Variety (June 1932)

Tuesday, June 7, 1932 P I CTH R E S VARIETY 3 Another Coast Bank Blows Oarbo Believed Heaviest Depositor ^ Had $1,500,000 in Cash-^Beaudine's Record Hollywood, June 6. ; First National Bank of Beverly fdid not open its dobcs Saturday (4) ' and announced It has suspended •operation. Several hundred picture J people will h've their funds tied up •.for the time belngr at least. ': J^mong^ the heaviest depositors Is 'Greta Garbb. She Is - reported to ' have about $1,600,000 which she was iplannlng to Invest, before • leaving i ior Sweden., Just what portion of '. this sum was on deposit. Is hot I known but it-was believeci to be the ! hulk of her c{ish, Harry Eddington, her manager, also was a de- positor.'"'' National bank examiners had been In the institution since last Tues- day (31). , -It Is reported that the . bank pifflcials wft-e. entirely willing to clolse ae they anticipated that one of their heaviest, depositors, ,a woman,. and believed t<> be Garbo, was about to withdraw her money shortly, which would have put . the bank to great inconvenience. Jack VVarner's $20,000 Jaclc "Vyarner was- also a heavy .depositor, having put in $20,000 on Friday the day before closing. Others are Marion Dayles, Waillace Beery, Will Rogers, Fred Niblo, . Harry ~ Beaumont, John Gilbert, Conrad~Nagel, Constance Bennett, ^Educational Films Corp., Joe Briahdt, C. C. Burr, Louis Leighton, Kodgers & Hart, Herman Man- klewicz, Steve Roberts, Joe Riley, Fox police chief; Fddie Cantor, Corinne Grifnth, Arthur Pierson, Richard Rogers, LoiHs Leighton. ' Others to 'a clipped are Harlan Thonipscn for $6,000; J. Walter Ru- blni Radio director, who claims it broke him; -Edmund Lowe and Llly- an Tashman, Fred NibloJ Jr., Nor- man Taurog and Lorenz Hart,- who only bad $39 on deposit but who had Intended putting In his Paramount j>ay check the day of the . closing. ■ Bank was note 1 for the mortgages it held on homes In Beverly Hills, 'Brentwood and Bel Air, many of 'which are owned by picture people, individual deposits to the credit of dim names ran Ave and- six figures. Constance Bennett on Friday de- posited her pay check for $30,000. Also caught are Walter Huston, iECenneth McKenna, Estelle Taylor, William Collier, Sr., RicVdo Cortez, .Glard, Bow, Rex Bell, Colleen Moore and Harry Bannister. I- Local Learst papers didn't touch the story Saturday or Sunda.y, and ,the Los Angeles 'Times' carried only il: brief report. -! Hoping entanglements might be straightened out, directors of the •First National Bank of Beverly Hills met this.afternoon to attempt .Reorganization or effect consollda- itlon with the Bevei'ly Hlllis National r'Banic. Cagney's Spit Waits; Wanted for B'way Play _ Los Angeles, June 6. ''William Morris' suit against James Cagney for 10 weeks' com- . mission, slated for a hearing In the Lois Angeles Superior Court June:9, is postponed.until July 5. Postponement was granted by the Morris attorneys at the request of Cagney's attorney. ~ thll Dunning and George Abbott, newly formed producing combo, are trying to land Cagney for the lead In their latest play acauisltlon, •Little Old Boy,' by Albert Beln, 't6r fall prpductldn. Part calls for iih inmate In a reform school 'Where tiie show is localed. An all 'ihalfi cast, mainly youngsters. Jed Harris. Arthur Hopkins, Ben ■Hccht and Cliarles MacArthur, last two ds a team, pi-eviously had op tidns on 'Boy.' Charging Stooges Reason for the rapid turn- over of directors and writers at Columbia Is explained. It's to give Harry Cohn more stooges to sit on the ieiectri- "cized chair at the execs' lunch table. : ■ . Norman Krasna admits he has purposely sat in the chair slk tiipes to make the boss, laiigh and keep himself in a Job. FroiA Variety's BoUywood But-. letJn, Gesture for Air Has 3-Way Split Hollywood, June 6. Louella Parsons, film chatter edi- tor for Universal Service, is out to overcome the embargo against pic- ture players making gratis radio appearances. She promises to se- cure for the . Motion Picture Relief Fund around $13,600 providing the studio heads lend their aid in se- curing enough star talent for a 13- week broadcaist over a national hook-up sponsored by General Mo- tors. Plan will be submitted at a meet- ing of. the relief fund tomorrow night (7) with the statement that Mary Plckford, first president' of the Fund, Douglas Fairbanks, Norma