Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1939)

6 MOTION PICTURE DAILY Monday, September 18, 1939 Fewer Large Group Deals For '40 Films Hollywood Reviews 'Kid Nightingale' Major circuits' film deals for 1939'40 are being negotiated on a basis of each individual situation or small groups of theatres in the same classification rather than large groups, which heretofore has been the case. Distributing companies therefore have been delayed in closing deals with the principal circuits, because of the large amount of work entailed. As another consequence, the majoi distributors have not as yet approached the independent subsequent runs and neighborhoods on sales, in many situations. These are always negotiated after the big circuit deals-, are out of the way. Buying Delay Not Serious This factor has had the effect _ of slowing up buying in some territories. The delay has not been serious. Many subsequent runs do not start buying until late in the year, it is pointed out by sales executives. One of the large deals currently being worked out on a more or less individual theatre basis is the M-G-M contract with National Theatres, which operates some 450 theatres. Heretofore, the circuit has grouped its theatres in about six categories. Other M-G-M deals which have been under way for some time are with the Warner circuit, B. & K. in Chicago and the M. & J. circuit in Boston. The latter is expected to be closed within a week. M-G-M's sales are at about the same numerical level as at this time last year, with between 50 and 55 per cent of total possibilities closed. M-G-M started 1939-'40 selling in April. The company aims to achieve the total 1938-'39 figure, which was close to 11,000 contracts, a new high Sales executives say the protracted negotiations over the proposed trade practice code have not delayed buying to any extent as the terms of the proposed pact were retroactive to all contracts made after Jan. 1, 1939, for 1939-'40 product. Broadcasters Vote Own Music Source (Continued from page 1) the new corporation, based upon the total sum equal to half of the license fees payable to Ascap in 1937. The new corporation will seek to tie up all available sources of music not now controlled by Ascap, and supply funds for the development of new song writers, etc. The idea is to give N.A.B. a music source which can eventually make the broadcasters independent of Ascap, or at least put them on better bargaining terms than those which exist at present. A committee of seven was named to form the corporation and serve as the board of directors until N.A.B. 's Spring meeting. It includes Neville Miller as president and Everett R. Revercomb as acting secretary-treasurer. Other members are Walter Daarni, representing newspaper-owned stations; John Elmer, independent stations ; Edward Klauber, CBS ; Lenox Lohr, NBC ; Samuel Rosenbaum, LR.N.A., and John Shepard EDI, regional broadcasting stations. ( J I 'arncrs) Hollywood, Sept. 17. — A rollicking farce of the prize fight game, with its chief character a boxer who fights so that he may sing, is "Kid Nightingale," a lively feature teaming John Payne and Jane Wyman. It's rich in comedy dialogue and situations and is designed to make an audience forget itself for the 58 minutes required to tell the story. George Amy, former film editor, drew the picture as his first directorial assignment and paced it neatly to get maximum value out of the terse screenplay of Charles Belden and Raymond Schrock, who adapted Lee Katz' story. Mark Hellinger was Bryan Foy's associate producer. ■ Supporting Payne and Miss Wyman are Walter Catlett, Ed Brophy, Charles D. Brown, Max Hoffman, John Ridgely, Harry Burns, William Haade, Helen Troy, Winifred Harris, Lee Phelps and Frankie Van. Catlett, a fly-by-night promoter, picks up Payne and attempts to make him into a boxer. Payne wants to be a singer, but upon promises of lessons from a great coach, agrees. He is sent barnstorming about the country, knocking over "setups" in a campaign that interests many women. In the finale, the tricks of his managers are exposed, Payne wins the championship and deserts the fight game for singing. Running time, 58 minutes. "G."* Vance King 'Call a Messenger'' ( Universal) Hollywood, Sept. 17. — Featuring two Dead End Kids and four Little Tough Guys supported by such staple personnel as Robert Armstrong, Victor Jory, Mary Carlisle, Anne Nagel, El Brendel and Larry Crabbe, this plausible and pleasant comedy drama based on the messenger service stacks up as satisfactory entertainment for practically all purposes. It strives for no tremendous heights of melodramatic or emotional power and seeks to prove no greater point than that paid employment is the best tonic for a bad boy, yet in its very restraint in these directions it achieves an effectiveness beyond that commonly attained by determined underscoring. The screenplay by Arthur T. Horman, based on a story by Sally Sandlin and Michel Kraike, opens with Billy Halop leading a band of youthful ruffians in an attempted burglary interrupted by police. Halop is captured and offered a choice of going to work as a messenger boy or to reform school. He accepts the job as a lesser evil but follows it to the ultimate similar employment of his ruffianly associates, redemption of his criminal elder brother and similar benefits for all. Associate producer Ken Goldsmith and art director Jack Otterson have given the picture thoroughly adequate mounting and director Arthur Luzin has made it a smoothly running, evenly paced narrative. Running time, 60 minutes. "G."