Variety (Sep 1935)

•YABIETT'S' CONDOM OmCE, INTERNATIONAI. NEWS T«lephon0 Temple Bar 6<M1-B049 Cable Address: VAKIETT. LONDON 13 GB-BIP Talk Counter Move Vs. Oscar Deutsch in Theatre Battle London, Sept. 10. Gaumoiit-Brltish and British In- "'ternatrpnal are discussing possible reprisals against Oscar Deutsch, one of. the most Important indie theatre owners here, for quietly acquiring isites' to build de luxe houses In a number of GB and BIP spots. Deutqch's building plans Include theatres In Peckliam, Lewlsham, Acton, New Crossi Clapham Junc- tion and Camdentown. Understood John Maxwell, BIP ,,prexy, and Arthur Jarratt, G-B f^jiooklng Chief, met on sevei-al occa- sions and formUlatfd a counter .move, details of which are being ; .^kepf. secret. .Betitsch's expansion and lentry .Into London proper Is entirely due to his alliance with Jos. M. Schenck ,.,.and lElendlihess with Metro, so that ;he now feels sure he can secure ....isufflclent product. Also his chances .along that line are figured strensth- eried, by erection of the London chain: Princess theatre, , has been J sold to Deutsch for conversion Into deliixer. Deutsch paid $800,000 for it. He now becomies the first important indie owning a Wedt End site. Stock Angle When he's through building and , changing around he is figured .to •, have 60 theatres and Will go to the public with stock Issue of ,..16,000,000. Deutsch also purchased the Pal- , ace, Beading, a 1,300-seater,' which I ..has been operating as a vaudeylUe hbusc for several months, with Gerard Heath as the booker. Un- derstood the deal, which Involves adjoining car park. Involves $300,000. It is intended to erect a super clpema to seat 2,000 on the car park Apace without interfering Itti the ,,i^alace. ■ ' Negotiations are how pending be- tween Deutsch and a group of Lon- i,.<dQn vaudeville adherents to lease the Palace at an annual rental of $20,000, with the vaudeville policy to continue. EXCHANGE Dutchman Banned by Naz! places German in Hague Re- The Hague, Aug. 31. First measure, forced by the gov- ornment to stimulate employment of Dutch artlsts, has been taken at Arnhem, near. here. Arnhem Or- chestra Asso. gets a subsidy from the government, and one of its con- cert-masters, .Rudolf Bergmann, a German, has been asked to resign In order to make place for Maurlts van den Berg, who foi'ntierly was a mem- ber of the Berlin Philharmonic. He was forced to give up his jpb In Ber- lin because, he was . non-Aryan.. Government's Idea is that or- chestras whith get government sub- sidy, should employ solely Dutch .artists. INT'L FILM CHAMBER FORMED; BERLIN HDQ. Rome, Aug. 31. Final formulation of the Inter- national Film Chamber took pface here last week. Delegates from Italy, Germany, France, Poland, England, Belgium, Spain, Czecho- slovakia, Hungary, Austria. Swe- den, Switzerland and Holland gath- ered to pass on laws of the organi- zation. Headquarters will be in Benin until 1937. Objective of the organization is to promote Inter-company cooperation between the various nations In- cluded. Secondary aim Improve the artistic and technical value of films. Information will be disseminated to members from the central body. England and the U. S. have con- sistently refused to Join. Paris, Sept: 1. Broad representation of French film Interests on the board of the International Film'Chamber was as- sured at the formal creation of that body In Venice. Raymond Lusslez, friend of U. S.. is named to the chamber to repre- sent French cxhibs:; G- Lourau. prtsldent of dlstribs' syndicate to which American firms in France • belong, will represent his brkncli of the trade, and Charles pelac, of the Chambre Syndlcale, will take care oC the Interests of French producers. Latter appointment is in spite of fact that Lourau and Lussiez spon- sor an Independent producers' or- ganization whilch rivals the Chambre Syndlcale. Flash Opening and 10 Wks. for *bream* London, Sept. 10. I'gigest opening ever attempted, here by Warner Bros, will be given 'Aiid.summer Night's Dream* when It starts oft at the Adelphl