Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1932)

1 6 MOTION PICTURE HERALD November 19, 1932 ASIDES & INTERLUDES By JAMES CUNNINGHAM Glen Allvine has temix)rarily discontinued all deep sea fishing activities. It all happened when Mr. Allvine, who is fond of ocean fishing when the water is lakelike, was inveigled into accompanying George Kadel, of Elliot Photo Service, and Howard Reichenbach, motion picture printer, for a bit of early codfishing. Nothing was said about the current temper of the wind and waves and Mr. Allvine prepared for a quiet day on the briny. Within half an hour he suffered deep disillusionment and from that point on nothing seemed to matter. If Glen brought fish home he bought them. V "If you think the job of being a movie actress is tough, try being the ex-wife of a prize fighter," was the confession of Estelle Taylor, in an interview while appearing last week in an act at the RKO Mainstreet theatre in Kansas City. "If I say nice things about Jack," continued the former Mrs. Dempsey, "people will say I'm two-faced, and if I say unpleasant things they'll say I'm vindictive. I'm just an actress trying to get along." She said "there seemed to be a great resentment that a fiery vixen from Hollywood should ensnare a great big, innocent, handsome prize fighter. There seems to be an innuendo campaign to the effect that Jack lost his fights because he was too devoted to me." V Ten million eight-hour work-days, benefiting, directly or indirectly, 56,000 persons is the Rockefeller contribution, through Radio City, to the "turning prosperity's corner" campaign. Credit is given to the Rockefeller interests because they supplied the wherewithal — $250,000,000 worth — but David Samoff, president of RCA, is supposed to have had something to do with it, too. Mr. Sarnoff, it is said, is the person who sold the idea to John D. Rockefeller, Jr. It is still a little too early to ask how Mr. Rockefeller feels about it. v. ■ Eddie Buzzell, Columbia director, is writing a series of articles for a national magazine. The first two installments are the work of Mr. Buzzell, the stage star, who failed as an actor in Hollywood and blames it on the inefficiency of Hollywood directors. The last two are by Eddie Buzzell, the successful director, who takes to task stage stars who go to Hollywood and blame their failure on the directors. V Gordon B. Pollock, cameraman, has returned to Hollywood after two years abroad and he's still a good Yank. Although Mr. Pollock acquired a beret for a headpiece while traveling for Paramount through France, England, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Holland and Belgium, he insisted upon giving American manufacturers a break whenever possible. He paid 40 cents in Rome for a Saturday Evening Post and $2.38 in Berlin for one package of Chesterfields. A "flivver," bought in Paris, cost him $1,700. V Lowell Thomas was the guest speaker at the Tuesday luncheon forum of the Motion Picture Club. Mr. Thomas gave his audience several humorous anecdotes about the capture of Jerusalem by General Allenby's army. The city, he said, surrendered four different times to four different representatives of the British army, commencing with a cook and a buck private who were out foraging for food. V. After reading in Motion Picture Daily that "Edward G. Robinson wept real tears for five full minutes after witnessing a screening of 'Silver Dollar' at the Warner projection room t'other day," one chap said it was a shame and that something should be done about it. Wedding bells are about to ring forth for Herbert Fecke, of our advertising staff. Mr. Fecke has always been a fervent disciple of singleness and for one reason or another he has steadfastly refused to divulge any of the details of the coming event, even to his closest associates. However, our reporters learn that Herbert visited the license bureau last week but was turned down because the young lady is not a local resident; that he gave up his bachelor quarters in the Hotel Victoria at about 8:30 a. m. last Saturday, moving directly to his new home at the Pare Vendome, 350 West 57th Street, apartment 8-F, and that the ceremony is supposed to be performed November 26, at Albany, or is he already married? Helen Rolland is the prospective bride and Raymond Gallo, a coworker of Mr. Fecke, will be best man. The future bridegroom positively refused to attend a bachelor dinner. V A New York distributor has on hand a new group of features. Executives of the company admit that they have box office possibilities, provided three or four reels are eliminated from each subject. Film editors are now cutting them down to two and three-reelers. V What was once the foreign publicity department of a national company has been reduced to the point where it now has only one person, a young lady, who was assigned the other day to the arduous task of counting rubber bands! V An