Variety (Nov 1936)

Vedncsdnyr November 4, 1936 PI C fU It c s VARIETY East lor Hays Radio-Fix Parleys While tbe Ford bid for Metro tal- ent pcifsohnet. to. be used on radio programs iharks time, both National Broadcasting Co. and eolunibla Brt»adea^ting-^^System^re--sfet- tp^ ;ihto a huddle with Will Hays ^^^q^ the" radio-pictures situation . this week. Don Gilnian and Don Thorn- burgh ire en route to N. Y." for the lorthcoming parley from the Coast to confer with the head of the-Mo- :iion Picttiries Producetis and Distrib- utors. Associeiiiph later this week. 'GUthaD represents KBC and Thorn^ ■burgh CBS on the Coast, and they are expected- to give ttieir views on the use of picturie artists on broad- casts. ' There appears to be little doubt biit that the Foi'd move to tie up all contract players bii 6ne major piroducing coinpahy'S: lot has re- sulted itt. Reverberations all. along the line With jradid-minded adver- tisers. While radio network 6xecur tives have always maintained an: at- titude, of istrict .cordiality with the ifljm busihesSt over the picture, play- er brOadca$1r savawks,, this latest de-' :velop.meitit has speeded the long-ex- pected conferences between radio and pictures, the foicmer rep>resented by the networks and the latter by trichoias Schehck, Harrjf M. Warner land M. H. Ayleswbrth. . ' With other large industrial Arms like Ford either already in the mar- (Continued on page 31) LOOKS LIKE DURANTE IS DUE BACK IN PK Buddy DeSylva irting with Jimihy Durante for a picture come- back under< the ITniversai banner. DeSylva, recently severed from- 20ith century-Fox, ' signed with Charles R. Rogers *on an: associate producer- ship oh the t7 lot. Durante's come<ily^ d ^ foriTreedley musicaV'Recir Hot ah^^^^ Blue,' has renewed general interest ini that funster. Dave Loew still has a bid pending for Durante, and Paranibunt's bankrolling of the Freedley musical ives that .studio a further in. oh the Schnozz's Holly- wood services.: . On Lou Clayton's managerial ad- vice, Durante ha's'nixed a $3,500 bid from the Club Versailles, N. Y., be- cause of the difficulty : of doubling from a legit, show into a late nite spot plus the fact that Durante— as in the stage , miisical^wanti to get. away from the familiar stuff and jvork up.a new routine.. Versailles is after Maurice Cheva- lier to retui'Q to . America, through the William Morris office, but it , de- pends largely on a coincidental, film deal for the French comedian, who, if the latter isn't set, won't accept. N/Y; Fms Scare Jean Off Fear that she would be besieged by autograph hounds who are re^^ portedly making things unbearable ipr fllm . celebs, ^ean- Harlow has called l^eir; proposed New York visit and yf\\\ vacation on the Coast istead,'" ' ■ ■ persohal appearance at the Capitol theatre, Ni ., and a radio broadcast have been cancelled. Sestue'g Successor San Fraheisco, Nov. - Dehniel Suzuki, Japanese film ac- tor, arrived here last week. Suzuitt plans to go to Hollywood to study the techni of pix production there. , . - He iopes tb^ b the 'talking' successor to Sessue Hayakawa. SCHOEDSiACk'S 'HEROES' Hollywood^ NoVi nvT B. SchOedsack will direct No More Heroes,' next Jack Holt picture that Larry barmbur will make for Coiunibia release. tory is based on published novel . D; Newsome. Add: ^Earryniore WMCA, New York, which ~Cpt|ipler^fr!Weeks-ragb-sighed-up-^ Elaine Barrie, John Bairry- mOre's protege, to read /poetry Organ accompaniment, has how; si^ed iMichael Striange, Barryr more's eX":wife,': . Her first , .stiht was. read the Declaration Ihdepehd- ence, also to or£;ah\accompahi- ment, laist night, (Tuesday) dur- ing the election returns... $I,4II0.0MIERBER BY GOIDWIN _^, Hollywood, Novi ..' 'Come- and Get It' cost Samuel GoldWyn $li406io6o. When Goldwyn returned from Europe aiid the east, he stopped production of the picture, paying off. HOward Hawks, the direc- tor, with the cost at that time $900,000. ■ He ordered'the; stpry revamped, insisting . that the characteirizatlon outlined in the Edna Ferber narra- tive be adheried. to, and Ordered the story for. the screen should follow that of the bpok^ and not be. one which had been rewrittehv When Goldwyn put William Wyier In to replace! .. HawKs ; as director, Wyler and Merritt Hiilburd, asso- ciate producer, were afraid- of it and insisted their, names' be kept off the screen. However, when the; picture was completed at. an .additional '■ cost of $500,000^ with . about 