Variety (Mar 1935)

Wc^dnesdaft J^iurct7i3t 1933 PI CT ■ R E S VARIETY Talki)f a iaiiizatibn^^(^ The room la there anid the time is ripe, for a new national exhibitor organization, In the opinion of varl ous leaders who will hot be .<|iipted bjr nanie, but Indicate they would be ready to awinEr ihtp line. There are liow two national bodies—the Ikl.P, T.O.A. and Allied States Association —whose views and iiolitics are as wide as the poles —Art organization: that wduld Btrlke: k medium betweieii these two is seen ias certain to spring lip" at some time If "ifot'in thb hear future. It would hot be as militant and radical as Allied, but free frpitx the Hayalah accord which allegedly character i;!e3 the MPTOA. Many leaders w;lthin the MPTOA appreciate ..that ita.-conservative poM<3|®3-^a;re--to .be much more preferred thah the Aliled's tendencies; but at the same time decry the fact that the MPTOA Is held down thi:6ugl! Hays' connec- • tlons that have become . qUlte ob vlous. The MPTOA, to such obserV^' ers.'lost its real status a few years back when- affiliated theatre chains were admitted to membership, and officials of these chains started tak inis a h3n4 the organization's affairs, - v ■ '. The last convention of the MPTOA is pointed to as the . naost pro Ilayslan held to date, wltjv Hays' people actually making many con- vention arrangements and supervis-. ing details. . Dave Paifryman of the MPPDA was active in this conhec tion. UA-M. H. Deal Not ie-Rockfellecipe^>pIe-aEe-stlll-ln teresteid Ih acquiring flrst call on ; the United Artists. product, taking with it the Rlvoll, N. Y., and the UA_crowd has not chilled on a deal, -but'- Just—now--"bbth^sides^^^are (IParrl.ng., with negotiations; .status fluo in absence from New. Tork of Joe Schenck. He' left for Florida during- the pastrweek, while W. G: Van Schmua returned Thursday [CD front a Coast visit of two weeks. Neither side has anything to re . »ort but agrees that jihe deal- has not been called off. Interest of the : Music Hall in acquiring, the Roxy M a slufC house has died down, however, and if there Is . to be any deal. at. all it will probably be for the Rlv. Uhited Artists also wants a five year product franchise with the Halt, stlpulatln^J guarantees^ to be I^iTOfke^'out- if other major cohdl tiohs axe satisfactory. JPehdiiig any agreement with UA for. its pic- tures, together with :the Rlv, which the Hall would operate for its ire- jeots starting this coming season, the Hall wanted 'Weddlhg Night.' This, tiie third' Anna Sten picture, goea'Jnto-the ■ Riv Friday (15) in- stead, after Sam .Gbldwyn and the ; Mr ' cro.#d~"were'' uhab to' get - together. ;' to Charles Buckley, Fo.t-Wte3t Coast attorney, is expected to head back to the Coast the latter. part of this ■ weekv ^ :[^'---- It is probable that Charles Skour ras may hot leave New York for an- other week. He will remain over for, talk with Sidney R. Kent/ who Is -expected "back from- the south on Saturday (16). Oohns South and East Jack Cohni has gone to Florida, for a fo^nlght'a vacation. • Returns In time to greet Harry Cohn, who is duei in from the Coast Cor Columbia biis huddles. "' r Par Shelves Airer Hollywood, March. 18. Second picture to be shelved at Pa,ramount eince the Herzbrun Lubitsch regime took . over pro duction, Is '13 Hours by Air,' which was : intended for 'Gary Coopier. —-Picture^wasi-scheduled-^o"^<r'ln next week wUh Hehry Hathaway dlrectihg. Ilxecs put the story back believing it. too t^eak. ZUKOR EXTENDS : -■ Hollywopd, March 12 . Although- sla*ted to leave for the east next Week, Adpli)h Zukpr will remain on the Coast for at least an other mphth. He spent last, weeit iend .at Palm Springs, flrst tihie he has left the studio since- he camcf west four weeks ago. Meanwhile the B. P. ^chulberg deal, on which Zukor! and Schul berg have been huddling for the past week, is still hanging Are. A.greement is for six or eight pid- tures to be produced, by . Schul- berg, oh the Par lot with ERPI fl- nances. Number of pictures to be made: .la_ reported tplbe. Jiolding- up the deal. On the Schulberg-ZUkor negotia tlons, the main hitth is Whether; producer makes six pictures on the Paramount lot or elsewhere. Schul berg favors producing on the lot Hpliywood, March 12, Henry Duffy, Coast stage pro ducer, has been signed by Darryl Zanuck tP Join 20th Century as an asspclate producer and: advisor to Zanuck on story ,and productioh matters. -V belli starts June 1, at -which time 20th Century will launch