Variety (Jun 1935)

RADIO SCREEN Published Weekly at 16i Weat 4Gth St., New Tork, N. T., hj Variety, Inc. Annual aubscrlptlan, )$. Slngls copies, 16 cent*. Entered a* eecond-clasi matter December 12, 190S, at tbe Post OBlce at New York, N. T., under the act oC March 3, IBTt. COPTBIOHT, 1935, BT TAKIETT, INC. ALI, RIGHTS RESERVED Vol. 118 No. 12 NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 1935 56 PAGES BEST CRITICS FOR SEASON Film Critics' Box Score Season of '34-'35 (June 1-June 1) Kay to Abbreviations; PC (pictures caught), R (right), W (wrong), O (no opinion), PCT (percentage). NEW YORK (This score based on 397 pictures) PC. RICHARD WATTS, JR. ( rib.) 181 KATE CAMERON (News) 212 ANDRE SENNWALD (Times) .... 154 BLAND JOHANESON (Mirror) 287 REGINA CREWE (American) .... 308 THORNTON DELEHANTY (Post). 197 WILLIAM B.OEHNEL (World-Tele) 307 ROSE PELSWICK (Journal) 262 EILEEN CREELMAN (Sun) 272 307 ■ -VAftiiTii^x<:cv«abinc^^^ . ^. NOTE—Andre Scnnwalil l.i the only new name on**tiiVT^(3(, huvTnS "tt^SXi Mordaunt Hall early lu Iho acuson. CHICAGO DORIS ARDEN* (Times) 245 CLARK RODENBACH (News) 203 CAROL FRINK (Her-Examlner)... 164 MAE TINEEt (Tribune) 237 .722 .699 .678 .641 • Ellen Keene t Prances Kurner FREE CIRCUS IS AFA REUEF IDEA A new idoa o£ the American Fed eratlon of Actors to get work relief for its members would put free out door ctrcuses In the parks o£ New York City's five boroughs. Plan has already been submitted to N. Y.'s JIaj-or IjaGuardla, through Stanley H. Howe, his executive secretary, and Colonel Earlo Boothe director of the drama department or Uie Public Works Division of the CWA. Tentative plan is for five circuses to rotate through the boroughs. They would play in Central Park, Manhattan; Bronx Park, Bronx; Prospect Park, Brooklyn, and on the wide-open spaces available in Slat- en Island and Queens. So far there has been no relief ap- (Contlnued on page 53) Maitre Rooney Pat Roonoy has gDne into the res- taurant-cafe biz, having taken a 10-yoar lease on the Boau Itlvage, Sheepshcad Bay, Brooklyn. E.'cpccts, to open June 16, with Joe Freeman as maitre de restaurant. Although Rooney will stre.w the food angle, he'll also have a small iloorshow In the spot with himself as the chief eiUertniner. Rest o£ the tulfiit will be cliaiis;i'<i wcfkly. HOLIDAY COIN WAVE A JOY FOR SPECS Outdoor sports got the break around New York last week with heat during the early halt and a clear last half including Memorial Day. But Broadway ticket agencies reported a strong tendency to spend coin for shows In demand, although business in theatres was generally 'way oft. Biggest percentage of excess price coin was obtained for the ball game on the holiday, specs getting $7 and $8 per ticket for the New York-Brooklyn double-header. Bluebloods' Tutor Is 'Nother Socialite to Get Nitery Date Beatrice (Timmle) Dobbin, rIo.se friend of Anna Roosevelt Boettlger, opens tonight (Wednesday) at Hoc- tor's Club New Yorker, N. Y., mak- ing it another slant on the bluo- blood blues singers. Miss Dobbin l3 a schoolman,! on the faculty of the exclusive finishing school, Fox- croft, Mlddleburg, Va., which Mrs. John Boettigcr (the President's daughter) attended. In company of Mrs Boettlger. Miss Dobbin visited, the nitery l!i.nt' week, gave an audition and 'as signed for the summer. Another sociallie sonK.strcss, linis ElUman, of Pease & ]01llm.an, N. Y. realtors, has been at this nitery all winter. She returns In the fall. MI.S3 Dobbin's engagement l.s JuKt bcLween-semesters booking, IN lEGII, VmilS IN FlllflS Tost' Critic Wins for 4th Time, Tieing Gabriel's Record — Doris Arden (Ellen Keene) Chicago Leader on Films for Fourth Time Straight' 120 SHOWS; 397 FILMS John Mason Brown of the New York Evening Post (legit) and Richard Watts, Jr., of the-New York Herald-Tribuno (pictures) are the _ n crs of the. .Yariety box scpres for drama and film criticism ^oK'IHe season of 1934-33. Both are repeat winners, it being Bi'own's fourth season with the crown and Watts' second. Brown pointed In the right direction 77 times out of 90 tries for a percentage of .855 and Watts called 'em correctly 133 times out of 181 to bat .734. In legit the score la based on 120 new shows which opened between Aug. 23, '34, and May 23, '35, exactly the same number of shows as the season previous. Picture score is on a June to June basis, not knock- ing off for summer shows as in legit and is based on 397 pictures. Leading the Chicago film critics' parade is. Ellen Keene of the Chicago Times, who uses the Doris Arden pen-name. With her, too, winning is now a habit, she having won the past four years. Her per- centage for the season just ended is 177 right out of 245 tries for a score of .722. The New York and Chicago film critics runner-uppers are Kate Cameron of the N. Y. Daily News wilh .702 and Clark Rodcnbach of the Chi News at .099. Watts, Miss Keene and Miss Cameron were the only ones in both cities to click at better than .700. Miss Cameron was the winner a year ago In New York her first full year as a critic. The much-disputed star-rating system for reviews evidently works well for the critic. Miss Cameron In .