Motion Picture Daily (July–Sept 1938)

Tuesday, July 19, 1938 MOTION PICTURE DAILY Northwest Closings About Same as Usual Minneapolis, July 18. — Theatre closings in the Minneapolis trade territory are no more numerous this summer than in the years immediately preceding, a survey of the local exchanges reveals. In Minneapolis, the Minnesota, 4,200-seat house, has been closed in-definitely, and Minnesota Amusement 01s announced that there seems to be sstle likelihood that it will renew its lease on the theatre when the present one expires Feb. 1, 1939. Other Minneapolis closings, all Minnesota Amusement Co. theatres, are the American, Granada and Nokomis, neighborhood houses. At Appleton, Minn., R. Risch has closed his theatre and North Dakota closings include the theatres of R. Schaber at Ashley ; E. Trisko at Stanley and Alvin Larson at Noonan. In Minneapolis the State has reduced its prices to what is described as a "summer schedule" from a 55cent top to a 40-cent top. No other price changes have been announced. Albany Putting on Big Business Drive Albany, July 18— Played daily in both morning and afternoon papers as front page news, the "Sales Mean Jobs'r Committee of Albany businessmen is getting great space in the effort to spread the message to the con>umer. Handling the work is James A. Carrier, publicity chairman for Fabian's Circuit in this territory and assigned to the Harmanus Bleecker Hall here. The latest stunt is detailing a group of ushers, taken from Fabian's Palace and Hall and Warners' Strand and Ritz to distribute cards bearing the legend "Sales Mean Jobs" to apartment houses, business offices, stores, etc. Donation of space in Albany-TroySchenectady area trolley car ad space by the Collier outfit and open billboard space within a 40-mile radius by Fitch Advertising is blazoning campaign messages on huge posters. Use of radio (WOKO and WABY) with numerous interviews and blurbs by business men is also tied in. Hollywood Preview "Pride of the West" (Sherman-Paramount) Hollywood, July 18. — "Pride of the West" holds to that pattern which has elevated the "Hopalong Cassidy" series to a high place in the scheme of outdoor action adventure screen entertainment. With William Boyd, George Hayes and Russell Hayden in their familiar roles and the supporting cast composed of players who have often appeared in similarly premised attractions, the show is fast moving and exciting. Dialogue and movement are well balanced and pictorially beautiful. Kenneth Harlan and James Craig, ostensibly enemies, nevertheless are land pirates who have allied themselves to get possession of ranchers' properties at little cost to themselves. They plot a stage coach robbery in which Hayden, guard for Driver Hayes, is wounded. To repel any suspicion from themselves, they demand that Sheriff Earle Hodgins either capture the bandits or resign. Boyd is suggested as the man for the job and the sheriff's children, Charlotte Field and Billy King, establish contact with him. Building to its exciting climax in unique and interesting ways, Boyd rounds up the bandits, proves that his pals, Hayes and Hayden, are innocent of any complication in any of the shady work and exposes Harlan and Craig. While devoid of any romantic love interest, the film concentrates on action and adventure, with bits of comedy. The picture does not suffer in comparison with any of the earlier "Hopalongs." It may be expected that patrons who have followed the series will be interested in this. Running time, 55 minutes. "G." Fox Midwest to Hold August K.C. Meeting Kansas City, July 18. — Fox Midwest Theatres, Inc., will hold its annual convention of managers, representing some 100 theatres in Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska, in Kansas City Aug. 16 and 17. National Theatres is planning a meeting here and another in San Francisco some time within the next month or six weeks. Starts Booking Service Hollywood, July 18. — Harry Rackin has opened Exhibitors' Service, Inc., furnishing a booking service to independent theatres. The Paramount, Casa Grande, Ariz., Holtville, Holtville, Cal., and Plaza, Hawthorne, Cal., are among the clients. Manages Carolina Spot Newton, N. C, July 18.