Variety (Mar 1936)

6 VARIETY PICTURES Wednesday, March 25, 1936 L B Up 5% Leads Amusement Advances; Flood Reflected by Market By MIKE WEAR Irregularity marked the trend . In stock values. In yesterday's (Tues- day) market, with numerous groups showing minor losses at close. .Amusements followed general ten- dency of Industrial Issues to slide, ptt although few large losses were Softest were Columbia. Pictures Btocks, Paramount 1st. pfd., East- man Kodak and Westinghouse. Al- though common of last named was' down nearly 3 points -the preferred lifted almost two. Columbia Plx preferred was off more than 2 points to a new low at 45% while common, certificates also dipped to a new 1936 low at 35%. Radio B .nearly equalled Its new high ai lUO and showed a minor gain oh- the day. Stock values fell as flood waters rose last week, but the decline? for the most :part were notiufflclent to wipe out the sharp advances'made; In earlier tradin*. "Early rally gained Its impetus from more favorable developments. ,tn the war-like German situation. .. Amusement sector followed the general market trend with . most IssueB of this classification winding up week with .gain*. Amusement Group showed an advance of 0.693 of a pdlnCat th«~close-(43%), a* measured by the averages, for 12 stocks. Group came within striking distance of ltaold high but feU hack after nearly. reaching- 44%. Low point waa 42%, considerably above lowest mark In preceding week. * .; Showing by these 12 representa- tive ' Issues followed the general trend of smaller groups on the big board, eygn as to volume which was- . lower, than In *he preceding week. ; Sensational performer In late trading .was. Radio Prefenred B, which finally hit the century inark In , Monday's session. Radio B eventually wound up at 98%, after being quoted at lOOV At this level It was up 5% points on the week. Appearance of certificates for the (Continued on page 24) IS ROADSHOW DATES ON '2EGFELD' SET 'The Great Zlegfeld,' which , is fo 16 reels and cost Metro close to $2,000,000, will be extensively road- shown at $1.65 top. So far is dates have been set, first of Which will be the Aetor, N. Y., opening April 8 at $2 top. Metro has Astor for eight weeks with Options, Others , are Chestnut St, Philadelphia;, Cass, Detroit, rlanger, Buffalo, Ameri- can^ St.. Louis, Colonial, Boston,' Er-. lahgetv .Chicago; Geary* San Fjran- Cisco,: Mvmicl vHall,- '■. Prattle, - all April 12; Alexandria, Toronto, 18; National, Washington,. 1?; Carthay Circle,. Los Angeles, IS;. His MaJestyV Montreal, 19;. Hanna, Cleveland, 26, .and Nixon, Pitts- burgh,, April 26. Metro .is putting on .special.men to handle roadshow engagements. McKay Unloaded on 0 Stock, Cohn Added Col , . Washington, March 24, Willard: S. McKay, officer in Uni- versal Pictures, unloaded part of his holdings.in the company during-. December and January, while Harry Cohn, president, of Columbia Pic- tures, Increased his interests* Fed- eral Securities and Exchange Com- mission reported last week. : Containing few deals by insiders in film companies, S. E,' C, semi- monthly statement showed McKay during December disposed *? 532 shar«B of. U common a,nd 46 shares' of second preferred, cuttlng^respec- tiw holdings to US an.d zero. In January, McKay " Bold. 30 shares of 8% cumulative 'first preferred and SO shares of the same , paper held by WHkay "Holding. Co., wiping out the .holding, company's Interest .and cutting.hla direct investment to 317 shares. Samuel Sedran, Universal officer,, acquired 100 shares of. the firm's common' during January; Harry Cohn boosted his holdings' in Columbia through the stock divi- dend method, adding 37 shares of c«mtnori> bringing lifs; total to l,&y and getting pother i#30 shares «* common through the Voting trus- teeship -and raising these holdings to 70,968. National Screen Elands Into the Accessor; Market The ^National . Screen.... Service, headed'by Herman Bobbins;; is ex- panding into the accessory market. The first step in this direction', after, much planning, is "through organi- zation of a new company, National Screen Accessories, In co-operation with the oldest display service com- pany in the Industry, American Display Co., Inc., headed by Charles L. Casanave. National Screen Accessories be- gins operations with the line -of ac- cessories Which American Display* has: beeni furnishing exhibitors right along on product of the major dis- tributors. v Yesterday's Prices Sales. Hlgb,IiOW.I**t.chit. 500 Col. Plot.. 8t» *«H4 400 Con. Film. «H W4 6% + Jt 700 East. K..162 161% 101V4 — K 7,900 Cton. El. .. 