Nov. 9. , Sam Morris, company's fofelgn chief, and Max Milder, local t>0Ks, sl.srnatured the house for 10 weeks With options. A special symphony orchestra will be installed for the • run. Negotiations are on by which the Entire first night receipts will be devoted to some-big charity. LUMIERE ENDS 3-DlENSION FILM Paris, Sept. 1. Louis Lumlere, In great sacrecy, hem finished the production of the first talking film In relief; Inventor used money lent hlro by his friends, and had no other technical aid than that of his assistant, Pierre de Cuvier and a cameraman from Nice named Walter. Job was done in the studios of NIcaea Films, at St. Laurent du Var, on French Riviera. Lumlere has got little jack out of his Invention of the motion picture, and he therefore intends to iexploit his new discovery hlihself. Picture, which was taken with a two-lensed stereoscopic camera, Is called 'L'Ami de Monsieur" ('The Gentleman's Friend'). It's 1,200 meters long, and wlll .be the first part of a relief program that 'Lu mlere will sell as a unit Feature film, which will have full standard 2,800 meter length, will be started soon. Scenatio has been written, but title not yet chosen. Program will get its start at Paris Opera during thei Lumlere Jubilee, which will take place there in Nov. and Dec. SNIDER QUITS HOYTS; MAY GO INDIE EXHIB Sydney, Aug. 21. Sam Snider, resident manager for Hoyts, has' resigned. Understood that a cash settle- ment was made. Reported that Snider may enter Into the exhibit- ing end. Joining with Alberts (music publishers) and (3eorge Dean, who controls a nabe a.nd country chain. Alex Albert is already Interested In the pic biz, holding a parcel of stock in Film Distributors Ltd., controllers of Monogram In Aus- tralia. Should the Snider-Alberts-Dean hookup go through and the con- templated brieak ^ between Greater Union and Hoyts occur, the form,er group' will probably link up with Q.U.T., thus giving both a big hold against Hoyts In the nabe field. Snider was one of those respon- sible for arranging the Fox buy-In with Hoyts at a time when the chain was In low straits financially. Yes or No? London, Sept. 1. Kessler Howes, Columbia pub- licity man, has signed .with Britlph Lion Fll Joe Friedman, head of Col., denies It. but Sam Smith, head of British Lion, confirms. Entire situation will probably be aired at the Kinematograph Rent- ers' Association. Supposed to be an nn\yrltten law here that no renter' is to -grab another renter's o cial. Yank Newsreels h Between on Paris Politics UA Sues Buda Rep on Embezdement Qiarge Budapest, Aug. 30. Unlteid Artists, through its Buda- pest lawyers, has foreclosed on all available property of Its local ex- rcpresentatlve, Sandor Winter, president of the bankrupt City Film Co. Charge is embezzlement. Winter, at great pains to liqui- date the affairs of his company and hoping to meet all liabilities, main- tains that he is not guilty. On the contrary, he says, UA still holds a cash security of his, and It was on account of dlfllcultles caused by UA that he had to Incur exi)en3es which led to bankruptcy, he ch;a.rges. Winter is suing UA, also. Paris, Sept. 3.. French police, with considerable difficulty, has locally suppressed ncwsreel.s on the marriage of fornier Jose Laval, premier's daughter, to Count Rpne de Chambrun. Laval's intention apparently had not been to allow local release of the story at all, hut he forgot to tell American companies whlcli! took pictures of him conaing . down the church steps with his daughter and the count, and other compromising details. They're compromising because Laval is a former anti-clerical and socialist, and the local radicals con- sider he did a terrible thing in marrying his daughter to a noble- man, .and in a church, at that. Fox Movietone News Innocently put out a special edition on the story, and when it got to the work- ing class nabe houses the audiences started roaring. Incldenj^were Im- mediately reported to thja'Ministry of Interior, and Prefecture oif" Police got orders to stop the film. It took some time to get all the copies in. Meanwhile Fox was told not to release any more, and compiled, al- though a legal basis for tho order Is doubtful. 