Variety (Dec 1937)

14 • fit. Murlln'8 I'liK'ti, XrafMlvHr Sqaiii!* Telephone Temple. Bar W»4.i-olMZ- onuses ;■ >T;■.:'LQ^iyQn^iQ|ec.^ After rnoh.ths of .ibicKc tors ari(d: 4istributpf.s have- sijgned an- errnistice and - arp to .make a^^ 5^ effort' to cprhpose their. diffe'renG^ G eneral;G6uncil; -.0? the' .; Gi neiitiaio- igraph; Ej:hibit.6rs. Assh.:!conpide offer • frbiif) ••.' the , / kxnerriatogriaph Renteirs Sp.ciety ;(distribs). thii^: week lor; a joirtj cohsuitatiori. on 'major i5sue§ at variance,.arid,/after" a^:^^^ ing. speiecK by President Charles P, Metcalfe, agreed' -to a ime.etihg vyith ■ ro ifs or buls. ''v v\ ' ■ k.iR.S.. has held ', but thei . olive branch coritihuously^ But the for- mer stiffnedked . attitude : of the C. E. A.:, \yas -'that, Jt^ithere ;w?isx get-together, ■ it shouid.fbe on the ex-', •hibs' terms Or not a't ailli Term's wiere that teceht embargo b two, supers, in one prfjgram arid ne.\y clg'ssifying- system for product' be suspended". Die-hard sections - of - the' ekhibs* kir Eociation declared for, adhererice to. those terms, but Metcalfe; swayed the majbrity to realizatiori it was■ iri: best Jriterests .of; all ■ to, sit in. with the distribs;and: talfc' o'it, tlie ,\tfhole,'sit- tiatioh without splee,n< ^ i '. V,. As aly*rays, filiii hire is thC; higgest tone of coijtentiori.,- ,iBut exhibs aire iiiore - concerned -wit^^^ .the; desire to. keep,;rentals,- down - at vtheir present level: iri: face of feared,threats -of jris-;. Ing. prides. , View"is that distribs.haye. cpnsistentiy .succeeded, in squeezing theatre^ fpr higher aihd, higher,Pirates, but if their are xipped mUch-, further business..:liviU.'. b uneconorilic arid exhibs will be iorced tb, sell out their, thisattes to: the 'Americans.-. - v Subsidiary to' the • inai : c.britact, though: lobmirig large, as important; points of trade politics iire the 'jqueS- tipris -of ,ov.erseatingr-Ton which, C. :E; A. bias formerly sought in Vain: for K. R. S. V coUaboratipri—ai;: ,f prm: of standard cbrilrictj and, the general issue of - trading cbriditioris. , All of these^ previous mpyes have; led up blind allieys; maiirily. because goodr V^llI has been -lacking Vfiirst on one side, theri on th6 bther.; / ■' ;^ Industry has, hibweyer, been taught a sharp- lesson on the, evils of being divided,-as ail sides riow forced to sit back; and take, the quota legis- nRrtioTT'beinltyfprc^ theilri-ijy^the; Gbveirriment. - -P slant-, i^,. that, as' thie, iridustry' has shpwn it- Eelf iricapable. .of any uriity.' ; tbfe, Filriis Billi: it. cannot: grurtible; :if. it, doesri't Jike what it :gets,^ . ' ■Whether . any:. happief outcome is likely from this new aftferiip^ is at the ippriierit an open questipn. Certainly the desire is vthere- this time, and always hovering pyerhead Js thei fear the Gpve.rnriient riiight ' use the Filitis. Council, as a threat of fuvthier interference.: Therefpre, it may be epnsidered,,the two big -uriits. by agreeing on; general poliby rii.ay: ' line up on; corrimph ground against ■unjtnowri pp^sibiiities. , ^ C. ,E. A, decision came too late for any action before- the hplidayf but bolh organizatioris are rarin' tb: gp, ■"iand an early date iri 1938 Is tp be -iset for .the: first common ; delibepa- tions. VOLPINE IMPROVES Fi-pini Accident VVhlch Cost; )^ - ,''.VGairspn's iilfev;-"- ■ .''- Paris, Dec; 19. .• ■ . ,yoiplne,'bandleader;, who' was se- rioijsly injiired,' 'in: the , autori^obile accWent; early- this riiorith as- result pf- which i Hehry Carson di^y is e'x- ,pected \t.p .reboiver. He has . been recuperating,. ' a' hbspital in Ijiege^ Belgium, Sinbe the jacciderit; Hertry Carson, who died; bri,. Dec; 12, was: persprtat .nianager,: for Lu- cieririe Boyei:. He" was. formerly a w.k. Paris; agent Who - bpokei many Americani English land vberriiari acts iritp France; -The accident occurred .while eri .-rp.Ute ; frpiri ■ Brussels td Liiegp Avhen .Carsbn Ibst • control: of the-^bar. -iy '-' y;■'■■],'/:■;, . Miss -Boyeri who-, w also .trayel- ling along the sartie; road'.' anpther car, arrived, a few: njinutes later at the scene of the acciderif, . London, Dec; 28. 'Conferences ibetween Murray Sil- verstprie arid Arthur Loew have.re- sulted _ in; "the latter!s. ;;sailing last:; Saturday. (26) for Londpri. iJrider- stbod negbtiatibris ibr Metro to; acr quire .an iriterest. in the- Odepn' .bi'r- buit . will begin oii his arfiyal here.; Maxwell deal with.. Odebn is ./tempo- rarily .coltf- due',, t^^ abput. XJnibn Cinemas, hpilding ^yhich. he'recbntly^.