8C% 88% 38% - % 2,200 Loew .... 47% 47% 47% - % 2,100 Paramount 0%. W 9H — % 3,400 Do 2d pf 10% 10% 10%- % 18,800 Pathe ....10 .0% fl% - U 80,300 RCA .....13% 13 13%—% 7,400Ha<Ho B... 00% 08 08%+% 3,300 RICO ..... 8 IK 7% — % 200 20th-Fox .. 20 38% . 28% 10.400 W, B,..». 12% 12% 12%- % CURB ' 2.700 Tech. .... 20% 28% 28% - % 700 Trana-L . . 4* 4 4. BONDS $23,000 Ctan. Th.. 29%- 29 29 - % 8,000 K*lth .... SB% « W- + % 1,080*Iioew. ,...102%Ktt% 102% 5,000 Par-B'way B7% 57 57% + % lS.OOtt Paramount M% 90% 01 — % 43,000 W, B..... OT 08 06%+% ""•N«W 1036 low. F&H GIVES UP 2 ST. L HOUSES LESSER TIES AB1EN FOR OUTDOOR TRIO Chicago, March 24. Metro will open roadshow of legfeld' at the Erlanger April 12. This is the second roadshow of the season; -Midsummer Night's.Dream' (WB) showing at the Balaban Katz Apollo, it's Metro's first road- show since "Dinner at Eight/ Hollywood, March 24.. Metro has booTted ^Zlegfeld* into the .Carthay Circle for April 15 on a roadshow scale after .a-$5■ open- ing.' Admish scale will be 50c to $1:60.. * Skippy Exits Par Hollywood, March 24. Alison Skipworth is departing frohi Paramount, studio not lifting its opinion. Also leaving Par is Barry Trlv* ers,-writer, who is sailing from New York for England March 27. Arnold's Personals \ Edward Arnold comes east for his scheduled personal at - the JRoxy, N< Y., within a few weeks following the opening of his starring picture, •Sutter's Gold' (U), at R. C. Music Hall, N. Y., tomorrow (Thursday). Tentative dates for Arnold at the Roxy are the last week in April or the first in May. Hollywood; -Mareh - 24., ", • Richard Arlen goes with Sol Les- ser ,to be starred in. -three Of six- Harold Bell Wright and Zane Grey features" that Lesser-Principal will make for 20th-Fox release -on 1936-- <37 program. . First will be 'Alias Briah 1 Kent,' going into production. In August. Arlen pulled out midweek for New York, where he sails March 25/ for London. <He'4.1 star in The Bar- rier' for Gaumont-Brltish. v , Seriin .on 'Carmen' Initial production Tvhlch Oscar Serlin will make for Paramount at Eastern Service Studios, Astoria, will be 'Carmen.' Director rtot picked as yet; but company, is defintely committed to producing this with- story stressed rather than operatic slant. Serlin. expects to begin actual shooting either in May or early June; Boris Kaplan is slated to become Paramount's new eastern execute. Kaplan is presently first aide to Serlin. Hollywood, March 24. Oscar Serlin goes east in a few weeks to round up stage and radio talent for, Paramount's 'Artists and Models.' Also function as producer of the musical to be made in New York. '2 Flags' at $1.50 Hollywood, March 24. With Daryl .Zanuck personally supervising the cutting job on 20th- Fox 'Under Two Flags,' it's down to release footage of 10,500 feet. Opus may follow 'Zlegfeld' into the Carthay Circle at $1.50. St, Louis, March 24. Loss of about /f276,000 hi opera- tion of the Ambassador theatre in. teat 17 months* attributed to In- ability to obtain vatlefaetory first- run feature films, .has resulted lh : decision of Fanchon '& Marco to nhutter downtown deluxer Thursday (26). In surrendering this house and New Grand- Central theatre, which lias been dark moat of time in last few years, F&M Interests expect to drop a $70,000 cash guarantee. Harry C. Arthur, Jr., v.p. of F&M, said loss on Ambassador,' New Orand Central and Missouri houses, since, taken over by F&M Aug. 4, 1934, after a bondholders' reorgan- ization of properties, had beeh S368,~ 000, of which 75% . was at Ambas- sador. Missouri has been a second runner. Weekly rent of Missouri an.d; Ambassador, $2,350 each,' has been paid 'regularly, Arthur said, but the landlord; Ambassador Building. Corp., ha* rejected" F&M. offer to keep, up rent if permitted to close Ambassador. instead, Arthur stated, landlord intended" to declare, default, resume possession of two houses and pocket cash guarantee. F&M owns; 71% of stock in St Louis Amusement, . Inc., having taken over 25% interest of Allen L. Snyder, engineer,, who figured In original reorganisation deal. Other stockholders are Charles E. Kurtz- -man, mgr. Ambassador; Harry Oreenman, mgr. of Fox theatre and Dr. J. Probsteln, brother-in-law of Harry Koplar, who has figured In background of F&M operations. • The caBh guarantee was posted in. proportion to stock holdings as com- pared with others. F&M will continue showing first- run films at Fox and second-run at Missouri, while St. Louis theatre, another unit- in. local .chain, will re-- .main. 