Variety (May 1937)

VARIETr PICTURES Wednesday, May 5, 1937 MPTOA POLLING NATION'S EXHIBS FOR GRASSROOT MANDATE ON PK-RADIO Walter Vincent'i Committee in Action on Miami Convention Reiolution—$ig Powwow of Exhibs and Air Reps in Ni Y. serious move to thie controversiial radio issue 1 the ^open is qnderway with the Walter Vincent 'committee of thie Motion P'icture Theatre Owners ot America preparing to get to the bottom of the radio-pictures alliance by as- sembling facts and tjien determining -whether a divorce or other deniands should be made. That positive, ultimatums will be niade upon producer-distributors or upon radio broadcasting agencies; appears certain. But first the MPTOA, committee on radio competition is going to coUi^ct evidence. The basis for complaint was laid at the March MPTOA: convention in Miami when exhibitprs entered their pleas against broadcasting by stars Non-Metro Pubfishers iOespite Metro's own Robbihs Mu- sic sind Feii$t Music publishing firms, the recent and forthcoming series of Metro operettas are proving a wind- fall for the. G. Schhrmer, Inc., and Witmark music companies. 'Maytime,' already released, and the ' forthcoinihg Frlrol operettas which Metro is also prbducing-^'The Firefly/ 'High Jinks' and 'Some Time'—are all Schirmer copyrights, 'M llef Modiste' (Victor Herbert) wilflall to Witmark'3 renewed bene- fit from the screen i;>lugging just as 'Will You Remember?' but of 'May- time''is currently becoming a best and n^aterlal from films on the air I seller all over , again for the Schir- and. Unanimously demanded that mer^ company. WINCHELL-BERNIE LOOK m FOR ANOTHER PIC imilarly, Metro's screen operetta versions of -Rose-Marie' and 'Naugh- ty Marietta' (MacDohaldrEddy co- starrers, akin to 'Maytime') proved clicks for the basic copyright bvvh- ers, and did not register on behalf <it Metro-Rpbbihs-Feist, as would be the case if they Were screen ori i- nals. stejps for protection be taken. Radical action was suggested. With this asr signnient, Vincent's committee, which includes San Pinanski, Arthur . .H^ Lockwood and Lewen Pizor has de- cidied to go after all facts. Cdtnpnittee Plans Polls The group of. four will first funcr tion as. fact-finding committee, .reserving any personal opinions. But the committee has a mandate to point out to producers that the air and screen are. so greatly at variance that remedies are imperative. • Com- mittee will take, a comprehensive poll of theatre, operators and owners preparatory to holding a round-table meeting in New York with producer- distributors and radio broadcasting reps. '■ The latter would be included either to hear demands backed by theatre strength, plus sonie likely producer- • distributor support, or to be told that definite reforms will be. neces- sary in presentation of film material ion the air if the practice is to be continued. "Although exhibitors attending the MPTOA Miami conclave dietermined no quarter should be given in ia battle to keep films off radio to the detriment to theatres, it is. under- stood the Vincent committee will isisiie a questionha||re and get ex hibltors attitudes in writing. To avoid any charges in defense of radio that only a certain class of exhibitors oppose radio, .operatoris of all types of theatres will be can' vassed. When the .results are in, the committee will.have something con- crete to present In the case entrusted to It by Ed L. KuykendalH president- ot the MPTOA, a stout diefender of exhibitoriB who resist radio. Regardless of the personal opinions of the Vinceht committeemen, ex- pectation is that it will be duty- bound to proceed entirely in line with what IS'shown to be the con- census of opihibh of operators when the questionnaires are received. FaEBinc: Vp The MFPDA After the exhibitor poll, the con- ference, ■ . New Ybrk will bring in as ,many . producer arid, distributor representatives as possible. Presum- ably representatives of the Hays* office, will .be invited but the Mo-, tioh Picture Producers & Distribu- tors of Aiwerica will not be included, so it is said. ' ' '■' During, the winter a committee to study the radio-pictures situation' was suppbsed to have been Appointed thfAiigh the' Hays' office^ but it. never ' materialized. s(nd nothing was dbhe. Committee