Variety (Dec 1934)

Ttteflday, December 18, 1934 PICT E S VARiETV CHI INVASION Bffl CaDrng for Senator OeraH P.; Nye, of North \'pakota, la believed preparing; to iii- . iroducSa a ..bill In the coming Con- v liresSi convening: Jan. 3, to hot only butla^ir bliDck bodklnET but. to: 'Inn- . j^se other'restrlctlohB which would . cause confusion In the marketi ng of nBlms. Sen"alor Nye Is said to have ftlready prepiaired a rough draft, of , his ' bill. purpot>tedly. at. the behest ' «t tactions warring against group I'gales,'' ' ; Proposed measure Is simnar; to • that of' Senator Br<Jokhart (Iowa), , . Who fought unsuccessfully to de- .; Clare block .faiooking a yloia,tlph: of : free trade, antlTtrust laws,-, e^ One of Its provisions is regarded as unique ~by distributors khowlhg of "the Nye bill. This, Is the leglelatlye eiCdrt to compel all prpducers. to auipply a 'synopsis of each Picture. If tliiB .exhibitor buys th'e picture on the strength of the synopsis, before .. seeing the picture screened and It ' develops that: the finished and de- .livered product deviates.ln any way from the' synopsis, the account, has . recourse. He' does not have to play the pibtiire but will be entitled to \:.puhitive measures against th<» dls- ■^;fTibr\ ■^'v -y . r^ ■ Q^^ ,. General sales managers of this . majors .are discussing the situation ^. Among theniselves. One of their jVlewpplnts Is that the block bopk- ' Ine^ case should be brought to a bead one way or another, virtually every distributor being certiain that .If this form of marketing pictures were outlawed the exhibitors them' . .•elves wouId.be hurt more than the distribs. Questipn: of actiph bh be^ .half of those exhlbs who haVe neyer j^jente.redJintoJtheJjlQckJBP-OkihgJagl^^ tatipn has also been discussed. Problem is of greater import to the exhlbitprs than the distributors, (Cohtlhued on page 63). . forsaking' Passes Throogh Breen Bath, ^^^^^^^^^ Hollywood, Dec. 17. After making changes at the sug- gestion of the local Haya pfflce, ^Metro's 'iJ orsaKmg All Others,' the' Crawford -; Gable - Montgomery plc- ..*Vr?.> ?a™e up to spec!AcationsJ and wais given a Joe Breen purity seal, Picture had been ^ turned down by .Breen and for a time Metro con- aidered-appealihg to the'Hays direc- torate. Approved version contains three retaken major scenes, some hotcha dialog eliminated and two clpseups substituted for long shots. 'Forsaking' opens Xmsis -Day at thei Capltoi; New York, when 'Paint- ed V^ir. goes out. 'David . Coi)per- fleld,' slated for that date, isn't ready, hence 'Forsaking' Is. rushed T*^ Wai Itoadshow^^^^ ; 'Summer Night'S pream* 'Midsummer Night's bredni' CWB) wlli probably be roadsiiown. Upon release next .spring. Special tour Jsjbel.hgri-almed^jtQ]^^ the major keys and may be extend- ed. This Is Max-r Relnhardt's prb'^ eduction.'; '^~':-y Plin is tentative, .althpugb "V^ar- ners Is about settled on the special showing. Sxpected tha.t the picture will be launched in May. CONSOL LAB.-U jpircult Seeking Chi Nabe Houses :«s: Exhibs Con- tinue Boyfott of Mebro-. Gold wyn Product—Exhibs ■ Burn at Percentage, Pire- ferred JPIaying Date*—- :;Bresaks_i:.^ lA»n v'':L6ew "'Polity • AAIU>N JQNES ANGLE $2|I0|(N|KR. r Hollywood, P^c. 17. . Exclusive contract whereby Con sblidatted Flini Iiaboratorles will do all of Unlversal's negative and release print processing for the next two years,' was signed here lost week. Consolidated has. been angling for tiie Universal business for i9ome time, as the work was heeded to keep the labS of Cohsolldated both east and west up to spmewhere near the capacity mark. Under terms of the agreement, Universal closes Its studio labora- tory the first of January, and about 100 workers will be; dropped from the payrolls. Consolidated extends several concessions to U for closing its own plant, one of which Is the provision that the producing cPm pany has a cash and credit fund, available " said"^ ; to" " be ' ■ around $2,000,000. . Pinai details of the negotiations were handled by Carl Ijaemmle, R., H. Cochrane and Judge Willard McKay for Universal, with Herbert Yates, Ben Goetz and; Ralph Poucher representing : Consolidated Lab. Cochranie,.. McKay, /. Yates and Poucher returned to New York im- medlatielv after thft flnal papAra w^'-e signed. Sheehan Back to toast; KentGoes After Xmas Winnie Sheehan, "in from the Coast, Saturday (16) accompanied by Gabe .Yprke, probably will depart for the studio, at the end of this week;/.' S.....B.: Kent is not expected to leave for Hollywood. until after Christmas. Reorg of Fox Met and certain final details of the P-WC and Sk b uraa ^eal a r e det&ihinig him. according. to accounts, • Kent is ex- pected to remain on the Coast until late in January. - Chicago, Doc. 17* : Addition of another national tiie- atre circuit to the Chicago theatre picture; Is :ln readiness follo wing the start of negotiations