Variety (June 1932)

Tuesday, June 7, 1932 PICT RES VARIETY THEATRE POOLS IN 50 KEYS ■ '—• ;— . ■ —^ : : : X " A " ■ I ■ ;— . • '. J '—L Directors Protest Edithig Of Kctures by^^$^ Tophotchers Want Authority . .'. Hollywood, June 6. There are many under-cover pro- tests by name directors against the atudios' practice of prohibiting a director from editing his own pic- tiire. . Cutting is generally being entrusted to $40 fllm cutters work- ing'under execs who want a finger In the pie, although never having had directional experience. 'Back' of this protest Is. the re- cent agreement that iiewis Mile- stone made with Joseph Schenck thereby the former has been given carte blance on 'Rain.' . Milestone wouldn't do the picture unless -^chenck agreed that he could live with the picture until completed. Sternberg Has Way Much of the recent scrap between Paramount and von Sternberg had to do with thejjitting issue. Di- rector had objected several times In the t>ast to exec interference in the^ editing rooms and believed, along with other meggers, that the director should be boss of the editing.. Von Sternberg won this point along with the other issues Involved on 'Blonde Venus' and wlll . be head man until the finished' picture is finally turned over to the studio. Le Roy's Views Director attitude is expressed by Mervyn LeRoy. Latter recently won a point from Warners whereby he is left alone until the first cut of his picture is m^e. Picture Is then shown and changes: are made at the brass hats' discretion. 'It should go further than this,' eftys LeRoy. 'The director should at least be allowed to edit his own stuff until the first preview^ Why pay a man big money, entrust him with a production up to several hundred thousand dollars and not let him Interpret his script as he sees it? That's what he Is paid for,' LeRoy's viewpoint is that au- diences should be the judge on all disputed points, which should not be changed until cash customers have been allowed to give a verdict. Hays Neutral on FilmV Anti-Volstead Stance Hays Organization, as a body, will not offlciaily approve or dis- approve prohibition. If certain film Interests want to make anti-pro- hibition trailers, and if certain ex- hibitors want to project them It's a matter of Individual judgment as far as the Hays ofllce is concerned. Organizing of a film committee of the League for the Modification of the Volstead Act , prompted the Hays body, Monday (16), to em- phasize its neutrality. - Those on the film unit, headed by Julius. Singer of Universal, Include: Morton Van Praag, National Screen Service; Samuel Liggett, Columbia; Qeorge Morris, Motion Picture Club; 'Mark Leuscher, Radio Keith Or- pheum; Ralph Poucb er,' Consoli- dated Films; Joseph Hirt, Morgan Lltho. Radio's Reissues • . » Los Angeles, June 6. Radio intends reissuing 'Cim- marron' and 'Rio Rita* with. new. prints and campaigns on both pic- tures. New York office withdrew both pictures from circulation first of the year, although both are still In demand among small houses. Dialog'ing 'Kid' Hollywood, June 6, William Anthony McG.uire has been engaged by Samuel Goidwyn to dialog 'Kid from Spain,' the Can- tor picture. Frances Marlon, borrowed from Mary Pickford and reported on this assignment, is dialoglng 'Cynara,' the Ronald Colman picture. Pitt Buraups Pittsburgh, June 6. A couple of local and rival theatre .managers always rib each other-via telegraph when- ever one or the other goes away. Not so long agp one left and the next day hd received a wire reading; 'Come home at oiice. Tour - doorman arrested for va- grancy.' . Senate niay Next CaD Fox Execs In Stock Probe Washington, June 6. . Several former and present ex- ecutives of Fox Films are expected to be called tp testify before the U. S. Senate Committee which Is Investigating the N. T. Stock Ex- change. Matter of. the refinancing of the Fox company, Includfng that of General Theatres^ is looked to come up before the committee around June 10. It is reported that copies of Chase Securities files, relating to the Fox refinancing, have been in the hands of Senator Carter Glass of the com- mittee for some five weeks. Recently Harry Mi Warner testi- fied before , the. committee In con- nection With Warner stock transac- tions. MUTUAL DISLIKE MLS BRENON'S JOB AT COL. Hollywood, June 6. Ditching story conference and bickering over who should pay his salary, Columbia or Radio, finally let Herbert Brerion out of Columbia, and the studio is now seeking an- other director for 'Bitter Tea of General Ten.' Brenon, who had been loaned by Radio to Columbia, Is leaving this week for New Tork and .England; He owns property in Britain. CoIv...bla didn't like Bre on be cause he set dates for story confer erences and then didn't show. Brenon didn't like Col because he wanted the studio to pay him his salary direct instead of to Radio. Cooper-Butcher Up Hollywood, June 6. Merlon C. Cooper has been made executive assistant to