Motion Picture Herald (Apr-Jun 1931)

June 13, 1931 MOTION PICTURE HERALD 19 ASIDES & INTERLUDES : ' By JAMES fcUNNINGHAM Ifaiiilihiiliiulliiiiiliiliiilliil The Hudson Bay Fur Co., which for years has been the financial father and holder of the monev bag at Educational, is practically out of the picture, holding but $200,000 in bonds. . . . Dillon-Read, Wall Streeters, are the successors, having approximately $12,000,000 tied up in E. W. Hammons' combined Educational-Tiffany-Sono Art interests. ... Hammons, incidentally, placed $500,000 on the line (secured from Dillon, Read) when he took over operating charge of Tiffany. . . . And although L. A. Young, Detroit wire manufacturer, still is in that company to the tune of millions Hammons is understood to have secured final say-so and control of the purse strings of Tif?any. . , . AAA A top-notch executive is ailing plenty more than Paramount's home office will admit. . . . AAA Universal was all set to cash in on the title "Mississip{^i" when some one at the home office discovered that "Show Boat" was released a few years ago in Europe by "U" as "Mississippi" . . . because the furiners over there had never heard of a showboat and Universal thought — at that time — that "Mississipp^i" would be the next best title. . . . So the nezv "Mississippi" becomes "Heaven on Earth!" . . . Draw your ozmi conclusions. . . . AAA The company which spent the most on 1931-32 announcement books, sent to theatres to sell exhibitors "smash" titles for the new season^ inserted this caption, buried within the elaborately prepared manual: "All titles are tentative. No titles are guaranteed. Subject to change without notice." AAA "Camerad's" newest nursery rhyme for the kiddies: He who y esses, and won't say riay. Stays on the lot and draws his pay. AAA . Ufa paid Western Electric royalt{es,of _%5,0()0 to market "Blue Angel" in the States. . . . Erpi collects from Ufa or other German companies a royalty payment on pictures released in America which are made in Germatiy with Klangfilm-Tobis recorders and shoimi here ov^r Erpi devices. . . . Klangfilm-Tobis, as is generally known, collects royalties on American-made sound films shomn in Germany over Klangfilm sound units. ... t '. • AAA Maurice Chevalier's wife does her own washing! . . . And if you don't believe it, ask Walt Winchell. . . . AAA Josef (of the old days) Swickard teaches elocution in San Francisco. . . . and has a flock of admirers whenever he entertains at women's luncheon clubs. . . . AAA If producers would save thousands monthly, lohy not abandon that antiquated practice of regularly mailing tons of direct-sales literature to theatre owners'/ . . . On but rare occasions do these weak appeals get over their sales messages. . . . The majority of exhibitors discard the poorly written, unattractive looking trash even before unwinding wrappers. . . . AAA Paramount paid Hagar Wilde $22,500 for her "Breakup" novel and gave her a contract of $1,000 weekly to write scenarios ... although "Breakup" is her first published work, and, at that, literary insiders believe that the ax will have to be wielded vigorously on the Park Avenue orgies before it will be presentable in film form. . , . Shades of Hades "Up Pops the Devil" popped up fwice in the same town this week. ... At Columbus, Ohio, where Loew's United Artists theatre opened on Monday to find plenty of competition at the Hartman, which is playing a legit version. . . . An^jjo lend an agifating hue, both are running In -Ihe red. . . O, O, 'NE important national circuit has 62 houses in the East which have store or office space available. ... Of which 30% is non-paying (19% of the space being untenanted and 11% of present tenants owing plenty). . . . Only 22% of all available space pays 100% rental. . . . Others owing the circuit landlord between one and several months' rent. . . . When the first of the month rolls around, the books show four theatres collecting less than 30% of the rent, one collecting less than 40%, four less than 50% and three less than 60%. . . . What price theatre buildings ! . . . AAA Who's responsible for the planting of "communist" messages among Warner home office employees? . . . An attempt was made to sow the seed of dissession in the ranks following the pay cut. A "dirty" trick! . . . AAA Isn't it true that the most tragic feature of a useless idea is that