executive of Columbia Pictures told us that the company has yet to lose money on a single feature. At worst, they have broken even. Low cost production as a general rule is the reason, although budgets were increased proportionately for occasional "specials." V Bob Home, New York salesman for Erpi, is trying so hard to forget about the election. He paid out $100 which he had wagered — at even money — on Mr. Hoover. y John Flinn arrived in town this week from Hollywood to take charge of road shows and exploitation for Cecil B. DeMille's forthcoming Paramount release, "The Sign of the Cross." Since 1914, when Mr. Flinn joined the original Lasky Company, he has publicised 51 of Mr. De Mille's 57 pictures. V Rumor mongers will not rest until they set ex-Mayor James J. Walker in the picture business. They have had him at Fox four times, associated with Nathan Burkan twice, and have repeatedly mentioned his name in connection with the MPPDA, the Stanley Circuit, several important distributors and what have you. Mr. Walker left his native heath last week and immediately it was said his trip to Italy was on behalf of foreign activities of the Hays organization. Where next? V R. H. Cochrane, Universal's vice president at the home office, said the other day that the company's minimum picture cost is around $150,000 and that the same is true of every other major concern. V Warners has acquired picture rights on a special article which Randolph Bartlett, motion picture writer, contributed to American Mercury on the subject of "The Paris Racket," an exposition of the invisible means of support of an adventuresome fringe of the American colony on the Seine. When it reaches the screen some of the girls and boys will have to go to work or come home. Esselle Parichy, who is quite well known in motion picture cinematographic circles, was browsing about New York the other day when he noticed that in Bryant Park they charge five cents to view, through a powerful telescope, persons standing on the observation tower of the Empire State Building, who, in turn, paid a dollar to look down at the people who paid five cents to look up. It's the old story of capital and labor, or something. V One of our reporters submitted a piece of copy this week about Sophie Tucker appearing in two-reelers for Stanley Distributing Company. The caption read : "Sophie Tucker in Shorts." V Russ Stewart, aide-de-camp on Billy Ferguson's exploitation staff at Metro, vouches for this one: Raquel Torres, screen senorita, was traveling with a Fanchon and Marco unit. When the show reached Bridgeport Miss Torres resigned to return to Hollywood. She had worked three days of the week, however. "You will pay me for my performances?" she asked Jack Pierce, unit manager. "Yes, of course," he replied, "your salary will be pro-rated." "You will do nothing of the kind," yelped Torres, "I want my pay in cash !" V The Roxyettes will continue to dance ring-around-Roxy when their former sponsor and trainer, Russell Markert, departs RKO-ward. Mr. Markert had announced that he would play the Pied Piper, with the dancing girls doing a hey-nonny-nonny, whatever that it, as they followed him to Mr. Rothafel and his new theatre at Radio City. It's all a snare and a delusion, quoth Mark Leuscher, speaking for the management of the Seventh Avenue Roxy. The Roxyettes are under lock and contract, and they will remain, even though Mr. Markert prefers to terminate his long association with the group. V In line with the general cleansing of RKO theatre operation, Morris Rosenberg of the American Building and Maintenance Company, has been invited to take over janitorial duties for all RKO theatres in the country, a job which will bring Mr. Rosenberg about $250,000 yearly. He will supervise broom handlers and brass polishers directly from his headquarters in San Francisco, and occasionally he will tour on inspection to satisfy himself that the gobouns are shining bright and the front lobby is spotless. Awarding of the contract, however, is not in keeping with the current movement toward decentralization of circuit operation. V It was election day and reporters in Kansas City were besieging celebrities who happened to be in town, with queries as to whom they favored for president. Kay Francis was among those caught in the news writers' net. She had arrived by train from New York and was awaiting a plane to take her to Hollywood for an important conference with Darryl Zanuck at Warners' studio. "Whom do you want to win?" Miss Francis was asked. "You'll never know. It wouldn't be good camera to say." "Meaning you figure that both Republicans and Democrats are among your fans?" "Exactly." "Suppose we say that you're for Norman Thomas?" "Who's he?" she asked suspiciously. "The Socialist candidate." "Fine! I love everything social," replied the young star as she hurriedly departed, leaving the reporters wondering if she really meant it.