Variety (Dec 1937)

^^rtcddii^' Decent 22j 1^37: ' Los Angeles, Dec. 21. y/^^i th the approach of ; the; iSanta Anitas raiiihg season, . metropplLtan t Ai. i'*^"^"^ • Jjopuistiph of a^oM^^^ 2,6o6;60o; has gbniB completely daffy with Hollywood probably^^r^^^ i\ing the hi^€stieVer. A-^;;-.;\.-;,.:.;^ Take ot the legaliied bookies iii the town andr wivirohs is estimated to run $250,60(i day, this despite the 10^% bite tHat the bookies grab froih the suckers, > miking this tqwn yirtuai pa^ gentry yk(h(K • Vsfx-^at-on ■ horsie. pla^ ' Right ik>w *h6ifse stbrts,' v as , ihe ■ booking establishiiients; ;are caHcsi, Jiave sifwrung wp in^ 6f the choicest locations, in. ttie reisidential sections, doWntowh anct itt Holly- woiklv Oiife Store^'^;^ iwulevardi' -ciose to Vine street,., is dpet;j3t^d by a lormer chapacler : ac- tor, wh(> gets a play of atounA |2>p0O daily, » tei»th . of - whicb; i»\ clear profit n» ihairtei' ■ tors; win .or" Ibsei ". Owing,. to short price prevailing on lavorijeiji >t'T^ at Bay; Meadows,;where^^^i^^ the ; I^aiy goes, the^ 'hciise ' stjbres' care >^ generally believed to <be reaping a harvest. . When Santa Anita opens on Christinas Day^ the be«i^ atcOrding io InSidiprs,^ wiU,: rapidly^ reach its height : with the'take Ifaipi- ving probably to quadruple the ; cur- rent aggregate. ';;::.r.;bi(^vi»xe .wl|h,-Salens 1 Ihvesttgation -shows', tha^t ' aroiind iZOO o«, the. legaliiied bettlhig' patlots are now in operatiprt. Ohfr de luxe; deadfall in the heaift of Hollywood has separate salon^ ioif itiett' and Women, yith: dir«:t wirfr the tracks. There's a heavy - play on all faces. The 200' establishments erhpioy. froih. a dbzeil to, two dozen Then each and are.croWded all after-^ no(m with , a' milling^ ttiobVof l^ istudying tip shieitsV etc. '. Oi\& news- dealer 'in Hollywood ;"said he wputd;. have to go out of business 6xcept i<M- the tei-ri^fl^ that tip sheetis art;. gettiiig frprti 'ttfe sucker- pppd- lace, whp: shell. two bits each fw priacticaliy .anyi-iora«le; -ipuWifcas. tloh thit pretends to ' hiave^ ;fe^ Vinfo privthe-pbriies,': ' MJoker. the= bookie biz Js that Wttbrs are supposed to wire wagers to the tracks whwe. it is laid on the line but' insidM^ know thai so much hooey,; that the local; tal cht merely' jpockets the- coin^i saviQS wire .charges and iemaiiiinig: calmily . conflfiieait :'in ;the truth ,.i»f ...the.>old 'saying that; 'all raqei horse';playeri must die broke.' ; That this laith is hot misplaced, 1$ ..evidienciBd ;in the experience .of oiie . bettoiLjaist ;.week..: W . across thb-.board. bh.thfi jave^nag .in 'each of: eight, rai^s at Tanibrah,' pay' ing the lfl>% bite or $6.60 tor esich $6 Wageifed. He won ibur put of eight races-T^still .wound 'up behind' the eight bail. Situatioh^ is wM* !!?P*^^ 9!^'^^ ■ the area. •; AU suckers are handed the welcome sign, even the;gawkers .who corrie merely to gloih the setup ..and; do .np; wagering^ . Jeriits arb : kept pretty .cleanj^ aill tppsilwa^h ,be .ing. barred. -On mote .than one;.oc icasioh, stppges' and tbuts' ifor bpttle trade have been tossed oiit Jon their J earsi •■ • ^'^ ■;■..;-■, ';!•• ;;' ■ ■ \.- Flpirt'; Slate Ti^ ~ ■^ntbrpretatibn. 0^ . ihul^ated by: sharps, holds that legal bookies in the istate rttay acicSspt bets pti, races at Galifb^miavtrac^ ;b«5ily HoyvevfiTi . the ; plush, and' , sawdust parlpi's. ignore ^ this : proviso. pfetty ; completely; dls^layihg prices'iort..; all track^ opjerating in the tbuntry and '.. openly spiiciting Wager^ on every rice, ; Odds-layers theinselves, are , urtifprmiy. ipleas.ed.; .with-v.t^ ;.:hew setup, ahnbunce ithat^ tljey are;,;in^ .: biz, to stick, : but .wondering hp>v.'spott^ the sqiiawk ■' going tp cptt^e. Up . to now, test cases; ip cburl/have all ' coine put in faybr; of ^ the bookies : ;Sb.. discouraged have ;lpcal prb^ tbrs becbrne;'that, at. th«: writihg, .an • bi'dinance'.is' b that would.: deflriiteiy; .legalize 60 ; *horse stores,' perrbitting them to operate uiider license/ fees;; 'Other ' munici- palities in the cbunty, outside IkA. are said tp be'cpnsidering:.eveii:m(H^^^ ; stringent; measures of control, tis^; ing as their guide the tuling of At- torney Gbnieral Webb tjiiat bets are okay as long as they are actuaUy forvvatded tp the; track land laid there...'' .