'padlOcked... -TUe -.98 "employes of'Ambassador have* .received two week's notiee of' dlsmlssali- Kurtz- man shifts to Missouri and Ralph McGowan, * brought here from Salt Lake City around Jan. 1 When stage shows were resumed at Missouri, returns to Utah metropolis. Stage shows at Missouri were dropped, after five weeks of unprofitable business. Delayed payroll reports sent to Congress by the U. S.; .Treasury De- partment Friday (20> discloses Will Rogera heading .the list with $324,. 314 from Fox Film during the fiscal year 1034 before his death. He's second in the ranking of big-salary actors, however, -a previous report showing Mae West collected $16,000 more than the cowboy humorist. Second fattest pay-envelope handed out , by Fox went tp Winnie Sheehan, whose compensation amounted to $300*000. Columbia Picts list is tdpped by Harry Colm. Figures for Loew's, Metro and a few miner companies- still have not been submitted to Congres, but otherwise virtually the entire film in- dustry has complied with requirements of last, year's law making re- ports oh payments over $15,000 mandatory. ^Paramount was the biggest producer, turning over data in' the fli'st list which went to the Capitol two months ago. PAR POWWOW IN N. 0. Number of. Paramount theatre operating heads, are trekking to New. iprleans "for ; semi-official cen- fibs with Y.''Frink. Freeman and With E. T. Richards. L. A. to N. Y. Jack Oakie. ArChie Mayo, Ed Finney, John Mlljan. Harpo Marx. Arthur Richman. Howard Hughes. Lincoln KlrBtein. Milton Bender. Sherrlll Cohen. Cal Kuhl. Lupe Velez. Abe Lastfpgel. Cedric Gibbons. Dolores Del Rio. Tim McCoy. Myron Selznick. Howard Lang. Robert Pirosh. George Seaton. Rob Collier. Jack Moss. N. Y. to L, A. Shapiro, Bernstein & Co. has settled its differences with 20th Century- Fox over the latter's parody on 'River Stay Away From My Door' in Poor Little Rich Girl.' Publisher had insisted that the parodied ver- sion as done toy Shirley Temple be clipped from the picture, but on the request of Buddy DeSylva, producer ol the film, S-B last week with- drew Its objections and agreed to let the hit stay in and at the regular sync fee. Publisher's opposition to the parody, was that It tended to lessen the value of a piece of . property which had been built up to the point where It has become part of the standard repertoire of alL classes of baritones. During past year Sol Lesser (Principal) with small and compact pro- duction unit and staff, has turned out eight feature films, with one to go for a May 1 windup. Producer during year is responsible for bIx George O'Brien starrers for N 20th-Fox. release; two Harold Bell Wright pictures, featuring .Richard Arlen, tor Columbia, and first Bobble Breen feature. Unfinished Is. one O'Brien »ic. Statistics interesting to trade as indica- tive of how unit production of Indie operator can push, product through Without waste motion and heavy overhead, customary on major lots. Broadside ot quesUoimalres has. beeiv. sent to 2,*00 exhibs, critics and picture fans by PickfOrd-Lasky on'returns from which will be based re- lease policy of future Francis Leder^r-productions for that : company. ^Questionnaire,will.ask.how many pictures star may appear in each year without hurting: hie popularity, what type of features and roles seem best suited to him. Result Is expected to throw interesting.sidelight on' •controversy between James Gagney and WarnerB and between other ac- tors and their studios over frequency of screen appearance. Harold Kemp. Charles Einfel To protect his client, Berg-Allenberg Agency, Atty. Martin Gang has filed a new action hr Los Angeles- Superior. Court,.'seeking to collect $80,000 -alleged unpaid