Variety (Nov 1931)

HOLLYWOODl ISCREEN-STAGE-RADIO BROADWAY FobUahed WMkIr at IS« Wait 4(tli 8U N«v Tork, N. T, br Tartstr. Ino. AnniuU raboortptloa, M. BIbbI* eoplea, I( cenU. BaUnA aa aaeond-olaaa mattar Decambar Xt. UtS, at tba Poat Offloa at Naw Tork. M, T, nndar tha act . of Varch S, 187*. ■ ■ COFTOCHT, 19S1, . BT ▼ABORT, ISO. AIX BIOHTS BBSEBVED lirOli 104 No. 8 NEW YORK, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1931 64 PAGES COLD SOBER MADNESS Soviet Sowly Easing Ont of Its Socialistic SheD-More Freedom By EUGENE LYONS Hoscov, Oct 91. Qr«ater scope for orlslnallty and bumaa Intereat !• belhgr given. So- viet. ' playwrights and scenarlo- Wrlghta these days. The hieavy hand «f the censors has been - somewhat relaxed—not lifted by any means but BOttened. Under conditions as they are here, a little freedom goes a long way. The effects of the new ofBclal at- titude have not yet been felt. All the recent film releases and the sea- son's new theatrical offerings .were begun many months ago and there- fore still bear the. Imprint of the time of their origin. But In the near future one may expect a flock «t productions of a new type. There has been no ofllclal edict er pronouncement on the subject. iTet In.that subtle way In which a hew atmosphere Is generated here, the word seems to have spread that art can now more safely soft-pedal propaganda In favor of ordinary amusement. The boys who pass on VUiy and film manuscripts have sensed the new attitude and are turning down propagandist pieces (Continued on page 46) Ussf Gillis Has This Here Pablishmg Racket Licked to a StandstiD . Newburyport, Mass., Nov. 2. It didn't take 'Bossy* Qlllls, wfaoop-dee-doo mayor of this city, letig to leorn the power of the press J«er the first couple of editions of ofc new newspaper which he has Btoed 'Asbestos.' 'Bossy' is pub- •wher and editor. And he has an ^ for business as well as a nose «r news, although the news con- ■vs mostly of wallops at his po- •™eal foes. ^ere sure of plenty of advertis- ing, says Qlllls. 'If we don't get the ea from the Strand and Premier theatres we can cancel their permits ™ n>n film shows on Sundays. And « we don't get that Eaton restaur- rj' M on the front page we don't •et the Eaton crowd come into our snoe factory (owned by Glllls) at 'Hwntlme and sell sandwiches.' Realism Hollywood, Nov, 2. Can went out for 100 'tough' moUs, dames; etc for a femme prison story. Beallsm of types was evi- denced later by the ' many walls of stolen, purses, coats and other femtnlnel wearing appttreL OVERNITE MADE ACT VIA RADIO Four Mills Brothers, colored radio iact, have been placed through CBS for four weeks with Paramount at f1,260 per week. Turn opens at the Now York Paramount, Nov. 13 for two weeks, then shifts to the Brook- lyn Paramount for the remaining fortnight: Through CBS, Flo Zlegfeld has engaged the colored radio act under a run-of-the-play contract for his next musical. Mills Bros, do songs and inetru mental imitations. They arrived In New York from Cleveland two months ago and flat broke. They were placed with CBS through Tommy Rockwell, In charge of re cording for Brunswick. NO TRADE SUNDAY NITE Benefit Shows Die and Are Stopped ' at Pottstown Fiim's L<^ Rib . Burbank, Nov. 2. leadership in turning the worm ^ PUys kidding pictures will be ««en by Warner Brothers with ^nhatUn Parade.' Picture makes fZ, ^/'"berts the patsies, Jake and ^ neing played by Smith' and ^! .^^^on Comedy Four).. J}}, ^ *• Jazzed-up version of i'hipman's floppo, 'She Means Pottstown, Pa., Nov. 2. The controversy raging for three weeks here over Sunday movies has ended. At the final Sunday evening show of the tliree weelcs there were only 400 people at the Strand. Since then Aniele Post, American Legion, this borough, beneficiary of the shows, has withdrawn as benefici- ary and patron, and Earl Wadge, manager, announced that the Sun- day night 'benefits' will be discon- tinued. A pastoral association has been making It hot for -house and the legion ever since the first show, and Wadge had been arrested and lined. Net receipts for both legion and theatre were too small to war- /rant either in keeping up the fight, It is stated. lE'EH II TEXAS-WIDE m hoajg Lists of Injured, Prop- erty Damage and Insults —Bigger .Than New Year's Zn Ail Cities Timid Stay Hom»—Yearly Habit Since tbe War EVERYTHING GOES Showmen Los Angeles, Nov.-2. A. Leslie Swope, executive director of the West Coast Hollywood chain, and C. L. Swope, manager of the Stadium theatre, have applied to the Anaheim, Cal., city coiuiicril for li- cense to operate a retail liquor es- tablishment when and If wines and bAr are legalized. They formerly cohducted such business In Anaheim before tlus toWn went local option previous to prohi- bition. Houston, Nor. 2. Hallowe'en in TeKS* is a wild college celebration gene state wide. It's been: going on for year«« with little outside attention. This year's topped them alL It's a custom de- veloped since the war. Prom harm- less pranks it has grown in scope until it's bigger than New Year's and annually results irt heavy dam- ages for merchants and' theatres, along with a long list of casualties. The new oil priees may also have had their effect this year. Most everybody Is cold sober but carrying a psychio Jag which keeps the timid in their homes. That's because - of fireworks, fist fights, ticklers, blowers, and the extreme liberties taken by the boys with the girls