Variety (Nov 1936)

VASOETY W^diicfldayi No?^nUkr 4y'19315 Poiiit to Pre«idei|t« in^^^^ ^vith Brandt at ' Atiiiost jE^act'; ' flt^ i^ BlaitiH-LjL^ GMardia prdersyArrests Bonifeinig'bf eight jlidfepehdeht pic- ture houses in the Great« Njsw tihioii raiiki inW <ionfi^^ in view of negotiations that , were proceed- jng to i probable deal between Local ~306/^£^theT>tan5frican-Federation-^^^ Labor and the Allied Operators, not ^affiliated with thq A. T, pf L;, for VsetUement of the involved booth sit-; ti^ion.' At the very iirrte that" theatres in question were bombed Thttfsday night. (2»); high un ex- ectitiveS were in .cdhferencife discuss- ing a psa<;e parley. George E. Browne, president of the Interhatlbriai AlUance of The- atrical Stajge Einplbiye^s; Who .has long been quoted a& deeply inter- ested, in ironing out the vexatious: ,lJfeW Y^ork bperktot. sxtU^ ^kteseht at thiis conference, together with;' Joseph' 0. Basson^ president of 3P^\ Harry Brandt;^ head of the In- dependent Theatre ' Owners Assn; which has a 10-year deal with Allied' (bps, and others. ; News thit stenchj and tear-gas bombs had exploded in: eight houseis, ihbstly • those in the Brahidt chain, brpke. for some un-^ ^expla&ic!d-zeasonucoi^ident^ with' this: conference^ to end~:riyaliyHje-: tweeii 300 and Allied, wipe Out. crbss^picketing ahd -provide, addir tipnal employnient for Ops. ; Were Maklni; Progress C . s Sources clb$pVto the. situation be-. lieve that interests in opposition to any kind of a deal between 306 and Allied bombed the. theatres in hopes <^f breaking up negotiations which,' it understood, had reached the point .where rear progress was being ' iliiade.. Bepprta-are .that a proposal, Was being discussed'to have alii Al- lied-mannied houses take on an exb^ irikii from Local 306 who would 'function largely as a swinjg mtui;. A raid istaged on the N; . Y: head . pMces pf lipcal 306 Fr^ night (30) •ilby' police following demand fpr ac- tiph by Maypr ..P* H. L^Guardia; ciame: as a distthct, surprise; 306 sources pointing out \that it virpuld "seem entirely ihcomipAtible y/ith circumstances for 306 to have; any -haiid-In- bombihg-at:i i.time.jwhen. the union was^ about to get cpnces- (Continued on page .liO) . ^arampunt.office^ in-Nifew Yprk #ais advised' .yesteiday' (1?ue^y) : that Miie.West will bi^.,unable to fulfill her scheduled persoiial iappearance at the Chicago, Chicago, week beginning Friday (6) in conjunction with her *Go Wesi Young Man' (Par) starrer. Dispatch from the Coast, stated that Miss "West is ill, but will be able to iplay the Broadway Par beginning Nov. 18, day-andrdate With the same pic. .... It appeared last wieek that the per sonals would be off altogether, .Miss West being dissatisfied with the spe- cisji. stage material written by Harry W. "Cpwi... Material,, hpw.eveif, was rewritten and the' p.i.'s were, on a^n> J^ack' LaAue and'Lyle Talbot ihay; appear with her lh' the act. For the New York appearance; Miss "Week is: guairanteed $10,000 a week plus a. percentage Of the gross <>ver va certain figure.' It is \inderstbod. she will: pay the' salaries of l^lbot and Laliue.'; William Morris office engi- neered ^ her p.a Al.: Donohue's .band, currentiy in Detroit^ has been booked by Par amount :'tb "furnish the^ m'usic for the Mae West showi in N. Y^ Soft VilWB Based On liwory of Theft Claiming: thai "Warner Bros, ic tures, Ihc, is planning to produce a picture based around the .cpnstruc- tipii of the P'aiittm.a Csiiud and taken from a scenario hC; had svibmltted to them, -several months; ago, ichard Carroll, former hewspaperman,. filed ail' ; action against . ;the producers Ih N. Y- supreme cbiirt Thursd^ (29). He seeks an injunction .and $10^,000 damiages. Carroll avers;, that a year ago he, •with William : A.