Variety (Mar 1935)

VAXIETT IP ICTH RES Wednesdaf/ March IS, 1935 New Woold-Be M OK For Fight Pix but Not Genl Film Biz H WOOD AGENCY SPUTS igjjjlj^ p^^^ "Washiheton, March 12. ; Crop of new Federal film tion prbftosala Includes! a break - for •new'sreel producers and priz^ flght films and der oC the Industry. : • .;, , Thriee addltipnal picture bills went Into the Coherepslonal hopper lalst week, hut, despite this renewal of DURANTE IN AND OUT Huddle en Metro 'Junibo' Show, Then! Contract Chatter. Jlhimle Durante, piloted by Lou Ciayton, winds up four weeks of personal appearances at ; Loew's Met, Brooklyn, this week and. then :iJ)^6nest!"tha'«i^^ rlffht back to Hollywood "and film. legislators arid the seenis undisturbed. ;. Repeal of present 26-year-old : act banning Interestate ehlpmerit: of. fight films was proposed by rtepre- seiitative Quinn of ipiennsylvanla, who ;suggestied Federal regulation with state coTOperatlon In pla,ce of the outr l plit proh ibi tion imposed industry | tt possible new Metro contract, ex- cept for a two days'otopover in At- laritib- City. AV q, jiuddle •will be with Hecht-MacArthur, who are authoring 'Jumbo' for Billy Rose productloh, a big. top vep^ctaqle aimed at the Hipppdrbme, N. Y. iDurante's Metro option comes up, next month'! aind aipong, tb© details after the Jack Johnson-Jim Jeffries llSwfk-eSTwni bTB"Ti^'«^ fisticuffs in 1910. . : . : ■ '^^ everything,for a laff hypo Third measure is.;anbth'er attempt ;but to ''build him lip individually to outlaw block! boaking,; sponsored |'with suitable:script; material, by ReprcseHtatlve Pettengili of In- diana;^ who two months ago vehe- |Xi«>"t iy rtpnitid a ny Intention of au- thbrfri^ film legislation. Would pro- hibit sale:! in blocks and require ■ ^Bynbiisfes^foir exhlbs.^^- .; r 7 ? : ■ The fight film legislation proposes that! !interstate; shipment .be ■ .pef r mitted in conformity, with state laws, and that exhibition be legal- Jlzed whenever it is riot banned . by «tates themselves, lYo.uld prohibit • jBhowihg of films of mixed flehts In states where the color line applies, and likewise would ban exhibition where actual boxing is fqrbidden '' Measures would lift all restrictions, ho^^'ever, from pix bf ; amateur or college tussles. Two Arit^Blociti Weasurei The Pettengill bill, which strongly resembles ; the Qulkln aritl-block measure, would plaoe an outright ban pri this sale or offering Of plx only in groups at a group pric^, arid would make illegal any attempt to coerce exhibitors or restrain their freedom of selection. Would pro hibit shipment, of pix <listril>uted In vlblatlPn of these i-equirenicrits. ! Besides requiring dlstrib.s: to fur nish' feynopsea in bfferirig, .films ..fox- Bale, Pettengill-measure would re- quire story sumriiaries to be fcm bodied in" contracts, arid would ;per- riilt exhlbs to collect damages In. nil cases, where actual" product dlffeirs riiaterlally from the advance outline Bxhibs could either cancel and col- lect or exhibit and recover diamages, Both ilnes and injunctive pro 9chu|ber9-Feldmiin*Jiifff A'under At Protection to Clltntt Hollywood, March 13. -Breakup of Schulberg, Feifliiaan & J'affe agency Is reported, with Ad Schulberg and Sarin Jafite pulling oiit tb form thfelr own talent organizr iatlon. ! Understood* that business will be Isplit up and that Sohulberg ialnd iJafte ;wili make fi^. tormal announce-: merit In a few «5>«ys. Charles Ken- riett Feldirian, ei-film lawyer, lis the third partner In the agency. G MEN--IN PERSON |;Dept of Justice . SendinB Rop Cbaet to Scan Scisnerjoe . mwoi* 'General improvement., in the op- erati'ng; Income - of-^ko for 1934 is expected, although full a!nd detailed figures are! not at hand. All of the execiitlves of the company who have, been pri the Coast fpr; the purpoise of confabbing have returned east apparently satisfied, with. studio conditions. ; / . . \ B. 6. kahane; and J. R. McDon- biigh, studio chieftains, were In New York from the Coast for a couple of days and a board meet ing of the. RKO Radio picture com pany. The two were . to . ha.ve . de parted -today (Wed). >The board meeting was held yesterdiay (12),: :' While only unofficial estimates may ^ be -. given; the" Keith-Aibee- Orpheum end of the RKO theatres wound up 1934 Improved In Income,, showing a probable loss of afound $2P0,000 in 1934, as against 1640,000 In 1933. It l8 likely that a final audit of the KAO situation will be rinade public, the coming week, fol- lowing a company board meeting. cedure\r7p"rovided'M"ffl^^^ riiachinefy, while the bill would go [reorganization, no actual steps taken into operation 12 months after en- \ In that dlrectlpn are so far indi- cated. Reorg matters .are being given considerable Insldp. corisld- eratipn,' however, under the direc- tion of. David .Sarnpffan^^^^ M. H. Aylesworth.. It also would seem that ;ariy xe- organlzatlori of the cbmpariy must _ _ . • fi Birtake: Into consideration the Mike Ta RpAIIPn in Fall Meehan position in KAO. Uridoubt 10 HCUpeU UI rOUj ^^jy -jjjg eltuatlon will have been considerably emopthed by that ..time Presently all sides, are working co- operatively. ! Hollywood, Mairch 12.- Universal, cuirentiy at slow pro- duction- pacei is slated to start at least one picture, and perhaps two, this-Tveek-tOTBhift-Into-the-vold4efi by the recently finlBhed 'Bride of jFninkensteln' and 'Werewolf of . "The .Raiven.' moderplzed variant i of the Edgar Allan Poe ciasslc as adapted by Jlrii TuUy, is skedded !tp start tomorrpw (Wednesday)> with Louis. Friedlarider directing as his first feature. / Boris Karloft arid Bela Lugosl . co-star.v :with Irene Waris opposite, under , Dave Dla- ;mond's produptlon reins. The Lou Ostfow production, 'Alias Mary Dow,* Kurt Neumann direct- ing, will also get binder way before the weekend If cast dlflicultles can be iroried out. Sally Ellers had been Iteallocatlbn of pictures by major distributors, after they. have bnbn to| sold,.: paoytrig thiem ftorii !one P|er- centage group .to: iyj.Qthet,!2o^iL,£E!Dmu:: percentage to flat rental, is resulting. In a storm bir protest Hollywrdod, March 12. itors, arid appeal may be ma.dp to Departoient of! Justice, feartu^ the Code Authority Itsielf for relief, of what Hollywood niay make of Matter was riot touched On at all dur- its 'G-men* iri! the cycle of U. S, Ing the receht SlPTOA cpriveritloh. Secret Service films now .on the thorigh certain exblbltors svho were ilre, Is sending out a member, of In a!ttendahce . have expressed them- the department to censor the scripts selves Bubsequeritly as resentful of and w6rk as techrii<Mil advisor diir- .t^^^^ ing the fllriiirig of the yarns. | A bliK film buyer in the east who RepresWntatlve Is'expected here In latf or-.- a few. days. Busy tinie li> anticlpa.ted for the against the distributors in this stunt department's censor as slmultane- of moving pictures around.! Claim ousiy Warne rs will be flilmirig 'G is that distri b utors haye dedlded iri Men;*~Eawi^irSrnall,"'L^f^Bm It,* Metro 'Public Hero -Ho. 1,* ..ParS,- after pictures are ready for. release, mount 'Federal! .Dick,' and !Unlver-. | Programs . are .ordinarily split up;. sal a fllrii not yet titled, BID FROM M-G London, March 12. C. B. Cochran has an offer frorii Metro to go to Hollywood as a pro- duction Bupewlsorrat $7B,00p a yew", He hasn't said yes and he hasn't said no. one group being set aside for a high percentage, a .second group for me^ dium percentage terriiB and a third [-for lower percent age brackets, when buys are made. . It Is- cited that when a picture that-was sold-In the-lower percent--—^ age gtoup pains but better than ex- pected. It ft delivered as part of a higher percentage group. But When a 85% picture, in the group ivotei which big things were expected, goes floppo; the distrib does not move, it to' the low percentage ve- ' gion, it Is eriiphaslzed.. is. not set. Cochran Is still pouting at Equity contemplated for the title role, but | here and still insists that he won't | produce any of his projected six shows this season unless the actors' organization changes Its mind on the open shop situation. Believed M. S. Marks as Shorts