Shearer, Clark Gable and Constance Bennett have already pledged them- selves to the Idea^ Miss Parsons will probably also (Continued on page 12) BUSHMAN IN ENGLAND WITH NEGRO FOR VODE Hollywood, June 6. Francis X. Bushman, Jr., informed 'Variety' his father landed In Eng- lanii today (6), taking over a Negro who will do a vaudeville act with him. ^ Bushman hopes to land in pic- tures there. Weil Bankrupt . Hollywood, June 6. Richard .Weil, film writer, filed bankruptcy listing $3,C00 liabilities, largest of . which was a $1,250 loan from Charles Bickford, the actor. Assets are $550, mostly exempt. MACFADDEN MEGGING MIX Hollywood, June 6. Hamilton MacFadden, who left Fox recently, has been engaged by Universal to direct 'Pony Boy,' Nina Wilcox Putnam story starring Tom Mix. .HILLS COPS Slll|[ STim IPS Newspapers Shouldn't Know Whi|t Picture P^ple Do at iiome. Says Chief Blair —Protects Local Drunks and Playboys from Scan- dal —- Deluxe Cream-Col- ored Jail Has Evenrthihg but Tenants ^ FOOLING BURGLARS Beverly Hills, .June 6. Protecting reputationB of pictpre people, in addition to thejr persons and property, is ju'st one of the many unusual duties assigned itself by the police department of Qeverly Hills. ■ Nothing less than a major crime is ever garnered by reporters of the L.08 Angeles dailies from this police department. Minor occurrences in- volving filni namea are kept mum, with the local, cops expert in giv- ing reporters a runaround. Any service to make the life of a Beverly Hills dweller happier and safer from everybody, including newspaper men, is ; looked Into - by this only-one-bf-lts-kind force, which has adapted itiself to coring for a town of celebrities and mil- lionaires. Police Blotter Clean Regular happenings such as fights, drunkenness, threatening let- ters and kidnap scares, which get nation-wide prihting it a big name is involved, don't even get^on the police blotter much less into print. This slant on what a copper should do has been developed by (Continued on page. 12) Bern (tampions tb^ As a Necessary Artistic Biitfer BLONDELL'S TAKE-OFF Dye Brings Purple Tresses—Shave And Wig Result FAB'BOBBOWING STANWYCK Hollywood, June 6. Paramount Is borrowing Barbara Stanwyck for the lead in 'Riddle Me This.' Edmund Lowe and Victor McLaglen are the male leads. Bnxifi BUBKE'S BADIO PIC Hollywood, June C, Binic Burkr- lias boon contracted by Radio for tlie lead in 'ElU o£ Tiivorccmont.' BABll EAITE'S COMEDIES Hollywood, June 6.. Babe Kane, who appeared in 'Good News' here, has been engaged for six comedies by Mack Sennett.. Throug!i to Coast Paule Marsa, French actress,.left New, York .for HollyvfOod to Join the Metro French department. She. arrived from France Tuesday (1) and left the next day for the Con.ot. Pbyers Pose-Weary, So WB Grabs Stills With Candid Camera Hollywood, June 6. First candid camera in a publicity department has been put into use by George Thomas on Warners and First National Players. Demand by new;spapers and magazines for unposed pictures of personalities brought this new space grabbing machine. Thomas has ordered his still photographer to grab a picture first and tell the player about it after- ward. After posing for hundreds of stills, leading players, were In a' mugging rut Adventiire Film Producer Charged with Grand Theft Los Angeles, June 6< Jack . Irwin fates preliminary hearing on. grand theft charges in municipal court. here tomorrotr (Tuesday). Following complaints by victims who were to go to the south seas to make 'The . Soul Trader,' district attorney told Irwin to put the cash furnished as bond by those he hired in a bank and not use it for financing the venture. Irwin put up theatre bonds at face value and the d. a.'s oflUce-swore out. a war- rant. Vallee's Secret Culver City, June 6. Metro execs don't know anything about a picture deal with Rudy Vallee.' Crooner was quoted in a Chicago daily' as saying M-G was looking for a story for him. Badio's Dineliart Feeler Hollywood, June .6, Alan IJIrichart, stage actor who was dropped by Fox three weeks ago. Is up for a contract at Radio. pinohart was packed for the east when Radio started dickering. . . Hollywood, June 6. Joan Blohdell has been wearing a wig in her last two pictures and will continue to do so, around which there hangs a tale. Player dyed blonde several months ago and then decided to go back iau