Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1930)

24 .1/ o t i o n P i c / ii r e N e w s N ovem her 1 , 1930 Wide Film Shelved By Public's Wide Yawns; Time Not Ripe, Producer Slant Agency Agony Hollywood — "Flesh Peddlers" are having a tough time. With production at a low ebb the various agents are finding they have a tremendous overhead, carrying a number of representatives who, capable or not, are not getting any talent placed. One of the larger firms with six representatives has cut the staff to two and other agencies are doing likewise. Film Boards to Probe Status of Two-for-One Gag Los Angeles — So many complaints have been received by the Film Board of Trade that Lola Gentry, local secretary, has started an investigation to find out whether or not the awarding of premiums by various theatres affect the present zoning plan. The commission investigating the complaints will determine just what is meant by the word "premium" and whether or not use of premiums is in violation of the zoning agreement. At the present time some of the smaller theatres are offering tickets which, with one paid admission, permit two to see a show. These tickets are given out by merchants in return for products that can be awarded at gift nights or for similar reasons. If the regular admission is thirty cents and a patron presents a coupon or premium ticket two persons see the show for fifteen cents each. This fifteen cent admission is worked in houses rated as thirty cent admission theatres in the zoning plan which gives them bookings ahead of the fifteen cent houses. While perhaps none of the managers is in favor of the two-for-one price, there are so many houses doing it that each manager feels he will have to follow the plan or he will lose business. The commission hopes to clarify matters and establish just what the "premium" rights are in the various zones. Detroit State Is Closed by Publix Due to Depression Detroit — Poor business is forcing Publix to close the State Friday for an indefinite period. The Adams was closed early this summer, for the same reason. Admission prices may he reduced at the Madison, downtown second run. the scale being cut from 35 and 75 cents to 25 and 50 cents. Heavy Plugging Fails to Stir Excitement ; Warners to Soft Pedal Vitascope Wide film will go back to its shelf in the laboratory, to emerge at some future, undetermined date, if opinion current in a number of executive councils stays as is. The latest socks administered to wideangled pictures come from the public and are expressed in the lack of enthusiasm evidenced by box-office grosses, shown over Realife and Grandeur. In New York, "Billy the Kid," first example of M-G-M's Realife method, ended its week at the Capitol with an approximate $76,000 gross. The picture was not held over, despite the fact that M-G-M ballyhooed the process in its advance newspaper campaign, plus the additional fact that the company could have forced the picture for a second week in its own house if the inclination to do so had existed. In Hollywood "The Big Trail," exhibited on Grandeur, failed to cause a ripple of excitement. Here in New York the same picture at the Roxy, backed by a heavy newspaper splurge, did about $60,000 from Friday morning to Sunday night, which is better business than the big 7th Avenue theatre has been doing of late. That gross, however, is not phenomenal. Significant is the decision of Winfield Sheehan to steer clear of future productions on wide film until the time is considered ripe. What that means in terms of weeks or months is anybody's guess. Warners Soft Pedal The current slant on wide film is tipped off by decision of the Warners to introduce "Kismet" for a Broadway run at the Hollywood on wide film, but with no advance ballyhoo. The picture opened Thursday night with nary an advance mention of the introduction of Vitascope, as Warners have dubbed their process. At Warner headquarters, argument raged back and forth before decision to soft pedal the process was reached. Some executives were strong for a real fuss, via newspaper copy, but it was Harry M. Warner who decided to play up "Kismet" and play down Vitascope on the theory that wide film was merely another embellishment like sound. Executive opinion on wide film is varied. There are some who maintain the innovation is fine for spectacles, but tiresome when an entire picture is projected that way. Others can see no radical difference in the picture image obtained in the 35 mm. print as used widely today and the wide film image. One important man said: "Suppose the picture is larger. Why not make it smaller? Actual size doesn't mean a thing. It's what the screen shows, not the size it can be made to assume, that counts." His opinion is being echoed in a number of headquarters in New York. Turning Old Into New Transformation of old theatre structures into new and modern edifices is one of the industry's most important present-day problems. Several recognized authorities discuss this phase of exhibition in this month's SHOWMAN, which begins on page 59, this issue. Londoners May Pull Away from Engineers Unit One hundred and twenty British members of the Society of M. P. Engineers, comprising the entire London section, are in revolt and are expected momentarily to sever the tie that binds them with the parent body in this country. The London branch of the S. M. P. E., headed by Simon Rowson, is declared by insiders to have long been a "thorn" in the side of the association, what with its constant "bickering," "fault-finding" and "unreasonable demands," and many in the American group are said to be highly in favor of a split. The climax was reached only recently when Rowson, on behalf of the Londoners, sent a long cable to the S. M. P. E. governors threatening immediate withdrawal unless certain unnamed policies of the association were changed. Conservative members of the board had a tough job keeping in check those colleagues who favored sending Rowson notice to "go to it." In the meantime, the matter was shelved pending further action by the governors. New York Quarters Set Xew York headquarters of the S. M. P. E. will be opened in the Aeolian Bldg., where Silvan Harris, a newcomer in the picture field, will commence duties as manager and editor of "The Journal." Harris has been given a year's contract for the newlycreated post. He was formerly with Fada Radio Corp.. and prior to that was managing editor of "Radio New-." Supreme Court Weighs Credit, Arbitration Cases Washington — Charge of distributors that the lower court erred in granting an injunction restraining compulsory arbitration as a conspiracy in restraint of trade, and allegations of the govenment that the credit committee system is illegal, are under advisement by the United States Supreme Court. Appeals in the arbitration and credit cases were filed early this week. The government is appealing from the Thacher decree, holding the credit system legal. Decision is expected late in November.