Motion Picture Daily (July–Sept 1938)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY Tuesday, August 2, 1938 4 Purely Personal ► WA. SCULLY may be kept out . of the Connecticut M.P.T.O. golf tournament today by a lame leg acquired last weekend. • Arthur Gkeenblatt, G.B. eastern division manager, left yesterday for a trip that will include stops at Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Buffalo and Albany. • Arthur Greenblatt, G. B. eastern division manager, left yesterday on a two-week trip to Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Buffalo and Albany. • A. M. Georger, treasurer of the United Artists Theatre Circuit, returned yesterday from a vacation in the Maine woods. • Irving Lesser, manager of the Roxy, spends his weekends in the Catskills. Louella Parsons is at the Waldorf-Astoria. . . . Oklahoma City L. C. Griffith, president ; C. O. Fulgham, division manager, Ralph Leachman, Alvin Powell, W. T. Spears, R. F. Wilbern and Foster McSwain, all of the Griffith Amusement Co. had a 10-day fishing trip at Fort Arkansas, Tex. B. J. McKenna, comptroller of the Griffith Amusement Co. has gone to Colorado for a three-week vacation with his family. Dwight Seymour, formerly manager of Griffith houses in Kermit, Tex., has been transferred to Sunray, Tex. William Turk, formerly assistant manager of Griffith's Enid, Okla., theatres, has been made assistant manager of the Sunray in Sunray. . . . Pittsburgh C. J. Latta and his family have given up apartment life and taken a home in the Squirrel Hill district of this city. Bob Finkel, son of the South Side exhibitor, is acting this summer at the Wharf Theatre in Provincetown. Karl Krug, critic and columnist for the Sun-Telegraph, is vacationing. Joe Carns, former operator of the Beacon, has gone into the automobile business. Al Singer, manager of Warners' Strand, and the former Esther Stern are on an eastern honeymoon trip. WB Foreign Bonuses Set Warner managers and staffs in Australia, Finland and Greece have been awarded salary bonuses as winners of the company's 52-week foreign sales drive for 1937, it was stated yesterday by Sam E. Morris, vice-president in charge of foreign activities. Mr. Morris inaugurated the bonus plan last year and its success has assured its continuance. H. M. Warner Arrives Harry M. Warner, president of Warners, arrived yesterday with Mrs. Warner from the coast. He plans to sail for England shortly to attend the opening of the new Warner Theatre in London. They Liked It Kansas City, Aug. 1. — Hardboiled bookers and executives of Fox Midwest screened "Alexander's Ragtime Band." There was so much demand from them that, five days later, the picture was brought back for another screening for the same group! Otterson States 90 To Use French Films With 90 theatres already selected for the showing of French films in the eastern area, Inter-Allied Films expects to line up a total of between 150 to 200 houses for the project, John E. Otterson, head of the company, said on his return on the Normandie yesterday. All theatres will be "selected" and exhibition will be on a class basis, he stated, the houses including "art" and similar operations. Mr. Otterson brought with him 12 French features as the first consignment of about 25 which he and Harry Lachman, his adviser, selected in Paris. Operations are scheduled to start Oct. 1, with distribution headquarters in New York. Mr. Otterson does not anticipate many remakes of his French pictures in America because "only a few are susceptible for remaking," he said. The main purpose is to present the films with English subtitles. The 90 theatres already assured are in Greater New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, all within 100 miles of Manhattan. These include houses in the Brandt and Trans-Lux circuits and others. Mr. Otterson said his venture is strongly backed by a Paris group headed by Marc Lauer, who is active in film and financial circles. Corniglion Molinier, Mr. Otterson's original associate in the importing project, is affiliated with the new group — to be known as FrancoAmericaine — but has no financial interest in it, Mr. Otterson said. Mr. Lachman, who accompanied Mr. Otterson abroad, is remaining in Paris another week or two in order to complete the selection of films. A number of shorts are also being brought over by the Otterson group. Durante Suit to Go On N. Y. Supreme Court Justice Peter Schmuck yesterday denied the request of Jimmy Durante to dismiss the $4,800 damage suit brought against him by Morton A. Milman, on condition that Mr. Milman place the action on the trial calendar for October. Mr. Durante, who sought the dismissal on the ground that the plaintiff had failed to diligently prosecute, is charged with failing to pay commission to Mr. Milman for allegedly securing 24 weeks' booking as a radio performer for Mr. Durante. Shirley Improving Boston, Aug. 1. — Shirley Temple, abed in her hotel here, is much improved, according to Dr. Leo Matson, her physician, who flew here from the coast. Thirty-Six Films In Work on Coast Hollywood, Aug. 1. — Thirty-six pictures were before the cameras at the start of the week, as Hollywood began taking its