nEituiral to the hut brown. Result^hov,-ed up purple. Growth of trick color was shaved to the scalp and the wig went on. Now tho natural hair is out again, but she means It ^hen she says 'she can't do a thing with it.' So yrig will remain on for picture purposes until the unruly^ocks get reasonable again. FOWLERWALKS ONBENNEH BABE YEN Hollywood, June 6. Final straw, that caused Gene Fowler to walk out of Radio was the insistence of Constixnce Bennett that the writer include a maternity sequence he did not like In 'What Price Hollywood?' Story angle Miss Bennett wanted had her announcimg to a producer that she was quitting pictures iq have a baby. Since Miss Bennett was playing the paFt of ai.. unmar- ried girl throughout the| picture. Fowler declared it would not pass the censors but Dave Selznick, stu dio head, let the actress have her way. Fowler . wrote* in the scene but when Miss Bennett rehearsed with the cast she ibleVr up. Fowler's lines were: 1 am leaving pictures to have a baby, Mr. Producer—a nice little black baby.' ' By that time Fowler's resigna tion was in Selznick's hand. Tampa's Plea for Films Nets One Indie Maybe Hollywood, June 6. M. H, Hoffman is planning, to In- vade the Florida district in response to the Tampa Chamber o( Com- merce plea for Hollywood producers to center production activity In that city. If 'le deal goes. It will be for one picture, which Hoffman plans to make with a Florida background. Walks on Westerns Hollywood. June 6. Ai Wcrk^r, on a picture-to-i?Ic- ture basis at Fox, walked last week. Had just completed -The Bachelor's Affair', and .was set to follow with westerns with George O'Brien. Gave up assignment rather than follow the dramatic' work wltli horse operas. . LL.D,; for Aylesworth iocs MoinoH, June C. M. H. Aylesworth, president oC RKO and NBC, en route to Hollyf- wood, stopped off here to make an address at the commencement oxer- cl.ses of Drake Univ'e.ri3lty, which hi.^ father founded. He wa.s honored with the degree of LL.D. , MAE CLABEE'S BEST Hollywood, June C. Mac Clarke will not resume work at Universal until Sept. i. Announced herself as ready' to go buck on the lot at once, but phy,slr!lan.s have advised .a longer rest. •Supervisors are the most un- justly condemned men in the mo- tion picture industry. They're spoken of conteixiptuously as meddleqpme busybodles. They're- said to be ir- ritating miniature executives wh* lie iawake nights plotting ways of. throwing wrenches into .smooth studio machinery. •Yoa know, that's all wrong;' con- tinued Paul Bern, looking no whit like the popular conception of a Hollywood Supervfsor. Mr. Bern la not opinionated. He doesn't bluster. He talks quietly, slipping In a word of politely : read slang when it helps to clarify his meaning, fivery noyr' and then he quotes Shakespeare—, but that's because he lyas born in. Germany, and has nothing at all to do with his being a supervisor. That there nave been abuses of the supervisor system. Mr. Bein does hot deny, but he believes that 'It is the only intelligent basis for large scale .picture production. Many studios, recognizing the-value of supervised production, adopted It without understanding the funda- mentals of its Operation. In cases where it has failed,, it has been poorly applied, thereby building up a resounding rumor' regiardlng the nuisance value of supervisors. * 'Any studio that tries to live up to a standard of product,' Mr Bern explains, 'must function under the undenled jurisdiction of the man who sets that standard. He cannot be omnipresent; he cannot follow the minute developments of every film. He must vest his ahthorltjr in representatives whom he . con- siders capable of carrying out the studio standard.' If the group is ill-choden; if the authority of the man filgher up is not sufficiently powerful to be dis- tributed among a subordinate groups (Continued on page 19) Siebiert Paris-Bound; Kidnap Threap Out "HollyWQod, June C. ~ Rudolph Slebert, husband of Mar* lene Dietrich, left here to return to Paris where he will continue a? di- rector at Paramount's Jolnvllle studios. News of attempts by racketeers to extort money from Miss Dietrich on threats to Injure her child was simultaneous with Slebert's leav- ing. Threats are said to have been made a month ago and had kept the father here longer than he anticipated. Siebert had been here about six weeks.