Variety (Jun 1935)

Wednesday, June 5, 1935 PICT E S VARIETY GAI5N1XS.D.$50F0RPIX$14 Film Critics' Box Score Richard Watts, Jr. (Herald Trib- une), who won th© film critics' box Bcore In New York two years ago, wins again for the season of 1934-35. Jjast year he slipped, to third, but this season he has been,consistently 'at the head of the parade through •the entire season, Doris Arden (Ellen Keene), of the Chicago Times, wins In that sector. It's a habit with her, she having led the parade In the midwest city for the 'jJast four years, This Is the eighth 'seasonal box score compilation on the screen reviewers. The box score for the season Just ended showed considerable change of pace throughout the year, only "Watts retaining his position at the helm of the New York group. All the other spots have been consider- ably scrambled since the first .and iFiecond quarter ratings. In Chicago Miss Ardeh was ahead at the mid- season and kept her position, but had to beat out Carol Frink, who led at the quarter. Miss Frlnk, inciden- tally, kept slipping all through the season, being second at the half, but ending one notch lower at the final. That there are only 79 percentage points between the winner and the cellar In Chicago at the close Is In- dicative- of how close the race was. Watts won the New York race with a percentage of .734, which tops everybody in both cities. Kate Cameron, who won last year with a score of .792, gets second spot this year with .702. This Is a rise for both of them. Watts having had .705 at the half-way mark and Miss Cameron .694. Andre Sennwald, on his first (and Incomplete) season at bat for the New York Times ends third with a, score of .699. This Is a healthy ...climb JojcLJiLn);L.:M..hav]ngj;eg^^ Grounded Hollywood, June 4. Film actresses will have to think up a new one to crash the gazettes. P.M.G, Jim Far- ley has kicked over their latest gag, that of holding up trans- continental planes, decreeing the mails must go out on time. Nancy Carroll and Lupe Velez recently made the ships wait. Anna Sten s Ritz Irks Midwest Pic House Fans South Bend, June 4, Plenty of animosity here last week against Anna Sten, making personal appearances throughout the mid- •west. She came put on the stage here in sloppy dresses without make-up and shrugged her way through the shows, telling the audience in a bored manner that she 'didn't know why she was there at all.' She was dated to make a short talk to the Notre Dame organiza- tion here and when they called her to state that an auto would come over to pick her up, she answered that they could send the car but she wouldn't be in it. Result is that other midwest dates have been cancelled, partlcu- Sam Goldwyn's termination of Anna Sten's contract, whicli had un- til next July to go, leaves the Im- ported star In an odd position. Both sh% and her husband. Dr. Eugene Frenke, would like to shake Holly- wood, but If a producer doesn't sign up Miss Sten, It is doubtful where they may go. She can't return to Russia, among other things being in bad with the Soviet government. It Is understood, while her husband isn't likely to be welcomed back to Germany. Basis of the Goldwyn settlement of Miss Sten's contract isn't known, but around $130,000 was due on the unexpired document. SCHAEFER 2-WAY FLIT FOR PRODUCTION DOPE ^ ..larly the .rfist„oX,..tb.e..JCireat States only .614 for sevffnw place-irr thtr-jy^^g-YKyou-gTi-miioIsr—- mid-season reckoning. The Sennwald rise from his mid- season status is only one of the con- sistent scrambling of ratings since then. Bland Johaneson, who was fifth then, ends the season at fourth with .692;. Reglna Crewe, who was third. Is now fifth, with .655; Thorn- ton Delehanty (Post), who was last, is now sixth, with .649; William Boehnel (World-Telegram) slipped from third to seventh with .644 (an exact switch in spotting with Senn- wald); Rose Pelswlck retains the next to last with .641, while Eileen Creelman (Sun) slipped from sixth to the cellar. Indicative of the difference in calling them, however, is that Miss Creelman's final score, the one which is lowest in New York, is .632. In January, at the mid-season count-up she had less than that, .620, which at that time was good enough for tliree notches higher up. In Chicago Miss Ardon, tlie peren- nial winner, romped In ea.sily with .722, Clark Rodenbach, second, hav- ing .699. Tliat's a 30 point ri.se for Rodenbach from tlie mUl-soason ranking. Miss T'rink with .078 is tliird, although having lost only tliree percentage points, Map. Tinee (Prances Kurner) improved from ,59S to .641 but still is bottoms. The V,\uiETV combined staff -score is a bit better than it was the pa.st two years, topping everybody at .816. The niuggs the year previous, even though keeping their own score, couldn't chalk up better tli;in .791, whicli was under that ct the winner, Miss Cameron. And tliat sort of thing, of course, couldii't be repeated. Not with tlie boys using their own pencils, era.sors and add- ing machine.s (oh, yeahV). Only two New York critics f.Tlled to resoi-t to no-oi)inionK during the past sca.son. Miss Canioron and oehnel. Miss Cameron uses a star rating system wliicli autonialic.illy doe.s away with them but LldOliiiel h.'is no gImniicU as.sist.'inc.c, showin-,' llim films .