allied corporation, $322,400, and rent $913,385. The net income was $419,066. A balance sheet for the subsidiaries not consolidated showed theatre income and miscellaneous receipts of $813,897 and rent of $11,055. Theatre operations, including film rentals, cost $487,273, and booking fees to an allied corporation were $20,441. The net income was $138,636. The only remuneration in excess of $20,000 paid bv the corporation was $50,000 to Prpskauer, Rose & Paskus for legal services in the adjustment of lease contracts. Cleveland Loew Scale Up Cleveland, Jan. 6. — Col. Harry E. Long, Loew division manager, has raised the Stillman prices from 25c35c to 30c-35c-42c for the rest of the season. Loew's to Pay $1.67 '/z Loew's directors yesterday declared the regular quarterly dividend of $1.67^ on the outstanding preferred stock. British Exhibitors Against Joint Body By BRUCE ALLAN London, Jan. 6. — The C.E.A. general council on Jan. 16 will receive a report from the General Purpose Committee recommending against the K.R.S. proposal for a joint trade association with a British Will Hays. Exhibitors' fear of distributors is greater than their fear of a Government commission as suggested in the Moyne report. Some would welcome an official body which might control the trading methods of K.R.S. There is*a strong feeling that any joint trade body would be dominated by the K.R.S., exhibitors having sacrificed the power of opposition. The exhibitor attitude is a surprising development which leaves the trade disunited in the face of the Moyne report. Mayor vs. Reade Saratoga Springs, N. Y., Jan. 6. — Mayor Addison Mallery of this city and Walter Reade, theatre operator, had at each other in no mean fashion last night, when the City Council rejected Reade's petition for rezoning of property to permit him to erect a theatre here. Pointing to the Mayor, Reade said, "I'm going to build a theatre here in spite of this man." The Mayor shouted, "You're a liar," and drew back his arm. Reade declared he had bought the Saratoga Club and would build a theatre on the site despite the council, and the next move has not happened yet. Duroy Sues Gillmore On Magazine Story Robert Duroy, actor and producer, yesterday filed a suit in N. Y. Su preme Court for $150,000 against Frank Gillmore, president of Actor's Equity Ass'n. Duroy asserts Gillmore, in an article published in Equity Magazine made aspersions regarding a suit Duroy had brought against the association in 1931, which the actor won. In that action Duroy accused Gillmore and Equity of committing certain acts which he claimed caused his production, "The Right to Happiness," to close after a short run. The suit was tried in 1934. Duroy was awarded $40,000 which was appealed. The present action claims that in a recent article Gillmore wrote about the suit he said that Duroy was an incompetent actor. For this Duroy asks $50,000. The balance of the damages, $100,000, are asked by Duroy for the statement by Gillmore that he was a good actor on the witness stand and induced the jury to bring in a verdict not commensurate with the facts. In court today Gillmore will ask the second cause of action be dismissed on the grounds that the facts are insufficient to rate a cause of action. Fox to See Copyright Federal Judge Coxe yesterday permitted Fox Film Corp. to examine an original copyright belonging to S. Fay Kaplan, which is alleged to have been made by Theatre Magazine Co. to him. The action revolves around his suit for an injunction and damages of upwards of $5,000 charging infringement of stills ueed in a 1929 issue of Theatre Magazine in "George White's Scandals of 1935." Fuller Case Hearing Set New Orleans, Jan., 6.— An order instructing attorneys in the case of George Fuller charging conspiracy against seven major film distributors to submit written arguments was issued today by Judge Borah. The court has set a hearing for next Wednesday. Henry Buddy Resigns St. Louis, Jan. 6. — Henry Buddy, sound engineer for the St. Louis Amusement Co., has resigned effective Jan. 16. Amusement Receipts $59,086,000 in N. E. Washington, Jan. 6. — Box-office receipts of New England's 2,763 places of amusement last year reached a total of $59,086,000, it was stated today by the U. S. Census Bureau, making public the first of a series of reports on the amusement industries. Today's report dealt with the subject in a general manner, the figures covering film and other theatres, circuses, amusement parks, bowling alleys, billiard parlors, dance halls, etc. Segregated figures for the theatre industry are expected to be made public later. The 2,763 establishments covered by the report had 2,125 active proprietors and firm members and gave employment last year to an average of 13,198 persons, the bureau reported. The total payroll for the year, including no compensation for proprietors and firm members of unincorporated businesses, was $13,448,000, of which $1,848,000 was for part-time work. Itemized by States Figures on amusements in each of the six New England states were published by the bureau as follows : Massachusetts, 1,281 establishments with receipts of $32,724,000, having 980 proprietors and firm members employing an average of 6,971 persons comprising a payroll of $7,863,000, of which $993,000 was for part-time work ; Connecticut, 550 establishments with receipts of $11,522,000 having 406 proprietors and firm members employing an average of 2,780 persons comprising a payroll of $2,428,000, of which $166,000 was for part-time work; Rhode Island, 177 establishments with receipts of $7,365,000, having 124 proprietors and firm members employing an average of 1,189 persons comprising a total payroll of $1,478,000, of which $552,000 was for part-time work ; Maine, 392 establishments with receipts of $4,010,000, having 304 proprietors and firm members employing an average of 1,172 persons comprising a total payroll of $844,000, of which $79,000 was for part-time work; New Hampshire, 230 establishments with total receipts of $3,042,000, having 188 proprietors and firm members employing an average of 708 persons comorising a payroll of $583,000, of which $37,000 was for part-time work; Vermont, 133 establishments with receipts of $1,423,000, with 123 proprietors and firm members employing an average of 378 persons comprising a total payroll of $252,000, of which $21,000 was for part-time work. Leo Abrams Inducted As Film Board Head Leo Abrams, local Universal exchange manager, last night was inducted as president of the New York Film Board of Trade along with other newly elected officers at the Lincoln Hotel. Following the inauguration, the exchange managers saw "The Show Is On" at the Winter Garden. Future plans of the organization have not been discussed, Abrams stated last night. Harry Hummel of Warners is first vice-president, Edward Bell of Paramount, second vice-president. Harry Decker of Warners is secretary and Morris Epstein of Grand National is sergeant-at-arms.