Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1930)

Record Details:

Something wrong or inaccurate about this page? Let us Know!

Thanks for helping us continually improve the quality of the Lantern search engine for all of our users! We have millions of scanned pages, so user reports are incredibly helpful for us to identify places where we can improve and update the metadata.

Please describe the issue below, and click "Submit" to send your comments to our team! If you'd prefer, you can also send us an email to mhdl@commarts.wisc.edu with your comments.




We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.

Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.

54 Motion Picture News N ov ember 22 , 1930 Chicago's Mayor Vetoes "Flip-Up" Seat Ordinance Chicago — The theatre seat ordinance which was passed by the city council here last August before local exhibitors even knew of it? existence war. vetoed by Mayor Thompson. In commenting on his veto the mayor said the ordinance, if passed, would be vigorously contested and that, inasmuch as its constitutionality was doubtful, it would probably be thrown out eventually at the cost to the taxpayers of considerable litigation. The mayor's attitude makes it reasonable to suppose that no further attempt to gain enactment of the ordinance will be made by its proponents. The theatre seat ordinance provided that all theatres be compelled either to install the "flip-up" type of seat or widen distances between seats to a minimum of fourteen inches. The ordinance was introduced in council and passed without the knowledge of local exhibitors who, consequently, had no opportunity to appear and give their side of the question. Pals Roll Log For Chi Author Chicago — M-G-M's "Remote Control" ran into a lot of unlooked-for publicity when it opened at the Oriental this week, thus making the jobs of Balaban & Katz publicity men that much easier. A co-author of the play is Al Fuller, former Chicago newspaperman, still in his twenties, and still on the scene here. His old buddies on the various city desks were glad to do him the favor when "Remote Control" came to town. Fuller covered the Chicago hotels assignment for the City News Bureau for three years ; then became publicity man for the new Palmer House. It was in the broadcasting room of KYW, located in the Palmer House, that Fuller conceived and developed the idea for his modern play, which had a turn on the stage before being adapted for the picture. Fuller still guides the Palmer House name into print here. The publicity his associations gained the picture included, in addition to several elaborate reviews, frequent mention of his part in its authorship on the various movie pages and an occasional photograph of the author on the picture pages. Wabash Ave. — South CHICAGO. THREE new trunk lines have been added to Midwest Theatres' switchboard to handle the increased business inherited since Coston Booking Circuit dropped all subscribers and became exclusively Warner's Qiicago theatre department. The booking is now done solely for the Warner theatres in this district and Coston's own theatres. Midwest has also added a couple of women to its office force to handle the Christmas rush. * * * C. C. Randolph, well known Chi exhibitor and the owner of the Family Theatre property (Gary), is now operating that house. * * * Phil Reisman here for a visit during the week. Will also look in on other western Universal exchanges before returning to New York. * * * Charles Filkins back in town after resigning a Pathe sales post at Des Moines. * * * Ralph White, Warner exchange detail man, may get a Des Moines post as a result of the recent consolidation of Warner and First National distributing forces. M. Van Praag back to the Democratic city on the Hudson after a week here and a few days in Kansas City. * * * Ben Edelman has been succeeded by Roy Xelson as country salesman for Pathe out of John Clark's office. * * * Mrs. Anna Ward, an exhibitor at Lockport, 111., for many years, was stricken with heart disease at the funeral of a sister early this week and died a few hours later. * * * W. H. Fields is the new president of Midwest Film, large commercial laboratory. * * * Ad-Vance Trailer will have prominent ground floor space facing on Ninth Street, in the Ninth and Wabash Bldg. (northeast corner). * * * Joe (Theatre Broker) Sandman will re-open the Apollo, North and Crawford. * * * Joe Fieldman, Universal country salesman here, lias been transferred to Des Moines to make room for Tommy Greenwood, who replaces. * * * Tiffany exchange's lease on a new 13th Street address will be signed this week. * * * Educational's deal for production of musical (Continued on next page) 1 Marx Out, So Patrons Demand Rebate of 25% Chicago — For the first time in their professional history the Marx Brothers were billed as "Three" instead of "Four" at the Palace Theatre here this week. Arriving in town Friday to start their week's engagement the following day, Groucho was suddenly taken ill and rushed to the Michael Reese hospital for an appendicitis operation. The operation was performed immediately and Groucho was reported well on the road to recovery by Monday morning. Meanwhile, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo saw to it that the show went on, but a few disgruntled Palace patrons thought they scented a publicity stunt in Groucho's opening-day attack and tried to collect a 25 per cent rebate. Just tried. "It wasn't an appendix they removed after all," Groucho wired Ashton Stevens from the hospital. "It was an Austin." Groucho, however, was still in Michael Reese hospital when the brothers' week at the Palace was over. His lines and stunts were taken over by Zeppo, who gave such a perfect impersonation of his brother that intimate friends of the two who witnessed it were confused. Zeppo, it is said, can substitute equally well for Harpo and Chico, too, but none of the others can take Zeppo's place. He's the "good-looking" one. Theatres' $2,850 To Needy Crooks Chicago — This town's expert members of the Rod and Blackjack Club on their regular Sunday night pilgrimmage knocked over two theatres for a total take of $2,850. Warner's newdy acquired Hoosier at Whiting surrendered $2,500, while the Paulina gave up $350. At the Warner theatre, Michael Evan, the manager, after being forced to open the safe, suffered the indignity of having his overcoat tied about his head by the bandits, who escaped in an automobile. Evan's bride of one day was inside the theatre viewing the performance when the robbery took place. Apprised of what had happened, she collapsed. At the Paulina, seven patrons were held at bay by one robber while a second relieved Bernice Snow, cashier, of $350.