Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1930)

26 Motion Picture N e w s O c t o b e i 1930 Boycott Trial Awaits Thacher Decree Appeal Upon the outcome of distributors' appeal to the U. S. Supreme Court from the Thacher decree outlawing arbitration probably will depend decision in the case of the Majestic Theatre Co. of Hartford, Conn., against United Artists, Fox, Vitagraph and the New Haven Film Board, charging conspiracy in restraint of trade. Federal Judge Burrows at Hartford, citing the Thacher opinion, ruled the contract is illegal in sustaining a demurrer filed by the plaintiff in answer to a special defense set up by the defendants. Upholding of this demurrer means the case will come to trial. The case grows out of alleged boycott of the theatre by the defendants, after an arbitration award had been made against the plaintiff company. An alleged fake sale of the theatre property was the cause of the original squabble. General denial has been entered by the plaintiffs. Argument on the appeal in the Thacher case is to be heard by the Supreme Court Oct. 27. Distributors are represented in this and the Hartford cases by Cadwallader, Wickersham and Taft. The Majestic firm is represented in the Hartford case by Robert P. Butler of Robinson, Robinson & Cole of Hartford. O'Connell Dies on Eve Of Capitol Opening Halifax, N. S. — There was a touch of tragedy in the passing this week of J. F. O'Connell, long an exhibitor of Halifax, N. S., just prior to the opening of the magnificent Capitol Theatre at Halifax of which he had been slated to be the manager. During strenuous preparations for the opening. O'Connell suddenly collapsed from a heart attack and gradually sank. Thomas Daley, Toronto manager, was rushed by Famous Players Canadian Corp. to take over the million dollar theatre and Daley will remain in Halifax permanently. O'Connell grew up with the moving picture theatre business, being the proprietor of the Majestic and other theatres over a period of vears. Pathe Location Blast Flagstaff, Ariz. — Pathe's bad luck, which was climaxed in last year's studio fire in the East, caught up with the company on location here, when an ill-timed dynamite explosion injured 15 persons, two of them seriously. The two most seriously injured were local men, the others from Hollywood. Dynamite placed in the side of a cliff exploded prematurely. Among those injured are : Howard Higgin, director, broken ankle, cuts ; Bert Gilroy, business manager, sprained leg, cut on head ; Walter Hoffman, powderman, broken leg, cuts: Hubert Morgan, helper, Flagstaff, broken collar bone; William Garrett, broken ankle, possible internal injuries; Jim Cunningham, back, head and legs injured, possible internal injuries ; Morgan Peterson, ribs broken, possible internal injuries. A Mystery Solved Eddie Cantor's contribution to the midget-car gags involves a chap riding in one as the guest of his friend when, suddenly turning to the driver, he remarked, "It's dark: we must be going through a tunnel." "Tunnel, hell," replied the other, "we're under a truck." Avert General Strike in Philly By Compromise Philadelphia — Musicians return to local theatres Oct. 24, following a compromise settlement signed at the offices in New York of Joseph Weber, president of the American Federation of Musicians. Reaching of the agreement averted a sympathy strike by operators and stage hands. Under its terms 162 musicians will return to the orchestra pits of the StanleyWarner and Fox theatres here and in Camden, N. J. The theatre owners had sought to reduce the number to 82 from the 245 originally emploved under the contract which expired Sept. 1. A contributing cause to the present situation of the musicians was Joseph Weber's order of last week that all musicians employed in radio stations, hotels, night clubs, restaurants, etc., go on general strike on Oct. 15 to enforce unionization of entertainment help in these places. This move followed directly after the musicians had called out the operators and stage hands in sympathy. Neither of these groups desired to walk out. The general strike was regarded as a counter move in the affair. Both walkouts were postponed for the time being. If Weber's order had been followed, practically every one of the 3,000 members of the Philadelphia musicians' local would have been affected instead of the little more than 200 touched by the movie strike. The protests of the local as a whole overruled the decision, and as a result, the operators and the stage hands continued in the movie houses. M. P. Club Beefs and Eats Steak with Al Lichtman Figuring its members should have an opportunity to razz their president and with an eye to the treasury as well, the Motion Picture Club tendered Al Lichtman a beefsteak dinner in club quarters Thursday night. .Married club members, always on the alert to spend an evening away from their spouses and with no office wives to draw upon, turned out in something resembling full force. The roving optics of one Motion Picture News reporter saw, among others ; Pat Garyn, Paul Lazarus, Arthur Kelly, Joe Brandt, Oscar Price, Leo Klebano, Louis F. Blumenthal, Alec Moss, Sam Blumenthal, Emil Jensen, Bruce Gallup, Sam Stern, Bert Adler, Jay Schreck, Sam Inselbuch, Lou Rydell, Jack Shapiro, George Fecke, J. J. Rosenthal, Billy Frankel, Al Gottesman, Myron Robinson, Toby Gruen. Herman Robbins, Harry Cohn and Lou Baum. Africa Speaks" Toned Down as Critics Squawk Changes in the dialogue and press book and the insertion of a foreword to remove any ground for criticism of the picture as misrepresentation, are to be made in "Africa Speaks" by Columbia, the Hays office has informed the National Better Business Bureau. The latter for some time has been investigating allegations that the picture was misleading, in that fts treatment indicates that its sound sequences were made in Africa, states K. B. Wilson of the Bureau. The foreword will make it definite that the picture was made purely for entertainment purposes, Wilson has been told. The Bureau is continuing its investigation to determine whether the title is misleading. Some time ago various members of the Museum of Natural History criticised the picture from a scientific viewpoint, stating that it was so cleverly done its scientific import would lead to misunderstanding. Circle Firm Returning To Indianapolis Field Indianapolis — Return to activity of the Circle Theatre Co. is scheduled soon, the company planning to operate the English theatre, under lease from the Valentine Co. The house now is being overhauled. The Circle firm, formerly headed by the late Robert Lieber, who was president of First National, formerly operated the Circle, Ohio. Uptown and Indiana, which interests it sold to Publix-Skouras. Pacent Official Goes Abroad on New Plans B. H. Noden, secretary of Pacent Electric Co., New York, has sailed for Europe, where he will conduct business for Pacent in the radio and talking picture fields. It was announced, coincident with Noden's departure that both Pacent Electric Co. and Pacent Reproducer Corp., have plans under way for the manufacture abroad of their radio, radio-phonograph and sound-reproducing products for the European market. Farce and Outdoor Epics To Mark Season's Fare Richmond — Farce is to play a greater part in pictures and outdoor films of magnitude will be numbered among the season's outstanding productions, Col. Jason S. Joy, director of public relations of the Hays organization, declared while here visiting headquarters of Virginia censors. Cubans Resent Scenes In Pathe's "Her Man" Washington — Eliminations and correction of alleged misrepresentation of Havana's "underworld" in "Her Man" has been asked of the Hays organization by the Cuban embassy.