80% re- makes/-the .duo were, glad-to. get Jh& credit, acknowledging that Goldwyn had. the. right idea ^iafter all. Goldwyn figures that the picture will gross around $2,000,00)0 through^ but the .world.. NEW GOLDWYN PACT, PAY HIKE FOR OBERON Merle Oberon has been signatured by Samuel Goldwyn to ai new term pact, with substantial salary in- crease. Actress' old contract, which still has two and a. half years to go, was torn' up by producer, and new deal substituted with cOnsent of Alexander Korda, who shares rights with Goldwyn Miss Oberon's services. Miss Oberon,. currently in N?w York, sails for .lingland (4). to do some British.. flilm; work. Her new Goldwyn jpact iwill not'start for at least six months. $36,(M)p Weekly D^al Viai the Wm»;<), Morris Ag:ency Temporarilj^T^H Election Fever-^ Augurs Every Other S|tu<Iia Mak- mercial Deals ^r-r liisiiresi P r o per Presentations, ', Control of Talent, Value of Pix Plugs for/ReleaSiihg Titles* Etc. 10,000 Paid $1 a Head for Mrs. Irv Berlin^ EDR. Were Real Pniwi ffw^ EXHIBS STILL NO LIKE ' Sanction of-picture .players' radio appearance's only when arid where .supervised, directly . by' their film employers, is expected to be recbmr niended in: the report, resulting froni the current investigation-bf-the^fllm- radio questioh by an industry .-com- mittee of three. This report, Which will .largely : influence the .picture business in future pirbcedure' on the radio problem, is due to be returned Within.' the next couple of weeks. The coriunittee comprises Nicholas M. Schenck of Loew->Metro, Harry M..Warner of Warner Bros, and M. H. Aylesworth of RKO. Despite ejthibitOr agitation for complete outlawing of film .players' ether sidework, On the grounds that in permitting .such engagementis the picture business is' creating' its own competition for itself^ a more gen- eral opinion within the trade is that total: elimination isn't possible. The majority sentiment, it; now . appears, is th^t the best Picture biz can hope for is control, of its players' radio work. .. This 'control'. theory^ frorh ac-;^ counts, is {he basis of the deal which Metro-GOldvo'-n=Mayejc_ js:,ocuiTej^^^^ discussing with, the Ford Motor Co. It rinvOlves the highest priced pro-. gram ever attempted on the airland also the first direct . tie7up between a major picture producer and a net.-. :wbrk :Cohimercial sponsor. If set, it starts/on .or about Jan.. 1^ 1937, with i'prd- presenting and' Metro. supplyV irig ainid prOducinig the show, with broadcasts direct'from, the M-'G-M studio in Culveir City, iCal. Budget (Conti -Thei^low^dft Holly wood,/Nov. . Spiritualism nd. kindred: rackets wilt be exposed Metro in series of shorts belled 'What Do You Thi Carey Wilson will pouri scripts .arid .narrate By FRANK SCULLY Wallaiiev Beery is the latest hairie to be notified by Equity that there are charges against him for failure tO: join the Screen Actors' Guild, as r^equii'e.d of Equityites under a work- ing agreement between the two as- sociations. He will be required, to appear or answer the complaint with- in four weeks, after. Which tiriie. he is liable , to suspe.nsioh^ Beery, like some others neglected joining the Guild , because counting On remaining in pictures indefi iteiy, with 'small chance of appeairing on the legit stage, He was-unknown oh Broadway,.' playing bits" with his brother Noah in the late. Thomas W. B.yley ihusical shows, .fhbre than 15 years viago. They, joined Equity in 1921. '■ Ambng Others Lionel Barrymore and Alice Brady havie 4iot yet joined the Giiild as Ordered,' so far ' as is kno|wn by Equity. John Barrymore Tyas "al5b~^a—holdout- but—his- rtame did not appear on the complaint list, his attorney advising Equity that the. matter wbuld be atteiideid to. Robeson to Aussie? Melbourne, Oct. . Reported that .Paul Robeson will tour here next year for WlHiamsOn- Tait, doing, both concert and stage shows. If Robeson does Come he will be the highest pai imported artist ever to visit Australia. " •,■ Also some talk. that. RObesoh may do one pic during his stay here; COE'S KANCY STEELE' FOR M'UGLEN, LANG Hpi.lywood,' Nov; ictof . McLaglen ' and ' June' Lang will be co-starred by 20th-Fox in The Lost- Nancy: SteelOi' <H>iginal by Charles Francis Coe; scripted_by Hal Lang .and Gene Fowler. Nunnally Johnson will produce and Otto Preminger directi Metro Pacts Muir Holly wood; Nov. 3i Esther Muir;-plajrin i *A- Day .at the Races,' been given a term; contract by ■with ,yeiriy