Motion Picture Herald (July-Aug 1935)

6C MOTION PICTURE HERALD August 24, 19 3 5 BRITISH PRODUCERS HIT CHILD ACE LAW Officials of Baird Television Institute Control of Sale of Shares Outside Country by BRUCE ALLAN London Correspondent Because the Young Persons Act, 1933, prohibits the commercial employment of children under 12 years of age, British producers see a danger of Hollywood carrying off any juveniles of Shirley Temple calibre who may be discovered in these islands. Recently three British production companies have been -fined for ennploying under-age children. In the latest case the City Filnn Corporation had to pay 10/($2) on each of four charges at Penge Police Court, arising out of the shooting of crowd scenes including young children for "Sharps and Flats". The smallness of the penalty (the maximum is £5 ($25) Is evidence that the offense was a technical one; It was proved that the children had been well cared for by special guardians. Urging a revision of the law, producers point out the injustice of allowing young children, under suitable safeguards, to appear on the stage or before the radio microphone and barring them from the film studio. The Act, they say, was intended to prevent the exploitation of child labor in factories and the Home Office is classing film studios as factories because no one remembered the necessity of exempting them. Before the Act was passed children were used under special conditions and there were no complaints. Conferences Being Held Production chiefs like Walter Mycroft of B.I. P. and Harold Boxall of Gaumont-British see a possible necessity of eliminating child interest from all scripts and a danger that Hollywood will monopolize an appealing type of film and the talent needed for it. To remedy the matter, conferences are in progress between the Film Group of the Federation of British Industries, leading film executives and representatives of Trades Unions including studio labor, and Mr. Neville Kearney of the F.B.I, is drafting an amending Bill for introduction in the House of Commons in the Fall. V Special precautions to control the sale of shares in Baird Television, Ltd., to parties outside the British Isles were announced in a circular from the directors published in London last week. The official statement is that "no transfer of shares in this company purporting to be signed or executed out of Great Britain will be accepted for registration or certification unless the signature or execution of such transfer is attested either by a British Consul or Vice Consul or by a Notary Public." In further comment the directors directly refer to the necessity of controlHng transfers executed in the United States. It is asserted that there has been a considerable purchase of Baird shares in the United States and that some of these transfers have been in irregular or incomplete form. Against this reading is the fact that a majority holding in Baird is, according to gen eral belief, firmly held by Mr. Isidore Ostrer, personally or for Gaumont-British. The latter, by the amendment to its constitution accomplished by Col. A. C. Bromhead during his chairmanship, cannot legally pass out of British control. V Reunion Expands Plans Reunion Films, Ltd., which made a reputation here by its discovery of outstanding Continental pictures, and which handled "Masquerade in Vienna," is to expand as a separate unit instead of merging itself with the Captain Dixey Company, Anglo-American Renters, Ltd., as was originally planned. New capital has been raised and J. W. Gossage, C. B. Morgan, F. W. Shepherd and Peter Witt are now directors. British production as well as further purchases in the Continental market are planned by the enlarged Reunion, of which the leading figures have been Victor Creer and Peter Witt. V Dawes Back with Fox R. Sutton Dawes, for many years general sales manager of Fox Film Co., Ltd., has returned to that position, which he vacated to develop exhibiting interests. Recently DawesBeard theatres in London were transferred to A. B.C. and Mr. Dawes has now no holding in that field. His return to Fox fills a gap created by the absence of Charles H. Phillipp on sick leave, on the conclusion of which he will return to the Fox organization. V Boot-Rank Studio Floated Charles Boot of the big building firm of Henry Boot and Sons, and Joseph Rank of British National Films, Ltd., are named as first directors of Pinewood Studios, Ltd., registered as a private company with a capital of £150,000 in 50,000 each of "A," "B" and "C shares of £1 value, for the purpose of erecting studios at Ivar Hall, Buckinghamshire. Details of the Pinewood studio scheme have already been published in the Herald. Charles Boot, who recently revealed that Mr. Rank and he were also interested in the finance of Technicolor in England, is at present in America with the intention of investigating equipment at Hollywood. V P.D.C. Has Production Unit P.D.C.,_ Ltd., recently revived as a renting organization with Simon Rowson associated in its direction with Reginald Smith, has moved to Wardour street from the premises at Great Newport street which it has occupied practically continuously from the time of their vacation by the old Goldwyn Company, of which Mr. Smith was secretary. Concurrently P.D.C. announces the formation of an allied production organization, New Ideal Pictures, Ltd., which will start immediately on a fivepicture program in the Hammersmith studios formed by Mr. Smith. This title revives a name famous in the history of British production; the original Ideal Company, with Simon and Harry Rowson as its leading spirits, maintained continuity of production from before the War until the _ formation of the GaumontBritish Corporation, with which it was merged, the name being retained until quite recently. V Famous Showman Dies W. G. Greenfield, recognized for many years as one of the outstanding showmen in the British film field, died recently. Making his reputation at the Scala, Leeds, Mr. Greenfield opened the Paramount, Manchester, and controlled it until his death. V Wilcox Sets Plans Herbert Wilcox has arranged his program for the first year of the independent unit permitted him under his new five-year deal with British and Dominions, to be called Herbert Wilcox Productions, Ltd. General Distributors, Ltd., C. M. Woolf's new company, will handle release. Each film is to cost i75,OO0. The first will be "Street Singer," with Arthur Tracy and Anna Neagle. The second will be "The Blue Lagoon," to be made in Honolulu in Technicolor. A third will be a musical, with Tullio Carminati probably playing opposite Miss Neagle. Mr. Wilcox plans to direct two each year himself, supervise all of his independent product and continue supervision of the B. & D. product. Federal Stage Academy Plan Not Expected to Get Far Construction on one of the Potomac River islands at Washington of a group of theatres to be known as the Federal Academy of Arts of the Stage, the cost of several million dollars to be borne by the Public Works Administration, has been proposed to sympathylacking PWA officials. As a spur to acceptance of the plan, Administration officials were informed that Congress would pass legislation authorizing the use of the island, necessary because it lies in Federal terricory. While officials refused to comment on the desirability of the plan, saying it would go through the usual procedure of examination given all proposals for the use of PWA relief funds, there were indications that the scheme would not get far. In the first place, Washington has had its full share of works funds, expended in the construction of necessary departmental buildings. But, more important, there is fear that the country would not look with approval upon the construction of theatres in Washington, while the states are clamoring for money for needed improvements and unemployment relief. Politically, it is said, it would be an ill-advised move. Furthermore, there appears to be no real need for such a project. Helen Hayes Refuses Co-starring Screen Role Helen Hayes recently turned down an offer of $85,000 from Paramount to co-star with Ann Harding in a film version of the Pulitzer Prize play, "The Old Maid," she disclosed at Suffern, N. Y., where she is rehearsing for the George Bernard Shaw play, "Ceasar and Cleopatra," to play at the County theatre, a remodeled dairy barn. Her decision, said Miss Hayes, came after four days of discussion with Arthur Hornblow of Paramount, who had come to Suffern to negotiate the deal. Miss Hayes stressed the point that she is adhering to the vow she made some time ago not to return to the screen. She is under contract to MGM, but the agreement provides that she shall not do film work as long as it _ interferes with her stage playing. She will appear in a play on Broadway in the fall. James SchorgI Dies James SchorgI, United Artists salesman in Kansas City, died there as a result of peritonitis following an operation for appendicitis.