Variety (Jul 1935)

L I Y E B 4 ¥ I Wednesday, July 31, 1935 ^ 2 Mersftrs of 4 Mags Trio consisting ot Minor Smith H. L.. wniiamaon and Watne Harsha, who publish the National Printer-Journalist, have purchased Printing Industry from Gordon D Lewis and F. S. Brandenburg. Purpose is to combine the two business mags, probatily in a new format. Lewis goes over with his mag to the new owners. Anotlier mag amalgamation is that by the Robblns Publishing Co. which is combining Advertising Arts with Advertising & Selling. Combined mags will carry the title of the latter. Air Tieup Boosts Pop Sengs Tie-up of Popular Songs, the mag, with Feen-a-mlnt, by which the periodical participates In the Ia.\a- tive'a radio time on WABC once weekly, has given the mag's sales a tremendous boost. Arranged by Richard B. Gilbert, editor, broadcast tie-up includes a contest for scng titles. Best song title submitted each week Is turned over to an established song writer and a publislier, with the creator of the title getting a third of the song's royalties as his share. Billy HiU writing the current batch of songs around the titles' submitted, with Shapiro, Bernstein publishing. Ne.Nt batch to be written by J. Rus- sel Robinson, with Harrj- Engle publishing. Tie-up and title contests will con- tinue through the summer at least. Report on Writers' Congress Complete report of what tran- spired at the American "Writer** Congress, called recently by the ncwiy-organlzed League of Ameri- can Wiiters, is almost completed and will be issued soon in book form. Will be released by Interna- tional Publishers. Among the scribblers contributing to the report are Waldo Prank, sec-' retary of the League of American "Writers, Josephine Herbst, Joseph Freeman, Matthew JosephsorL Michael Gold, Malcolm Covyley and James T, FarreTl. Intemationr.I Publishers will also Issue a companion volume, entitled The Soviet Writers' Congress.' Chambers B-M'S New Prez New. president of Bobbs-Merrill is D. Ijturence Chambers. Firm also has a new chairman of board of di- rectors, Charles C. Kryter, with J. W. Fesler also added to ihc board. Chambers h^.s been with the com- pany since 1903, when he became secretary to W. C. Bobbs. Until his election to the Ann's presidency, he bad been manager of the trade book department. Kryter's connection with Bobbs- Mcrrilt goes back even further, he having joined the company In 1889. J. W, FcsIer, the new member of the Arm. was, an intimate friend of the late Bobbs. Book Club's House Organ Newest of the book clubs, the Book Union, this one to pick the best work of revolutionary litera-. ture oach month, readying a house organ to be known as the Book Union Bulletin. First issue will appear In September, or at about the time tho Book Union will make its first book selection. Book Union Bulletin will contain literary artlcle.s contribbed by the Book Tj'nion's large group of eh dorsers. 'Cinema Maid' Moves In Upon his- return to San Fran- cisco afUr .1 once-over, of the Hol- lywood 111m sludios, Fred Johnson for eiKht years in chnrge oC drama- picture dc'p.irJments oC the Hearst Call-l;ulipi;n. I'ound a new motion picture editor on the job. Femni.-, \v;lt!ng im-.1er byline of The Cinema Mnld, was installed dui-ins .lo'.mson'.M temijorary ab scnco, i n';iHnvn to tlie chief. Transparent Cover l::squl:c will shortly step out in a bindini; and cover new to the magazine field. Mag has set deals with owners of the orisinal Frencl patent for a now spiral celluloid binding to replat-e present wlvp clips. Also will top the entire magazine with a thick transparent celluloid cover. Ballou With McBride Robert O. Ballou is discontinuing his own pjbli:;hlng business to be- come n?-KocIatc(. v.'ith McBrlde in an -editorial capacity. He was formerly with Jonathan Gfti>e anrt—Harri.son Smith and last with Bre»ver, Warren Putnam. Inc., before founding his own shop in 1!>52. Success Story Humphrey Cobb worked for an advertising agency, for a number of years. He gathered statistics, but the agency didn't consider him a good enough writer to write up the reports afterward. On the side, Cobb wrote a novel, 'Paths of Glory,' big- gest best seller In some time, and day after book was pub- lished, he quit the agency Job, Inclientally, there was a war l)ook by the same title, written by Irvln S. Cobb and published 20 years ago. Cobb has now gone to the Coast for Metro. F. £ R. Gets Benet's Works Farrar & Rinehart-has purchased rights to a flock of Stephen "Vincent Benet's titles from Doubleday, Doran & Co. F. & R. already have tM rights to 'Burning City' find •Western. Star,' poem, former going Info ink for fall. Others bought are 'Ballads and Poems. 