who venture forth the last night of October. Property loss In many towns Is. heavy }n each spot, between broken glass, damaged store and theatre fronts and incidental fltes. The hospitals do a rushing (justness, more so- than the theatres which have become convinced that this Is not their night. People either stay home or go on the streets to tear the town apart. There's no com- (Contlnued on page 62) Cravafh RCA Cbnnectioii Figured To Assure Opera for Radio Gty Expansion with self and wife for soma years at )160 weekly, one of the few more fortunate- of - the fading m. c'm now unloads himself at a theatra la this order: Automobile, M.O. Press agent Personal mgE, Valet Chauffeur. And the wife. CUTS FROM DIAMONDS TO POTATOES AS GfFTS Minneapolis, Nov. 2. Because of the hard times, Pub- llx Northwest theatres will limit gift tieups with local merchants this winter to useful artlcleis and necessities, in place of automobiles, diamond rings, radios and the like. Articles sought will include pota- toes, other foodstutCs and articles of apparel. Efforts are to be maido by the-, atres In ail towns to have local merchants place the gift articles where they will do the moat good. Theatres will offer to assist In- all distributions and will boost tlie donors on screens and In lob-' bles, the same as In the past with gifts. House managers have been In- structed to do their utmost to ob- tain as much free merchandise for distribution as possible, fho cam- paign of obtaining necessities for the needy tlirough the gift tieup plan will be called a 'Mother Hub- bard' drive. The Idea is that when mother goes to the cupboard she won't And It bare. WYNNOBOF 3-WAY REVUES New Haven, Nov. 2, Ed Wynn, here for three days to whip his 'Laugh Parade' Into shape before Its Broadway opening, said he Is about washed up as a theatrical triple try. Wynn says he wouldn't attempt the author-producerractor thing again, to keep himself out of the poorhouse. His troubles started, stated Wynn, when he tried to All up a cast with something different In talent One bad headache came when he had to (Continued on page 34) i » With tha retirement of Otto Kahn aa the head of the Metropolitan Opera 00. there seems a . greater probability the Institution will move over, to Radio City, a part of the original plan announced by the Rockefeller Interests. Paul Cravath, selected to succeed Kahn, Is counsel for. RCA, and a memlier of the board of directors as well as a mem- ber of the advisory council of NBC. It la btiUeved that he regards tha project favorably and In some quar- ters his election Is regarded as vir- tual assurance that the deal wlU now go over. When the Radio City project was first broached, It was largely based on the removal of the opera, but Kahn had astembled . a parcel on 57th street, which he offered to the directors. 'Their refusal to take over the property resulted In con- siderable friction within the direcx torate. The only obstacle ' which now seems tq stand In the way of the opera's removal to Radio City Is the attitude of R.. Fulton Cutting, a ma- jority stockholder In the operatla venture, who has yet to be sold on the desirability of the radio proposl.- tlon. WHAT-A-BUST^FOR MA Canceled After First Week—What- a-Man Sticks San Francisco, Nov. 2. Ma Kennedy Is a bust at the Golden Gate here. She - has been cancelled for the two weeks at the Orpheum, Oakland,, and RKO, Los Angeles. Ma wets to get $2,000 weekly at' both spots. Golden Gate will - only do around an estimated $12,000 with Ma Kennedy headlining. 'What-a-mah' Itudsbn, Ma's Evangelistic husband, continues on the bill, remaining two weeks alone with Joe Laurie Jr. at 1400, which wilt be paid by RKO. Public inter- est seemed to be In 'What-a-md.n'! not In Almee's Ma. Right from the beginning, though Ma manifested all the actorish ten- dencies, worrying -about billing, etc. Now It's being said that Ma and 'What-a-man's' 2d marital- career will be just as short-lived as her vaudeville life. Condemning Serials ~ . Hollywood, Nov. 2. Federation of Women's Clubs Is holding regional meetings condemn- ing serials.' Women consider the thrillers un- lit for juvenile mcntatittcs and are tcMlne the producers ao. Drnre on Police for 'Sound' Confessjon^ Boston as First Spot RCA Ptiotophone Is starting a campaign to make sound pictured an aid to the Bertlillon system In police headquarters throughout the country. It Is also using the argur ment that a confession on Him can- not be repudiated while quite often the signed document Is known to carry little weight with a jury :be-: cause of the defendant's plea tliat It was obtained under duress. Boston, Photophonltes ■ believe,, .win he the first i>ollce headquattera to Install an equipment for such a' purpose. Following a demonstra- tlpn there last week with a portable equipment, RCA reports Police Commissioner. Hultman as express- ing himself highly In accord with this expedient/for conviction. Some time ago Western Electric planned to contact the police but the plans failed to materialize. 4-Yr.-01d Mind Reader _ ,,,, Denver, Nov. 2. Worlds youngest professional mind reader Is evidently Jackli" Merkle, four years old. He iJroka In his act last week for Publlx at the Denver theatre here. Jackie's father works the au- dience In the boy's turn. His ques- tions are simple, such as -What' make of car do you driver 'What kind of watch do you carry?' etc. To all questions the boy inswera quickly. *