by Loew's lasT week for possible tlieatre acquisi- tions in. this town. Loew'a la un- derstood planning to sweep into town'With Uie take-over of a num- ber of thieatires throughout the neighborhoods. .. . This decision on the part of Lioew's foUpwis the current boycott against Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer plcr tures by the niajprlty of; ex- hibitors in the nielgiiborhood ^dis- tricts.. Action on the part of the exhlbs, concerns the^ sales policy of Metro and the exchange's set policy of 13 pictures on jpercentage plus preferred p|laying time for these percentage pictures pin Saturday and Sunday. Kxhibs have been bat- tling this percentage policy for the past few years, and in this selling season got together on a general plan of refusing to buy Metro or any other product on , percentage and preferred playing time. Both Metro and the exhlbs Iiave refused tb budge from their stand, ^with-the-result-that-Metrb-haS'Sold- .only a small portion of its sales potential in Chicago. In the month of January the Metro exchange here will get. a general release ouly for 'What Every Woman Knows,' whlcb is on last year's contract. But such pictures" as 7 'Chained,* 'Barretts of Wlmpole Street,' "Gh-l from Mis- souri,' all oh this year's contract, are getting ohly a small number of dates. & K. Life-Sa^^I• Only play the Metro product Is getting Is from Balaban; & Katz, Which. has a franchise of.. the Metro product. But In such groups as Essaness theatre. Schoeniatadt's, on Lasker, Courshon, Van Omlkos and the great bulk of the other Indie exhibs-Metro-lS'Strictly-on-the-other side of the fence. It represents one of the few instances on record that .the exhlbs have stuck together on any one general pbllcy. lioew's la not planning to come into the loop .since there are no houses available in the first place, and second, because B. & K. is using the pictures oh Its franchise basis. In the franchise there .Is a . (Continued on page 63) Grdss Trends 192Ck32 . Washington, Dec. 17. The trends In gross figures in the annusenrient industry as revealed by a Special analysis of ihteraal Revenue Bureau ■figures compiled.; by Varietv : for the past five years: ; ; J: Motion . Picture Producers 1932 ii.. ..;.n90,795.000 1331 ;;;v.*..v.>..;, 441;948,000 1930 ;, i.. i..,;..... 410,700,000 1929 V.343,445,000:; 1928 .. V..,.. •. .y^. • 230,2661,006 Motion Picture Exhibitors 193_2 .. . . . , ; iJ505,4?0,000. 193 1 >... ..» ..:♦.. ;.,:.. 484,662,006 19'36 .,. . .77^;Tr;v^ !513,104,'6l).O~ 1929 608,438,006 1928 ..; ..;>;,. I. ;. i. 407,842,000; Legtimato and Vaude Theatres 1932 ............... $37,404,000 1931 ....... .......... 61,911,000 . 19i30 ......... i.. .. 67,591,060 1929 .. . . , . ....... . 103,809,000 1928 .1... /.....;.. .;■ 204,766,006 Comparison of thie trends in the • amusement field demon- strates that whHe industry generaliy began to feel declin- ing Incomes in advaince of the collapse of the stock. market in 1929 the effect of the economic nightmare did not reach film producers until 1932. and did not hit exhibitors until 1931. The legitimate and va:udeville take began nose-dlylng in-1929 and the . dp.wnward . moveriient gained momentuih each year, in sharp contrast to the rising . income of. exhibitor box. ofAdBS. fmmmm cohenonpI ^^^^^^ i^^^^ Hollywood, Dec. 17. Ben Piazza checked lii at Para- mount today (Monday) as execu tive aide and general contact, for left Metro, where iie filled casting and :executlye.jpbstB-for.^vei years._. Mel Shauen who has^een studlp contact at Paramount for this past two, y^sars, has b^^ promoted to produci pictures intended for the foreign market, tie :will supervise the making of all this type of 'pro- duction. : .:■"' Shauer, with the P/iramQunt or- ganization for more than 10 years, is a nephew of Adplph. Ziikor and son of the late Eniil E. Shauer. Paramount Is in the middle be- tween Its trustees and the hew company board. . From a practical standpoint the_ new board cpntrola Par. Actually the" company's over- ali; supervision Is still under the court's trustees. Between these two. ehils ls the. executive end. Problems linger ; so long Inv comr pany hands :that they .becpme di- gested throughout the trade longr, before Par Itself makes v.P Its mind; . .bhe of th^; joiore vital: questlpna.. which has been; lingering for many weeks has been that of the com- pany's studio.., Paramount olSciala as well as parties to the cpmijahy'a rcorgainization, including downtown -personalities^-Jiove-r discyssed -the- sltuation. With Manny Gpheh present head of production, talk haa linked the hames of B; P. Scli^tilberg • and .Walter; Wangeir as prospective -candidates to work with or under ;Cpheh. y . -'. ^- -'^-^ -V .'