Variety (Sep 1935)

'VTednesday, September 25, 1935 PICT E $ VARIETY WAMPAS ADES Sec. Ickes of htenor Dept Score^^^^ By Tourist Biz for Bludgeoning Fix Washington, SipOT" Film studios are latest victims \pfy the singled - handed drive ■^ ot^Interlor Department head Harold ';tj.\lck«s. Newest idea of the cru- ^''^Mlng cabinet office^ is to compel ■""'iirp/Diucers to kick In with 'vplun- tdrjr icontrlbutions' to hia National Park System, trust fund in prdeif to •'blJtaln permits to use Federal prbp- ' eirty for loca.tlon purposes. ^ ^,. Arbitrarily rejecting producers' / offer to post bonds covering possi- . ble dama.ge to Governnient reserva- s.'tlons by shooting units, cabi- net ofBcer hks served notice that unless substantial contributions'are , tniade toward the accpunt for main- tenance of the park system there win be no more permits for Holly- wood crews to enter lands under his Jurisdiction. Policy has hotel operators, stables, outfitters, rail- roads, and miscellaneous bene- ficiaries of studio expenditures up In arms, according to reports from the west, while subsidiary Interior Department officials regard tlie Ickes ruling as shortsighted and un- justified. Although ho has made stren- uous efforts to publicize the park system and build up volume of tourist travel, Ickes takes the posi- tion that film producers get some- thing for nothing when permitted to use reservations for locations and sniffs at the idea films have given „ thousands of dollars worth of free advertising over past decade. All efforts to induce him to change his stand and to adopt the Army-Navy practice of requiring cash guaran- tees have been futile. Lavish Spenders Arguments have been made that film companies, in addition to pay- ing customary head tax imposed on park visitors, spend lavishly for accommodations, taking the best of everything, but these conten- tions, although backed up by shrieks from concessionaires, have fallen on deaf ears.. Sole victim of the Ickes blackjack to date Is Metro, which coughed up $5,000 a week ago to the ttlist fund In order to end a long-standing controversy with the Interior De- partment over damage caused by shooting units at Sequoia Park last year. Two other producers contem- plating pix with park background are on the point of dropping their plans because of the drastic policy, Although no rate has been fixed, Indications are thait Ickes con- siders $1,500 per week a fair rental for parks. Inquiries from studios which expected to use Yosemite and Yellowstone for two weeks brought ■ news that permits would be forth- coming only If Ickes received checks for $3,000 for the trust account. Hollywood, Sept. 24. Turning down a dozen re- quests by studio executives for screening in. their homes- of 'Midsummer Night's Dream,' Jack Warner has let it gener- ally be known that he Is op- posed to this, gratuitous serv- ice. Warner • claims that home showings wear out a dozeh prints a year, and the best any studio gets out of it is a tjour panning. Also that such audi- ences pay little attention to the film nyway; hence their criti- cisms are of little value. COLLEEN MOORE'S DOLL HOUSE'S $9^04 CHARin St. Louis, Sept. 24. Eight institutions devoted to cripple-d children received checks totaling $9,204.56 last week repre senting 80% of the proceeds from recent showing of the Colleen Moore doll house at downtown de partment store. Remaining 20% of receipts were used to pay expenses of exhibition and to eHtablish find for showing doll house in com munities ■ where it ■would otherwise not be available. Doll house next to be displayed In Boston. M Starring Contract For Fraocine Lar'more Hollywood, Sept; 24. Irving Thalberg has tabbed Fran cine Larrlmore to a term ticket arid will produce group ^of starring pictures for Metro release. Player Is expected to leave for the coast the end of next month; Contracts were signed prior to Thalberg's departure from New York' last week and after several tests of Miss Larrlmore were made in the east. CLAWIN' FOR BICKFORD 2d jungle Beast Attack—Leopard Leaped 3 Weeks Ago Lin Bonner, Coast Tfariety' News Editor, Dies; Brief Illness Hollywood, Sept. 24. in Bonner, 51, news editor of Pally Variety and formerly on the staff of VAiiiETT, died Sept. 19 fol- lowing a brief illness. Three days after his arrival here from,the cast Sept. 2, Bonner was stricken and removed to Holhvood hospital for observation by Dr. William E. Branch. An appen- dicitis operation was performed three days later but pneumonia set In at the crisis! Several blood transfusions were A made. Bill Alclne and Fi-ed Gam- 7! >,bold of Dailey Variety staff were ac- 1,;ViCepted for the' transfusions, with Bruce Manning, writer at