-^^:-\ A few horse parlors are ioregbing the : 10% cpitirtiisision Von bets; and cha rgihg « straight adnvissioh; tariff HAVANA'S SEX PIX One . ;a Mop-Up—the. Other Doesn't .,' Fare So Well Havana. Dec, 21; Quickest b.o, .film here in years, has been 'Conio se nace y come se muet'e' ('How We are Borri and How We Die'),; shown in almost every house around town and in the sticks until flnblly;. there • Were : so many cbm- plaints that police . cbnfistated it. fined the distributor and sent tp jail^ the. Censor's ; Bureau, man who gave tiie permit for adult showing bnlyi when it wais supposed tp be shown to medical students pnly.- Ahniost all . naborhbqd .hbu.ses around here played it in • extra, sh.owr itigk:, at ;midnightv;;- F .purely scientific,. was . tpo raw; .for general sho'wing .;as it was -a hbrt-censoi'ed: flicker • showing several birth action cases, and also; all about sexual ail- ments and their consequences. It is estimated the distributor cleaned up more than- |5e>080 in about a month of ^tbwing, . which,sets a new record, at :3!Uc. tpp..._ Cashing in bn the publicity: Ernesto Smith advertised 'EI Misteritf de lbs Sexos' ('Sex> • Mysteries') lor men only at Campoaiiior, Encahto aind Alkazar, and for lemnibs at Neptuno fpr two days. As the iRIm was greatly ballyhoped, the stag theatres were packed at a midnight performance yesterday, but there was a gencfral pc-otest f rom the custbmers who' cop sidered themselves cheated and at mor there ■ y^as a hear riot frpm the cash dispensers. who wanted their money retuiTiied, ;Washingtpri, Dec. 21. . B; Bernard Kreisler,: former Gov ernmi^t rep oh the i Motion Picture Code Board in Hollywood, broke-his left arm wheii he slipped on a waked >or; here last week.;'...'. ■.: Itreisleir is,: here as special repre sentatiye for, Paramount and had been on, a trip throiigh the sbuth pph his return he Ay as demon strating an original 'Big Apple' step to a Par Newsreel cameraman: when the slippery flobr betrayed him Crashed down on the: left wihg and it snap^ied at the elbow. .. ' Kreisier now gives credenbe to the old 'Apple a Day' axiom and inserts a wotd .tb fit his. situation; Says *A real apple a day'keeps the doctor away.' Restthf Hajrs Hdd Regular quarterly meeting of Hays office directors was- held yesterday . (Tues.).; after several postppnements;' Routine business connected with Motion Pictute Prpducers; & Dis- tributors Assn.. handled, • with' ho official anhoiincement made on any action taken. Directors attending included Wil Hays, Barney Balaban, Harry; Buck ley, R. H, Cochrane, Jack; Gbhh, '.E. W. Hammoiis, Ed Hatrick';; Sidney Kent, Albert; Warher and Nick Schehck. . ''-.'." ■ PutnabiV 'trav0U>g Hollywood, Dec. 21. Party headed by George Palmer Putnam, husbaind of Amelia Earhiart. started last week for the dalapagos Islainds Vn • Tay;Cjarrtett's . yacht Athene, in search bf rare fauna, flPra and fish in the interest of the Cali iornia ZpblPgiMl spciet'y: yf. ; Voi'agers . will . .be;'' gone : three months and .expect to shoot. a; lot of travel footage. V Stops are; to be made at Panama and Guayaquil.,' '.. of 40c, breaking Ibt better than even oh .^hat basi.s. . y■ : ^ ■ Chicagbir D.ec. 21 Detecmined effort of Mayor Kelly and City Council to legslize bookie spots has. theatre operators wbrriec as i.tp. what effect such actibn Wil have on. .matinees. . Plans under consideration wpUld.- call for: 15,000 annual licehse fee, limit- 6t from five tp. ten. spots ;p.er ward,; arid nohe with'flrst floor locations. ' .