op- tions for five Move by a second broadcasting Company, CBS, a major studio building improvement program in Hollywood is regarded in the film industry .as just another thing that is bound to further rile exr hibitors; on :^the radio-picture situa- tion. ..Theatre Operators already have begun voicing their increased fears just as they, did six.months ago y/hen extended activity of. the networks in Hollywood was anhbunced in ad- .vance. v , . Now these exhibitors are doubly peeved beciause they enyision a fur- ther extension. Of radio appearances by air-minded picture players. There is no questiph but that there " a powerful resentment with theatre operators generally over recent . dieV velopmentsV But thus far they are quite at sea as to whom to carry their sqiiawks,. CQmplaihts to lietr works,, to ,the film producers tp the stars themselves and even the sponsors thus: far have resulted in a: general passing of the buck, because of the divided authority and coriflict- ing elements in lliie situation., , .Proof that picture stars: oh the air is IiUrtiiig the bpx-office appeal of stellar, players was supplied by ex- hibs. in; recent weeks. These theatre managers point ..to the necessity of placing two or more satellites in a feature producticn . at the present time in order, to draw as they did in the paist when one star was sufficient appeaL They claim that the inroads of .radio appeafhce of film- players oh broadcasts are responsible for such a situation. Several exhibitor? i the past, week .also took occasion to take apart the argument of radio spokesmeri to the effect that broadcasts hiad .improved, theatre attendance;-- ■ T cbhtend that the gerieral pirOsperity ipf the, 'PbpuiaCe .and. better product are' ihainly responsible. "They. refute the contentiph Of. radio people by using their own- argumc-rit to the effect that radio biz is On; the Upbeat arid' that jtheir audience is larger than ever .be- fore. Oh' this contentiori,' th.e theatre manager .-figures : that, if more are listening to the radio, fewer are in film houses because they can't be both places at thie same time. Hollywood, Nov.: For the .first time conscious . of its power political I .Hollywood .was so; busy making' pi tures it hadn't tiniie' to direct the destiny of the .nation. . It; turned , out for only One. Roosevelt rally last Thursday at which lOlOOb paid 51 a head, then the film colony deci to go bacic to its grind in the .studios, ■ ' Rally, Which was sponsored by- Mrs. Irving Berli j; who brought a Party of 60 stars :iri tux for the pea^-: arits tO lpoic at fpr their dollar, didn't get a line in the Hearst rags, which tisUally . go ;gaga over every pictur turnout, but it was the smash pre-- view of the year to those who at- tended. Stars Were herded aiiOrig brie si the immense ballroprin Of tiie Shrin- ers auditorium. Programs had At Lyi^ Ans'XIocbanut jC ing dance riumbers between routina rabble rousersf bii^ as soOri as the stars piled: in peasaiits; turned, as one man aSyay from speaker on the: plat- form and gazed at their faves. Eye* never got back to'platfbrm; Even George JesseV m;. .'ing, couldnit get them to face the speak- ers' roster after that. :Jessel slipped out of that affront to his s. a. and showmanship by dragging^ the stars to the mike. Most :6f tiSern prcfcrriAd tp take a bow from ttieir seats, but he finally got Joan Crawford iip and mob turned their faces from the Ber- lin- party to the platform as if they were the hands of a clock. He. managed to get Grace Moore, Joan Bennett, Sylvia Sidney, Paul Muni and a couple of song-pluggeivt ui^ too, but the bthers thought a bow from their seats was the best they could do without a sOript-writer on the set. George GiershWin played George Gershwin. Trving ' Berii j?hecked_thatj>x:sJnging.Ji!yirigiBer^ (Continued on page'31) . TrHdn ;Mnrk lteK)*tere<i POUNDED BT. StMB STLVBItMAN Ptal»llHli>d ti'Mkly bj VARI^.'lnr, SI Silverman. PresMent JG4 West 40th Streeli New SUBSCRiPTlO.N Annual ::..$6 Potel , . $7. Silngle Co Vol. in No. 8' INDEX Advance Production Chart Ghatter Exploitation . ..... i;...,.. 15 Years Ago ilm Reviews House RevieNVs . Insidc^Legit Inside—Pictures Inside-^Radi International. News Legitimate Literati Music , . . ;. .... New Acts; ' News from the Daili lubs Obituary Outdoors Radio JO—iReports Radio-rShowmariShip. 52 m 59 23 .18-19 44 .53-581 : 45-10; 50 G2 ■ ; 63 2-23 4Q Times Square Units ,..,.. i. Vaudeville ,..'. *. >....... .47-50