— K. P. Drace has assumed management of the Catawba here. He succeeds H. R. Summers, resigned. New York Preview Pugachev (Amkino) The Soviet Lenfilm studios in "Pugachev" have produced a lengthy and somewhat dull historical film that deals with a peasant uprising in the days of Catherine the Great. The character of the title was a serf who rose from bondage to lead an army composed of farmers, various unreliable units of the army, Cossacks and the tribes of eastern Russia to Moscow. The narrative deals principally with his impersonation of the assassinated Peter III. Various minor officials doubt his purpose and his way is beset with treason and the results of his cohort's ill treatment of Bashkir tribesmen. His constituents also decree that he must marry a Cossack woman for his Empress. This creates more difficulty — he already has a family. Ultimately his setup collapses and he is betrayed to the Czarina and executed, not however before he exhorts the crowd to keep up the lost cause. The production employs a great number of extras and has a few battle scenes which are not quite up to expectation. The action is so dragging that a matinee audience at the Cameo gave vent to audible yawns. Running time, 93 minutes. "A." Joseph Priore Fox Theatres Must Pay Claim Dividend Milton C. Weisman, as receiver of Fox Theatres Corp., was asked yesterday by U. S. Circuit Judge Martin T. Manton to pay approximately $88,000 to the Chicago Title & Trust Co. as an eight per cent dividend of Chicago Title & Trust's claim against Fox Theatres Corp. for $1,110,055. The sum will be paid out of a reserve fund which Mr. Weisman was instructed to set aside for payment to claimants whose claims had been finally fixed. Special Master Courtland Palmer had allowed $1,110,055 to Chicago Title & Trust on a claim of $1,159,381. The claim was based on an alleged breach of contract between Fox Theatres and Herbert Lubin, whereby Fox Theatres had undertaken to purchase securities and debentures which carried with them the control of the Roxy Theatre. Mr. Lubin later assigned his claim to Chicago Title & Trust. Judge Manton also ordered Mr. Weisman to pay eight per cent of $2,000 allowed on a claim of Gordon H. Grant and Violet M. Grant. Weisman Is Allowed $12,500 U. S. Circuit Judge Martin T. Manton yesterday granted $12,500 to Milton C. Weisman for his services as receiver of Fox Theatres Corp. as an ad interim allowance for the period from Jan. 12, 1938, to July 12, 1938. The allowance was in response to a request by Mr. Weisman for $15,000. In his petition for the allowance, Mr. Weisman recited that claims against Fox Theatres Corp. originally totaled $30,000,000, and that due in a large part to his efforts, they had been reduced to about $9,500,000. This was exclusive of the claim of William Fox for $7,176,627, the petition stated, which is the only claim held in abeyance pending final determination of litigation of Fox's bankruptcy proceedings. Mr. Weisman also stated in his petition that he was at present negotiating with Fox's attorneys in an attempt to settle the nuestion of conflicting claims of Fox and the Fox Theatres Corp. Mexican Producers Appeal to Cardenas (.Continued from page 1) Federation and the National Studio Workers' Union. The President was told the union action is unjust and will have an unfortunate effect on the national economy. There is some assurance of a settlement of the dispute this week in the indication from Vincente Lombardo Toledano, Mexican labor czar, that he will make an effort to end the fight. Although exhibitors in this zone were spared, those in most other parts of Mexico suffered in a two-hour strike Saturday night by the National Electrical Workers' Union, protesting the murder of the head of the electric company at Juarez, opposite El Paso, Texas. The strike cost the theatres a portion of the most profitable night in the week. B. & K. Seeking Cut On Oriental Rental Chicago, July 18. — Balaban & Katz is negotiating with the owners of the Oriental Theatre on a new lease at lower rental figures. The circuit also is discussing the possibility of putting stage shows in the "big three" neighborhood houses — Marbro, Tivoli and Uptown — figuring this will draw better than double bills. Disney Gets Another Disney, Okla., July 18.— M. R. Parks has opened Disney's second theatre to compete with Louis Barton's 280-seat house which was opened for business June 15. Disney is a new town on the site of the construction work being done on the $20,000,000 Grand River dam project in the northeastern corner of the state. Court Writ Names S.O. S. N. Y. Supreme Court Justice Aron Steuer yesterday granted the application of Julius J. Bressler for a temporary injunction pending trial, restraining S. O. S. Cinema Supply Corp., formerly the Sales-onSound Corp., from using a photograph of Mr. Bressler, a former employee, in its catalogs, allegedly without his consent. Mr. Bressler was ordered to post a bond for $500 as a condition to the granting of his application. Goldstein Acquires New Audience Game Edward Goldstein has been named territorial distributor for "Magic Eye," the latest audience game to be put on the market. The game is also called "Isle of Fortune" and consists of an automatic candid camera installed in theatre lobbies which takes pictures of patrons as they enter. Close Col.-Nace Deal A deal for Columbia's entire 1938'39 lineup of features, shorts, westerns and serials was closed yesterday with the Harry Nace circuit of 17 Arizona theatres, according to a home office statement.