Columbia, standing by. BOYER DUE. IN H'WOOD Hollywood, Sept. 24. Charles, Boyor is due late next month at Paramount for 'Invita- tion to Happiness' with Marlene Dietrich. He's now working in 'Mayerling' for Pathe-Natan In Paris. Hollywood, Sept. 24 Charles BIckford had a narrow escape yesterday (Monday) on the, 'East of Java' set at Universal when a Hon bit him on the neck, missing his Jugular vein by a frac tion of an Inch. Actor was rushed to the Hollywood hospital for antl tetanus inoculations and will be under observation for two weeks against infection. BIckford was clawed by a black leopard three weeks ago ' In the same picture, but resumed work after emergency treatment. Screen Guild Ready to Forge Last Link for Swing Along with Equity Class of '26 Bulks Large with 6 of 13 Clicking— Colleen Moore, Lila Lee, Lois Wilsdn Survive 1st Selections in '22—Judith Allen Saved '34 Crop Frank Fay's Legit Hollywood, Sept. 24. Frank Pay goes east today (Tues- day) for possible lead In Theatre Guild's production of 'The Postman Always Rings Twice.' Also talking over a radio deal. MACATILEY'S MG MUSICAL Hollywood, Sept. 24. 'Ready, Willing and Hale,'. Sat- cvepost yarn by Richard Macauley, lias been bought, by Warners as a heavy budget musical for next year's l)i-ogram. Studio recently bought Macauley's 'Front Page Woman.' 20TH IIKES aAPT—TWICE Hollywood, Sept. 24. "Twentieth-Fox has borrowed George Raft frbm Paramount for the second time for the lead In 'It Had to Happen.' Roy Del Ruth directs. SALLY RAND, FAVE McCALL Hollywood, Sept. 24. With the Wampaa ready to lose its identity as ah organization by the remaining niembers moving into the Masquers a^ a body, its 11 years as a st picking body dilscloses WampasI reatest distinction be- ing its yearly selection of 13 girls, deemed, most likely to succeed as motion picture players. Press agents organization selected its embryos yearly from 1922 until 1934, omit ting 1930, when no selection was made due to lack of studio coopera tion and difficulty in deciding whether or not the Baby Stars should b© selected according to looks or vocal s.a., for at that time, talkers were just coming Into their own.. Ball, at which tlnie the stars were presented to the public, was always held In Los Angeles except in 1924 when the local police department, a week prior to the ball, announced that dancing would have to stop at midnii:ht. Publicity-wise, Jim Kolph, then mayor of San Francisco, offered the town tb the Wampas who siXVitched plans, went to the bay city with a tralnload of stars. Affair was a financial success, gained Los Angeles a black eye for lack of lib- erality. Mystery surrounds the manner in which the original idea of 'selecting baby stars and .why 13 originated through it is generally conceded that Mark Larkln. then and still p.a. for Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, and the .late Joe Jack- son, fathered the Idea. Present members can't recall Just what hap- pened to bring the Idea to the fere. Bumper Crop in '26 Most productive year In regards to the fulfillment of promise was 1926 Wbpn Mary Astor, Mary Brian, Joan Crawford, Dolores Del Rio, Janet Gaynor, Fay Wray, Dolores Costello, Marcellne Day, Sally O'Neill, Veru Reynolds, Joyce Comp- ton, Sally Long and Edna Marlon comprised the group. Six lived up to expectations, one, Miss Cos- tello, retired to domestic life, and the remainder dragge(f along, still appear In an occasional picture. i31g'gest dud year was 1925 with none of the selected girls surviving the struggle. Those who fell down on their press agent sponsors were Betty Arlen, Violet Avon, Olive Borden, Anne Cornwall, Ena Greg- ory, Madeline Hurlock, Natalie Joyce, June Marlbw, Joan Mere- dith, ICvelyn ' ierce, Dorothy Revler, Duane Thompson and Lola Todd. Of the first selection of Baby Stars in 1922, 13 years later still flnds s>^Voral still in the running. Colleen Moore is still about; Llla jjee manages to keep busy In tnde-: pendents; Lois Wilsoii still works. Patsy Ruth Millar Is ia writer con- tracted to Saniuel Goldwyn. Wliat has become of Marlon Aye, Helen .Ferguson, Jacquclln Logan, Louise Lorrane, Hesse Love, Kathryn Mc- Guiie, Claire Windsor, Mary Phll- bln and Pauhne Starke? [Miss Logan was in a Broadway legit last season;] Final year of Baby Stars, 193 J, w-i« also a dud, only Judith Allen getting anywhere near importance. Rest faded immediately after re- ceiving'their honors. Still the Waiinpas can be proud of /Continued on page 42) "Speeil Boy- Hollywpod, Sept. 24. Al Boasberg cut himself in three ways on Radio's 'Upper- cutlets' arid then for good measure brought it uiider the ■ wire In eight hours. Boas- berg wrote the one-reeler; with