it takes as much time and ef¥ort as an idea that proves profitable? ... It requires just as much originality, just as much thinking out, and just as much running around. AAA The Erpi-producer plan to rehabilitate down-but-not-out theatres, supplying them with films on a francliise basis, and Western Electric sound equipment is coming along very nicely, thank you. . . . AAA Three 'years ago, during initial months of sound, there were on the market 192 sound devices. . ....And now, there are far, far less. A, A A They're talking about the well-known fan magazine which hasn't piaid its staff for three weeks. . . . AAA // Mary Nolan woiUd cut the parachute loose from temperament she could make at Uast four features with Johnny Walker. AAA Walter Wanger r^kceived a resolution from the New York AM PA electing him to .honorary membership "in warm appreciation of his good offices" almost simultaneously with the appearance of a yarn stating that he is 'out' as Eastern production chief for Paramount. AAA There's a fighter on the West Coast tagged "Young Carl Laemmle," and another called "Young Harry Brand," says Camerad, ... AAA Major circuits have practically tabooed switching of managers every few months, an old practice. ... It costs too much, keeps the manager in a mental muddle and fails to develop community goodwill . . . which is plenty important. ... 'NE of the four major companies in the second-string class is nominated as the one who will benefit most by the present so-called economic depression. . . . Heretofore, this outfit took plenty of time to pay its bills . . . while now, it's taking plenty from 10 to 30-day discounts alone. AAA Few know that on the day when Knute Rock ne readied the airport en route to that fatal crash he actually had completed all of the yarns to be used in Universal's new All-American Sports series. . . . He had a date for the following morning to iron out a few remaining details at breakfast with Carl Laemmle in Los Angeles. . . . And when the "U" chief was informed of Rockne's death he suffered a physical setback which took him many days to recover. AAA The ad director of a New York home office quit recently and switched to another, taking with him lock, stock and barrel from company filing cabinets. . . . And when his successor arrived on the scene, he searched high and low for the usual thing in ad copy scrap books, but found not a line of what had gone before. ... A phone call to the chap who had quit revealed that he had taken all the records "because they are my personal property!" ... A summons to court is due any day . . . unless he returns them . . . pronto! AAA The industry does not benefit even a little bit by the almost simultaneous appearance of news stories mentioning salary reductions, w/iich were followed by otfiers quoting P. G. Wodefiouse, English author now in Hollywood, as having received $104,000 in salary for doing nothing. . . . "They paid me $2,000 a week and I cannot see what they engaged me for," lie said. "They were extremely nice to me, but I feel as if I had clieated tliem. Isn't it amazing?" . . . Sortta! . . . AAA Brutally frank, and just typical of that very small class which is so obnoxious to the picture industry is the author of the following advertisement which appeared in an alleged West Coast trade journal: WANTED! A GAMBLER! Willing to Risk $5,000.00 to Make 100% The First Year on a 50-50 Basis. Call GRanite • AAA "Colonel" Hiram S. (RKO president) Brown lost several baby foxes last weekend when unknown robbers raided his country estate at Chestertown, Md. . . . AAA Joe Brandt, president, refused to allow minor Columbia executives to attend Jack Alicoate's Film Daily golf tourney this week. . . . When Brandt discovered tliat some of his lieutenants had already entered, he ordered them to withdraw. ... Incidentally, tlie golf committee member who sent out those instructions explaining how best to reach the Fenimore Country Club, certainly started something witli that part of the road instructions which stated: . . . "Turn sliarp left on Palmer Ave. and GO UNTIL YOU CANNOT GO ANY FURTHER," etc. . . . At that point, we presume, you're supposed to stop! . . . AAA And now we know why major companies nurse a headache each time they discuss foreign versions of American talkers. . . . M-G-M experts discovered that in Europe alone 125 languages are spoken! . . .