• . Worry ; of sbme^ counted by others who can't . see ho.W rnaking the; already •; pt;esent berbkies pay a license fee will change matinee situation at all. / Pix Nags . Santa'Ahit^, Dep. 21. ; ' ThaHeeh n^ haVe^ come from. the.: picture 'crowd, for. the Santa Anita" Handicap,. $100,000 race for 3Tyear-olds, which will close local racing, season, Ma,rch 5. . Bing Crosby leads- bfl with three—Ligarpti, Oiimpo .-and Sabucscp. ;• .' ■; .• : .William Goetz ; has entered king Roy ale; H. C. Hatchi King Kong; Harry Cohn, Invermark and Handle Ciross; William: Le ■ . Baron, . Brown Jade; Myron . Selznick, Can't Wait and Pasha, ■: and Raoul Walsh, Grand Mani- tp'u, and -Frexo.'."' Altogether . 93 hbrses >vere nominiated, including such fa? vorites Jack Gunn's Sea- , biscuit and Sam Riddle's Wax Admiral. ^': ' . '■ By FRANK SQULLY , Hollywood, Dec. 21. , Joe (Next-TPiClosing) Cunning- ham is back in Hollywood after a tour of .the; cbuntry in which he all but; , hitch-hiked . through 18 states: in order to keep' one speaking date oat the Variety Club of Pitts- burgh, :The result' was ah educa- tion for the father of the Four Cun- ninghams. . He woiildn't have passed the trip up for worlds, even if it did : kick' his old viewpoint ai'ound; sp: badly he can hardly recognize a ^>-'e$ide chat when he meets it in its bWrt home. -■\ ■.;■ .."V'-:-'''"' '■■■ '■' : The . rbad, Joe found,, ha.s; picked' up. Only it's not the road Chauncey .Olcott; knew. It's-the road of the biridlevstiil,; carrying , his all in a newspaper: which in turn carries half 'S dbzen' columns .of .film gos- sip^; Broadway . bplPney and sbme ocal sex 'rhurdersi • • ^Half America is i,rOamihg .tb some other ^ place. .No place in particular. -Just some place less. fleabitten than ■ ■■ Holly wood, Dec. 21. Seeking to retain conticol ctf .fUih properties valued at $300,000. Ani- sassador Pictures, Inc., has .a petir tib.n; on .file in Federal court seeking aii.. brde-r to prevent r the, lifalcolm. Laboratories. Corp. of ,Ne.w York and Malcolm & Marks Trading Cbrp. from .disposing of negatives held by them as security on a '$50,000 prom- issory-note; . . . : Ambassador -claims that the . de- fendants ate atternpting to. disppse of the pledged properties at much lesa^ . - than : their worth, especially mentioning the negative <m - 'Swing It, Professor', .Pinky Tomlin; musical which, it is claimed, will bring in at least $60,000, witt» ptti<^ lodged films makihg up the bailance ot the $300,000,; sufficient ; to clear all of Ambassador's, bbllgations under. the 77B reorganization plan. Ambassador was given a delay un- til Jan. 15 to report on' whether it may be advisbble to reject any cbrt tracts now held with players and others." Sohie of these'; players are May Robspn, ; Frankie Darrb,; Lyle Talbot, (Grace Br,adley. Oehe Austiit, Stepih Fetchit, Jack LaRue, Donald Novis and Wynhe GiinsOn, most of their contracts being due for option exercise by Jan; 15. ; \ Selzer WB Trailer Chief Holly wbod, Dec^ 2Ii' Edward Selzer moves in as head bf the trailer departmet«tr appointed by Jack L. Warner. SaoMiy Abra* hams, fbrmerly- in charge of the de- partment,; remains an'. assistant 'to Selzer. >''■■,':'.■'-'■:■ ■ Selzer. after leaving . the studio press chief post, worked with Bryan Foy ph *B' pix. Hikley Starts N6w Contract in 'Alex* .Hollywood, Dec* 2l. Sharing ; a renewed S cohtract: at 26th.Fbx, Jack Haley has been as signed ' a featured part in- 'Alexan- der's Ragtime Band,' to start earfy in January.:; -'v Role will be Haley's first under the new. ticket. •■.- ■.' ;.• •■■ '■ '■ .; ' ■ -; ' ■ '. -' ■ Hep1>urn's Next .; Hollywood, Dec. 21. Next Katharine Hepburn feature at RKO will be "The Mad Miss Man- ton,'.. to be produced by ?Pandi'p ;S, Bermani .v Wilson : Coilison , scribbed the story, 'ry-}'/' '■ ; "-:;.