Variety (May 1934)

2 VARIETY PICTURES oldiig on the Spot?-Filiii , Biz Re<idy to Enlighten PiibEc Block booking Is on the epot. The public knows Just ehou|;h abQiit it; it is conceded In. industry circles, to make fans feer that it is respon- sible for their thetatres not showing box office hits all of the titae. Or- ganized citlzenryj. it Is believed, now. feels that this the cause of infe-^ rior pioiures reaching the screen^ in the -industry Itself there are trade. associations which have their own reasons for opposing it, but to these. Is being added, acc.ordlne to check- a number of prominent exhibitors ' who see In the end of block selllne ah opportunity to resurrect the biggest Independent front ever mustered, which was routed in confusion because lio one iii Washington could define its. slogan, 'the right to buy/ Although the block has always .been attaokied by some factions in the trade, the fact that forces against it, outside the business, are. admittedly getting stronger daily is causing concern to block-booking proponfilftits. They ate not unmind- ful of how prohibltlpn was swept in on the sanie wave that Is mount- ing behind ;block. B/s inute Men The Hays group has organized what mi ht be termed an army of minute iTiftn. These are headed by Charles C. Pettijohn, Hays' general counsel with 20 years of block (Continued on page 48) Zanuck's Policy Hblywood, April 30. Century is taking .out a 11,000,006 life insurance policy on-, parryl Zanuck before he treks to Africa for a big game hunt. They haven't done anything about his polo. Schenck, Mayer, PROCESS MEN SAA FOR 2 KORDA FnJSS Hollywood, April 30. . George Tague and Laurence But- ler, process expertis, are enroute ta Iiondoh to Join London Film Pro- ductions. They will work on Doug- lass Fairbanks! 'ipon Juan' under Alexander Korda's direction. Togather with Ned 4^Iann, already In England, the pair will also be as- signed for technical work on the H. G. Wells feature^ 'Hundred Years to Come' following the Fair?- banks assignment. In Realty Actioin Hollywood, April 30. Jpei .Schenck, 1/Ouis B. Mayer, Irving Thalherg, . Lou .inger and .Edwin Loeb.-their attorney, and several non-pros were held iiable for $78,000 on defaulted bonds of the Southern Califoiiiia Realty Corp.., under the judgment handed down by Superior Court Judge L. R. Yankwich i;i suit brought by. a group of holdv^'s of the outstanding bonds on sonie San Diego property. Action against R- :coe Arbuckle In same Issue dismissed on account of his death, aihd Judgment refused against Harry Erand, Schenck's press agent, another defendant in same matter. Schenck is assessed $10,100; Mayer, $2,800; Anger, $9,600; Loeb. C2,800, and Thalberg, $1,400. WILL MAHONEY The Boston Post said: . "Will Mahoney. always a favorite In Bos- ton, has an , overflowing bag of tricks this time, and all of his act is hilarious entertainment, with the .novel 'mahoneyphpne' the highlight, of course." Direction WM. MORRIS AGENCY Mayfair Theatre Building New York City H wood Longevity Record Henry Ma^Rae Steps Out of Universal After 22 Years on Payroll--Joii|inef Buck Jones Radio Gly Locale Hollywood, April 80. Radio '1b on the prqwl for an original yarn.-which will tie NRC and'Radio stars together against a Radio City locale' for its proposed multi-stellar special. H. N. Swanson, sift the story,ideas. will Resume on 'lOOlPure' With Conway Directing Hollywood,-April 30. Metro restarts *I00% Pure* today (Monday) with Jack Conway direct- ing in place of Sam Wood. Script revisions have been okayed by pro- ducer Bernie Hyman. Picture was stopped last week when Wood objected to handling the picture while script changes were being made, director also asking to be relieved of further responsibility on the production. Front office decided that rewrite should be completed before toissing the picture, originally banned by the Hays office, back into work. Wood has been switched to handle 'Stambbul Quest.' This will be his final under his present Metro con- tract. Mae West Switches 'Queen Sheba' for "King' Hollywoodi April 30. Next Mae West picture will be *Me. and the King,' which has a background of European royalty; 'Queen of Shebfi,' which Miss West was to do next, will hold over; 'Me and the King' Is by Marcello Ventura and Alexis Thurn-Taxls Ventura is a radio singer, currently appearing for KNX. WARNER EXECS VACASH WITH NINE YET TO GO Hollywood, April 30. William Koeiiig, Burbank's studio manager, left for . New York over the w^ek-end, and Hal Wallis, asso- ciate executive in charge of produc- tion, "will leave in a few days. Both are bound for six-week vacations in Europe. If. LiQuise Fazehda (Mrs. Wallis) finishes in 