Variety (March 1932)

50 VARIETY £ 11 IT OR I A L .■I Tuesday, March 1> 193a Trade Uark Beslstered . PnblUbed. Weekly by IT^niBTi. lac. Sid Siiyerman, President '. 164 West 46t»i Street New York City . eUBSGRIPTION - Annual....:'..'.>{$ Foreien..t7' Single Copies. . ... .IB. Cents VOL. 105 120 iHo. 12 15 YEARS AGO (From •Tarlciv' and 'CUppct^) Marcus Loew announced 10 the- atres to be erected at a ^ost of $8,000,000. The largest theatre .buUdlnff operation reported to that date. Zlegfeld reported- that his 'FplHes of 1916' was dolns. around $2i,p00 weekly. Best erer, but not as profitable as the preylbus .year as the hut Avas up ?2,500; Small tinie agenta were forming an association with restricted rriem- bership. To cut down the, number of act handlers. Garden theatre, In the bid Madl- eon Square Garden, was on the rocks: Only booking In sight was three days pf Qreek plays. .Newly organized AMPA was clrr culari2ing exhibs trying to get the lowdown on eshlb preference as to trade papers. ;. Newsrefels were trying to make exhibs stop chopping their reels. .Wanted them to use aJl or jiothing. •America, Here's My Boy,' , one of tiie first recruiting songs, published by Joe Morri9. Cora C. Wilkeniiig sued. Mary Pickford for $103,760 for booking commissions. Suit dragged for years. Wing Wah, Chinese acrobat, ar- rested in Washington for defaming Pres. Wilson. No. details given. Touchy in war times. ■ Newly formed asspciatloiv of out- door showmen had split already with- inelther side strong enough to do anything. 50 YEARS AGO (.From 'Clipper') . Kiralfys revived the 'Black Crook' and it M-as getting over in a big way. ' Adam Forepaugh announced im- portation of a hippo from. Germany. No show was considered • complete without the 'blood sweating behe- moth of holy writ.' Great seller for the church element. Always used that line. Elastic dkin man was one of the star freaks of the season: 'Clipper' quoted a London paper which had discovered an old book which told all. about it. Known for centuries, but new in show business. 'Clipper' told an inquiring ama teur that if he attempted to tour a musical production with himself as star he could, count on losing at least $400 a weiek. Alexander Salvlni, young Italian star and son of the greater Tomas^ so, made Ills American debut at the Union Square theatre, isupporting Clara ilorris In 'Article 47.' Adellna PattI wag back in opera Prices were $3 to $8. Horace Vinton forgot his shield In a performance bf 'King John, and when unable to defend himself in the stage fight fled ignomlnously. So He lost his job for queering the play. Sidney. Clifford, described as the actor-priest, played classical dramas through the week and op Sundays resumed his clerical garb "and fulminated against Robert G, Ihgerr Boll. Jas. H. Wallick and a circus man combined to purchase a play based on the life of Jesse Jameis. Idea was lots of horses on the stage Wallick used horses where Frayno had- lions and Grey and Stophen.s' dogs. inside Stuif-Pictiires First Natlonars"rhe Hatchet Man' playing at ijoew*s Warfleld. S""* Francisco, ran Ihtb considerable pppbsltibn from: the extensive local Chinese colony. Artxioiis to preserve the Chinese trade FWC execs handled the situation with gloves and came out winners; Day before the celluloid was unreeled Chinese consul to S. F/took his grievance to Police Chief Quinn declaring 'Hatchit Man' painted a bad picture of the Chinese race especially during this time Slno- 3apancse trouble. . . .\ . Ppllce and consui:got together with A. M. BiowIes, For dlvlslpnail chief, Al Warshauer, Warfteld manager, and Max Shagrin of Warners, who had played the picture. Iri nuniber of .WB. southern California houses* and threshed out the affair. ; ' ■ ' . ■■ ■■ ,, Picture, showed without Censored cuts, being preceded by a traUer which states the story is based on an old Belascb drama and Is not a true picture bf the Chinese race but contitlns many situations Inculcated for fictional value onljX. Broadway debut a;nd moderate success of 'Blessed Kyenf automatically boosted the price or Is My Face Bed?' unproduced play also about col- umnists. Radio bought the story for pictures, paying $7,600* a fairly high figure for an unproduced effort;- Figuring in the amount given Ben Markson, publicity man, and Allen RIvkin for their play was possible protection for Radio on anything It nilght pit Into the picture script without yelps from other -writers and- playwrights with columnist stoi-les that their stuff had been pirated, 'Is My Face Red V was' produced several months ago as a one-acter at the Writers' Club. Shortly before Radio bought the unproduced play Peisgy (Fears) Blu- nienthfl^^l became interested in It for legit production to the falL But when slie dbdgtd ad-vanced royaifies equal: to the studio offer, play -was put on the film block. Refusal of all producers to endorse Edmund Loeb, Los Angeles attoir- ney, as chief Intermediary In stUdlo disputes, especially etar rustling, iias resulted in the Academy bf Motion Picture Arts aud Sciences delv- ing Into this new form of arbitration., ' It. is pbintedi put in the east that had the Loeb hoard started: to func- tion it would have handled a recent argument of this kind; between Uni- versal and Paramount over somie Pasadena talent. Instead the Academy took