Walter Catlett and Ethel Sykes in the lead, cast hiniself 'for a part anid directed.. Aggregate time consumed said to set some kind of a rec- ord. START DRIVE FOR ROGERS MEMORIAL Will. Hays, member of the Na- tional Operations Commfttee of the Will Rogers' Memorial Fund cam- paign, has designated John G. Flinn, of Variett, to represent'the plctiii'e industry as an active member of that committee. Flinn will devote his time to the drive during the period of the cam- paign. Hollywood, Sept. 24. A memorial to Will Rogers was dedicated Sunday (22) when the Uplifters Polo Field became the Will Rogers Memorial Field. Fred Nlblo officiated at the cere- monies attended by stage arid screen players. -■ HollyweFDe,'Septr?4;—• Two conferences last week be- tween leaders of the Screen Actors* Guild and Frank Glllmore, presi- dent of Equity, resulted in lining up plans for closer cooperation be- tween the two organizations and to make operative the contract of affiliation signed last year. plan as worked out by the Guild will be carried back to New York by Glllmore for submission to Equity's council and if the latter approves, it will go Into operation immediately. Decision haa been reached for the Guild to move slowly, in. ita campaign to obtain collective bax- gaihlng recognition Of the studios under the Wagner law and group has .been cautioned to operate along, those lines. Latest report here Is that pro- posal has been advanced for a working agreement between this Guild with the British Actors' Equity, whereby niembers of either organization would come under the jurisdiction of th-^ her when in respective territories. Sucii a tleup, it is claimed, would provide both British Equrty and the Guild with added strength in their negotiations with producers in either Hollywood or England. Proposition Is said to be favor- ably looked on by leaders of the two actor groups, especially in view of the Increase of players concerned In the interchange of talent between London and Hollywood. Hontenegro-Roulien Married, to S^. for Pix Paris, Sept. 24. Conchita Montenegro and Raoul Roullen, married here Sept. 19, are expected in Buenos Airfes around mid-November for personal appear- ances and film work for Companla Argentina de Films. Miss Monte- neg:ro is currently doing a picture for Nero Film here. Pair will journey to S. A, to- gether, femme portion on an option If producers fall to attract Lupe Velez, there noiy on a p.a. tour. Roullen goes into film irrespective of femme lead. Quins Excl. to Pathe Hollywood, Sept 24. Canadian Minister of Public Wel- fare Croll rejected Paramount's of- fer for the Dlpnrie quintuplets, ad- vising that the babes wOn't appear In any pictures except for Pathe newsreel. Studio wanted the quins for 'Milky Way.' 'Million' Air Bally . Hollywood, Sept. 24. Twentieth-Fox and NBC are huddling on a tranii-contlnehtal air- ing of 'Thanks a Million.' Fred Allen would m. c. the siiow from the east,, with Dick Powell handling the Coast end. Sez John rHollywood, Sept. 34. In answer to his wife's divorce complaint, John Barrymore denied the cruelty charges and clalnied too high a figure was set on bi community property. TOWNE-iBAKER WITH WANGEE Hollywood, Sept, 24, Gene Towne and Graham Baker started (Monday) on a hew six- month contract with "VValtei- Wan- ger. First assignment l.s .screen play on 'Case of Mrs. Amo.i,' which iPara- mount owns and turned over to the producer. ERUGEB SEI^S BBIT. PIC Pic which Otto Kruger was to do for British International next month has been temporarily post- poned until Nov.^ 16. Instead he will return to the Coast for Columbia opposite Ruth Chatterton. Actor leaves New York tomorrow (Thurs- day). Others in cast ^vjll be Lewis Stone and Rochelle Hudson. Deal arranged by Leo Morrison office, which also placed Romaine Callender, Broadway legIter,'for one picture with same outfit. Trade-Marh Rpitlatered K'OUNDED .BT BIMB SILVCUMAN roblished Weekly by VARIKI'V, .Ine. Sid Silverman, - President 164 West 4ech Street, New York City SUBSCRIPTfON Annual .$6 ForetRn...... ,17 Single Copies,.. ....IS Cents Vol, 120 No, 2 INDEX Bills ... C8 Burle^qije 74 Chatter ............,....'70-77 Concert ; 73 Exploitation ............ 29 15 and 50 Years Ago.... . 65 Film Reviews 12 House Reviews 18 Inside—Legit 70 Inside—Music 60 Inside—Pictures 6 Inside—Vaude 65. Inside—Radio 54 International New ,...,20-27 Legitimate 69-74 Literati .73 Music 60-62 New Acts .-. ..^ 67 News from. the Dailies... 78 Nlte Chibs 02 Obituary 79 Outdoors . 79 Pictures 2-42 Radio ,..43-,';9 i^adlo—Chatter 52 Radlo-^New Business 84 Radio—Reports 46 Radio—Showmanship 48 Time.", Square 76 Shorts 12 TTnltfl 67 Vnudevlllo ; 63-fi7 Women 17