(.-ail be called on ;l ye.« or no ba.sis if the critic fo df.-.'^iros. Deleliaiity of the Post iii.'-talk-il a clo'k-niarkin.? gadget with his rc- viirw.'f, wliirli does away witli no opiiiioiiiiig biit iiriin- to ih.'it lu; had hedged on 10 in.sianfi'S. lUi.^c Hollywood, June 4. George Sch,aetor wound up a 72- hour production confab at the studio and planed east Sunday (2) to at- tend Paramoumt's board meeting. Toole with him convention messages from Ernst Lubitsch and Henry Ilerzbrun, who won't attend. DeMille and Bill Pine, studio pub- licity-advertising head, only ones from studio who are going, taking along a print of 'Crusades.' SHUII m JOBS FOB TBAT BBEAK Chance to Salt Away $30 a Week for Six Months No Lure to Femmes on Day Call at Studios—H'wood Straw Looks Better to Them Than World Fair Hay HOPE ETERNAL on Llie season. Th.at's .a little better than last year, when she was guilty of 61 such offenses, but it is still keeping her down in the second division. Without those I-won't- talks, she might liave been well up in the ratings this year. He.ifina Crewe was the hardest worker amoni? the film critics, pass- ing judgment on 308 films, although riuelincl is close behind, having caught but one less. Miss Crewe and Air. Boohnoi are two of the live critics handling the /llnf criticism;; on their pupors l)y th<='mselvcs. \V';ilt.«, Mi.ss Cameron, Sennwald and JJolelianty liave assistants and llierelore ;alcli fewer film.s. Mis.s Juliancs.soh.Miss Vel.'iwifk .and .Miss I'el.Kwicic is the chamDion u.<e-yonr- 1 Crochnan, up .some of tlie .i^ide- ! own-judgment reviewer in -N'ew | .'■treet prr-niieres, whereas Boehnel ! York, now that Mord;Mint Hall is, I ;uid Miss Crewi; attempt to call j iionc, fiotling herself -12 nose o/.^y them nil. [ Hollywood, June 4. Once Hollywood's virus gets into the blood, little can be done to make the infected cognizant of any other mode of living or making a living. Worst infected are the extras who hang on and on hoping that they >vlll get two days work next week Instead of one. Hope springs eternal in the human breast, but the hopes of most extras have been consider- ably kicked around. Two weeks ago, Nate Eagles, op- erator of a number of concessions at the San Diego Fair came to Hollywood to hire 24 girls for his 'Miss America" show. He wanted lookers of the show girl type. Here was his proposition. Show Is a posing affair. Girls are dressed in negligee. They work from 10 a.m. until midnight with a day off each week. Daily hours are split up Into two hours on, an hour off. Salary is $50 weekly. Because Eagles knew that hous- ing conditions would be bad, he leased the Lennox Hotel for the duration of the fair, will house all day. He is bonded, therefore his 23 week contract is okay. Some 200 girls were Interviewed. Five were willing to take the job. Rest of them admitted they were averaging around $14 weekly for the year as chorus girls in musicals and extras. They admitted an eight hour day at the studio la tough. They admitted they were chumps for passing up a 23-week job where they could sock away at least $30 weekly, but they also admitted they were screen struck and liked Holly- wood better at $14 weekly than San Diego at $50. Of the 200, all felt that they had a big opportunity in Hollywood that some day a studio would recognize their talent and they'd become fa- mous. Present hunger didn't mean a thing. It's-the old Hollywood bug which rarely if ever is eliminated from the system of extras. John Cline s Brh Pic With Cross and Dunn London, May 26. John Cline, American, head of Time Pictures, Ltd., new film unit here, has signed Cross and Dunn for a picture, tentatively titled 'I Love Your Voice.' Script is an adaptation from a Hung.arlan musical, with Courtney Tcrrett and Sam Brown writing the continuity and injecting dialog. Bernice Claire will be leading lady, and shooting starts .June 15 at Sound Film Studios, Shepperton. Walt Connolly LLD. Cincinnati, June 4. An lionorary degree of Doctor of I^aws will be conferred on Walter Connolly, actor, at the 9.^th annual comTpencement exercises of Xavlor College ir. Cincinnati tomorrow (Wednesday). CoimM^.y is an alumnus of the Jesuits -school of the class of 1907. Degree of Master of Arts will be eonferred upon Rowland StcbhiiiH, l'-gi( piodiieei', by his alma mater, L'nion College, Schenectady, next Monday (10). Eat 'Em Alive H'wood Agent War Menaces Sanctity of Wfo Taiie Justa Mistake Hollywood, June 4. A truck arrived at the Am- bassador Hotel to take Prince Burachtra, uncle of the King of Slam, to Fox studio. He got on the truck, figuring that the strange Americans were playing a joke. Then a limousine arrived and he was transferred. Somewhere in the studio •Prince' was confused with 'prints.' 