Dave Selz nick at Radio. He will take charge of all financial and other business matters, but will also continue to act as s.upervisor on pictures. . This is a spo% Selznlck has been trying to fill for some time. He wants to be relieved of business duties In order to concentrate on production. :..pandro Berman. continues to hold the production assistant title, and Charles Sullivan remains business assistant handling contracts and inter-studio deals. E,'W. Butcher succeeds Val Paul as general studio manager at Radio. Butcher was formerly In the same spot at Fox. ■ ■ •. Lin Bonner^s Idea Hollywood, June 6.' Lin Bonner, assistant to George Thomas in Warner publicity de- partment, has resigned to. attempt opening a picture news syndicate in New York. Emergency Summer . Meaa- ure---Pro8 and Coiu on Advantages :—• Price-Cut- ting a Problem — Also Proposition of Disclosing Competitive Operations 20 IN JUNE ONLY Approximately 50 cities in the U. S. are figured to witness theatre pooling and closing activities as the industry's principal means of com- batting the boxoffice crisis this summer. The pool epidemic is get.- ting its strongest impetus through shortage of product vyhich is being materially manifested. this month. Instead of 30. features, which the big circuit bookers, deem necessary to feed all of the 'Individual first runs in. competitive key spots) the major companies combined tare re.- leasing a total of only 20 during June. The theatre pool plan, generally approved . by the circuits, Is de- scribed, as strictly an emergency measure. Miaiiy of the deals, now In process of negotiation are for as short a period as three months. To keep up the morale of the in- dividual personnels included, and scheduled to figure. In .the pools, the agreement calls for strict boxoffice Independence. Virtually all^f the deajfl, however, are conceded to make all circuits Involved share whatever profits or losses the com- bination may realize during its ex- istence. .Pools Including practically all clr- "cuit houses, such as in Memphis, are getting little consideration from circuit men. Memphis, they hold, presents a situation comparatively unique to that of any cither city In the country. .Conserving Product Under, the present set-up In most of the cities averaging a population of over 100,000, Intense boxofllce competition Is admitted forcing many films beyond their normal run life. This condition also re- fiects. another angle hitting the de luxers and compelling them to book what would, ordinarily be consid- ered mediocre product Just to keep the house |open. Theatre pooling also enables the industry to classify product with out either of the circuit parties be ing hurt'and with houses that are darkened under the agreement not streaming the' red they would out- side of a working combination. There are, according: to a. concensus, far more good points to the pooling plia.n than otherwise. One point against short term pools that has been raised, bUt is not being given serious considera- tion by operators, is that when the circuits return to normal compe- tition they have too great an inside knowledge of each others weak points. This, active theatre men hold, can be readily taken care of when normal times return. . Admissions are being given care- ful study In: the pool plan. Where It is felt reduced prices will help the gross, prices will be cut. But theatre men also know that It Is easy to reduce but harder to raise and V that cutting admissions does not necessarily obstruct a declining gross.- ■■ ■ ■ ■■ Academy's 25% Cot Hollywood, June 6. "The entire Academy staff took a 25% salary cut which, with the dropping of Dr. Clinton ^under ' ^ advisor, saves the organization $15,- 000 yearly, The Academy has been getting |CO,000 annually from the Producers' Association, Cut was arranged In New Tork between Will Hays and Mike Levee, the Academy president. - . Stock Marbt Hesitates; Seeing Tired After Three-Day Upturn; Amusements Mixed; WB Loob Up Yesterday's Prices Sates.' 20»C6ii. P. pf... 2,200 Eaetman K.. 1,200 Pox P. ■ 100Oen. Ttiea... 2,200 Loew ... 300 do pf...... 100 Orpheum pf.. 5,800 Par. P....... 100 Pnthe 0. 000 RCA ........ 300 RKO ....... 1, B00 W. B HiBh 17\4 50H 5 2% .... H .... 4'/* .... 2% I BONDS (2,000 Oen. Thea... Shi 1,000 Keith ...... 0,000 Loevr 5,000 Par. P. L. .. 38.000 Par. P 28,000 W. B Net Lo^.Xjast.chge. *Vt 414 41% 42%-1% H % 1«% 10% - % 40% .5om-4y, 5 6 2M, .- % % 4-14 2 3% 25 ... 71 ... 21 ... 18 ... 11V4 . CURB 300 Fox Thea.... % 200 Gen. Th. pf.. % 2% 2% .- % ,1 + % 25 26 71 71 +1 20 20 +114 16% 15% -2% 11% 11% % % .