Producer Ends Talk Of Joining Chi Loew TOITLE'S'APPLE TREE' AND HURLEY'S PAR HP Meyer S. Marks, former Chicago - . - m „iiu„„j. I theatre operator. Is head of a syn- there Is a strong dicate which Is .forming a new, in- actment. May Raze N. Y. Rialto This Summer So as r The Rialto, N. Y„ may be torn down early._thla.eummei: ^o .that.a new house on Its site will be ready to open in the fall with the com Ing of.ithe new season. Product house gets would be; sold elsewhere during the summer, distributors preferring this rather than market Decency Roster Off Buffalo; March 12. a^lot_of extra product on the bet ter General publicity and ^neral 'faTl;eeasori. Original intention was to start building, a new Rialto ;ardurid.-Sep-. tember In hopes of .having" it ready for opening .around the first of the yciar.but seriously doubted the con- Btructlon Job can be finished as quickly as three months. Probably four at least will be required. Hollywoodi March 12. Frank Tuttle wants Paramount to make the 'Apple Tree.' It's been this director's particular yen for years and lt's_a. ptory. which he owns. ■ ■ •-■' •, ■ Harold Hurley, Paramount asso- ciate producer on Weaterris, Is due for an upping . as executive. Pro- motion set but spot not picked yet. there will be a compromise soon of a sort allowing both sides to save their faces. ■ In which event the M-Q offer will be held In abeyance until such time as Cochran definitely .flnd8_.put where he stands here, Schlaifer Has Other Bids, Bows Out of Reade May Shutter His 2 ou B'way, No Product I Track—Schlaifer—has—resigned—as dependent film producing cpmpaaijf . for the purpose of producing ehort(| with radio, personalities. .The first signed under this plan Is 'Rise of the Goldbergs/ NBC radio sketch, with -Mrs. Gertrude Bergr-author— - and chief player lii' the iriidlp. se- ries. Mrs. Berg will make 12 two-., reel shorts for the/new group in the east Arthur Green and Joseph W. Bubensteln are associated In the venture. ' ; Marks': golrig into Indie produc- tion ends the reports.about his Join^ . . ng—tioew—to-handleUany-Loc-w thp- aXxe$, it and when In Chicago. ■ Walter Reside may dose down the Astor and Mayfair, New York first runs. He • indicated yesterday (Tuesday) that in view of Broadway I what they are special Bales representative of .Qau mont-Brltlsh. ,He returned from a western kales tour Saturday I D 1 D PDAD ADI V Wil l during which he signed-a number of I T-HUDilDLI . If ILL ne^- Jlrst--ruri. contracts.- ;6ayR he resigned because of several other deals In view, but not ready to pay DBHUB TIME' IN ENC. TITLE CONSCIOUS Metro Casting. Broadway Names to . Justify 'Melody* Tag ■■ /- V Hollywood, March 12 To Justify the Inclusion of tiroad way In the title, 'Broadway Melody Of 1935,' Metro is planning to spot a number of Broadway names in the cast of the musical So far studio has only Sid Silvers , (alao co-author of. the: script with _Jack McGpwan), Jack Bemiy__and Buddy and '\'>lma Ebseri ifi the ciaat. Negotlatioris are on for Eleanor Powell.Picture Is scheduled to go Into production! around April 1 with Roy-Del Ruth dlrectlnjgr. This Is the first on Benny's new three-picture Metro contract. He previously appeared for Metro as publication of the weekly list of 'recpmriiended pictures was: perma-. ineritly discontinued this week by 'the Buffalo Cpuricil of thel Legion: of Decency. The lists of weekly recoriimenda- tlons in the future will be given out only through Catholic channels of publicity, iri a statement by Rev. Edward; S. Schwegler, Ipcai director bit the Legion. It was stated, that practically every downtown theatre was now showing pictures which meet with the Legion's approval. Father Schwegler expressed the Legion's gratitude' to picture organ- izations and local newspapers for their copperiation In the campaign. '.competition and product available :for these two theatres; he. may be forced to close b.oth of them. : ■ Mayfair fell back on Reade's : hands when RKO bowed out of Its lease,' while the Astor came' back :from Loew's on a profit-sharing ar- rangement with