commissions from Wallace Beery. New Suit filed to pro-> tect client against dismissal of similar suit that has been hanging fire In courts for nearly two years. Under California statute of limitations, trial of-an action is-expected to cOme up -wltnlp two. years, after filing of complaint, -Agency claim is for commission on Contracts negotiated by it for'actor at Metro and 20th Century. Number of' Fox-West Coast house managers are being criticized for their handling of bank night, particularly as regards their insistence that absentees, whose name are drawn as prize winners, be notified^ by their friends or acquaintances afterwards of their misfortune. Idea back *pf it la that ■ persons registered will attend theatre at every drawing. Several elderly .patrons are said to have suffered severe shock when notified they - were out several hundred dollars because they did not at- tend a particular drawing. A meeting of theTtioard of directors Of Paramount on the last Thurs- day of each month-is to be a regulation procedure. Directorate will sit. down at the big table at headquarters on that day 12 times a year, providing, a quorum is present, but may also meet on other days, depend- ing on matters that require board attention. Directors meeting again tomorrow. (Thursday), with Adolph Zukor, chairman, presiding,, and John E. Otterson, president, in attendance.. Latter is remaining in New York Indefinitely; Portrait painter of note, In Hollywood .for several years, was told by writing team that the post of art director at an indie studio would be a cinch to grab off if painter made 'portrait of studio's production chief. Painting, was-made with artist waiting around several weeks for call from studio, only to learn that scribblers, had presented portrait as a gift 'In -iheir own names and grabbea.' year's contract for themselves. .'Criticizing type of * character he portrayed in 'Ceiling Zero,' wherein he was rather\free in his way with femmes, number of girls in an east- em Institution have written form-letters to James Cagney. More than half the' missives contained a postscript In which girls said they havo been: forced to write the letters, by school's head, but urged actor to con- tinue, playing same type of rolea. Two of six- girls brought to Coast from New Orleans by Paramount three .months ago as possible screen bets, have. had 'their options lifted. Two of sextet have been dropped and two have -several weeks to go before option time. Those optioned are Wllma Francis and Ann Evers, latter assigned to part in studio's 'Something to Live For.' Ralph Cohn, -2&-year-old son of Jack Cohn, Is being 1 .groomed at Colum- bia to fill vacancy created by departure of Sid Rogell, now. at RKO. Youngster has Just completed supervision of studio's "Panic In the Air,' his first screen production assignment. Previously youth worked as a stage manager in New York under name, of Ralph Morris. Old shorts, mostly of the travelog type but Including . cartoons, being dressed up and shot out as new releases, according to -managers who are spotting them here and there.. Claimed that new treatment and narration being given the Oldies in the hope that, they won't be recog- nized. Two years ago when RKO studio execs were tepid on filming of. 'Lost Patrol,' John Ford directed opus on percehtage-of-proflts deal.. During past few months Ford has dragged down around $7,000 in royalties, and pic still going strong In subsequent run locations. In its search for color process of its own, Paramount has Imported Oscar Fishinger, German color processor and one-time producer, to work at studio on his own ideas. Fishinger is conducting experiments with special crew and promises results of his first tests within 10 days. Third picture next season- at Metro with a racetrack background Is •Broadway Melody of 1937.' Others are 'Saratoga* and the Marx Bros, new film. Producers association is considering, proposal to appoint David Wai'K Griffith an ambassador of good will for pictures, as possible contact for Women's and other organizations. They came to Hollywood as Pearl Ginsberg. Shaindel Kalish, Martha- drew Bonini and Arthur Jacobson. Their studio paychecks are made out respectively to Paula Gail, Ann Preston, Sunnie O'Dea and Henry I-iunter-