the matter In hand; awarding the community player to U.; Radio Pictures is stili holding out against Lpeb, although -virtually all- of the other major companies have agreed, for hlin to advise them on various disputes not considered within the province of either the Acad-, eniy or the Hays organization. The Loeb board necessitates an extra tax on members, the dues into the Hays organization not covering this proposed feature.. Fbrmer vaude actor advised his wife to Jump her contract with film company unless they doubled her salary. Affair wais settled, but the production firm had to tilt the salary of the girl bistore the former stage, actor would permit her to work. . Following the trouble this actor ..decided to make a picture starring himself. When the film was cpmpleted the wife's producing outfit asked hliii to bring in his picture, as they might buy It Actor cpinplled with .the request, and that was six weeks ago. . So far no further bfEers and thie situation now. resembles a run-around. Actor is beginning to feel that the company Is paying him In kind for the trouble he caused It. . in operating Fox Greater New York'houses the Skourases are being forced, through product shortage, to book sluft product oC majors along with whatever turns up as suitable from the Independent field. Film booking problem is.called the Skouras' most-acute dliSlcnlty at present in and around New York, with Fox unable to supply enough footage to go around. Ordinarily the Skourases are playing the sluff film on the short halves of the week in split houses.: Where double features, are used, a little bit bf everything is being picked up for use. Paramount lists' its present contract people who were recruited froni the stage since talkers as the following:, Fredric March, Four Miarx Brothers, Maurice Chevalier, George Barbler^ Richard Bennett, Mlary Boland, William Boyd, John Breeden, Juliette Compton, Tom Douglas, Wynne Gibson, Cary Grant, Miriam Hopkins, Sari Marltza, Chester Morris, Jack Oakle, Irving Pichel, Arthur Plerson, Gene. Rdymond, Charles Ruggles, Randolph Scptt, Sylvia Sidney, Alison Sklpworth° Charles Starrett, Regis Toomey and Ross Alexander. Tliose concerning themselves with the morals of films might look Into the matter of a scene , in 'One Hour With You,' the new Chevalier- Jeanette MacDonald picture. In one sequence Miss MacDonald wears an extremely low cut gown, frbnt and back. For the American version, however, an expanse of tulle was placed in the bodice of the dress to mitigate any shock. But on the retake for the French print, the tulle was eliminated;. Problem, now is to find where the French version will play over here. . With all the talent scouts for the picture companies having pi'actically exhausted the eastern sources bf supply, the boys ar^ iioW thumbing back oyer tlie rejection slips from their studios and are re-testing the preyipusly s^iiiriK'tl performers. ' . . Eastern reps have'beei^ caihcralng everything and everybody lately. Anyone who looks as if .they have a chance. It's gotten so they don't knpw where to look any more, Meanwhile, the Coast keeps wiring to test promising candidates. Not only miist press agents keep copy free of the "suggestive but they must also keep their language at public functions in keeping with the copy tone. Freedbm of speech by one.p;a. at a recent gathering at Which the public pi'css and ladles were present occasioned the reminder to all. This particular p.a. was so elated to have gotten away from Hollywood arid back to a Manhattan job that he indulged his final remarks with a re- sounding line of the profane. ' Recent crop, of foreign new.spaper correspondents, mostly for English papers, find it tough getting material from the-studio and are using a new tack. .'■ They remind that American-made pictures are being maligned at-tlmos abroad) and that someone understanding both phases should -write the Hollywood side from here. Therefore they'd .like to offer themselves as undercover publicity men.. None of the studios has fallen. ReportV that Consolidated is negotiating with Universal to take back Fort Lee laboratory properties, eftectcd in a sale for $360,000 two years ago, are roundly denied by U exetSi I'ltes at the same tinie ppUit out they have a contract dating for 10 years "after the sale whereby Consolidated will develop their prints. The Inside Stuff—Radio Contract clause oversight on the part of the advertising agency han- dling the Sklppy program put NBC. In an embarrassing spot with a flock of newspapers. Agency had sent the network publicity department line drawing of the strip Sklppy -with an NBC mike In his hand. Cartoon was reproduced In the chain|s clip sheet, -with a note, appended advising, the newspapers that a mat of the drawing was thelr's for the writing Meantime the agency came to the realization that the contract -with the strip character's originator, Percy Crosby,-banned any photo or sketch bxplbltation of the. ether version. Network was forced, to put in an urgent recall of all ihatis • distributed and to Inform the newspapers which subsequently wrote In tiiat the offer had to be-withdrawn because, of the agency's belated idiscovery, . .