Motion Picture Herald (Apr-Jun 1931)

32 MOTION PICTURE HERALD May 2 3, 1 9 3 1 $4,454,405 Net Earned by Cen1 Theatres in '30 (Continued from page 19) said gross sales of theatre equipment during the tirst quarter of 1931 exceeded those of the first quarter of the preceding year by $850,000 and added that, greater earnings are assured when normal buying power is restored. International Projector Corp., a subsidiary, is about to market a number of important developments, Clarke said, among them an entirely new portable motion picture projector and sound reproducing equipment of new design. The United States Navy, Clarke said, has ordered a large quantity of these machines for delivery before July 1. Development of a compact 16 mm. pocket camera and a correspondingly small projector were announcecl by Clarke, who said large orders are on hand for the new product. Another development, according to Clarke, was a new camera adjustable to standard and wide film. DeForest Sound At $25 Weekly A new selling policy for DeForest sound equipment is claimed by M. A. .Schlesingcr, president of General Talking Pictures, as revolutionary in the equipment field. Exhibitors, according to the plan, get sound apparatus for $25 weekly for the first three years, $10 weekly for the next three years and without charge for the remaining four years of the 10-year contract. The plan being retroactive, exhibitors who have paid more than the $25 rate on equipment now installed, will receive a rebate. The exhibitor has option of cancellation after three years. The new selling plan followed adoption some time ago of deliverv of equipment on a down payment of $37.50. Schlesinger said: "We are selling sound, not equipment, and we will operate in the same manner as a public utility, assuring the exhibitor uninterrupted reproduction service." Warner-F. N. Production Is Combined; Zanuck in Charge Warner and First National Coast production has been consolidated under Darryl Zanuck, who will report to Jack L. Warner. Hal Wallis and Lucien Hubbard are Zanuck's assistants, Graham Baker is scenario head : William Koenig remains as studio manager, and Robert Lord, Henry Blank and Ray Griffith are production executives. Under the new plan the studios will work on a 12-month basis, with four productions in work at once instead of the present six. This results in a personnel cut of from 15 to 20 per cent. The First National writing staff has been practically eliminated. Congrats! Mr. and Mrs. Gene Cour of Chicago announce the birth, on Wednesday, of a son, eight pounds in weight and of vociferous disposition. Cour is of wide acquaintance in the East and Middle West through his activities in production and in behalf of various newsreels. He was in New York at the cameramen's union conference on newsreel scales, when the tidings of fatherhood came. He left for Chicago to welcome the little Cour, immediately. Meeting Will Open H-F Unifying Work What Harold B. Franklin calls the second phase in the development of the Hughes-Franklin circuit, will be inaugurated with the chain's first convention, to be held in Dallas starting Monday. Franklin arrived in New York this week and the Dallas convention will be the final business of major importance during his trip. The second phase referred to is that of consolidation and detailed organization of the circuit. The first convention of theatre and division managers is to be held in Dallas, he states, because that is division headquarters for the Texas-Oklahoma group comprising 65 houses. Harold Robb and Ed Rowley, former owners of the R. & R. circuit taken over by Hughes-Franklin, are heads of this division. Hoyts, Union in Buying Deal For 50 Australian Theatres Hoyts Theatres and Union Theatres, Ltd., of Australia, have pooled 50 theatres and contracts have been signed for 10 j'ears, after three months of negotiations. Distributors look upon the deal as the first move of the two circuits to dictate rental terms to distributors since the merger eliminates all competition, making them one buying group. Ira Simmons Made Talking Picture Epics Sales Head Ira Simmons has joined Talking Picture Epics as sales manager, following his recent resignation from FitzPatrick Pictures, where he was head of distribution. He succeeds M. J. Weisfeldt, who plans independent distribution, though retaining his interest as vice president and director of Epics. United Artists Holds First Sales Meeting in New York United Artists' two-day national sales meeting was held last week at the home office with district managers in attendance. Al Lichtman presided. Lesser Goes to Coast Sol Lesser has left for the West Coast, where he will represent Carl Laemmle as his associate. He will return to New York in three months to handle "U's" circuit. Columbia Offers 26 Features, 104 Shorts in '31-32 Plans have been completed for the three regional conventions of Columbia Pictures to be held the end of the month. The -first will be at the Park Central Hotel, New York, May 27, 28, 29. The second will be at the Congress Hotel in Chicago for Middle Western and Southern sales people on May 31, June 1 and 2, and the third at the Roosevelt in Hollywood, June 6, 7, 8. Joe Brandt, president; Harry Cohn, vicepresident in charge of production ; and Jack Cohn, treasurer, will attend all meetings, in company with the home office executives of the various departments. New season product will be announced, consisting of 26 features, 104 shorts and two series of Westerns, one of them the group of eight Buck Jones Westerns. The company has acquired for distribution a newseries of 13 animated cartoons, called "Scrappy," produced by Charles Mintz, creaator of Krazy Kat for the screen. The central figure is a little boy. The Eddie Buzzell series of 13 "Bedtime Stories for Grownups" will be continued. Columbia has secured a Fannie Hurst story, tentatively titled "Park Avenue," and rights to "The Rented Body," Rupert Hughes story. Phil Dunas and Ben Benjamin have been appointed district managers for the midWest and Middle States respectively. Dunas will have headquarters in Chicago and Benjamin in Kansas City. J. R. Beale has been made manager of the Portland exchange and Bob Garland manager of the Denver exchange. Link Nathanson to Canada Chain Evidence continues to arise supporting the belief that N. L. Nathanson, former Famous Players Canadian official, is organizing a theatre circuit across Canada. Thirty houses are said to be already in the chain, and formal announcement of their acquisition by a Nathanson company is expected to be made as soon as the Canadian government's investigation of the Dominion's film industry quiets dowui. New support for the belief comes from various points in Canada. At Toronto those close to Nathanson have stated that British film interests will shortly have a chain outlet in the Dominion, while it is understood at Kitchener. Ont., that the "Nathanson syndicate" has purchased a site for a theatre there. Also a number of theatres have changed hands in the Jilaritime provinces, inquiry concerning which has brought the acknowledgment that the purchases were not made for Famous. MGM Staff at Conference M-G-M staff employees from various southern cities attended the semi-annual conference at the Jung Hotel, New Orleans.