Motion Picture Herald (Apr-Jun 1931)

May 16, 19 3 1 MOTION PICTURE HERALD 19 Silents Decrease On British Mart London — Principal feature of the March ; report of the British board of censors, is I the striking decrease in the number of silent 'features. There were only three silent feaiture films passed, as compared with 25 in j March, 1930. The total number of sound I features, on the other hand, was 63, as against 41 a year ago. The number of features, both sound and silent, was exactly the same as a year ago. Stevenson Addresses Ad Students on Pictures Edward F. Stevenson, president of Visuj graphic Pictures, was host to a group of .advertising students on Wednesday when he jgave them a talk on the use of motion picijtures in the selling field. !' The group included the advertising classes I at Columbia University and the Advertisriing Club of New York and employes from ithe Eastman Kodak at Rochester. 1 DeSylva Returns From Europe George DeSylva returned Wednesday iafter a two months' sojourn in Europe. He iwill soon begin his new career as a Fox producer, working alone for the first time in many years, instead of being associated fwith his partners. Brown and Henderson. While abroad DeSylva wrote a story for Janet Gaynor. David Butler will direct the (film with him. Indorsers Knock Gang Cycle Indianapolis — State Board of Photoplay Indorsers met here and among other things ^vent on record as protesting the showing pf gang pictures. This week three of the five downtown first-run houses are showing gang pictures. All are doing better than average business. No Stage Work for Gloria Gloria Swanson has denied that she would appear upon the stage in Cleveland, as it \vas announced she would, in a New York !newspaper. The star explained that she will Iniake two pictures this year. Make-up Artists Elect Hollywood — Perc Westmore, make-up director for Warners, has been elected president of the M. P. Make-up Artists. Mel Burns is treasurer and Bert Hadley ^secretary. I "Trader Horn" Comes Back t San Francisco — "Trader Horn" will open at the Fox West Coast Paramount on May 23, after grossing $60,000 in three weeks at the Columbia as a roadshow. j Betty Roberts in New York ' Betty Roberts, Radio's western story editor, and Jane Murfin, author, have arrived pn New York for a month's stay. Mary Brian Leaves Paramount Hollywood — Mary Brian will end her connection with Paramount on completion of ''Silence," Max Marcin play. Turning on the Heat For the exploitation campaign on a certain widely discussed current release of a major distributor appears a warning to exhibitors to avoid in their ballyhoo all "phrases that refer to the American home-phrases laying too much stress on the family and children angles; or cold, idealistic copy." "Instead," states the company's instructions to theatre owners, "use copy that smacks of personality and conflict between man and woman; of warm love and jealousy; ambition and desire. Use the figure of the girl to sell youth appeal. A number of catchlines appear in this bulletin which sell the title." And, so Mr. Exhibitor turns over a few pages and finds these "warm love and jealousy" catchlines, among others: "What man sows — woman reaps!" "Revealing the stark, amazing truth about marriage!" "Alone, she raised five splendid children — only to lose them to the stranger who was their father!" "One, the mother of his children, the other his inspiration!" Etc., etc. First to Double-Feature, Montreal Can't Quit Now Montreal — Montreal, the birthplace in Canada of the twin-bill policy, has more theatres offering doublefeature programs as a regular plan than all the rest of Canada put together, and since for years many local exhibitors have offered double film fare, now they could not get away from it if they wanted to. Current amusement pages in Montreal newspapers carry the advertisements of 27 theatres, and 24 of them announced twin bills, the exception being the Palace, Loew's and the Princess. Two of the leading Famous Players' houses, the Capitol and the Imperial, are regularly presenting double features. All theatres of United Amusements Limited, which has a booking affiliation with Famous Players, have twin bills, and there are 19 United houses in Montreal. With one exception, the Consolidated and Confederation theatre groups also offer twin bills. Of the 40 other theatres not represented in the daily newspaper advertising, every one of them regularly offers double-features. Editors Launch Fight on Sponsored Films and Acts Columbus — Vigorous opposition to sponsored films has been launched by the Ohio Newspaper Association. At its meeting here, advertising on screen and stage was characterized as "cheap and pilfering" in an adopted resolution which called on each member to withhold beneficial comment concerning any theatre that presented such material, and to point out sponsored films and acts to their readers "so that they may not pay admission, expecting entertainment and yet be subjected to the unfair methods of certain greedy film interests."' New Continuous Projector Shown Madrid — -Carlos Mendizabal Brunet, of Palo (Malaga), has invented and exhibited before engineers of the School of Mines a projector called the "Kinisophote," which machine runs continuously and the screen receives a constant amount of light, thus doing away with flickering. It suppresses the Maltese cross and allows the use of very thin (cellophane) film, driven by only one side of the film being perforated. The sound groove is placed in a S-millimeter space, so that the section for pictures retains its normal one-inch width without narrowing. The film is driven at a constant speed at every point, so that the sound impression can be taken up anywhere. Instead of being 75 holes distant from the corresponding figures, it can be placed immediately opposite them, thus avoiding the difficulties arising from cuts and repairs. Finally, after being wound up as usual during projection, the film is not re-wound, but is picked out from the inside of the reel to be projected again. This operation is done by conical rollers. Chevalier Host to Bernstein Maurice Chevalier, whose latest vehicle, "Smiling Lieutenant," will have its world premiere at the Criterion, in New York, late this month, will be the host at a farewell dinner honoring Henri Bernstein, French playwright, on Saturday evening, at the Hotel St. Moritz. Chevalier has invited, among others, Mr. and Mrs. Jesse L. Lasky, Mr. and Mrs. WaUer Wanger, Mr. and Mrs. B. S. Moss, Ernst Lubitsch, Henry Salisbury, Anita Loos, Marcel Achard, Jacques BatailleHenri, George Gershwin, H. D'Abbadie D'Arrast and Adolph Zukor. Bernstein will leave for Europe in the near future. Anderson Here with "Nomadie" Marius Anderson arrived in New York this week with the first completed print of "Nomadie," a feature picture in which the action takes place in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and the Arctic Circle. Anderson was in Northern and Central Europe last year shooting scenes for this production, which is designed primarily to interest persons born in the above mentioned countries who now make their homes in the United States. Anderson plans to distribute on a states rights basis. Hold-Over Cost $1,250 Buffalo — Convicted of having held over one Fox, and four Universal pictures an additional day, Joseph A. Ruteck, operator of the Park theatre here, was ordered to pay damages and costs amounting to $1,250, by U. S. District Judge x\dler. Sam E. Morris Due Sam E. Morris, vice-president and general manager of Warners, is due in New York the end of the week from the Coast, after a stop in Chicago to look over Warner property.