Motion Picture Daily (July–Sept 1938)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY Monday, August 15, i Purely Personal ► XJANCY CARROLL arrived by plane Saturday from the coast and continued on to Cohasset, Mass., to play the leading role opposite Peter Arno in a tryout of a new plav by Richard Aldrich. • Jimmy Ritz arrived Saturday from Chicago where the Ritz Brothers completed an engagement at the Chicago Theatre. Al Ritz has gone to Saratoga and Harry has returned to Hollywood. • Felix Jenkins, 20th Century-Fox general counsel, attended the National Theatres meeting in Kansas City and will attend the Los Angeles meeting this week. • • Les Whalen, 20th Century-Fox foreign publicity director, has been spending his honeymoon motoring to the coast and back. He is due at his office today. • Theodore A. Shaw, assistant to William Gehring, 20th Century-Fox division manager, will leave for Detroit today on business and will go from there to Indianapolis. • Harold McCracken of Courier Production has revised his book, "Commander-in-Chief Pershing," for early republication. It came out originally in 1931. • Pete Harrison, who was operated on recently, left Roosevelt Hospital over the weekend. He will return to his -office in about a week. • Wayne Morris and Johnnie Davis, who have completed "Brother Rat" for Warners, will leave the coast tomorrow for an eastern vacation. • Victor Delgranos, son of the Spanish composer, has arrived from Spain to negotiate with film companies for the use of Spanish music. • Mrs. Sidney Skolsky, wife of the Hollywood columnist, and daughter, Stephanie, sailed Saturday for Los Angeles, via the Panama canal. • Sam Sax, in charge of Warners' shorts production is due from the coast shortly to resume operations at the Vitaphone studio. • Louis Silvers, general musical director of 20th Century-Fox, is in New York for a short vacation following completion of "My Lucky Star." • W. C. Gehring, central division manager for 20th Century-Fox, has returned from Detroit. • Sam Forgotson of the M-G-M ad department has returned from his vacation. • Louis Phillips of the Paramount legal department will return to his office today from a vacation in Mexico. • Y. Frank Freeman, Paramount theatre head, is expected back from a vacation in Atlanta within a few days. • Loublla Parsons returned to Hollywood over the weekend. 'Four's a Crowd' Received Well by N. Y. Reviewers "Four's A Crowd" zvas received in a generally favorable tone by the metropolitan critics following its Music Hall opening. They classified it as one of the "screwball comedy" variety and dwelt on its characterisations and scattered comedy moments. Excerpts from reviews follow: Herald-Tribune — Depends almost entirely on daffy situations and antic performing. ... At its best, even though that is nothing to get very excited about, when it turns loose its funny men in funny interludes. JournalAmerican — Definitely on the wacky side. ... A succession of farcical mixups. . . . The sets are handsome, the heroine's frocks are smart and the tempo is lively. Mirror — Cast is gay and sparkling. . . . Rollicking good fun. ... It is a beautifully mounted and smartly costumed production. . . . Has an exhilarating pace. . . . Everybody will enjoy it. Neivs — Strikes just the right light note for this heavy August weather. . . . Principals work smoothly. . . . Dialogue sparkles now and then to the amused satisfaction of the audience. . . . Post — Qualifies as relaxing entertainment of a semi-farce nature. . . . Among first class pictures it is moderately entertaining. Sun — The plot, as often as complicated as it is frothy, is occasionally tiresome. . . . Most of the time the fun is fast and furious — furious to the point of slapstick. Times — May be listed among the more successful comedies of, on the whole, a rather tragic summer. World Telegram — There is a general air of slapstick goofiness about "Four's a Crowd" that makes it the proper kind of hot weather entertainment. British Licensing Protest Spreading London, Aug. 14. — The Surrey County Council has joined the ranks of those advocating an amendment of the Cinematograph Act of 1909 so that municipalities may issue — or reject — film house licenses in advance. The council has fallen into line with Warwickshire and London, and has asked the County Councils' Association, corporate body of British licensing authorities, to press the Home Office for amendment of the Act. As it stands at present, the 1909 Act — under which all cinema licensing is controlled — and as interpreted by High Court decision, does not permit local authorities to issue licenses until the buildings have been erected. By this interpretation of the Act opponents of overbuilding are debarred from