Metro having no .pictures for $2 runs there. At each : theatre Reade had been attempting •;a flrst-^run ppllcy at a B6c top, play- ling any available product. ; WB'S4TH ESTATE IDEA brooker Executing Eihfeld'e Hiinch oh Press Contacts No successor named at Q-B yet, *Two Cities- Lead to Negotiations are on to distribute March of Time' reel in England via British International as the prob- able disbrlb. .First Division also has received Bome requests for Its news- Golman; Conway Pilots I "el in France b^t England is only * . .r . I country abroad which probably will Hollywood, March 12. | 'March of Time.' . Picture Is being distributed in Canada through Regal Films. Par's Scribes* Shift • Hollywood, March 12. Paramount Is weeding put lesser writers for names. __ _!_ Diepartrinient revamp fa expected to see many scribes come and go.. AEEIAL <B£NaAL' ' ; Hollywood, March 12 Darryl. Zanuck Is to make "Patrol — tl^® Nile' afi the air version of the in.c/ In that studio's 'Hollywood] [Bengal Lancer.' He's after GrdVer Beyue'. release^ in '29,. .. -. I afones to write the yanu Following up suggestions of Charlie Einfeld at recent M.P.T.O.A. suggestion that theatre owners form closer contacts with; news- paper publlishers,' the Warner home office is sending Herb Crooker on a wide tour to try to bring exhibitors a id publishers or managing editors togctlnr. He leaves before the end of the week and will stop off In Boston, Rochester, Syracuse, - Al- bany, Buffalo, Detroit, Chicago, Omaha, Plttsbu ;h, Baltln.ore, Washington and Atlanta. . Now that Cosmopolitan Is releasing through WB, Crooker will particularly con- tact Hearst editors In cities he will Visit, He will be gone two or three weieks. _ _ • ; ■ ■ ! In New Orleans &lnfeld suggesled' that If exhibitors made It a point to establish friendlier relations with Metro has assigned Jack. Conway to direct 'Tale of Two Cities'- with Ronald Cblman, borrowed from 20th Century,'for the lead. .. .PJcturft- has.J}fieji_giy.en._a. .sevej week production schedule with Con way slated to leave for England Imniediately following the picture's wash-up to direct 'Manners Maketh the Man,' John Monk Saunders yarn which win be produced entirely .at Oxford. ; Frarichot Tone and possibly Rob- ert Moritgpmery will be the male tpppers._. ! : . COWARD LIKES PIX Wants to Make More-rSecond for H-McA. Set To Film Garibaldi Hollywood, March 12. The life of Garibaldi, Italian pa- triot, will form basis' of a feature to. be produced by Paramount for the 1936-86 season. :■].'■ ' Company has engaged E. Alexari der Powell, former war corre spondent arid authority . on Garl baldl, to write the screen play. Noel Coward is coming back to New York In about flix or seven months tp make another, picture for. Hecht and Mac Arthur at Astoria for Parariiourit release, - • .-■ \ >: Coward Is currently en route to "China, ■ " havingobriipleted 'The Scpuridrel.' He made the film on a one picture deal but has since de- cided that he llke9 picture work and wants to do more of It. He wants H-McA to make 'Point Va- lalne', but some dpubt pf that going through, especially since a Hays of- fice okay seems doubtful. Photo by Mirrors ii^OIF DOUBLES UP Holly wood,-March 12. Manny Wolf, recently named as local papers both could work to the I slstant to A. M. Botsford, executive I girls who Wjere to have been used Hollywood, March 12. Universal has taken ft SOrday. option 6n~ William Ailder^B syitem of stereoscoplo photography following use Of the process in testing line; mutual benefit of each other,- Ein- feld citing a recent case where a publisher, realizing the loss he would sustain, went out of his way to prevent the threatened closing of a th.eatr«:' ■ ■ ' ■ . ' assistant to Ernest Lubltscb at Par- iri 'The Great Zlegfeld.' I amount, has been given the added Alder has been experimenting portfolio pf aide to Bogart Rogers, with three dimensional photography I scribe overlord. for several years. His process Is Appointee came In with the new I based • on: phptpgraphlng thrpuph ' reglm*. .. j • \ '/ ' mirrprs* . ' . ) . ■ " •