1915-1930,' 'The Barefoot Saint,' 'Heavens and ISarth,' 'James Shore's Daughter,' 'John Brown's Body,' 'Spanish Bayonet,' 'Tiger Joy' and 'Young Adventure.' Giving Scribes a Bow Power of the press has been ac- corded recognition at Des Moines, directors of the Iowa State Fair association having decided to dedi- cate one day of annual state event to 'Press Day.' In announcing the day, it waf stated that thore in charge ot the fair activities were thankful for many of the constructive criticisms supplied by the press and for the cooperation extended to officials. Execs of dailies, weeklies and magazines are to be fair guests on the day, with a special program to be provided for their benefit. New Digest of Books Mag with a variation of the digest Idea will make its initial appear- ance this summer, called Signa- tures. Subtitled 'A Journal of Work in Progress,' the periodical will carry passages of various lengths from forthcoming books. Argument put forth for the mag is that an at- tractive excerpt may whet the ap- petite for the book from which it Is taken. Claimed that book publish- ers generally co-operating. Gum-Shoe Mag Folds Current issue of Inside Detective Stories is its last, and West F. Pet- erson and his staff are out. Peter- son now seeking another editorial connection. Idea of Inside Detective Stories was sold by Peterson to George T. Delacorte, Jr., who, instead of mak- ing it a part of his Dell string, formed an afn>la,te. Exposed Pub- lishing Co., for its publication. Pre- viously, Peterson had edited a simi- larly-titled mag for a rival house. The Human Side Leone Bracker, who did the 'For- getting a Thousand Cares' poster for the Motion Picture Producers and Drstributors of America, now doing series of full-page advertise- ments for May Co, department stores. Same treatment as in MPPDA poster used in ads to present the human side o: a department store. Fii-st one appeared in last week's L.A. Sunday Times. Book-Boosters Marion Humble is the head of a new organization calling itself the Book Group, purpose of which is to stimulate interest in various books deemed worthy of support. Patterned on the book club thing, after a fashion, except that self- claimed worthwhile books will be recommended bjt not actively of- fered for sale- Kennedy Bros. Expanding Kennedy Bros. who publish Vachting. toe mag, will branch out into the book biz. Have in mind the publication of books pertaining to the sea and seamen. Firm has taken on john F. Win- ters, formerly of Century and Ap- plcton-'.'entury, to head its book department. Broadcaster Turning Pub Vic )r H. JJndlahr, who broad- casts iood and hfrilth talks, issuing a mox called The Journal of Living as a supplement to hU activities. CJaipis to have received 5,C0O paid- in e.ibscriptions in advance of pub- Ilon I'on, wholly from llsteners-In. Follow th« Leailera New Los Angeles weekly. Parade, is patterned In style after both Time and New Yorker. Front sec- tion of mag carries news digest copying Time, and remainder Is devoted to departmentalized chat ter of New Yorker type. Publication, which is still running 32 pages after start three weeks ago, has dropped this week from price of 15 to 6c. Hanson H. Hath- away, L, A. newspaperman, is man- aging editor; Kathryn Kay, asso- ciate editor, and Harold A. Smith, business manager. Two previous mag ventures, pat- terned after New Yorker folded in L.A. after brief lives. Reviving Sports Mag ' All Outdoors and Sports Review to get a new Kase on life. Mag will appear shortly in an enlarged and Improved form under the aus- pices of the Acme Publishing Co., headed by Edward t. Cobley, T. G. Mauritzen editing. Mag's new publisher has set up its headquarters in Los Angeles. Mag previously published from the same city. Frisco's New Pub New locality book publisher is George Fields, of San Francisco, who plans to publish works of his- tory and blog pertaining to that city and proininent figures produced there. Has as a starter a biog of James W. Marshall, who discovered' gold Iri California. "Volume is by George F, Parsons. ?Noth«r Popular Mag No end to the number of new mags which Harry Steeger and Harry S. Goldsmith .are* addiiig to tlieir Popular Publications group. Latest is one built around a stock character, and called The Mysterl ous Wu Fang. Will appear month ly, starting with a September num- ber. Lead-off story in each issue will be authored under office by-line of Robert J. Hogan. Number of mags built around a stock character, and