voicing early opposition at the preliminary licensing sessions. It is very likely the whole matter will come before the C.E.A. at an early session and that the association will ask for legislation to be pushed forward during 1938-39. Such legislation would bring the procedure into direct line with that which exists in regard to saloons — known in England as public houses. * * * Standing in theatres is to be prohibited entirely in future by Sheffield, one of Britain's largest industrial cities. It has already been tabooed in new houses and the Watch Committee now intends to apply the ban generally. Starts Time Contest Jules Levy has developed a plan whereby RKO salesmen can compete for $3,000 in prizes for the best sales accomplishment on March of Time. It will be retroactive to July 1 and will end Feb. 24. The plan is to restore all contracts which have lapsed and to develop as many new accounts as possible. The United States and Canada campaigns will be separate with 10 U. S. awards of $125 each; 10 of $100 and 10 of $75 in this country. In Canada first prize will be $125 ; second, $75, and third, $50. Warner District Men Here for Conferences (Continued from page 1) midwest district chief at Chicago ; Fred Jack, Dallas ; W. E. Callaway, Los Angeles, and Wolfe Cohen, Toronto. In addition to Mr. Sears, executives participating in the meetings will be Carl Leserman, assistant general sales manager ; Roy Haines, eastern and Canadian sales head ; Ben Kalmenson, southern and western chief, and Mort Blumenstock, eastern director of advertising and publicity. Among films to be discussed are "Four Daughters," "Boy Meets Girl," "Four's a Crowd," "Valley of the Giants," "Garden of the Moon" and "Sisters." Mayor's Help Aske For Musical Sho A request that Mayor F. H Guardia appoint a fact finding < mission to determine the merits I controversy between the Vode-V| Corp. and the American Feder: of Musicians has been made by company, which proposed to inst; novel type of entertainment in theatres. The shows would consist of si length films using musicians, da^ and singers, with some of thq on the stage as well as the s^ Joseph N. Weber, president of A.F.M., withholds the use of men for the recordings on the ground such "canned music" would make return of musicians to theatres "j tically impossible." Pitts-Roth Seek Horn A deal for several theateres is der way by Ben Pitts and Ch; Roth, Virginia circuit operators, have joint operations in a nui of towns. Negotiations were st; here last week. Mr. Pitts, wh president of the M.P.T.O. of Yirg has returned to Fredericksburg. Mr. Roth was here also to say g bye to his brother-in-law, Dan Mi love of 20th Century-Fox, who Sunday for Australia. Ask Coburn Examination Jacob J. Shubert will make an application today to the N. Y. Supreme Court for an order directing the examination before trial of Charles D. Coburn, the defendant in a suit brought by Shubert in behalf of Douco Corp. as its vice-president and director, to recover the proceeds of an alleged sale of the film rights of a play, "The Farmer's Wife." Shubert claims that Duoco Corp. was the owner of a one-half interest in the play and that Coburn, who is allegedly president and a director of Duoco Corp., failed to turn over the proceeds of the sale to it. Coburn, in his answer, denies that any part of the proceeds belong to the corporation. Lloyd Nolan in Raft Role Hollywood, Aug. 14. — Paramount has named Lloyd Nolan to substitute for George Raft in "St. Louis Blues." Shooting will start tomorrow. Raft was suspended last week for refusing the role. MacKenna Married Kenneth MacKenna, eastern story editor for M-G-M, is on his honeymoon, having been married at Bridgeport on Friday to Mary Phillips, actress. Blankenhorn Return David Blankenhorn, President Cosmocolor of Hollywood, returns the coast Saturday, after negoti; deals with companies in New ^ and signing a contract for 14 pro tions. Mr. Blankenhorn will return to ] York the early part of Septembe arrange for the extension of the mocolor in the east. MOTION PICTURE DAILY (Registered U. S. Patent Office) MARTIN QUIGLEY, Editor-in-Chief and Usher; J. M. JERAULD, Managing E JAMES A. CRON. Advertising Manager. TORIAL STAFF: Charles S. Aaronson. Jack ner, Al Finestone, Thomas Fitzsimmons, Sb A. Kane, Irene Kuhn, Joseph Priore. Published daily except Sunday and ho Sept. to May and daily except Saturday. S and holidays June, July and Aug. by Qi Publishing Company. Inc., Martin Quigley. dent; Colvin Brown, vice-president and trea Publication office: 1270 Sixth Avenue at E feller Center, New York. Telephone: Circle 7Cable address: "Quigpubco. New York." contents copyrighted 1938 by Quigley Publl Company, Inc. 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