was to have been M. N. : Schencti Harry M. Warfier and M. H. Aylesworth. The . Vincent committee is said to feel . one demand will be certain. That is that il picture rpebple con- tinue on the air, they, iriust be pre- sented, as efficiently on the ether .as they are in pictureis ' so there can be no detraction from their screen appearanceis. ; Moreover, any scenes of portions from pictures must be done with the same care as at studios where millions are spent putting scenes together. Casual appearances, of players on the air would be out and the radio people would be required to match the efficiency of studios. This is reported to be the tentative opinion of the Vincent committee in the event any compromise lis to be reached. Ben Bern! , east for, his Ameflcah Can radio programs^ states that he and Waltei- Winchell will probably start anothier one for 20th Century^ Fbx in August; although technically they haven't yet been notified that the option has been taken up; Win- chell and Bernie are committeld to the studio for three years, options resting with 20th, of course. Deal call^ for one or two pictures annu- ally... Bernie states that it looks like an- other picture, of course, as Jack Yelleh and Harry Tugend. are al- ready working on a sequel,, and Win- chell is also, trying to think up some- thing to contribute oh the scripting end. Winchell reportedly received $75j- 000 for his first film chore, 'W;ake Up and Live,' Bernie :collected $50,000. From Beverly Hills, Winchell li - wise confirms that, technically, he hasn't been optibhed. SAILINGS May li9 (New York, to London) Sol Hurok (Normandie). May 19 (London to New York) Jack Thompson Veltch (Queen Mary). V May 15 (New York to Naples) Mr. and Mrs. John Byram (Conte di Savoia). May-13 (London to New. York) Senator Murphy: (Normandie). May .8 (New York to Hollywood) Mr. and Mrs. Abel Green (Santa Paula), May 7 (Los Angeles to Honolulu) Dolly Tree (Malolb). May. 5 (London to New York) Alexander Korda, S. R, Kent (lie. de France). May 5 (London tO New York) Os- car Homolka (Aquitania). May 4 (New York to London) Mr. and Mrs. Artur Rodzinski, Mr. and Mrs. Serge, koussevitsky, Igor tra- vinsky, Nadia Bbulanger, Eric W. Korhgold, Mr. and M.^s. Sam Dush- kin, Mr. and Mrs. Leopold Sachse, Olga Petrbva, Trudi Schopp Ballet, Angna Enters, Tharhara Swerskaya,. Si^ur Leeder, Terry Lawlor, Diavid Liffidins, Dario and Diane,:' Merrill Abbott Dancers (Paris). , May. 4 (New York to London) Vyvyan bohner (Bremen). Miay' 4 .'(New York to London) Charlotte Greenwobd, Martin Broones,' Lib by Holman, Mary Roberts Rinehart, Gertrude Law- fence (Queen Mary).. May 4 (New York to London) Peter Maurice, Gfacie Fields, Jimmy Phillips (Berengaria).*' ' May ,3 (New Zealand to Lbs An- geles) Sir Harry Lauder (Mbrttprey), April 28 (Los . Angeled to Hono- lulu) Gloria ^ Stuairt (Marij^osa).. Water Under die Bri(^«; MDrphy's Then and Now Hollywobd, .May 4. Only dead pan at ^ound-breaking for $2,000,000 CBS studio on Sunset boulevard was Joe Murphy, who came to Hollywood with Dave Horsley iand .Al Christie 26 years ago. On the exact spot Where Donald W- Thornburgh,' v.p. of Columbia chain on the coast, dug in his shovel while Al Jolson, Jack Oakie, Harry Einstein, Victor Moore, Shaw and Lee, Bobby Breen led 2,000 peasants into giving three rousing cheers. Murphy did a similar ditch-digger's routine on Nov. 2, 1911 for a picture studio. Picture studio has gone the way of all flesh, and by next November fadi chain expects to be fairly ready for action. Studio will have a theatre, a 1,050-seaterj fpr palm- slammeirs. -First picture, Ironically, Murph's mob made in the picture studio which is no more, was called, 'The Best Man Wins.' Going Places By Cecelia Ager Hollywood's Candled Candor 'A Star is Born' is the first heart-to-heart about Hollywood that's shown any regard for the sensibilities of the fans. It has the cbnsid(sration, j telling all, to tell all the way they like to hjear it.. Tenderly bearing i mind that the fans won't march upOn the box office to have their feeirigs hurt and their beliefs belittled, with loving kindness it rebblsters their idols and reaffirms their dreams. Procedure of letting down one's hair need involve no. more-than; pinninjg the prettiest