\cw York and Mi.ss Arden In Chi- cago use it for films and it worked out beautifully for them. Thornton Dcleh.anty of the New York Post, using a similar gadget, a clock with good, bad, moderate and excellent latings, since mld-sea.'>on moved from the cellar to six place after inaugurating it. on the other hand, in li-git, Jlui'ns Mantle of the New York Now.s u.ses it and is sixth, 'i'hat the gadget.s do have material wor th in doing away with 'no opin- ion' comment Is obvious. Second to Brown In legit Is fill- bert Gabrifl of the N. Y. American, who got only one percc-ntape point less than Blown for a totAl score of .S54.' Ho was second to IJiown last yo.ar also. This is the 12lh annual sroiv- on tho legit moil; fighth for filmfTS. Drama critics' story on page 45, Film critics' story on page Dramatic Critics Box Score Season of '34-'35 (Aug. 23, 1934-May 23, 1939) Key to abbreviations: SR (shows reviewed), R (right), W (wrong), O (no opi ion expressed). Pet, (percentage). BROWN (Post) ATKINSON (Times) HAMMOND (Herald Tribune) MANTLE (News) LOCKRIDGE (Sun) SOBEL (Mirror) GARLAND (World-Telegram) VARIETY (Combined) (This score based on 120 new shows) POSTHUMOUS HERBERT OMETTAOrTONDSr 'Lavender Lady,' an operetta com- posed by the late Victor Herbert, with a libretto by Otto Harbach, was considered as a successor of 'The Great Waltz' at the Center, N. T., but now seems to be off. Deal was talked about when Eddie Dowl- ing "planned Us presentation, the actor-manager having dropped It. Mrs. Ella Herbert Bartlett, com- poser's daughter, flgures the roy- alty rights at a potential value of $100,000, divided between the stage, screen and radio. Another show- man Is now reported Interested In the possibility of 'Lady's' presenta- tion. Harbach Is figuring on rewriting 'Lady,' which was originally in- tended as an intimate musical. A collaborator may be called In. IS NEW PAR PREXY Justice Dept s Own Film Prod, to Piay Down Sensationalism Baltimore, June 4. Mrnf.'.st ood, local commercial cameraman, was in Washington last week upon assignment from the Federal Department of Justice, shooting a two-reelcr for the De- partment based upon Its actlvltk j in tracking down criminals. Actual cases were clipped from files and re-enacted for the film. Attorney- General Cummlngs and the D. of J.'s hotman, J. ICdgar Hoover, ap- pear In the reelage as well as sev- eral sleuths and lab workers from among the dept's employes. The film will got its first public showing at the Kan Diego exposi- tion. Admlsh will be free. After that prints will probably be given theatres gratis all over the f'ounU-y. Realizing the great inter- est public Is showing in its actlvi- lic.s due to constant newspaper :-itories 'ind current cycle In feature lilms, the 1). of J. wants to got its own personal sl'le of story before i.hc; peoi)l(? minus any dressing up (Continued on pago 44) John E. Ottcrson, president of Electrical Research Products, Inc., is Par's new president. He was elected yesterday (Tuesday)," and resigns from Erpl immediately to take his new post at Par. Adolph Zukor becomes chairman of th» board. Ottcrson's annual salary will be around $100,000. Only one new vice-president of Paramount Plcturen, Inc., was elect- ed. He la George J. Schaefer, general manager. Austin Keough was elect- ed secretary of the "new company. Walter B. Cockcll Is the new com- pany treasurer. H. A. Fortington Is named chair- man of the executive committee. He also win act as a sort of financial overseer of the company In tliiti capacity, Ottcrson and Zukor are ex-o/Tlclo members of this execu- tive committee. Other members of tlio e.c. Include John Hertz, Gerald Brooks, Maurice Newton, Duncan C!. Harris, .Stephen Callaghan and Percy H. Johnston. Robert K. Cas- satt and Charles McCulIoch, out-of- town members of the board, ara named as alternates. The board did not take up th» election of any other ofllcers or tha appointment of any other o clalu, (Continued on page 50) 11-Year-Old Lion Tamer Young's Million Dollar Pi»>r, At» lantlc City, N, J., opens June 28 with the youngest lion trainer in captivity as Its headline attrac« tion. Manuel King, 11, who works with 10 lions and halls from Browns« villc, Texas, will make his first ap- pearance east of the Mississippi. I'icr offers him a bonus of $1,000 If lie succeods In his Intention of mixing a couple of tigers with the lions.