'At Apollo, Warner showcase, po- lice coming for the reel, 'wlilch had already been shown four days, ^ere stumped at first because the man in chargfi insisted on a written order before withdrawing the picture. This the ctjps wouldn't give, obviously because writing could' be used polit- ically. against the Premier. Threats of fine didn't shake exhlb, but di- ploniacy by the local police commis- salre finally won; he came around to the theatre. In person and ex- pllalned all about it. No objection to showing tlie pic- ture abroad, where there is no prej- udice against churches and counts. New Dutch Pic ^ The Hague, Aug. 30. . Hugenot van der Linden and Josephson producing a new Dutch film on the Island of Texel called 'Young Hearts.' Pair also wrote the scenario. French Gov't Almost Ready to Rule Pic Biz; Doesn t Want to Hurt U. S. But Aims at Olhsr 'Foreigners BIG PARIS PROBLEM Where to Put Bar Worri Re- mpdellera of French .Theatre Paris, Sept. 1; Theatre Francalse, in which the Comedie Francalse holds forth. Is being remodeled, and the big' cur- rent problem Is where put the bar. Ministry of Fine Arts favors put- ting the new drlnkery iny tho main fpyer, but actbris of the cooperative state theatre object, saying-that the hall contains a bust of Voltaire, which would clash with the brass rail. Another piarty wants It a flight up, neai^ the treasurer's o ce, but this M'ould block a stairway, anid the fire department objects. 'ACCENT' NEW CHARLOTREV. JUSTFAIR London, Sept 10. . 'Accent on Tputh' (legit), opened at the (Slobe here Tuesday <3). It was generally praised by the press and acclaimed by first., nighters but Is not llk&ly to get a big rush. - Chariot's new revue, 'Stop-Go,' .opened at the Vaudeville, Wednes- day (4). It stars Mary Brian, from Hollywood. It is by no nteans a sensational show, although it Is mildly agreeable entertainment. 'As Bad As I Am' opened at the Ambassador's, Thursday (5). It i^ a farce comedy .with an impossible, central character. More than un- likely. NEW FRANCO-ENGLISH Pic CO. PLANS noucr Paris, Sept 1. New Franco-English hookup for production of two-version films Is annunced In form of an alliance be tween Criterion Film Prod., Ltd., of London, and Monopole Films of Paris to turn out English and French pictures based on Stendhal's novel 'Le Rouge et Le Nolr* ('Red and Black'), Maurice Tourncur, who is now megglng Roger RIchebe's production of 'Koenlgsmark' In two languages. Is slated as the director, arid A. Gar- gour is production manager. Greater Union Ready to Split Away From Hoyts; Both Now Out of Red Sydney, Aug. 21. Swiiiglng into the black after many .years of red, Greater Union Theatres is about reaay for a breakaway from the General The- atres Corp. Contract agreement biet'wcen G.U.T. and Fox-Hoyts, knoVn as General Theatres, expires Jan. 1, 1D38. inside has it that a split.. I'^Ul occur long before this date, and probably within a few months from how. For some weeks now Stuart Doyle of G.UiT., and Cbarles Munro of Hoyts, and both .co-dircctpr.^ of General Theatres, have been mak- ing a coniplete overliaul of thcli; own respective chains and ordering every theatre brought up to' the. nilnuto. Wherever Doyle has been Munro has followed and yice-ver.sa Each has paid strict a.ttchtlon to the nabe field, socking to prevent any opposition from gaining too strong a hold. Stuart Doyle is said preparing to spend much money in renovations on the. followinff theatres in Kydnoy. Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide: Majestic, Empress, Molba. Olympla, York, State, Tlvoll *ind wintergar'. den. Theatre buildup will also cover Tasniani Charles-Munro of HoyLs lias concentrated for some time on theatre, li rovemehts In all States including the nabes. Theatres under General "jheatre.s control are: Xareater ion Group Sydney: State, Capitol, Lyceum, Lyric, JCmprcss., Melbourne: State. Majestic, Mclba,. Adelaide: York, Olympla, ^ Clvfc, .