'Caravan' (Pox) time she will go east with him. Other- wise _she meats' him In New York. Wahls and Miss Fazenda sail May 12 on the same boat with Mr. and Mrs; Darryl Zanuck. Warners has finished 62 features and has about nine to go for the current year. Studio has 26 scripts ready, or nearly so, for the new program. ibna Sten Supplants Swanson in 'Barbary- Hays Okes 'Bom Bad' Hollywood, April 30. After lying on the shelf for four months, 'Born to Be Ba,d' has had several scenes ellmlnatied, as rC' quested by the Hays office, and will be released shortly by 20th Century. Company shot additional foc^tage after film was completed, b^it cut- ters could find no way to purify the sex stufC unless throwing out the blue scenes. Cary Grant and Lioretta Young have the leads. ScuDy Coastbound For Fox with 10 Reasons, One Good Frank Scully, a Varibtt mugg Who used to ■ write his European Runaround from a villa in Nice, has been signed by Fox to put commas in their comic strips, and wants a by-llrte on lt» The desk nixed the Idea, so he's lifted, one .out of . the pled type In the composing rooni of the Times office, which adjoins the Hotel Times Square, where he's parked In the royal suite. The Times uiaes His suite fpr Its overset. Scully's. overset. Stet. Scully thinks.he has 10 good rea- sons for going to Hollywood, though the last one makes the other nine look ,llke a phoney build-up. He lists them as.: Variety doesn't carry any chatter column from Woodstock, N. Y., where he's been hiding all winter* Neither "does the rag carry one from Westchestet, where he planned to spend the summer.. Life Begins at Forty, says Pitkin. And Writers . Fold at Fifty, says Scully, For years his secret amblsh-has been to be the first guy to sign a short term contract. And take the longest . route to work. By the Panama Canal, no less. As chief backer of the BYlendly Flaps of Norway, where his wife Alice came. frQijn, he_ hopes to, get jher billed as 'i'he Greater (3arbp.' His son, ■ Sklppy, keeps saying •Sex, Sex, Sex?* and he thinks by Hollywood, April 30. Hollywood longest studlo-em- ploye association will end shortly when Henry MacRae, on the Uni» versal payroll for 22 years, leaves the company in June. MacRae, head of the serial department, came to U as a director in 1911 from the Sellg Polyscope Co. Lew Ostrow, npy^ in charge Monogram's production under Trem. Carr, .is going with Universal Jun^. 1 to haildle. serials and action pic- , tures, MacRaei stepping out. ' MacRie will bow put aftier pro«- duclng 'The Red Rider/ Buck Jones' 15,-episode serial, starting May 14. He will probably become production manaigier' for Jong's' independent unit making westerns for Universal release. MacRae was general manager ]CTnlversa4- studio five times, last In- stance being in 1926; He has never worked for any other studio since coming to U . except^ on loan. CENTURY WORKS LATE TO CLEAR FOR CLOSE Hollywood, April inaliy getting 'Head of the Family' and 'Bulldog iDrummond Strikes Back' out of the cutting , rooms, Darryl Zanuck leaves on Wednesday (2) for New York on first lap of his trip to Europe and Allrlca. Century execs worked until late hours last week cleaning up details, prior to . the three months shutdown. William Goetz will be with Zanuck as far as New York. Zanuck sails May 12 for Naples. ..^i!. Goetz. teturns to Hollywood aiia then goes to HpnPlulu for a vaca- tion: He will be Joined there by William Dover, assistant to Zanuck. MenrynLeRoy.Directs Robmson as Next Job Hollywood, April 30. With Gloria Swanson Unable to do 'Barbary Coast,' Sam . Goldwyn_will | getting him to the Coalt he'U get It out of his system before he's three use Anna Steh for the lead. This •and 'Resurrection,' which starts June 1, will be Miss Sten's only con- tributions for ifhe year. Although 'Barbarjj Coast'.doesn't start till middle of July, Goldwyn has Gary Cooper, Sam Jaffe, Alison Skipworth (borrowed from Para- mount)/and Paul Kelly (from 20th Century) set for the picture. years.old. He's signed a contract to write hlS'Life and Laughs for Simon and Schuster, and Is stuck for a happy ending. He took the late Otto Kahn to lunch in Nice last spring "and has been money minded ever Since. Burbank, April 30, First assignment for Mervyn. LeRoy, who returned with Doris Warner Saturday (28) ' from their honeymoon^ will be tp dltect an Ed- ward Gr. Robinson picture for War- ners. LeRoy will have his choice of two stories. 100% DE MILLE ^* Our Scandinavian editor says 'Sex* Is really Norwegian for 'Six,' and that the kid Is only practicing how to count his old man out.. Mrs. W. Beery Better Hollywood, April 30. Mrs. Rita Beei^r, wife of Wallace^ Beery who has been ill several • weeks. Is Improving at the Cedars of. Lebanon hospital. INDEX Bills Chatter Editorial E^FPlPltatlon 4i 45 21 Film Reviews.......;*...14-15 Forelgti News.. . .v.