Motion Picture Herald (Apr-Jun 1931)

28 MOTION PICTURE HERALD May 2 3, 1 9 3 1 Ballyhoo Helps ''Name'' Shows in Small Key Spots ''Sets Not Cowpaths, States Goldwyn, Baj^ring the Public In the future Samuel Goldwyn will have all his United Artists pictures made on "closed sets," with high canvas partitions completely surrounding them, in an effort to keep out everyone not directly concerned with the film's production. No exceptions are contemplated in the strict enforcement of the rule. "This business of making common property of every new idea in picture making is a bad one," said Goldwyn. "As soon as a new production value is developed, it immediately is poorly duplicated in a dozen inferior pictures, frequently released before the carefully worked out plan can be fully realized. "We are facing an absolute need for economy in production. That means making pictures without a minute's needless delay. I want to stop this business of making a cowpath out of our sets. The place to see pictures is in the theatre, not on the set." The ruling goes into effect immediately, with the start of production of "The Unholy Garden." Sign Company Suing RKO, Charging Contract Breach Quehl Sign Co., Cincinnati, has filed suit for $74,828 against RKO for alleged breach of contract for erection of signs and marcjuee displays on the Albee, Palace, Lyric, Capitol and Strand at Cincinnati. The company claims it entered into contract for the job in February, but that since then, RKO turned the work over to United Sign Co., New York, alleged subsidiary of RKO. Portland, Oregon, Censor Board Increased to Five The Portland, Ore., censor board has been increased from three to five members. The new members will be women, recommended by the present board. Adoption of the plan is viewed by some operators as a political measure to gain the support of feminine \'oters. Smith, Iowa MPTO Leader, Is "Too Busy for Organization" E. P. Smith of Des Moines, who remains as president of MPTO of Iowa, though the organization has been inactive since Allied assumed control last year, is lining up houses and building others. Smith wished the organization well at the last meeting, but said he was "too busy to give much time to the organization." Mary, Doug Will Not Co-Star Mary Pickford, arriving in England to join Douglas Fairbanks, said she would never again appear with her husband in any film. Eagon in RKO Post in L. A. George Brown, in charge of publicity and advertising for RKO coast theatres, has appointed Kenneth Eagon exploitation man for the RKO and Orpheum at Los Angeles. Veteran Showman Dead Carl H. Houck, 49, veteran theatre man, at one time manager of the Cincinnati Lyric, died at his home of heart failure. America Leads In Imports of Films to Italy for 1929-30 Italian film imports in 1930 show the United States by far predominating. Of a total of 2.558,029 meters for 1929 and 3,091,134 meters for 1930, the U. S. sent 1,549,757 meters and 1,822,097 meters for 1929 and 1930, respectively. In both years the countries importing the greatest amount into Italy, following the United States, were France, England and German}'. Oscar Kantner Gets Post As Fox Southern Selling Head Oscar Kantner has been appointed in charge of theatre merchandising and selling for the Southern division. Fox Theatres. Kantner was with Paramount-Publix for 13 years handling the division of exploitation. Netherlands Has 241 Houses With I 77 Wired for Talkers The Netherlands has 241 film houses, of which 177 are wired. The total seating capacity is estimated at 116,953, an average of 485 per theatre. Amsterdam has the greatest number of theatres. Domestic sound equipment predominates, with 140 installations, of which German and American number 14 each, British 10 and French 1. Warners Switch Lamm, Harpster Julius Lamm, manager of Warners' Ohio, ]\Iansfield. O., has been transferred to the Variety, Cleveland, with which house he was connected prior to coming here. Frank Harpster, formerly with the Majestic here, but who has recently been identified with Warner houses at Lorain and Canton, will succeed Lamm. Bovin and Meiniker Switched Russell A. Bovin, manager of Loew's at Canton, O., has been transferred to a similar post at the Ohio at Columbus, succeeding Ed. Meiniker, who has been appointed manager of Loew's State, Cleveland. Big-name acts, prominently identified with night club and stage life in three or four of the country's big towns sometimes encounter difficulties when they reach theatres in the smaller cities. Heavy ballyhooing and an elaborate exploitation campaign usually turn what might be a flat week into one of successful box-office proportions, as evidenced by the campaign put over for Duke Ellington's "Cotton Club" unit at the World, Omaha. A specific example of what advertising and publicity will do to make an attraction, is contained in the campaign. Ellington was hardly known in Omaha, his only following being phonograph record fans and radio listeners who heard his broadcasts from the New York Cotton Club. But before Manager William Miskell got through with a campaign, every one in Omaha knew about Ellington and his band. An example of local application was the tie-up made with the Omaha Bee-N ews for a benefit ball at which the Ellington orchestra played. The proceeds from this were donated to the Free Milk and Ice Fund, sponsored by the Bee-Ncivs. which distributes milk and ice to the needy. Tie-up Nets Front Pages In order not to take the edge off the engagement at the theatre, the ball was held after the band closed its last performance on Thursday night. This publicity tie-up with the BeeKezvs netted the theatre and band 1,610 lines of publicity, not to mention eight column heads, and the fact that the majority of the publicity appeared on page 1, or on page 1 of the second section. An amusing sidelight of the campaign was a trick bet between Miskell and Ellington which brought lineage and pictures in the press. Miskell bet Ellington that he would be unable to carry his weekly salary to the bank. Ellington took him up. When pay day came he was handed the entire pay for the orchestra in pennies. Ellington was unable to lift the sack and lost his bet. As a forfeit he had to play the piano on a Hat-bottomed truck at the city's busiest intersection. The hat was passed and all donations were contributed to the paper's milk fund. The papers went for it big. In addition to the newspaper campaign, the merchandising of Ellington included nine music store window tie-ups, and a tremendous banner 72x33 feet that covered the entire theatre front. Special Trailer Used As a trailer for this special attraction, Miskell conceived the idea of using a talking short of Ellington entitled "Black and Tan" a week in advance. By running two machines in the booth at the same time, they superimposed a local trailer on the musical short. Publix Loses on Double Bill Double feature experiment which Skouras-Publix tried at Indianapolis at the Circle has failed and the old single policy returns on Friday. The Circle has been a "white elephant." Formerly, the house was the most popular house in town, but business fell ofl^ at an alarming rate with the advent of sound. Metaxa's Name Is Changed Georges Metaxa, young Rumanian actor at the Paramount Eastern studio, has had his name changed to just Metaxa.