Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1930)

14 M o t i o u P i c ture N e w s D e c e in b e r 6, 1 v 3 & RKO Price War Forces B. & K. to Cut on Weekends Chicago — Price war between RKO and Publix Loop theatres has shoved matinee scales up to early evening at the RKO Palace and State-Lake and has cut B. & K. houses' week-end matinee scale 35 cents. RKO Loop houses have always maintained a slightly lower scale than the B. & K. houses. Where the latter's matinee price of 35 cents has been in effect to 1 o'clock on week days, RKO has maintained the same price an additional hour. Top evening price in RKO houses, week days, has been 75 cents; whereas the B. & K. schedule for the same time went to 85 cents. Saturday and Sunday scales in the B. & K. houses were 50 cents to 1 P. M. and 85 cents thereafter. RKO collected 35, 50 and 85 cents Saturdays and Sundays. B. & K.'s recent reduction was on the Saturday and Sunday schedule only, but it brought a similar reduction from RKO not only for those days, but for week days as well. B. & K.'s Saturday and Sunday scale is now 50 cents to 2 P. M., a 35-cent reduction for the last hour. RKO met this reduction by extending the 50-cent scale at the Palace from 2 to 5 P. M., the 35-cent scale at the State-Lake to 1 P. M., and the 50-cent scale to 5 P. M. Week-day scale at the State-Lake now extends the 35-cent admission to 3 P. M., and the 50-cent admission to 6 :30 at both RKO Loop theatres. B. & K. week-day schedules remain the same — 35 cents to 1 P. M. and 85 cents thereafter. Paramount Cuts Talker Output In French Studio While Paramount is not abandoning production of foreign language talkers at its studio in Joinville in the suburbs of Paris, it is understood that production is to be materially curtailed. The cuts are expected to involve markets where the returns, by virtue of the limited number of wired theatres in those territories, make it difficult for the company to come out with a profit. This is construed to involve territories like Hungary where only a comparative handful of houses is wired for sound. "Have a Good Time" There's a starlet in Hollywood, according to George Gerhard, who recently became too hard to handle owing to an increase in the circumference of her head. So studio officials looked over her contract and learned that it called for a 12-week vacation each year without pay. She started on her vacation right away. Now It's Vilma St. Louis — Vilma Banky, former motion picture actress who was in St. Louis the past week playing in "Cherries Are Ripe" at the American with her husband. Rod La Rocque, declared in a newspaper interview that actors and actresses are tiring of the mass production methods of Hollywood by which intelligence and quality are sacrificed. She declared the actors are taking the road, even for one-night stands at half salaries, because they are dissatisfied with the quality of the product Hollywood directors are now turning out. Mae Gives Mary Lowdown on the Princess Stuff Londoners Bolt From SMPE After A Series of Fights Chicago — One M'Divani and a prospective one met here to talk over the family between trains. Mae Murray, bride of Prince David M'Divani, was the Hollywoodbound transient. She was excitedly greeted liy Mary McCormic, Chicago opera singer, and conducted to the latter's apartment in the Lake Shore Drive hotel here, to talk over family matters until train time. Miss McCormic is to become the bride of Prince Serge M'Divani soon after the latter's divorce from Pola Negri becomes final on January 1. The union will make Mary a sister-in-law of Mae's. Climaxing months of hot battling which gave to the parent body many stiff headaches, members of the Society of M. P. Engineers in London this week voted to bolt frolic tne association and form a new unit entirely independent of the U. S. group. Initial tip-off of the split appeared exclusively in Motion Picture News on Nov. 1. The parent association loses 120 members with the divorce, although many of the former's executives are understood to have been plenty dissatisfied with the "petty" bickerings of the Londoners and were in favor of giving them a wide berth. Simon Rowson, head of the London section, cabled a lengthy list of unreasonable demands to board members at the recent New York convention, among them being a bill for $400 contracted by the Londoners when they gave Sir Oliver Lodge a big blowout, and which they claimed should he paid by the parent association. Changes in policy were also asked for, with the U. S. board ignoring all demands. Rowson is understood to have "boiled over" when the convention closed without taking action on his requests and proceeded to form a resolution in London disbanding that section. The matter was deferred until this week and reorganization started immediately. "Ever since the formation of the London section in 1927, the section has advocated an independent organization," President J. I. Crabtree, of the S.M.P.E. told Motion Picture News yesterday in commenting on the split. "Decision of a majority of the present officers in London to pull away from the parent body is apparently a result of recent demands for reenstatement of half entrance fees, the right to appoint active members and for a non-budgeted expense account which the U. S. board of governors could not conceive." Crabtree stated. "The present action appears to be hasty. Remaining members of the London section will undoubtedly carry on if any British technical society is formed. The S.M.P.E. will collaborate fully." $10,000 Sought For Film Daily 1930 Relief Fund Ten thousand dollars by Christmas is the objective of the Film Daily Relief Fund, which started its annual drive this week. The fund will start its fourth year of activity when the quota for 1930 has been reached. During its history, the fund has taken care of a large number of worthwhile cases and has done considerable work in relieving the suffering of unfortunates engaged in the film industry. The committee this year is composed of Jack Alicoate, chairman ; Dr. A. H. Giannini, treasurer; Billy Brandt, Al Lichtman. Bruce Gallup, Mike Simmons and "Red" Kann. The required quota has about a month to go and that, according to the committee, means the contributions will have to roll in without diminution between now and Christmas. Checks are to be made out to the Film Daily Relief Fund and may be sent direct or to anv member of the committee. Warners to Buck Fox in K. C. Theatre Campaign Kansas City — This territory, a Fox stronghold, is to feel the weight of a counter theatre attack by the Warners, it is indicated by appointment of Bill Warner, former First National manager, as head of Warner theatres in this section. The chain has no houses in this part of Missouri, its activities in the state being limited to five. Ufa Official Arrives Felix Malitz, vice-president of Ufa, has arrived in New York from Germany. Hot Advice Providence — Do audiences here react to the talkies? During a tense scene in "Sin Takes a Holiday" the blonde and seductive Constance Bennett is making an open play for Kenneth MacKenna, but the boy is bashful or something. From an ardent feminine fan in the rear came the sound advice: "Grab her, big boy, grab her!" It is not unusual for auditors now to sing out when they get excited.