- Prake^ another 'writer, wrote : a scenario which he titled 'Panama 'and Conquest.' He submitted it'to 'WB but ^ii wa* re jected. Later hiB learniCid thai the ,de- ^endant had registered with the Pro ducers' Ass'n it$ intention, of making a film cohic((rning the cbh^truction of the Canal. He beiieVes the picture the defendant has in mind is taken from, his original script.; ■. Holly Wppdi NpVi . The , great. Mae . West ■ bachelor derby . came a cropper... figured *as i ' first-'cTass publicity plug for her new picture; 'Go- West, Young Man,* it'dwindled dowif to the inside pages and none top miUch at that. .Majpr Pictures had tied up with a nUmbeir' ht newspapers to conduct iessfiy contests thie merits of biichelordom, the' mrinners . to be t^h/^tQ/Hollywood as Mis^ West's |(U«8t^. Only, t(Vo showed up. v ^r^y HaKer/ the Cleveland ^tr itm Ml^cilioei* jpushcd out ioimI JHug j tJtlOIElHUWSllAD IN BENITO'S mUMBO' HollyAyood, Nov., 3. Confirmation of his selection for the title rple in *The Life of Christo- jiher. CplUmbus,' to made in Italy, has . been received by : i'aCk LaBue frPm Cairlo ROncbroui* ief of film 'prdductiOn for Premier Mus solini. . LaRue Wais. advised that filming would start; within' six months, with actpr figuring to leave here in about two months tb..;prepare fpr the as signhient^ Indicbnent Qver^^ MQSLEY TO UvS. A, Draw wW Badi* and ffiBi 'crack Only Lomtoiw Oct.;25. .Why, i i^m going to J^.' Angeles for itiy health, and/of cpursef id buy; some! GPllar.buttons;' That is all Sydney A. MPseley, late, vice-president pf;, Baird Television Company, irector, pf ^British. Acous- tic Films, man wlio' sold cohtrpl of British , Television' 'to Ostrerg ' and Gaittmoni^ritish, etc;; w.ill lay of a suoldeh decision 'to go Abroad' Jaiter conferences with'^lm ahd^ radio ih' terests here. .^^^.r Moseley is eh. route to, iJew York and. Hollywood on a missioin' which thpse, jLii. the know here'^escribe. as mysterious. ' 1 -J^ollywopd,j!Jpv, 3^ ; Harold Hurliey has been made 'ais sistant managing director of prcdiic tion at, Paramount, putting him siec ond iji cprnmand to; William Le Bairph. Under present prpduction schedule studio has five features, to be produced by Hurieyj but in his new spot he will have a iiand in all studio production activities.- Chandler Sprague, for past two years executive assistant to Ernst Lubitsch iand LeB^pii, respectively, has resii^ed, foUpwing difference of opinion qh. studio pplicy and' opera .tiPn. '■ ■ ' , '. Just before he sailed for New York via the': Canal for five Weeks' vacation, A; M. Botsford had. his op tion as . associate producer taken up by Paramouiit. Jdotsfbrd. returns here Dec. 7j to take Over post as .pro- duction assistant' to LeBafon, fillihg. vacancy caused .by, resign(ation of SpragUe. Boifart Bogers is tern; Piriirj]y_fiUjnjg_^po_^^ . .. -. ^ Hiarry Sherman is in New York p]:eparihg\:to fight;. indictment against him last spring which is ex- pected to cpihe up some time in; No- vember. Charges are tiiat. Sherman, former president of Local 306, .N. Y. Moying Picture Machine Operators, misappropriated $150,000 in funds of the union. Hyman Bushel will represent the former 306 official. In On the Payoff Hollywood, Nov. . Group of film names jpiarticipated in first disburseihent of $400,000 in dividends paid to preferred: stock- holders of . the Guaranty Liquidating .Corp. . ;'. Among i^ose •who drew, checks were Wallace Beery, WilUam Kbe-f nig, Eddid ;Buzzel]^..Lola Lane, Nor- man McLeod;. and Bod LaRpque. THE NEXT STEP::; Second short subject dealing with the advancement of a film: player to stardom Will be made by Metro im der title of 'Hollywood Second Step.' Felix Feist will direct frpm script by Mauri : Grashih. Carey "W»^ Will be cbmrnentator. First short of the series was 'Hoi lywood Extra.' pete smith will reveal Hpllywbod makeup methods in his forthcoming shprt, 'Make-ITp Magic,' fpr Metrp: David; Miller .Will, direct ; from script by Robert Lees and Fred Rinaldo. up .Jack Bissilli,, variously described as a. Cairp sheik, an Egyptian pic- ture director