curls. It is possible to be frank and still not ciit everybody up; When 'A Star Is Bofh' confides how" naughty some ifani can. be* clawing for iautbgraphs iftt funerals^it only goes to show how hijshly it esteems its own fans; it can talk t9 then! like a brother, for they- are hot that sort, in pointing but the blabk-heartedness of Hollywood }ress agents and column chatterers, it's only showing up the wicked prophets of those other fans—its own fans 4on'yfs|lI for prophets; they're too. intelligenti they know too much to be taken in by yokel-blufTi hey're in oh the inside. . . Nice bright people that they are, ,they rate, and they shall get, the best. They shaU see in Technicolor the Hollywood they've imajgined, it shall be actually demonstrated to them that they're right—that it's more important to; be a picture star than anything else in the world. They shall witness traivelbgue that is not bontent to reveal merely for hispfically accyrate background the spots nbw hallowed for all time because it has-been re- corded in fan mags, and columns that sometimes they have been granted the presence of the Hollywood gods—they shall exult to the sight of these }lessed shrines in action^ see each sacred place play Its own special part in the plot, watch , each one provide with its ovm peculiar significance and relative importance, progressive motivation and build-up fbr this con- temporary, but none the less iiispiriattionail, Pilgrim's pfogfess. Thus a symphony concert.in the Hollywood BowLcomes early , (good), the fights; at the Holly wood. Legion Stadium midway (better), the premiere at Gr.au- ihan's Chinese last (best)i Yes it's true—everybody's kind in iloUywood, everybody's earnest; everybody's bright, everything is beautiful. Np less lovely and gracious a lady than ^eggy Wood discourages you at Central Casting, lio less charm- ihg and indulgeht a fellow than Adolphe Menjou can be persuaded to give you a break. Even a star, on the wane is as engaging, as honorable, as clever, as handsome, as altogether attractive as Fredric March. In fact in this dreams-cbme-true Hollywood, Fredric March—waning, mind you— has never been sb appealing, while Janet Gaynof, ascending lickety-split, acquires i .clear-cut stages right before your eyes, poise, presence, dig- nity, chic, a sense of "humor, the ability to think up and toss off . smoothly jrightly jpointied lines. Without sacrificing any of her basic gentlenesis or nobility of character. As nice % girl as you could possibly imagine, and at the same time as glamorous as they ban get. Fine people in a fine production convincing lots and lots of fine fans that they're fight, they've always been right—heart-to-heart, Hollywobd and picture stars surpass^ even, their idealism of it all. N. Y. to L. A. Charles Curran. Ned E. Depinet. Abel Green. Mrs.-Rufus Le Malre. Rarrett S. McCormack. Bob Millford. Oscar F. Neu. Tomniy Rockwell. A. A. Schubart. Joseph N. Weber., Henry Wilcoxon, ARRiVALS Jeannette C. Power, .Mary ick ford. Vera Engels; John L. Day, Jr., Harlan Thompson, J. J. Shubert, Russell Crbuse, Dr. Herbert T, Kal mus. Radio FiLtn Broadcasts New Trend in Fictional Q-Popping Taking cognizance of the fact that these days proposals of marriage are hot hangihg. from ,every tree, all the best pictures now present their own proposals the hard way, too, (A trend.) In, 'a Star is Bbrn,' Janet Gaynor can. scarcely hear Fredric March's honest offer, so tumultuous is the prizefight sequence in which at last it's wrung from him. Arriving a little later, and therefbre with the very newest developments, 'Cafe Metropole' proves'how deeply it's probed into current mores i coming out with the discovery that indeed^ it's up to the girl to pop the question, if anything sahctioned's going to happen. As a matter of fact, i arranging for Loretta Young to ask Tyrone Power, and putting it amidst surroimding screaming and .yelling, 'Cafe Metropole' has created its most life-like scene, in its alert fieport on contemporary behavior, 'Cafe Metro- pole' haii found that a girl's got to clear her way to the altar, fighting every step. While it may seern strange that a girl as starry-eyed 9S Miss Young should be compelled to put up such ia battle, to naiil Mr. Power; consider the dusky eyes, the