production activities, fpir pictures, to bo re leased via United Artists during: the 1935-36 season., Company will stat-t its annual two-mohth siesta around April 1. ■ ' LUBITSCH SETS LOCKE AS PROD. AIDE AT PAR Hollywood, March 12. Eric Locke, who was brought here from Germany, by Ernst Lubitsch more , than .10 years ago- to act as the director's , production manager, has been appointed production as- sistant to Lubitsch at paramount. During the pMt two years Locke has been a compahy. business man- ager at Paramount after several years with Lubitsch at various stu- dios. ■ BEISMAN SAILS SAT. Phil Reisman, Radio's . foreign head, sails for Europe Saturday. He'll stop off on the Itallam Riviera for a rest and then come backjvia stops in the continental offices. . Expects to be gone abput six weeks. - ' , HABBT WAHNER DUE EAST Harry M. Warner is expected back in New. York within a ;nreek. Jack L. Wjirner has Just reached Hollywood via the Qanai rout«b No Secret About Changes in the New Board's Setup, but AH Groups Agfiee to Discretion in Order Not to Mar Legal CHANGES LATER • Flhal reorganization of Para- mount la now : being looked for by--June—16.—^Both—Wall—St.-and: the trade are confident about this. Feeling is optimistic also .that the■ hecessary number of .assents by creditors and ; security hpld- ers required before formal Court approval can be had of the com- pany's reorganization plan, will be flled. The next hearing is to be held before Federal Judge A. C. Coxe on April 4,.at 2:15 p.m.. . There is no secret about the fact that various of the reorganiization groups are still discussing possible changes in the new board ' setup. But whatever closed door talk there may be had, It is certain that no changes will be effected in the new board until after the date of the next hearing. . Any changes in the new "board setup could affect the possible fu ture adnilhlstratlve setup of the new Paramount company. To effect any board changes at the present time would cause a postponement in the Court's ap proval of the reorganization plan, as changes would disrupt the plan However, It.is felt that, changes will' be made" later. That's 'due to the accounted reports that certain creditor claims have changed hands How much difference In- the general hew setup this change of holdings may make is open as details are not forthcoming, with any degree of ac- curacy, . Also, there is opposition ex- T)ected~hr7be- ■volcca-Trt-the~hTsa'r^ ing on Aitrll 4 against the new board setup, from Just about every angle. Such objection is hardly limited. to any single reorganization to on Indies' Govt Squawk Los Angeles, March 12. Around 200 affidavits charging ahti-trust violations are to be for- warded to the Department of Jus- tice by local independent theatre owners in a move for relief from Jisserted_ distrlbjLitoii_and_ major-cir- cuit domination. group. , Every reorganization group la concerned about the board because the board will name tha future ad- ministrative setup of the company. All groups , want aa much to say about thla as possible. Metro's *Ziegfeld' Filin's Takeover Consiuiiinated Final details of the,sale of 'The Great Zlegfeld' by Universal to Metro have been completed and ac- tual rehearsals start on the M-O lot thla week. Rehearsals had-been going ahead- at Universal City uhtll actual trans- fer had been made yesterday (Tues- day). Universal Pictures Company, Inc., and its subsidiaries report a net profit of $238,791 for the year ending Oct. 27, .JL934, after provision for Federal income taxes, non-re- curring loss pf $178,296, 'on, the settlement of notes receivable from a company now in receivership, and $10,000 set aside for estimated loss of -funds in closed banks. The net loss for the previous fiscal year was $1,016,893. ; : I Universal has not been sold, Carl Laemmle, president, said in a state- ment Issued yesterday (Tuesday). 'If you. can believe some of the trade papers . and certain- radio gossips, Universal has been : sold out to everybody in the world except Huey Long, Father-reou^hlinrmid ' Geiir Hugh Johnson,' said (jarl Laemmle at University City. . * ; Year after year I have secfn .plain, manufactured lies ppblished about Universal by totally irresponsible people who are a part of the maniac fringe of the motion picture busi- ness. They cook up mad_dreams -and print thehi -as fadtei—; - J-..