and what net, At any rate he qualified a$ a bachelor and wore a fez: ' "VicpoT M. Shapiro will presis agent )ier personal appearance Nov. 18 ia New Vork. Date will l)e in cbnjuiiic- tibn With her filiiL 'Cro West Ttoang Man,* ■• "• ■ ' MetrtQrEddy's New Deal . . . Hoil3rwPpd, Nov. , liletro js negotiating new tract ;,with Nelspii Eddy. Studio wants a three-year straight deal. RalFt^ Bwt .:Hollywob4i Nov. 3. . . George Raft is being icMlptocl by Anton Pedunte» rtencft sculptbr visiting h er e. V Ha^ • poses tWb hours' daily*! beidfg as- sured that bust, when finished, will find a spot in the "Tuilleries in Paris. v, If ii isn't a bust, Sorel Sails Dec. 17 For HNifbod^^^ Paris,;-Noy. Sorel, last, person France eXpectedi to go to HollyWopd tP make pictures, is j;pihg tb do jiist thai very ori : DeciVlTi The agreement is all fixed with Warner Bros, for her to play: 'Sairph Bern- hardV. Max Reiiih{ir<li, wa$ the first to put ,the Hollywood b.iig in her ear when he Was heire.. earlier in the year, and whph Jack Wsjrner came along last month he cUnched the deal.' One . ranee's, ;rnost . noted actresses^ she a]ppeare,d for 30 years on the. Com^iedle-Francaise stage, leaving thiree year's ago to mal^e her first music hall appeiarance. She Is presently lireparing^ to four France in a reviiei *Viye la.Femine,' which had .its first, ftin here atHhe Alcazar, In private: life shethe Gomtesse de Seguf.; Melbourne, Oct. 14, Chief justice Sir Frederick. Mann decided in .favor of Willi«imsbii-'rait regardiiig ,. latter's iconien^pn that they contrblleci exclusive prpduction rights in Australia and New Zealand pf 'Rose-Marie,* except as a silent picture,. Chief Justice ppinted put that , there Were no vtalkers when W-T ob->. taihed it$ rights in 1924, aind an aud- ible; producUon-of the play Was dif-; ifereiit iand not included in the rights reserved froin W-rT, Besides Austra- lia and New Zealand, W-T also owns the rights in Sputh Africa.; : W-T is seeking to restrain Metro from producing and distributinfj, the talker version,, bif 'Jlpse-aia^ie,: and: also eiaims damajges. : Decision of the Chief Justice means that the action: brought by W^T Will now go to trial inVthis city at a later date. ;Pic has: been,;in Australia for some timbj but -release, has been withheld uhtil the case is finally settled. So Many in H'wood, Coiurt Gets Golf Nod Ow Ha. MARY MAGUIRE'S DEBUT Hollywood, Nov. 3. (Serie Raymond goes into Wameirs •Life, Begins' on his bhe-picture dcial with thai company. He plays lead opposite Mary 'Maguire^ Australian screen player,, who , will make her American debiit. in. the opus. :' Hugh Herbert gets top comedy spot. iFilming will start within a week.' Elers - DoD^ U Remib^^ HpllyWppd,,Npv. 3. 'tJpbh her' return frpm.; Lpiidon, Sally Eilers f eporty tp "Universal to play the femihe lead in a picture pp- posite James Dunn, Harry JTbe Brownj actress' husband, pfan^i7tO'^NeW^Yor Eileris. •when ishe' arrived, " ' Fat Ellis- Home Town Patrici Ellis,. Warner: Bros; con- tract player, makes ,a p.a. at the Michigiin,.. Detroit, week ofc Friday (6). Detroit is her home town. o( Couit in A. Atlantic City, Nov* . Hearings in the William Pbx barik- ruptey action Will be resumed Nov, 10, when membeirs bf the Fpx family and All-Cbntinient'Cprp. are expected to reply to the trustee's charge of fraud, '' purihg ' the past : week Federal Referee Robert E. Stcedle has certi- fied Herbert Leitsfeen,: for 27 year^ ;bopkikeeper for the.fornit^ film mag- naie, in contempt ■pf.