soihnolent lids, of Mr. Power hiinaeif.. .They are said to be a: popular, subject for spring musings.'Furthermore, though perhaps he does over-do the lock tumbling boyishly over his brow, Mr. Power has the advantage of looking at ease in his perfect clbthes, wheriesfs Miss Young is-never quite sure about hers. They are more dramatic than Miss Young's been used to, and they scare her a little. She tries to compromise with them, pinning a clip here, adding some veils to her hat there, timidly seeking to assert her authority over them, but she doesn't quite make it. For all her gestures are in the direction of: bad addition, while the cos- tumes themselves are so powerfully sweeping in line, subtraction alone could subdue them. This conflict, coming on top of her inajor 'engagennjent, harasses; Miss Young into not always giying the best that's in her. Helen Westley, for example, has no such problems, and sb everything she says and does hits the very center bf the mark. L. A. to N. Y. 'A star Is Born' Recipient of radio buildup via . Campbell Soup's 'Hollywbod Hotel' last Friday (30) oyer CBS: was 'A Star Is Born' (Selznick-tJA). impressive ciast was,, hauled before the mike, Fredric March, Janet Gaynor, Adolphe MenjoU, May Rbbson, Aftdy Devine and William Wellman' (director) taking parts they had in pic. Altogether,, it was punchy radio ..entertainment and seems likely to re alize whatever b.o. hypo may be found in the ether miediurh. Presenti of course, is that, inevitable question, of how much success of such a pro- gram is. attributable! to the treatment given it by the radio, producers and how much to the inherent qualities of the story itself. In this case, 'Star Is Bbrn'appears tO; be well suited to radio adaptation. / Acting was distinctly convincing for most of the period As the. rising fllm star horoine of the yarn, Janet Gaynor was vibrantly persuasive. That was all the more noticeable considering the strangely constrained perforhiance bf Fredric March, as the. ebbing pic star, Only in the love scenes,near the close did actor let himself go. Adolphe Mehjou, May Robson and Andy Devine, all were creditable in brief parts. 'A Star Is Bbrn' was compressed intb the time requirements satisfac- torily, if anything, the radio versibn may have unveiled too much plot. If it didn't explain the ehding at any length, it at. least offered morb than a hint of the .denouement. Wellman, who directed the pic appeared on the show to lay groundwork for dramatization. Part stretched much too long, however, becoming running comment throughout the action. 'Star Is Born' is in its second week at Iladio City Music Hall, N. Y. L. F. Alstock. Ethel Barrymore. Don Becker. Russell Bif dwell. Larry.Blake. George Deitibow, Diouglas Fairbanks. Gracie Fifelds. Robert Gillham. Ben Hecht. Arthur Hornblow. Barbara Kepn. Jack kihgsbetry. Fred Kbhlmaf; Miyf na Loy, Herman Robbi Eddie- Selzer. David 6. J. J. Sullivan,. Harlan. Thompson. William Wellnrian. Eleanor Whitney. Jock Whitney. Etherize Reviews of the New Fix Robert Garland, film critic of The N, Y. American, is reported going on the air doing reviews bf the new pictures. Eileen Creelinan,. fllni crick of the Eve. Sun, did recent auditions for the air to feature Hollywood film gossip, sponsored by the makers of Pyrocide ' toothpaste. Nothing has been closed with her as yet. KERN AlUNG, DUNNE ASSIGNED 'RIO RITA' Hollywood, VL^y 4. Jerome Keyn's heart ailiiieht. has caused liKO Raldio to sidetrack the entire' Kefh-pofothy Fields-felix Young prpductipn unit. It, was to have been the Irene Dunne starrer. Insteid, she Will make 'Rio Rita.' Medicos told the veteran pbser, Kern, to take it easy for . . months, hence the indef pbstppne- ment. Air Names Dominate Cast of Par's This Way' Hollywood, May 4. : I*aramount is stressing radio per- sonalities in the cast of 'This Way, Please,* which Mel Schauer wju produce with Robei-t Flprey irect- Already lined. "day Rogers, Shirley , ibb^'^ McGee: and ,Molly, latter making their screen debut. .Negotiations are on for. Mary Livingstone (Mrs. Jack Benny); Cameras fpll next Monday (10).^ HOPE HAMPTON'S U TEST ilollywopd. May 4. Hope Hampton, considered for • rnusical at. Universal, has had c^c- tensive tesiing. Warbled five try-out numbers.