second wind in the production spurt. The figure is six less than last week's total, but 19 are in the final stages of preparation before they hit the live sets. Fifty-four are being edited. The four that started this week are : "Starlight over Texas," Monogram ; "Ranger Code," RKO ; "Billy the Kid Returns," Republic, and "The Comet," Universal. Those shooting are : "Girls' School," Columbia ; "The Lady and the Cowboy," Goldwyn ; "Too Hot to Handle," "Boys' Town," "Sweethearts," "Three Loves Has Nancy," "Listen, Darling" and "Stablemates," M-G-M ; "Zaza," "The Arkansas Traveler," "King of Alcatraz" and "Escape from Yesterday," Paramount ; "Room Service," "Gunga Din," "The Mad Miss Manton," "Mr. Doodle Kicks Off," RKO; "There Goes My Heart," Roach ; "Hold that Coed," "Wooden Anchors," "While New York Sleeps," "By the Dawn's Early Light," "Camera Daredevils," 20th Century-Fox ; "Youth Takes a Fling" and "That Certain Age," Universal ; "The Sisters," "Angels with Dirty Faces," "Brother Rat," "Wings of the Navy," "Blackwell's Island," "Heart of the North," "Curtain Call," "Torchy Gets Her Man," Warners. Those finished were : "The Great Waltz," "Rich Man, Poor Girl," M-G-M ; "Paris Honeymoon," "Campus Confessions," "Songs of the Legion," "Sunset Trail," Paramount ; "Carefree," RKO ; "Everything Happens to Us," "Pals of the Saddle," Republic ; "The Road to Reno," Universal. Four short subjects are shooting — three at M-G-M, and one at Warners. M-G-M finished one, and started two. Five are being prepared, and six are being edited. Lamour Has Operation Hollywood, Aug. 1. — Dorothy Lamour is recovering from an emergency operation for appendicitis. Alger's Allowances To Be Set Sept. 12 Hearing was set for Sept. 12 at 2 :30 P. M. in Federal Court by Judge William Bondy yesterday on the application of George W. Alger for an allowance for his services as special master in the RKO reorganization proceedings, and also on the application of Price, Waterhouse & Co. for $3,500 for the auditing of the books of RKO. The special master, who filed his request for an allowance July 17, did not ask for a specified amount, but requested Judge Bondy to fix a fair and equitable sum. M-G-M Official Here Elias Lapiniere, publicity and advertising director for M-G-M on the Continent, with headquarters in Paris, arrived on the Normandie yesterday for a stay of two or three weeks. While here he will obtain material on the new season's films. Cullman's Father Dies Joseph F. Cullman, 83, father of Charles S. Cullman, died yesterday at his New York residence. He was a prominent tobacco dealer and downtown real estate operator. MoreVeteransAdded To Milwaukee's List Milwaukee, Aug. 1. — Names of additional theatre men to be honored at the silver jubilee to be held Aug. 30 and 31 at the Schroeder hotel as having served 25 years or more in the industry, include the following : Frank Fischer, George and Paul Langheinrich, Frank Cook, JacjC/ Camp, Jack Silliman, Jack Frackmany'1 Max Weisner, Ed Vollendorpf, Frank Trottman and Herbert Schwahn, and all of Milwaukee ; Jack Yeo, Burlington ; Charles H. Braun, Hartford, and Walter A. Baier, Fort Atkinson. The honor roll is expected to exceed 35 names embracing all divisions of the industry. The men will be recipient of appropriate awards at the banquet to climax the two-day celebration Aug 31. Northwest Sail Is Held Seattle, Aug. 1. — More than one hundred film men, their wives and friends enjoyed the Northwest Film Club's "Mystery Cruise" aboard the Sightseer on Lake Washington. From 9 P.M. until early morning the passengers enjoyed dancing, cards and other shipboard games. The "crew" was composed of Neal Walton, A. H. McMillan, Keith Beckwith, Bjarne Moe, Bill Parker, Harry Blatt, Don Beckman, Bill Forman, Frank Christie, Herndon Edmonds, Pete Higgins and L. J. McGinley. Plan Lombard Film Unit Myron Selznick will form his next production unit on a profit-sharing basis with Carole Lombard. Gregory La Cava will be director and, at the request of Miss Lombard, the unit will bear his name. MOTION PICTURE DAI LY (Registered U. S. Patent Office) MARTIN QUIGLEY, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher; J. M. JERAULD. Managing Editor; JAMES A. CRON. Advertising Manager. EDITORIAL STAFF: Charles S. Aaronson, Jack Banner, Al Finestone. Thomas Fitzsimmons, Sherwin A. Kane, Irene Kuhn. Joseph Priore. Published daily except Sunday and holidays Sept. to May and daily except Saturday. Sunday and holidays June, July and Aug. by Quigley Publisning Company, Inc., Martin Quigley. president; Colvln 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 1938 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. HOLLYWOOD: Postal Union Life Building. Vine and Yucca Sts. ; Boone Mancall, manager; William R. Weaver, editor. WASHINGTON: Albee Building. Bertram F. Llnz. representative. CHICAGO: 624 S. Michigan Ave.. C. B. O'Neill, manager AMSTERDAM: 37 Waalstraat; Philip de Schaap. representative. BERLIN: Steulerstrasse 2, Berlin W. 35: Joachim K. Rutenberg. representative. BUDAPEST: Szaraos-Utca 7. Budapest I; Endre Hevesi. representative. BUENOS AIRES: Avallaneda 3940; N. 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