\Iayfalr. Briabia-ne; Tlvoll (share), Majesr tic, Vailey, Wintergarden (bhare). Hoyts Group Syd nisy: llegeri t,. Plaza. Melbourne: Regent, Plaza. , ;curh, De Luxe. Adelaldt;; Regent.. P.rlsbano; Ilegent. West Australia: Caoltol, Rctjent, Maiesllc (with G.U.T.;, Ambassa- ilfjr.s, Prince of Wales, Princess, ' iloyt.i solo control lnciudc'.4 all nabes in Melbourne and Victorian country centres'and certain .Sydney nal)cs. O.l'.T. -solos Include Tas- liianian The.atres. .Sydney nabe.and a share In the Blrch-'i'arroll-cioylc Queensland chain. O.V.T. and Hoyts both hold interests in Newcastle,'! N.S.W. Paris, Sept Led by, American dlstribs, French film Industry is mobilized to fight the attentipt.at government control^ ich the cahinet, espe- cially Minister of Public Education Mario Roustan, Is meditating. Government depart meeting regularly to consider the decree-laws which, in their present for would create an 'Office Na- tional du Cinema' (Natlpnal Cinema Department) to run the shpw, ducing private distribution to an auxiliary role, controlling produc- tion, and, above all, hahdling the cash. Project is a result of action all this , year by groups outside of the business end of the industry to get the trade out of the hands of pri- vate enterprise. It has been helped by the extreme disorganization of private enterprise, which has obvN ously not been of the highest class. It has been possible to point to the Gatimont bankruptcy and the Pathe-Natan mess, and then to the mass of Independents, many of the'm phoney and central or eastern Eu- ropean in origin. Oppoaition On the other side Is a group of exhibitors, led by ilaymOnd Lus- slez, who.are fighting for independ- ence, and who are allied now with the independent distrlbs, of whose association—Union Syndlcale—the Americans are leading members. Together with a few indie producr ers, cxhibfi and dlstribs form the recent 'Comite du Film' (Film Com- mittee). Weakness of the dlstrll} organiza- tion, lyhlch Is the nucleuis of the Film Committee, is tliat its pre,sl- dent, Georges Lourau, Is the local boss of Tpbla (German), and its vice prez, Henri Klarsfeld, sells films for Paramountr Both foreign concerns; argument against ttiem Is too obvious. From the government's point of view, the. film biz Is too important to be permitted to go to pot or get Into the hands of aliens. Aliens does not necessarily mean people like Lourau or Klarsfeld, who are French, and whose companies, al- though foreign, are respected as square shooters and as producing films necessary to the French trade. It means, rather, the mass of little producor.s, Russians, Poles, Ger- mans,. Austrians and what not, who turn, out most of the films called- French. Govt. Angle Proposed Office du Fll is aimed really at them, but in its present form. It reaches the Americans, too. Government here does not want to sink or hurt the Americans, and that Is why It Is likely that, In the end, the matter will be fixed up from a Yank point of view. But an Important part qf the project, v/hlch probably will stay. Is the denhltion of a French film, which Will so be made as to make it tougher for the central and east- ern Eurppean indies to operate, i'^rench consider that pictures are too important, as propaganda and as expressions of national taste, to be run by them. They blanie them fpr the low quality of most French films and also tor the low standard of business ethics In the local trade. WORK STARTED ON METRO'S S. A. STRINC Linia, round-was broken here last week fpr a new theatre to. be controlled by Metro In the Plaza San Martin. It will be a l,.S0O-seut house, and will be con.structed by a local ai-chltect under .supervision of Hai-ry Mo.sko- witz, wild Is here from the Loew. home ofllcc. Lima Iheatro will he the first of four new houses M-G is putting iip in South America within the next few weeks. Herman Wiener from the 'Xew 'ork h.o. ieft last week tp relieve MOskowllz In JJma. Moskp- witz then goes to Buenos Alres^ with Wifner following him up throMf,'!! the continent's building ac- tlviti'-s.