Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1930)

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Novc m b c r 2 9 . 1 9 3 0 M o t i o n P i c t it r e N e iv s 37 Drops Vaude Hamilton, Ont. — Another theatre in Canada is discontinuing vaudeville, this being the Palace, managed by Leonard Bishop, which has been featuring five R-K-O acts. The Palace is controlled by Famous Players. Shea's Hippodrome, Toronto, and Loew's, Montreal, are now the only two houses in Eastern Canada with vaudeville. Seattle Theatre Bucks Union; to Run "All Screen" Seattle — Eyes of the Pacific Coast show industry are on the Paramount in this city, now operating on its new "all-screen" policy with reduced prices of 25, 35 and 50 cents. The reason for the interest is the attitude of the house toward the musicians' union. At present there is no orchestra and no organist employed in the theatre. It is understood that when the Publix units were dropped at this house last week the management requested the union to reduce the minimum musician requirement from 16 to nine men. According to reports, the union refused, declaring that the theatre must continue to employ 16 musicians. As a result, Publix officials decided to eliminate the stage band altogether, whereupon the union refused to allow any union organists to play there. This is the first case at hand in the Pacific Northwest where the theatre operators have arbitrarily disregarded the union demands. Kid Birthday Club Planned at Baltimore Baltimore — A Kiddie Birthday Club is being inaugurated for Loew's Parkway, residential uptown second-run house here, by Sam Gilman, manager, and Junior McGeehan, publicist. This is being done to interest the kids in the neighborhood in the Parkway and buttons and certificates of registration with a seal, looking very important, are presented to those who enroll. It has been advertised through a trailer on the screen. Each week single passes are mailed to those kids on the list having birthdays, the plan being that they will probably bring others into the playhouse and talk about it to other kids. Heckle Portland First Runs Over Type of Films Would Ban Sunday Films Albany — Although miniature golf courses are continuing full blast in Bellows Falls. Vt., on Sundays, the three Protestant churches in the town have decided to wage war on Sunday films. In each of these churches there was a special sermon on Sunday against Sunday shows and petitions were started in circulation asking for signatures of persons favoring closing the theatres. If these petitions are widely signed they will be turned over to the district attorney for action. Portland, Ore. — The Oregon Congress of Parents and Teachers continues to heckle the managers of some of the first-run theatres, this time complaining that, after the Saturday morning Mickey Mouse matinees, children are allowed to remain at the Fox Broadway, Fox Hollywood and Fox United Artists and view the first performance of the current films, regardless of the nature of the feature. Another agitator, Chester A. Lyons, at the last meeting of the censor board, city officials, and ministerial association made an emphatic protest against the particular 24sheet on "Soldier's Plaything" which was shown at Hamrick's Music Box. When he was invited by the city attorney to sign a warrant for the arrest and imprisonment of John Hamrick, he hurriedly backed water stating that he desired only prevention and not prosecution. Madison First Runs Increase Madison, Wis. — Competition in the first run field here is to be increased with reopening of the Parkway as an independent first run. The house will be operated by Madison Theatre Co., an organization of local business men. R. W. Miller, resigned as manager of the Fox Strand, to operate the new house. He is succeeded by Charles Loewenberg, who for eight years was with Universal in advertising and exploitation. The Parkway was one of the local houses of the former Fischer-Paramount chain, which was taken over by L. K. Brin. Install New Wide Screen To Boost San Diego Biz Long Beach, Calif. — A new wide screen for use with the Realife wide screen film has been installed at the Fox West Coast theatre. It is thought use of the wide screen will help business, as grosses for the past several months in Long Beach have been low. lower, in fact, than at any time in the past three years. Charles Miller on Own Miller Music. Inc., has been formed in New York by Charles Miller, for 15 years with the Harms Co., and formerly music editor-in-chief of all Warner music subsidia Fox Signs Chaplin Lead Hollywood — After completing work opposite Charlie Chaplin in "City Lights," Virginia Cherrill has been signed as a featured player at Fox. Greenhouse Gets Omaha Post Omaha — Daniel F. Greenhouse of the World Screen Advertising Service has been added to the house staff of the World theatre in the capacity of assistant press agent. Acting Debunked Here's an actor debunking acting. He is Lewis Stone, and in Photoplay Magazine he has this to say: "Any person with intelligence, natural aptitude and the capacity for hard work, can become a competent actor. You don't need to feel the roles you play. It is better, as a matter of fact, if you don't. How absurd to suppose that you can do a drunk scene when you have had ten highballs." Mergers Not All Sweet Music, Is Executive's Slant Mergers, no matter in what industry, are not economic Aladdin's lamps, take it from H. W. Phelps, president of the American Can Company, whose organization has passed through merger pains and, therefore, presumably is in a position to talk. "A merger is little more than an opportunity for an able management to do a good piece of work," states Phelps in the "Executives' Service Bulletin," published by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. "Companies are brought together on the basis of earnings and assets. The picture looks bright, but when the merger actually is consummated difficulties arise. These difficulties are at least fourfold in character and concern (1) personnel, (2) methods of marketing, (3) manufacturing facilities and (4) equipment. "It is obvious that everyone cannot be president of the new company and numerous men who have occupied the office of chief executive must now take subordinate places. Some of these men will be constitutionally unable to accept such subordination, feeling that they know more about their own business than anyone else. Naturally, such executives must be eliminated in order to assure the progress of the new company." Legit Show at $1 Top Folds at Seattle Seattle — Evidently the legitimate stage is doomed in this city. After four weeks of mediocre business, executives of the Bainbridge Stock Company, that has been on the boards at the Metropolitan, announced that they will close next week and move back to Minneapolis. The company has presented weekly changes of plays at $1 top, under the sponsorship of the A. L. Erlanger interests. In announcing the clcsing, E. G. Cooke, house manager, reported that Seattle has contributed less business during the last year to traveling legitimate shows than any other city on the Pacific Coast that is on the route list of such attractions. Publix Operating at Hamilton Hamilton, O. — Publix now is operating the Palace here, acquired from Turberg & Silver. Seitz Gets Assignment Hollywood — George B. Seitz is to direct 'Drums of Jeopardy" for Tiffany.