•■/■'• -'/'-. In'pri the launching ' ; :■-•,';- :'■ HollyWbod, Dec. 21. ; Gladys, Swarthout arrived frpm New Ybrk last Friday (IT) to attend the premiere: of her Paramount star 'R(Mnance:in the Dark,* iri which she appears with John Barry more and- John Boles. '-;;'.. •• '.'. - • . Husband, Frahk Chaplnan, accbm- panied.. .■:\.';". : ; ' Prbducer GlCtg His Star ;■ • Hollywood, Dec.. 21 Ja«e Wilhe*s was handed a hew streamlined trailer, firlly bquippec > for de luxe journeys as a Christmas present from her producer, Sol M Wwrtzel.; , Moppet will use; the outfit as a dressing rPom and study hall -while ai.work,-.. ■ wh e re they are. They . all are in-- • erested fin' Hbllywobdi'' They ;waht o khpw if ■ the place ,' : the mad- house- 'Boy , Meets Girl' makes it out " to be.. Are they all as .crazy as that7v 'Everybody frbm.' the guy' behind. the hainburger joint to' th reporter looking fpr a feature • all'. Wanted to know, Joe usually jgave - that one a deft funarpund. After all, he's; a. writer. Who's acting between pictUr.es and even when stopping bver in a YMCA li Kansas he's still planhing to go, >ack tb Hollywood and doesn't want no be: exiled;; to an air-chatterer*s routine w4)en he doe^q^ ; So he usually sidestepped that bhe by telling the peasantry,: 'It's a : circus • and a circus [s a very serious -business, and you don't judge its ' seriousness by the clowns/ , '>: .-. ' '■ - It spunds all right when .you say it , in Holly wPod, . said Joe, but r in the interior the peasants' thought he was -giving them the. double-talk •The next thing thifiy . wanted to know was if the. picture people ju.st enough' to eat hitch-hike or ride;; the rods. ;;-. ' ''\ ; That ride-the-rods, Jpo foiind, was: irnereiy a rpnianttc' figure of -sipeech, because in most of the states . the road, mob- or newborn hoboes, many of them . just out of cbllege, • are al-: lowed tb ride the freights ihicpmrprt as long as they keep pn riding. . They get intp trbuble- wlien,;they try to. park in one of the towns along; the right of vvay. As a result the jungles are; again; ini full bloom.; These open: air^ hotels'.:'or ail frescP^ rest camps; whei-e Mulligan :s is' still the big dish, aire more bften found bt the edge, of mining, camps and industrial cities, where . the touch is; easier, because this new type pf hobo a moochcr and a.-, phopiey, who ; carries a b union "card (stolen or forged in most cases) arid panhandles from' brothers in. ovei*- alls Who; happen- to be wPrking, '. '. ' Gambling, Joe found;. was as- bpen as plumbing ih • most places and in ' Las Vegas, Nevada, in better dition. ITie whole interior is Ipusy . with sales-tax tokens, frprn .cppper i.n Artrona to 'rriUk-hottle tops in Mi!j» ■ souriv- Tax-rgoes down to-one fnill. - Qne toll bridge: on yirhieh the tpll had been, rerrtoved was nicking tburists. 10c. 'fbr the relief fund.*;'.'.' In Phoenix, Ariz., , parking: space f 0^: .cars ;was a., nickel an hour .bo th« ; city streets apd Joe watched .some moochers 'make three- trips ;aroiind the block looking for sortie: guy • to pull but so they could piark free on his' unexpired, time. : ;; : Drifters in 'the .main are . between is arid 22, but Joe ran into one old bird with a iipick of: traps Wrapped iii a blanket who was trying, ,to. thumb a; ride from Denver to Klichigan.; HQ; figured to piek up some muskrats and catfish; in Missouri if the rides were short. , He had enough to eat, but n<^ing left over ior bus fare, so h^ wa^ thumbing in the modern naan'- ner. '.; "^-'^ . "''■•: •'-. '..."■ /..^ .He was the only one ,who showed no interest in pix and wasn't flgurn ing on how to run tho frontier into Caliioinia so he could' crash a studio for a supervisoir'S iob. „ v ^, J V , Wheto he got to Plttsburf-h. they really made- all the dough: credited ^t-nfarco CtUmingham-uprin a stee to;' them' or did they stuff their in come tax returns for effect.- Re porters Wanted to know if hiiih priced - 'writers sat arbund sfudibs for. month's ' dping nPthing.