^court. for. refus-^. ing to turn bVer seVen; pages froin the "AU-pontinent books, The cbrjpb- ration, Icreated from $7,000,000 oiC Fox's assets; late in 1030, belbngis to Mrs; Eva "^^Fox, :Wlfe of the latter, Leitsteen conteiidedi .therefore was of no interest tb Creditorsr with $9,525,000 of claims against Fpk who seeks voluntary'biankrUptcy. The bpokkeeper. Was the. second person to be certified for contenipt in the case. . Mrs, Fbx» whp received $$0,O0O in: salaries last year as presiv dent of thV All-Cpntinent and its subsidiaries, wias certified, twp mpnths ago, and Federal Judge John Bpyd Avis has since been ieonsider- ing what action, if any, should be taken' against her iot hft failure to appear. Leitsteen laist Week came io the witness tttand lohied With a four- page stetemeni iind backed by Fox's WWJ^er, Umy ''C,'-ntt^kir,, Dt UtVf York; llrider one arm was the cash book of the All-Coritinent Corp. The bookkeeper read the statement which he said Was 'prepared by my Coun- sel* arid which asserted, in. effect, that creditors had succeeded in putting the cprporation's books in the cbUrt records, page by p^ge, in spite of the .company's protests. . The corporation had already ap- pealed to judge Avis against inclu- sion of its records in Fpx*s bankrupt-; cy . .case, arid Leitsteen's statement said the referee's action in admitting tlie records piecemeal fashion Would 'render the-appeal a mere' nullity.' . Walter Hanstein;. of this city, boun- sel for creditors, then demanded that Leitsteen 'produce page 24 of exhibit P-31.' Leitsteen declined. After repeated requests, all of which brought refusals from Leit- steen, Hanstein asked that the ref- eree prder the bookkeeper; to submit. 'I Wiir so direct,' said Referee Steedle, whereupon Hanstein reached fpr the cash, bpok, but Leitsteen grabbed it up in his arms, held It in a buhny-hug, and remained firm in opposition. There is nothing for me tb do,** re- marked the referee, 'but; to certify Mr. Lelisteen in contempt of cburt.' ' Counsel for creditors, have ques' tloned witnesses three months in ah attempt to $how the $7,000,000 All- Continent is really oWhed by Fox, Hollywbpd, NoVi 3. Liambs and Players. Will npt head for Florida next : year for their an- nual winter gbU tournament in Feb-* ^ ruary. With so many Lambs and Playeirs on the Coast, one of the air- liners sold the N. Y.^ contingent tho idea that it was just as cheap to travel to California as Florida, and.. also that it took ho more time. So the: decision ;is ior a Coast toutna- mieni between the iWo brganizationsi It is ialsQ felt thit With mpre than 125 members of the Players hero and arpund lOO Lambs, touiiiamerit would be much bigger here than i ' Florida. METRO WANTS $50,000 BACK FROM LONSDALE " ' HbllyWobJ, Nbv.^. it to recover $50,000 from Fred- eric Lpnsdale has been filed in su- ^eripr icburt by Metro. Studio alleges it paid the English writer $75,000 to write two origi- nals and a sequel to 'Last of Mrs. (iheney,' but the writer failed to de- liver .tWb stories tp the satisfactibn of the studio. Svaogies for M&^^'^ Hollywood^ Nov. 3, . Originally intended as a starrer for Robert Mpntgpmery, with pne pf its lesser ptayers for the femme lead,. Metro, is splurging on suppbrt- ing names for the cast of 'Wedding Dress,* which Harry Rapf will pro- duce. ; : Plan how is to have: Myrna : Lpy, Rpsali Russell and Charles RUg- gleis in cast yrith :Mpntgom.ery, MaestroV Screen Test ittsburgh, Nov, 3, Paul ; Peridarvis, maestro at Wil- liam Pehn hotelj playing at the Variety Club; banquet last Week; While ;Harry ;M. Wariier was at the spealcers' table, attracted the prexy of, Warner t'ps. The band leadeic's personality igot him; an invite to New. York immediately for ai .screen test., Peridarvis pulled out same, nighty spent three days at "Vifaphprie Studi goii)g through series of exhaustiye tests and/ is nbw back' on the job here awaiting the goOd or bad news. Jpry Coming Home Syidney; pet. 6: Victor Jpry leaves here Oct. 7 for America via the j?ar East, Jpry has complete his -pic cbntra.ct here ;ibr Col-'Natipnai ph IRangle River' arid is /taking the trip as a vacatibn, Befpre leaving Jpry mentipned h^ iriighi. stop pyer^ in England and make ;bne pic befcre taking up .worl( again ior Cblumbia in January. Was given , a cocktail party her* prior to his departure.