believed to have originated with that of Nick Carter at Street & Smith, growing. Each usually authored under an of- fice by-Une, which may be that of one or more staff scribblers. Who's Who of Biz Execs A "Who's Who In Commerce and Industry' is being compiled with biographies to include prominent pej-sons in the picture business. Book will be along the lines of the regular 'Who's Who In America,' except that It will be confined sole- ly to business people as a biograph- ical encyclopedia of outstanding executives. Data is now being collected, with execs in pictures asked to person- ally okay their biogs before they go to the printers. Price of the 'Who's Who' will be $15 on publication. A pre-publica- tion offer, mostly to those who are to be indexed in the book, is $10 now and $12.50 If not paid until delivery of the completed work. Chatter Marjorie Fischer to Russia. William Saroyan has gone abroad. Frank Buck's new collabcr is Ferrin Fraser. Nelson Doubleday, the publlslier, back from Europe. Keith Henney goes In as editor of Electronics Aug. 1. Alan Vllliers has put his sailing ship in at Singapore. Houghton, Mifflin Is Marjorie Flack's new publisher. Sir Norman Angell coming over in the fall for a lecture tour. George Horace Lorlmcr, the Sat- evepost editor., back from abroad. Paul Horgan at Rosw(!il, Xew Mexico, in the midst of a new novel. Stone Cody, author of 'Desert Silver,' Is really Thomas Ernest Mount. Elizabeth Cilman, of the Farrar & Rinehart office, to Europe for a vacaah. Dan Thompson, screen and radio editor of the Louisville Times, father of a son. Alfred Bingham, who odit.s Com- mon Sense, will have a book on the Harper fall list. Rupert Hughes' new one is a novel about John Howard Payne, who wrote 'Home, Sweet Home.' Constable has taken the British publishing rights to Alexander I>uf- field's 'Any Smaller Person.' Seymour Dunn, golf pro, author of a pocket-sized volume on the g.ime, entitled 'Standardized Golf Inslruc- Uon.' MIgnon Eberhart'a alma m.iter, (Continued on page 63) Best SeDers Best 8«llws for th« wMk «ncli?»o ^fu'y 27^ reported by the AmariMn Nswa Co., Inr„ Fiction 'Paths of Glory' ($2.B0> ' By Humphrey Cobb •Green Light" ($2.60) " By Lloyd C. Douglas 'It's a Great World! ($2,00).-, By Emilie Lorlng 'Young Renny' (Jalna. IDOd) ($2.50) By Mazo de la Roche 'Sleeping Child' ($2.00) , By Alice Grant Rosmnn 'Beauty's Daughter" ($2.00) ,..., By Kathleen Norrls 'Personal History' ($3.00) By "Vincent Sheean 'Skin Deep" ($2.00) ..By M. C. Phillips •Road to War' ($3.00) .By Walter MllHs •Citizen and His Government' ($2.50) By Alfred E. Smith 'Autobiography of John Hays Hammond"" (2 vols.) ($5.00). •A Woman's Best Years' ($2.50) ,.., By W. Bcran Wofe, M. D. Book Reviews Twelve in One A highly unusual experiment is attempted, and, what is more, ae- coraplished by Gerald Bullet in his new book 'The Jury' (Knopf $2.50). Bullet, in this book, tella the story of what may or may not be a murder, fore, -aft and center. He weaves together the lives of the participants In the trial, plus the Jury. He gives a fairly complete picture of the lives of each of the twelve talesmen, then their reac tlon to the case as it unfolds in court and in the Jury room. Plus the results and change of attitudes. This is by no means what It may at first seem to be, a whodunit. It is a psychological study of a group of men and women picked from va- rious corners of the city and va-. rious walks of life and thrown together by a freak of chance; Although excellent reading, not a likely film. Southern Tragedy There have been quite a few stories of the South of late, and most have been fine. Here is an- other one, 'Deep, Dark River,' by Robert Rylee (Farrar & Rinehart; $2.50), which ranks right along wltli the best, but which is likely, to be met by the same lethargy as the others. Rylee tells the story of a negro, Mose, who asked nothing more of life than to be left alone. But life wouldn't leave him alone. A series of Incidents with which he had nothing to do precipitate him Into a constant stream of trouble end- ing with his arrest and conviction for murder. He had nothing to do with it, but he has to go to Jail for life. It's an unpleasant ""story, truthfully and bitterly told. It will remind of much that is fact rather' than fiction in the South. But the average reader is likely to pas's it by for something a bit more di- gestible. Not for films. Pfea for Fiction In her 'Fiction and the Screen' (Marshall, Jones Co.; $2), Mar- guerite G. Ortman sets out to pre- sent her brief yi favor of fiction as the chief source