^ ; ' . .Spbwaeks Siiarted Samethliiit Well, Jbe didn't know if thby did nbWi but when he was a writer ;h.e put in a ■ yeai* iii solitary and had nothing tb ^how fpr it. Still, ' he nioUified the scribes in the hinter- land,, the Spewacks who wrote; 'Boy Meets Girl', work hard .' and so do. Towhe and Baker, - the writers ,'the Spewacks satirized in 'Boy Meets Girl,' -:".v';; '■■-:■.■■■;;■ Towne and Blaker,. he was. at paii)s to ■ explain, are showmen arid; when they work on a script stripped to tb the waist like a couple of stokers that's showmanship.' They're always kidding, but, most pf theiir kidding is oh the level and, as it pays, them' $4,000 a week;it must mean some-r thing at the Irox office, toP.- It didn't seem to me^n it to a little. 2 by 4 town in Nebr-aska. At least it didn't . seem to mean it at. the b.b. There Joe' looked in on ;a;double, fea- ture and- the admish was lie. for kids arid 16c. fbr adults with banknite thrown iri. ;'. ';-' ■ : Out that ' way they dpri't blame Hollywppd for bad pix. They blame the exhibber.; They gb .right- up ;tb him ;aftcfV; the show and tell how to make better pix; and he tries hard to play ,'the roie; :bf:;'prPducbr,;'; only it dpesni't quite come off beca,v.sc he's very humble arid ahxipu.s to; learn,; which Would show anybody cbming from Hollywopd that • he not brily never was a: produeci; but never'will' be. one. '. .■.'■,■ "■ .r";-^' -,.-'-::': "The; exhibs told ; Joe that biz was poor iand''it would be worse, because due to hisher film rentai.<>, prices at the box office are in for; a high-jack^ ing. :After that will come shopping fbr;.pix,,arid_; after;-that froiri; them aitogether arid 'then thb .biz will be back where; it was in .1933. Amateur ; Marco Polos, Jbe pb- servedi - are already preferring life tp arty Hollywppd transcriptioh of .it. Any hot dog stand or tourist .cairip .will show more guys gbirig soriie'- where ;.else looking > for work than looking at marquees..\ Not Too Rapid Transit ■ If they're stilt in the money they grab, a bus or pick ;up a.'shairp-the- expense';:par.trier' who, has ' car: but not gas . mouey^ . Thoise who have magnate's house; but by then Jbe hac^ seen 'everything .and was ojnly^.tpo g}std; ^P: seram back to his home,;ini Hollywood.. :,'■;■ ■-;—:.'•;:>■:'.; ce 'Siah'Francisco, Deb.- 21. ', Meeting Of (j^oast physicists at" Stanford: University, disclosed devel- opment; of ^igh'-pressure arc -larrip ; which may be^' boomed ' tb replace kleigs in studios. Gadget, developed by Stanfpird's Prpf. Cornelius Bol, has match-sized .quartz tube, cbntaining di'bp of. meircury and two; sealed-in ; .wire termiinals, Uses iVi amps at 1,000 volts, and throws light :pf more than one-billion; candlepower. Experimehts show invention lights. faces without, pausing heat, discorii^ fort as With Kleigs. Also expected to be useful In television. . :' L^ksf Touj^ tor TH Roxy Reorganizatioii That the allbwarices demanded by: the various committees;representing, bond, aitd stockholders, their lawyers,' aceoiintarits apd; what have you, con-: nected with thb Roxy "rhcatre re- (Hrjganization. AyiU. hie' cpt was indi-' catedThursday' <16) when N.VYi Federal Judge Francis G. Caffey turned down ti>^^>P0O bid made by the Tiptph ;"■ Cpmmittee of bond- . holders, the most .y igblrous opponents^ tp the .plan, but which-later 'filed its' acceptances:.■.''■'- ■ In denying the allowance. Judge Caffey held that the committee had profited to the extent pf ,$2,160 by - -traflickihg' in Boxy bonds arid that:; under the federal law it was not en- titled to compensation ' reorgan- ization proceedings.. The Court did' allow the committee $361 in disburse-.' ments; '.--yr' -7- -_■'-.: From- Qnt of Ihe Fasti '.. Hbllywood. Dep. 21. ■ ■ Metro' last -week rolled 'Life in. Sometown, U. S. A.', with Francis X< Bushman and -Betty. Blythe topping cast. ;,■'. -■.' .-:; . ^;', .,;-.:;. -'... '- - Buster Keaton directs the short.