Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1930)

November 1 , 19 3 0 Motion Picture News 37 Stop Us If Were Wrong SONO ART has booked "The Big Fight" into the entire Publix circuit in Pennsylvania. . . . Colin Give, who appeared in Tiffany's "Journey's End," is in New York. . . . Sidney Skolsky says there is only one thing about Gary Cooper that he likes and that is Lupe Velez. . . . Three thugs slugged Manager MacZipperman of the Fifth Avenue Playhouse, New York, and got away with $500. * * * Bcbe Daniels has reported to the Los Angeles police that she has received letters from a youth demanding money. . . . But Bebe's been in worse scrapes then that in pictures, so she isn't worrying. . . . Clara Joel is suing a taxicab company for $100,000, charging that her beauty was marred and her histrionic ability impaired when a taxi smashed into an elevated railroad pillar in New York. . . . She is the wife of IVilliam Boyd (screen). * * * Pathe has signed Johnny Farrell, former golf champion, to make a series of golf shorts. . . . Paramount theatre executives report that their patrons like lobby sideshows, so the policy will be continued. . . . Incidentally, the Paramount will celebrate its fourth anniversary Nov. 7-14, with "Laughter" as the feature. . . . Warner publicity hounds report that while "she is enjoying her annual vacation, Evelyn Knapp is spending one hour a day at the University of California at Los Angeles, where she is taking a comprehensive course in French." * * * A paragraph of cinema chatter lifted from Louis Sobol's colyum : "The only thing keeping the Jack (Ina Claire) Gilberts together is the warning from the cinemamoguls that they must. . . . Although 'Farewell to Arms' was a stage flop, the flicker rights have netted Ernest Hemingway 35 grand, about $32,000 more than was bid for the film rights to the book. . . . 'War Nurse' was taken from a yarn originally authored by Rebecca West, who asked that her name be withdrawn when it was rewritten for the flickers, foolish lass." * * * Marian Nixon tea-ed the press the other day at the Savoy Plaza . . . Whendidyougetinandhowlongwillyoustayandwhy? asked an Empeenewshound . . . "Arrived a week ago, will stay another week, but there's no answer to the third," she replied, quick as that Gene Ochs is now manager of the Heights Theatre, Cleveland, succeeding Lee Berger, transferred to the Jewel. * * * John Hamrick, veteran Far Northwest showman, is in New York on a special mission . . . He was the first showman of the Pacific Northwest to go for sound . . . Another visitor to the Big Town is L. K. Brin, Milwaukec independent, who has been making opposition step in the Beer City. One in a Million Marc Connelly, of whose "The Green Pastures" you may have heard, is cleaning up in a big way and was therefore not at all tempted by a sixfigure offer from Gene Markey to hurry to Hollywood, says Heatley in the N. Y. Journal. Marc's reply, sent collect, read: "Sorry. Not interested. Success has gone to my head." "Nothing doing! We can do better with the Paramount -Mayer-Goldwyn people." — The New Yorker. TWO robbers held up the manager of Mary Pickford's minnie golf course and got $75. . . . Does that, or doesn't it, prove that there's dough in immature golf now? . . . The Uptown Theatre in Kansas City played "Wild Company" as "Modern Madness." . . . The manager said the change was made "for boxoffice reasons." . . . "Wild Company" probably wasn't wild enough. * * * The Warner publicity office infortns us that "visitors to ttie offee of Sanford Greenburger sometimes find him conversing in Hungarian with playwrights and agents." . . . Hell, that's nothing . . . We've even heard English spoken in some offices in New York . . . Pathe has effected a national tie-up on Jo-Cur for "Her Man." . . . It's a cosmetic and, as we get it, each girl gives the sample to her man. . . . Or maybe that isn't the idea at all. The government wants $3,080 from Madge Bellamy and $202.62 from Ford Sterling and has filed income tax liens against them. . . . Some day a player will pay too much and, brother, THAT will be news. . . . George Bernard Shaw appears again in Fox Movietone News and tells the world how good he is. . . . Just as if he were a Hollywoodian. . . . * * * M. B. Horowitz, G.-M. of the Washington circuit in Cleveland, broke a bone in his clboiv while playing handball . . . Hans Junkermann, German screen comedian, has arrived from the Fatherland to play in the German version of Universal's "The Boudoir Diplomat." . . Paula Gould, the Publicist, tells us that she's moved to "larger quarters" at 729 Seventh Ave. . . . Welcome, Paula. * * * Lyndon Young, of the Kunsky-Publix Detroit organization, walks up to the altar Saturday with Harriet Cran, former pianist in Ned Wayburn's Chicago studio . . .The real inside dope on scenario writing was imparted to the AMPAS Thursday by Albert Howson, of Warners, and there'll be no lack of stories (good or bad) from now on . . . Eddie Cantor has changed his mind again and will return to the legit. * * * Universal New York employes are all set for the boatride . . . Said ride being a trip to Havana, starting in the grand ballroom of the Hotel Astor and winding up in the wee hours in the same local . . . The imitation trip is the Universal Club's annual get-together and if past events are any criterion, it should be a wow. ifyHERE might be more enthusiasm," ob1 serves the Okmulgee {Okla.) Times, over the report Mayor Walker is to head the movie industry if it were known for certain he would write the gags." . . . Fred (Universal) McConnell still believes a birthday is something to celebrate. Wallace Smith, scenarist, and Mrs. Smith are en route to Spain. . . . Now that "Way for a Sailor" is completed, John Gilbert is growing a moustache again. . . . Pathe has built a swell bungalow dressing room for Ann Harding, finished in green and old gold. . . . Melville Brown, who directed Amos V Andy in "Check and Double Check'' lias been assigned to direct Evelyn Brent in "White Shoulders." . . . From black to white. 'Tis said that Cecil B. De Mille glories in his membership in the Holland Club, consisting of Americans of Dutch and Flemish ancestry. . . . The first De Mille, then spelled De Milt, was a sheriff of Ghent. . . . Contracts have been closed whereby the Fox New York circuit will show all of the Pathe 1930-31 features in 25 or more houses. . . . * * * Joseph Jackson, Warner scenarist, is in New Y'ork after a vacation in Yurrop. . . . That was some party the boys threw for Phil Meyer, who resigned as Tiffany's New York chief to join Columbia. . . . Wonder if the Film Center is shy any doors? * * * It must Itave been like old times when Al Steffes and Fred Strief got together in Cincinnati. . . . Fred, who has made a great record as an exchangctnan, is business manager of tlie new Allied unit at Cincy. . . . Charley Burr has completed two of his series of Sport-Logs, which depict a sport star instructing a screen star in the fine points of the sport. . . . Mickie Walker dons the gloves with Ben Lyon in the first of the series. * * * H. M. Wilcox, operating manager of Electrical Research Products, is on an inspection trip to W. E. theatres in Southeastern states. . . . Another reason for the success of Amos V Andy is their modesty. . . . They didn't make the mistake of going on the stage at the Chicago opening, preferring to let the screen represent them. Fish Story Hollywood — Mack Sennett, the comedy king, has issued emphatic orders to his secretary to discontinue the practice of telling visitors "Mr. Sennett is out to lunch" when he isn't. Sennett is an inveterate fisherman. On a recent trip down the Pacific coast, he was accompanied by Don Lee, millionaire automobile dealer. The two anglers had a great run of luck, but at noon it looked as if every last undersea denizen had gone back to bed. "The fish seem to have stopped biting, Don," remarked Sennett dejectedly. "Yes," replied Lee disgustedly, "I suppose they're out to lunch with most of the Hollywood producers."