-; ' 'If their lies could have wrecked Universal, this company would have been a battered hiilk. many years a«o—for I cannot re-^'all one single ""(Continued on page 62T" " NEW FRISCO *IC PROD. OUTFIT Hollywood, March 12. San FranciscO: Studios ;Ka3 'beeh incorporated to produce and market motion pictures. Capital is $500,000. Directors are all San Franciscans, including — John. 1 Pettis,. . Kenneth Lovejoy, Walter Irving, A. J. Cloud, James Espey, William Holllngberry and Herman Gute. -DuPont Indie Film Prod. Deal in Neil McCarthy's Trek East ..Hollywood, March 12. Universal" stUdlo7~£he oldest film workshop in the industry, will cele- brate the 20th . anniyer.sary. of ita opening next Saturday (16), wit impromptu show and talent family reunion in which 1,500 film notables of today and yesterday are expected to participate. ; -. Carl. Laemmle_will.v -be guest of honor, and Isidore Bernstein, first; general manager, and Henry M.cRae, who >iirected the studip's 'flrst-pic- : ture, are honprary chairmen. Among the 100 or more players; directors, writer^ and producers whose. :name3. have—been -on—the—tT- roster during the past two decades and..who_ have, been.: inylted- to -at-, tend the celebration are" J. Warren Kerrigan, foremost star of the studio's early years; Irving Thal- berg, ' Harry Cohn, Florence Tur- ner, Lois. Weber, Marie Walcamp, Jean Hersholt, Marian Nixon. Grace Cunard, Phillips ' Smalley, Francis Ford, Mary Fuller, William Des-; mond,- Robert Z. Leonard, Hal Roach, Al Christie, Betty Compson, Prlscilla Dean, Jack Holt, Esther Ralston, .Barbara Kent, Hoot Gibr son, Lois Wilson, Ken Maynard, Mary. Philbin, Norman Kerry, Josio Sedgwick and Ed Sedgwick, Regi- nald Denny, Carmel Myers, Mar- garita Fisher, Monroe Salsbury, Ed,: J. Le Saint, Edwin August, Fi-itzl Brunette. Plans are being made to duplicat'o the grand ball which house- warmed the studio in 1915. Universal ..still claims the all: time record for number of com- panies working on the lot simul- taneously—42. Studio to date ha.<i .made 2,50ft-pictures, -includlrig—-5ft - serials and 200 cartoon comedies. CaL Solons Dodging 'British' Gaumont-Britlsh has decided to .change_Ita name In America. Here- after It will be known over here as Q-B Pictures. Idea Is to do away with the 'British' because of the film reaction on some ezhlbs. TAKIK' GANDt FBOH KIDS Detroit. March 12. Flint (Mich.) exhibitor, Martz of the State, gave away 2c, candy bars to kids on matinee days and the grievance board had to act on the matter. brought by competitor Burgesa Of the Gem. CeasA and desist ordar IssuaO. Hollywood, March 12. . Noil McCarthy, attorney for Emanuel Cohen, pulled out Sunday night dp) for New- York to talk with DuPont officials on a propo- sition of financing pictures. V Likely that this might have Cohen head a company for Pathe relea.se when latter's five-year, agreement wit)) ■RKQ-cxpires-shortly. —-.- : .. Quito pp.ssible that. under this deal, If made, Mae West would be In his first picture, as; Paramount deal allows her one outside lilcker. McCarthy is also' attorrtGy for Cecil JB, DeMllle and. .should Cohen setup be to his liking, ' De.MllIe might al-vp Join him when .Uis cur- rent Paramount contract expires. Sacramento, March 12. State legislature members ih the Epic groui> have receded from their •soak-the-rlch* attitude and are of- fering a compromise state income tax bill with a 15% top bracket in- stead of a 36% socle as originally planned. This Is the point over which the film industry is con- cerned, s Coalition has been reached for a downward revision of a bill previ- ously Introduced by the Epic leader. Assemblyman Culbert L. Olson (Los Angeles),, whereby the original tax-measure is sliced'in half; . —■ • The propo.sal Is now a 15% levy,; based on a model law of the Na- tional Tax Association. State tax as now proposed would be 1% on the flrst $1,000 of net income, and ranging to 16% on annual.incomes pf $30,000 or higher. " . Epic leaders also propose tp abaridoh support of the admissions tax feature of Gov. -Frank Mer- i'iam's program, and would also triple bank- and corppratioh taxes in an, effort to' raise $33,000,000. HARi)LI)FRANKUNBACiC AS EXHIB IN SM DIEGO San Diego, March. 12. Harold B. Franklin Is back In theatre operation. He's Invested Irt the-^OTTTire u jh^^p~erfftl"oh"~Ti launched some months ; ago by Harry H. Harlinan. former district manager ,for" 1 "ox- West: Coa.st dur- ing the Franklin regime as proal- (lent of. the circuit. Hartman also operates the Ra-: fflona, sub.scciucnt run here, with Vrankliit .iinderstood also ;to be the financial mentbr'for that project.