* Roscoe Williams ¥"G" denotes general classification. New Regulations For Film Shipping (Continued front page 1) port Declarations, Customs Form 7525 (identical with Commerce Form 7525) will be filed in triplicate ; instead of duplicate as heretofore. "All cargo must be laden under the supervision of Customs officers. It is, therefore, essential that export declarations must be received by the inspectors prior to the lading of the packages. "The triplicate copy will be used as a notice of shipment to the lading inspector and will be transmitted to him by a Customs messenger. Robert Poole Elected Los Angeles, Sept. 17. — Robert H. Poole has been elevated to the position of executive director of the Independent Theatre Owners of Southern California and Arizona* Practically the entire old board has been reelected. Run of Four Weeks Set for 'Rains Came' "The Rains Came" is set at the Roxy. for a run of four weeks, and may go longer. The first week's gross was $81,800, with an attendance of 153,956.. This is better than any week's business at the Roxy in recent years, except the first week of "Alexander's Ragtime Band," which did $87,000, and $6,000 over "Jesse James." Big Economy Drive Begins In Hollywood (Continued from page 1) and some planned spectacle sequences may be abandoned. Shortening of shooting schedules is being counted on by some of thfcm?mpanies. Under contemplation v^,:hat thirty-day schedules are to come down to 24 ; 24-day shooting periods to 18,' and 18-day assignments to 12. It is reasoned that little can be accomplished below that figure. Unaffected thus far is RKO, the studio awaiting instructions from George J. Schaefer, president. Changes in RKO operating plans would entail separate operations due to the number of unit production setups arranged by Schaefer and controllable only by him. Postponements of heavy production projects are numerous, indicatingwatchful waiting. Paramount has de f erred "Sea of Grass" to some time in the future. W.B. Closes Shea Deal The M. A. Shea Circuit has closed with Warners^First National for the entire 1939-'40 schedule of features, shorts and trailers; The deal covers the 42 Shea houses in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Roy Haines, eastern and Canadian sales manager, acted for Warners and Dick Kearney for the circuit. Fox Retrenchment Chiefly at Studio Average gross of 20th Century-Fox in England before the war was $200,000 weekly, and in France about $50,000 weekly. The company has been grossing be tween $28,000 and $30,000 weekly in Germany, where the German edition of Movietone News is a considerable revenue producer. In that country, 20th Century-Fox has been releasing 12 top features a year, and for the current season scheduled the release of six features from Aug. 1 to Dec. 31. It is on the basis that this revenue will be impaired that 20th CenturyFox has ordered retrenchment. It has affected chiefly the studio, where employes who were found to be unnecessary or who had been duplicating work were checked off the payroll The home office has not been great ly affected.. The layoffs here wil not exceed 50, and they include mostly employes who had been hired since Jan. 1 this year. It is reported that 20th Century Fox executives paid more than $1,000 weekly have accepted a 10 per cent cut New Censor Setup Affects Newsreels (Continued from page 1) and not as motion pictures. The reopening of London theatre today was welcomed by the public with reasonably good business appar rent in the West End. With the return to their Wardoui Street (film row) headquarters London from outlying temporary spots, distributors are announcing the resumption of trade showings. Further notable concessions were made for London film houses relative to Sunday openings, and effective today. West End film theatres, pre viously opening at 5 :30 P. M., ma\ start their performances at 2:30, re maining open until 6 P. M. The re mainder of the houses in the Londoi area may be open from 5 to 10 P. M. only. The Government concession means considerable commercial advantage to the West End houses. It is calcu lated that some of them may be abl to gross as much as $5,000 on a; Sun day afternoon.