%+ % % . KIDNAPPING i FEATURE? Knowledge that Paramount has in Its newsreel library sufflclent material to make a complete proc- ess feature version of the Lind- bergh kidnapping case Is causing certain of the major companies to be skeptical about tho' Industry's no-kidnapping cycle stand.. While the Paramount home ofllce has been foremost in discouraging themes of. this type, reports of Paramounfs newsreel activities on the Hopewell case are stirring up new Interest. Representatives for other reels on the Lindbergh case have reported to their home offices that they were at first puzzled by Par's coverage of what newsmen, generally, passed up because they considered It ir- relevant to the news Issue. For In- stance. Par cameramen took silent shots of Inanimate objects, such as houses in the vicinity where there was no sign of life in the environ.- ment. Checking later, the other compa^ nles claim that Par released In its regular news editions only a small part of what was covered In Hope- well. With all of this material, Para mount, other companies concede, is in the best position to superimpose a story against the actual Lind- bergh locale. At the same time Paramount vehemently asserts It Is not considering any stories for the current season haying a, kidnapping angle. SALARY BOOST CLAUSES RESULT IN OUTS AT PAR Hollywood, June 6. Paramount's intention to keep Its manpower down to a minimum re- sulted in some more chopping. Cut was chiefly' among high priced writers and directors,^ whose con- tract options call for salary boosts. Chester Morris goes off the talent li-str His' contract was lor three pictures, two of which he had made at Paramount and a third on loan to Metro. Bose Alexander, player, also is out. ' Gebrge Cukor and Irving^ Cum- mlngs were .dropped from the megaphone slate. Latter is now on loan to Columbia. Jllchard Wallace haig one more to go and then de- parts. Writer outs include Grover Jones, a veteran of the Paramount scenario .-Jtaff, Nathan Aasch, William' Hurl- burt, playwright, and Virginia Kellog. Arthur Kobcr and Henry Myers got the sad news earlier. By AL GREASON The stock markei'. slowed . down yesterday (Mon) with prices shad- ing their best of the rally i)y sev- eral polAts for the leaders like American Can, Telephone and Con- solidated Oas. .Amusement issues were mixed. Loew was off frac- tionally, while RKO held.- its own and Warner Bros., perked, up on the hews that the Wllmingtoii receiver- ship, suit had been .dismissed on motton of the petitioners. Warner went back to itis even dollar'm&rk,. at leaist getting, out of the 'penny stock' class. '. Paramount moved into a state of neglect quoted at 2, down ^, tickei: behavior suggesting that neithier side cared to do anything with the summer Just ahead and the stock's market record; In the immediate past conspiring to discourage an aggressive campaign. Stability of RKO reflects, that It wlH probably, make a better paper showing diirV ing the-summer. Its six months rent having been paid by the last week in. May, putting the usual summer headache In the second quarter In- come statenient instead of mid- summer. Day's volume was around 1,0Q0,- 000 shares. Ticker lagged all day as WaU Street , looked to Washing;^ ton for some new Incentive for the advance,-ao- influence which was not forthcoming during tradlngr hours. The Senate went Into the expected wrangle. over the revenue bill, while the House was occupied With its relief measures. In which WaU Street affects to see' t>ossl- blllties of plenty of poison. Bonds were oft a point or two from the opening as I&st week's buyers sought to realize and traders lost some of their enthu- siasm over banking aid with the bond list up six or eight points. Feature of the. bonds was sink- ing spell In the newer Paramount^ Oft 2% net on volume. Laggard In the midst of a mild whoopee party staged by the stock market last week in response to the news from Washington and the formation of a bankers' pool In bonds, the amusement stocks held back. They showed some minor rebound from their extreme low prices, but there was no disposition to keep abreast of the general march of progress. ReaisOT. may be sought In two di- rections. . First, the summer Is Just ahead and even the stereotyped trade Information channels report that box office Is bound to be stlU further depressed for the time be- ing and until the autumn revival makes its appearance in the cycle of the theatre business year. Price advance all along the stock market line also was a reaction to progress in the enactment of a rev- . enue bill that would balance the budiget. The House passed the bill with minor changes from the con- ference committee report and it was looked upon as certain that the Sen- ate would follow: suit after the usual. ponderoue gestures yesterday. The bill, of course, was better than the uncertainty of a scrambled national balance sheet, but some industries are pretty hard hit by tax burdens, '. (Continued on piage 19) . Katz Staying On Sam Katz will remain on the Coast six or eight weeks longer, un- der present plans. Hie has. taken, a. house, out there for balance of bis stay. " Variety " FOR SUMMER Place a subscription for 'Variety' over the summer. From now until Labor Day + -i- 4- $1.50 Mail remittance with name and summer address.