■. '■-■ " r Schulberg. is : uhderistoPd: praotlc^ ally set to go to. Metro but latest. accpuhts are that Par is tempting him tp stay. .Wahger was east last week for the 'President Varnishes' diebut. While In New York he also confabbed :wlth Par;i>artle8 about an: executive studio berth. There Is authority for the belief that the trustees may take the In- itiative on the studio matter. But in the. nature: of iParamouht thlnga iand. considering , that the hew Par crowd involved in reorgahizatioh may prefer that the inatter b^ left for them to handle, can cause a postponement of actioni According to Par honie office pub- licity channels, no negotiations are on for a change in the production -setup of-Paramohht--Rep6rts-Iink:--^ ing on Schulberg and Wanger for studio executive posts have been around.: "The Schulberg rumor Is not new; the Wanger thing has popped up- every now and then for six months or mpr^^ Manhle Cphen_re- "maihs ds is at tlte helm oif Par pro- duction, say official public relations sources. ' ' w;hile the presumption Is not wholly unreasonable that ; either- might eventually return to iPar In an executive prpductlon capacity. Insiders In Par are loath to specu- late favprably on the Imminency of such chances. Officially, so far as Par Is con- cerned, Schulberg has entirely 'severed , his connections with ' the company. -H(B7Completed his second contract as an independent pro- ducer releasing through Par on de- livery, of ^Behold My Wife,' starring Sylvia Sidney. Wanger is under contract to pro* duce six pictures this year fbr Par •release, first, of which, •Presld*>nt Vanishes,' is now on rifelease. His second will be 'Private Worlds. Wanger Went back to Hollywood last week, Schulberg is still in New York.-■■■■'.■..... ■■■'■•■ ■ ' Hollywood, Dec, 17. .; : As detailed in another story In thl . s . 1R811P , p . P . Schulberg . w i ll be .... N. CafhoHcs Meeting ^ to jMap Cainpaign winginto New York CathoMc Council of the Legion of Decency meets 6n Thursday (20) for its first luricheon meeting in-the Empire State bulld'- . Ing, New York. Al. Smith is. chair- man of the council. . The council waa named by . Car- dinal Hayes of the N. Y. diocese as an advisory boaird to the church oh Ity ca:mpalgn for cl^an films. jFlg- urcd at. this meeting the council ■will formulate plans of organization. At this Thursday confab it is be- lieved a plan of campaign' oh oked and nixed pix, will be; formulated. Exhlbs would prefer any such lists be issued from New York rather than Chicago. , The Chi decisions . are generally regarded aa too tou«h., : Hollywood, Dec. 17. Forsaking' directing to rethrn to the. typewriter, Edwin Burke has been assigned to do the screen play for 'Farmer Takes a Wife' at Fox. Warner Baxter is the, only player cast, with fioiasibmties that several of the Ijeople now in the play wlU be engaged for the picture when Wln- fleld R. Sheehan looks it over on: his current New York visit.. Pat Cagey Elist Pat Casey la due in New York edrly this week. He's fully recovered from his re- cent Illness on the Coast. , Indispo- sition was precipitatedl by top atren- ■uoua dletioii;"' "'. ^--^ Hollywood, pec. 17. Cblncldent with the depar:ure for New York pir Nicholas M, Schenck, due there tombrrow (T.uesday) a.m., It is authentically learned that Da- vld O. Selznick and. Metro .studio have entered into a deal for the producer, to remain/at Culyer City one, maybe two, yearis more. There is a strong posL'Ibility B. P. Schul- berg may join the studio production cabinet .about: that time. Before boarding' the Chief, dc- comiianled by his wife, his brottier, Joseph M. Schenck, and his nephew, Artie Stebblns, Nick Schenck stated there woiild j<) no changes in the. adding' that) everything was amil- cable and satisfactory between pro- ducers and ex^cs on the lot. : It Is uhderstobd tlidt the new Selznick deal was agreed to after Schenck got a look at 'David Cdp- perfieid,' having' ogled it in the studio projection room last Week, Clinching of the. agreement whereby Selznick continues as he has b6en for the iast ..two; years put at rest reports that Selznick was leaving at the close of his current contract. Such reports started before Schenck arrived here and were augmented by a circumstantial, glory that Da- vid and Myron Selznick would pair up on an independent producing proposition. : . the second Paramount alumnus to go to M-G-M if he makes the move. Previously Sam Katz sighed up as a stfudio exec, Schulberg In his unit prodhction at Par is understood to have had Erpi financial stimulus in addition to certain private money support. If the Metro deal goes likely ErpI will be in the picture once more with Schulberg should be become an individual producer. It is not certain whether the Schulberg-Metro talk hovers over a unit production proposition or a studio producer post. ■.. Jones in New York ■■ ■ " Chicago, Dec. 17. Aaron Jones, loop theatre owner, left suddenly last week for a trip to Washington and New York. Was accompanied by his attof neys. ■ ■ •". •