- One large western station long ago arranged Its setup so that it will not be bothered by the Federal Radio Commission when desiring to change ownership. It was organized* as a stock company, thus getting around the commission's edict that any .chanefe In ownership must ba approved by FRC before it cbuld change, hands. . Also the. new ruiing-, requiring air details pf a prop transfer or assignment; can't touch this-'caster,' since all that is necessary to switch ownership is to sell the stock front pne Individual to another, and the comm. hasn't any tiling to say abbut purchase or sale of shares In ja corporation unless 100% of the stock is involved. Literary ambitions of Clairk • Wllsbn, musician, may havei 'cost him his; radio Job after four and a half years at the NBC studios in 'Frisco. Wilson Is finishing a book' on radiqi In which he delves into' mechanical and engineering problems often eiicountered by broadcasting stations, and Intended largely, for trade perujsal. . It also points out how production departments are often lacking in knowledge of orchestra placements and other technical Information, oho exec Is supposed to have burned up at some of the statements. Anyway, Wilson was out after the offlcial" looked the ms. over. Alice Joy will take a flight in a jplane to appease the wrath of aviation biz. heads. Becomes, necessary through .an interview which Miss Joy riecehtly gave to a news syndicate. • She stated that her husband, Harry Burns, was once a member of the. Royal Flying Corps but that she felt safer on the ground. Squawks from air interests poured in and.Miss Joy a.nd h^r iiusbahd decided that she'd better take an air jaunt They'll make It a publicity stunt too.' '\ Over on Second avenue Arthur tracy is considered a graduate bf the Yiddish theatre. Before niaking a radio name Tracy Is understood to have appeared Id several' Yiddish musicals at the Prospect theatre in the Bronx. •A veteran NBC anhouncer was asked to hand In his resignation last week after balling up a commercial announcement . It was his first real boner since being connected with radio. . An extensive subway advertising campaign Is being waged currently in advance of Chandu who starts a commercial prbgram March 7 on WOR. He does a magic act with the campaign one of the'first of its type. Unusual feature of the suiiway cards Is that the advertiser, Beech Nut Packing Co., is not mentioned. Chandu pirograms, five a week, broadcast from discs. Act feot Its statt on a California station. Outdoor Advertising, Inc., Is reported having acquired the billboard display planned for Lucky Strike cigarettes and Its radio hour, !Board men hail the company decisibn to go back to the boards, figur- . ing that if one smoke firm again takes to 24-sheeting all the tobacco companies will follow. It happened with the auto concerns,' Majority of conimercial programs which have come oh the air recently have been put together for the express purpose of appealing to women. Advertisers consider the feminine interest in their broadcasts of pri- mary Importance. This JS, because it is contended that women are the buyers and the daytime listeners. American Tobacco Co. hag discarded its original Intention to -work in a plug for Cremo on the Lucky Strike broadcasts after the former went off the air, Saturday (27). It is probable that Cremo will return to the ether with a new program idea. lab U erected some time ago in Hollywood was solely for the purposed of handling 'rushes,' execs reiterate. . A director accused of being slightly nUtty, but consistently turning but • b.o. successes. Is now riding around Hpllywood In his car with a body- guard sitting in the rear seat No reason for It, but the director insists that 'certain' people are out to get him. Recently he had a psychoanalyslst follow him around for a week 'to search his personality in an effort to discover why he detested the com- pany pf members pf his own sex. . Most bf the talent inbluded In .'Harlem Rhapsody,' colored talker Lin- coln Pictures is producliig, is wbrking on percentage. Firm has been formed by Irving Yates, Jlmriiy O'Neil and Sammy TIshman with pro- duction of the picture to finish ui) this week.. Bill Robinson, he of the taps, is starred with most of the cast from Robinson's vaude act. Picture Is being made in a New Jersey studio. Columbia's new combine of Harry Cohn as pfcs., with Walter Warigerj* new y. p.; got a world of .publicity through buying "Washington Merry Go Around.' The picture people only want the book's title and paid under $1,000 for the film rights.' Nothing In the book but a series of politicar incidents not Conducive to a screen story. Recent walkout o£ a picture director the day before production sKirt.ed cpnyfnced many in film circles that the megger in que.stion was afrnid. to direct. This was the second instance of the same man taking a pow- der day before a film started. • His career has consisted of hut one picture. Former vice-president of a theatre circuit is still living in the luxurious two story apartment he built over, a theatre owned liy the company, although he rcslgnod several months ago. He nayj? $100 a month rent for the establishment. " '". In sympathy with the. black eye sustained by'Jimmy Stjinv Coast pic- ture chatterer, in a fight with an unnamed actoi\ Arch Reeve, Paul and Milt.Howe, of Paramount'.'! pvc.=!s staff, .<!cnt him a br^ef.'^trak wrfii.'!""'' in exclusive storloS.- . •