of material for the pictures. She makes her points clearly, if not always logically, and i-ather detracts from her argument through trying to forecast the fu- ture. Most notable Is her assumption that the efforts of Hecht and Mac- Arthur (apparently still in projec- tion when the book was written) would bo important box o ce. She also makes the common error of as- suming 'The Jazz Singer' to be the One for Rogers Phil Stong, when ho wrote 'State Fair' and 'Village Tale.' was hailed as tho best of the young American writers who tell of the meanness and vlcipusness that compose an American small town. In his new- est book, 'The Farmer in the Dell' (Harcourt-Brace; $2). Stong hasn't quite forgotten his village training, but veers off on a new tangent. He takes a small town farmer from Iowa and brings him to Hollywood. The result is not much from a liter- ary standpoint, but promises a good scenario for Will Roers. Pa Boyer la an easy, lovcable characterization. He looks at Hollywood and likes it. It's not, for once, a Hollywood knockdown —it's a hurrah for the better ele- ment in that cinema center. And it doesn't even htm or haw about assuring th3- world that these bet- ter element exist. If the book were a play it might be said to have a good first act, after which it lets down. Aran Spokesman When Robert Flaherty came to the Island of Aran to look it over for possible picture making, he u; , first, Pat Mullert. Pat made a living by weaving kelp. He became Flaherty's aide-de-camp and Fla- herty spent a couple of years on the island filming and producing "Man of Aran,' which Gaumont- Brltish released. Now Mullen tells Uie story of the Island, the film and himself in a book (Dutton; $3), similarly titled. It's too bad Mullen or his pub- li8her,s didn't change the title. It would seem, at first hand, to be a popular novelizatlon of the film, which Isn't so at all. It deserves ranking on its own. It's a highly intriguing and colorful yarn of a colorful epic. In its own way. and separately, it Is as interesting as the film itself was, but it may suffer from the same sluggishness that marked the film. That Tired Feeling Lethargic writing dulls what might, in other hands, have become rather exciting material. The idea Is there,.but in, his 'In the Shadow of the Cheka' (.Miacaulay; $2), John de N. ICennedy makes such a list- less effort to peddle his yarn that it seldom strikes lire. Plenty happens, but in so dull and perfunctory a fashion that tho reader Is left cold. A former Whito spy Joins the Soviet police as tho most convenient hideout. He is sent, with two others, to dispose of some suming 'The Jazz Singer' to be the crown jewels, steals the stones .and first all-talking picture. It was the makes, his way to Chicago, where the Chekji catches up with him. picture which started the craze, but the first all-talker was 'Lights of New York,' though it wasn't re- leased until July, '28, nine months after the Jolson picture. Similar breaks rob her of author- ity, while not affecting the basic soundness of her contention. It's padded with contributions by Louis Worthington Smith, of Drake Uni- versity, and by Mrs. Drake, appar- ently with the idea of gaining bulk. The extraneous matter does not help much. Still, it's a book that win interest the student of the cinema, though not very greatly. Fidter With MeNaught Jimmy Fldlcr, In New York from HoUywood, , signed a contract this week with- the MeNaught syndicate to do a dally column from the Coast starting about the middle ol" September. His air sponsor, "Tangee, hAs also arranged' for him to .resume Pthec gab from Hollywood during the latter part of September. Fldler starts back to the coast tdmorrow (Thursday). Better told, this might have been a story. As is, it isn't. Keeps 'Em Moving Using the familiar basis No. 3, Paul Evan Lehman manages to put plenty of go into his 'Son of a Cow- thief (Macaulay; $2), and it will make good summer reading for lov- ers of westerns. No. 3 is tlie theme in which tho town's banker secretly heads the outlaws, only to be unmasked by the brave young cowpuncher. In this instance, Jopy Cameron, the hero, is the son of a man who w.-ih hanged by the vigilantes. Ho comes back to cldar his fnthel■'.^ name, and, of cour-'ic, to win the girl. He does both briskly, r>.nd with some distinctly good situations in- troduced, but it's still a western. Like so many of the pulp authors, Lehman makes references to earlier stories, assuming the reader has perused them all. Maybe good ad- vertisinjr. but elightly Irritatlttg reading. Could do for pictures.