> i.. . .12-13 House iReviews.,..>......18-19 Inside—Legit k...,,*»,»*» 4B . Inside^Music 41 Inside—Pictures 46 Inside—'Radio 82 Legitimate ,,,,.46-48 Literati 49 Music 40-41 ===NeW-^AGtS=^ r-wri-^r-w.: .--==.42-= News from, the Dailies.... 52 Nite Cliibs I., . .40-41 Obituary ^.... 51 Outdoors B6 Pictures ...............i »■ 2'^31 Radio • '' «. •«• i> • • • • 82-39 Radio Reports............ 34 Talking Shorts............ 14 Times Square...... Bl Unit Reviews...... 42 Vaudeville 42-43 Women 5^ Wallace Megs 'Face' Hollywood, April 30. Richard Wallace goes to Fox in July to direct 'Aiigel Face,' by Ed win Burke. This will be the first supervisorial effort of E. W. Butcher. Cast will have .James Dunn, Alice Faye and Shirley •.Temple. Dance on the Bull's Back Causes C. B.'» Niece's Walkout MG Nixes Oxford 1.1 Hollywood, April 30. Earl Oxford, radio singer, failed to make the grade with Metro. Studio didn't take up his optlori af- ter three months on the lot. Singer left Thursday (26) for N6W York to (Jontlnue radioing. ROGEBS TRIES ONE Bogart Rogers, of Par's story board-bn-the-Coast,:=tumed-Jn=an-air= story to Par and fated a purchase price of $19,000. Serial rights foi* publication In magazine form are in negotiation, with both Red Book and Liberty. Al Hall Back to Work Al Hall, Par director, hooked onto young William Randolph Hearst's party, aboard a private plane for California, Wednesday (26). Director's trip East was his first In six years. Hollywood, April 30. A little of the De Mllle temper had Agnes "de Mille, niece of C. B. De Mllle, walking ofC the set of Paramount's 'Cleopatra,' being di- rected by C. B. Miss De Mllle, brought from England lii order to do a scene call- ing for her to dance oh the back of the bull, protested to her uncle when he directed the scene sMould play a certain way. Upshot had the niece walking and has Para- mount looking for substitute. The bull, who also figures im- portantly in the sceiie, xnade no comment. ton Brock's Option Hollywood, April 30. Lou Brock goes to Europe after May 21, When his option comes up. Option said to be around $1,250, but if his last, 'Down to Their Last Yacht,' should hit Brock may ask different figures. Intends to spend the summer abrotid. Oakie Sued Again Los Angeles, April 30^ _ Suit meking $60,000 d^amag plus $883 for medical services, fiTetf in; Superior Court here by Ingeborg Hansen, aged nine, through her guardian, Bessie Hansen, and her father, B^rluf Hansen, against Grant R. Wadsworth, Evelyn Oakle and Jack Oakle. Action instituted because of al- leged permanent injuries sustained by the Aansen child through being hit by the Oakie auto, driven by Wadsworth, family chauffeur. In Hollywood. Socialite Scripter They didn't like the, story she submitted to them but they thought enough of the Way it was written to give Mrs. Ethel Harrlman Rus sell a contract at the Metro plant, She is the socialite, daughter of Mrs. Borden Harrlman. Metro handed her a three months' jcpntcact,_.wltJbLJiSMal.i!'P±loiis^ Russell left for Hollywood Friday (27). GLEASON BACK TO FOX Hollywood, April 30. James Glieason Is back at Fox writing after playing a pare in Ra- dio's 'Murder on. the Blackboard.* Oleason is dlaldging 'Servants' Entrance,' the next Qaynor picture, and will work on the set through produ'ction. SAILINGS May 12 (New .York to Naples) Mr. and Mrs. Darryl Zanuck; Hal WallisLouise J'azenda .(ContP. di- .Savola). May 9 (New York to London) Mr. and Mrs. Lou Wiswell (Zelda Sears) (Washington). May 5 (London to New York) Mr, and Mrs. Charles Laughton (Beren- ^ garla). May 5 (New York to Los An- g:eles), Inez Courtney (Pennsyl-. vania). April 28 (New York to Paris) M. Lincoln Schuster, Margaret Sul- lavan. Ballet Russe company of 60, Baron Valentin Mandelstamm, Win- na Wlnfrled, Four Mills Brothers, Tommy Rockwell, Otto Klemperer (Paris). April 28 (New York to Genoa) Richard Watts, Jr., Frank Knox, Arthur Bodanzsky, Giovanni Mar- tlnelU, Elizabeth Rethberg (Rex). April 28 (Los Angeles to NeW York) Lillian Wurtzel, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Ebele (Santa Paula). -April -27 (Mew York to, Los Anr_ _ geles) Joe Pincus, Roslka Dolly (Santa Elena). April 26 (New York to Hollywood) ' Frank Scully and family (Pres. Cleveland). April 26 (Lbndom" to New York) Laighton K. BrilT Washington). April 25 (London to New York) Lee Shubert, MItzl Mayfair and mother, Mr. arid Mrs. Bob Murphy, Dick and Dorothy (He de France). April 26 (London to New York) Sam Eckman, Jjr. (Majestic).