2 Guilds Will Name Monthly 'Best' Awards Hollywood, June 4. Both the Screen Actors Guild, and the Screen Writers Guild will at- tempt to steal the fire of the Academy's annual awards by pick- ing the best work by a player and writer each month. Members of each organization will vote in their respective classes and the winner In each will be an- nounced monthly. These names will also be regarded as the nom- inations for voting once a year on members doing the most outstand- ing work during the previous 12 months. CHEVAUER IN LONDON SHOW ON PERCENTAGE London, June 4. Clifford Whitley has set Maurice Chevalier for an appearance in 'Stop Press,' revue at the AdelphI starting June 6. It's a percentage arrangement. Understood French- man gets 20% of the weekly grosses with no guarantees. Engagement is for four weeks with option. After his AdelphI engagement Whitley will tour Chevalier In the important key cities, surrounding hlnvwlth a vaudeville unit. As result of the announcement of Chevalier's advent, biz in the in- terim has fallen off sharply and ad- vance bookings cancelled for tick- ets to conform with the Chevalier period. Berh'n Tuning 'Fleet/ Then East for Legiter Hollywood, June 4. Irving Berlin, with his 'Top Hat' out of the way, will do score of 'F'ollow the I'leot' at Radio. His contract expiring .Sept. 1, he heads for New York to do a show for Sam Harris. This will be first trip east in eight months for Berlin, who will also arrange for dance orchestra- tion on 'Top Hat' tunes. Metro has indefinitely postponed 'Thousands Cheer,' but the deal Berlin had there is off, at least until he returns from the east. Mrs. Van Beuren Sues, Asks Allowance Tilt Motion oC Mrs. A. J. Van Beuren against the fllin producer for in- crease of her $500-a-nionth separate maintenance, filed in New York Su- premo Court yeslerda.v. (Tuesday) ;iiid due for n jirelirnlnary airing Kriday (7j, chargi^N him with mental and i)hysl(!al cruelty. Producer de- nies her charges, Including her stulement tliat his fortune is at least $500,000 and his income .";0,000 annually. Mrs. Van Beuren d.'ineer. Hollywood, June 4, With agency ranks swelled to around the 200 mark, competition for talent attention lately haa reached the stage where percenters are eating each other alive. Talent- raiding, cut-rating and other chisel- ing devices have brought numerous word wars between talenteers, with boxing gloves just around the cor- ner. Aggrieved agents are particularly incensed at a new outbreak of cut- rating, which they claim threatens the traditional 10 percent comisli figure. Contributing to the confusion are several recent unfavorable court de- cisions against agents on contracts- that were supposedly legally bind- ing, plus collapse of virtually all regulatory moves aimed at agents. With numerous new entries in the agency field and several splits and coalitions, everybody with price of a state license is making strong bids for actor, writer and director attention. Competition is so tough that a number are reviving 6very known gyp gag as well as inventing a few new ones. Talent list raiders are offering as Inducement, besides lowered comish, a waiver of fees for a period, plus offering free legal service and other costs of breaking away from the previous agent. Among the dynamiting tactics are whispering campaigns that this or that agency is persona non grata on some or all of the lots. In line with this Is claims of some chislers that they have the inside track on re- ported new production setups on various lots. ust Have Morals and $60 Be verly H ills, June 4. rmuTsetCT;—reyirom itiiilty "aiid^ moral fitness' and 60 bucks cash now are prime and legar essentials for those who would engage in th» (Continued on page 61) Trade Mark nefflstered FOUNDED BY 8IME SILVERMAN Published WeeMj by VARIETY, toe. Sid -Sllvermmi. President 164 West H6th Street, New Tork City SUD3CRIPTION Annual |6 Foreign $7 Slnclo Coplog U Cents Vol. 118 No. 12 INDEX Bills Chatter 52 Kxploitation 19 15 and 50 Years Ago 41 Film Reviev/H 15 Foreign P'llm News 13 Foreign .Show News 48 House Reviews 17 Inside—I'lctures 13 Inside—Radio 35 Inside—Legit 45 Legitirnale 44-47 Literati 49 Music 39-40 New Acts 42 .N'cws from tlie Dallies.... 53 Nite (;lul)S 40 Obituary 54 Outdoors .r,l-.j5 Pictures :!-2!t Radio .30-38 Radio—Ctiaiter ?,'! Uudio—New [{iisinC; 36 Radio—R(-i)iiils 31 Radio—Sliowniaii.sliij).... 37 Short. .<<nbjr'<-ls 1,'> Tiiri'-s .S(iir;ire. fi I Knits <12 \','i'jd"v-illc 41-42 Wdmicii to