^icqUired.'-..-' Beri Goetz returns .Jan." 10:; from the 11. S. and will decide then whether or nbt Metro will continue film: prbdubtion ai Denharii 'or move to the :Pinewood studio^.: ;;; laz Off Diwii Under Hobart,. Tasm.anja, Deb,; 12. Nprriian Rydge, vbpss of Gre^^^ tJnion ..T?heatres,;- arid Arthur ;GiHes-; pie, of the rtiariageriient pomriiitfee, are visiting- here for a lobfcsee oyer the company's hbldirigs-In the?near fiiture. reriovatioris... will' be .put. in hnrid •tb,,:rnbdernize- theatres, arid: t'lcr ideas will be brpuRht into play pcnerally tp. build up the - chairi ;;jn; this territory. [^.^ Understood the pic supply . frow, l!,c riiajor Americaris to G.y..1'. will; irci'ucie- Mbtrb: and Umversali. w-itfj- the ijossi.bility . of .Parampurit. alsQ. supD.l:-ing;c<!i:iair.;prpdu^ beinfi 60. it looks as "thovigh. G fairly, well, 'oir for: s . reports "to the ;epriti•a^y;;;.^V'•^.,^ 'iri Sydrieyi. Mejb.^^^^^ : id other vkey.s,- it -is expeqted, Ihat- Rydge ;w.iilv^a!rry;OVit; w Irbiri the bankers to a certain extent; additipnai .•■;ians; to .bring the whole :circuit ■ iritp linife against any ■ oppbsi- tiorii Few mbriths back Ilydge Said : a)np.' 3 fiiiancj ..w*ais bii offer;. tb: build <3t'U.T. irttp v. powerful forqe in; the pic field. ■■■ It's intere.stirii? I to, ripte that the bah ire vs for Gr.U.T. are also the same for Hoy ts. ' ■ Sydney, ■ Dec. 13.; In a; week of marked lows. Hoyts brought in 'The Prisbnbr of Zenda* (UA) and "looks like top .money.- Elsewrhere traide is. at a pretty .low level, excepting perhaps *Maytime' (M-G), 12th week. 'Wings of the Morning' (G-B) folds after a recprd run, and 'The Prince and the Pauper' (WB) will replace. 'Thin Ice* I20th) also, exited after a good run, with Zerida* following. ♦'The Road Ba:ck* (U) slipped and. 'You Can't * Have Everything' (20th). came in for a short run. 'Angel' (Par) also hit the skids a'fter a fairly nice , spin; and 'pQubl^ or Npthing' (Par) - will stick until 'Sbuls at' Sea\.(i'ar)'.replaced as ,yuietide attra^ 'Emperpr's Canr dlesticks'. (M-G) moderate^ but will play until ,'Broadway Melbdy' comes in at Yuletide, 'Th.at Certain Woman' (W B )■ d idri't mean • a" thirig and "'Make a Wish' (RKO) will take its place. Weekly ^trade is just 'fair with 'Flight froms Glory' (RKO) and 'Danger, Love at Work' (20th)V : "• : Trade ■;■ very gopd fpr: Tivoli vauds-revue. nights, and 'Balalaika' will-replace 'Swing Alohg' early next morith for Williamspn-Tait.' ;: New Football Pool ■ Loridbq,' J3ec. 19. Latest; tdrfprni. a. football pool sya- dicate,; ih order to conipele, Avith: Lit- tlewppds, Aiivrph"ej;'9^'-an:d . Cp the Screeri Pools,. .Ltd. Priphibters of the scheme. are Charles Wdolfj Mau- rice. Ostrer, Aubrey Hyman, Jeffrey Bernerd and Mjaurice .Woolf. , Cbrri- pariy. has been formed ^wlth :;capital of $125,000, but has ■ unlimited back- ing.;: ■': '■■/;■.'' •■■ .;/■ .y- '^'.-^:'- \ ", •-''■'.;' .."rwp flpprs have heieri leased iri the Charles .Woplf building; in':Wjardpur street tp start operations immedi- ately. -. ;^•-■-••.. ■■■■ - '-'• Although ; 'alriibst daily • ^confabs were held last week by the Ha^s of- fiVe; representatives .and foreign; de- partment officials with; Dr.. M. Sata- npwsky,-attorney for the, Buienbs. Aires film board ' ot trade,; on two Vital Argentine distributiori matters, discussions probiably will not be con- cluded before the end of this week. No decisioh .has; been. reached in either . the anti-trust case dr. the tax dispute; Conversations will be speed- ed up because of' Satariowsky's desire to return-home early next -year.; He flew frorii Argentina to lay the tWo subjects before U. S. filrii conipariies directly. 'y:"''-^. '■':-■■:-■'■. ; ThusVfar the pending aijti-trust case, In which 16 Argentine distributbrs, including most. ,U. S." distribs, were fined $4,000, has occu- pied the most, time in discussions to: date. "The exbessive taxV now: irii-, ppsed, will be considei'ed prpbably; this week with State Department representatives called in andr ini^ formed of. the severe taxatipn penal^ ties -ribw^ 'existing- agaiirist Arnerican distributibn coinpanies. ';' ..'The suit brbught urider anti-trust statutes in Argentina was stairted by- an exhibitor. Case has been bbfore courts in that country for some time, and .thus far, diistri butors have failed; tp admit any pTcKal^ii. . Chief B. 0. in : TROGADERO REIilAMED Old Paris; Buildihr Was Tagged As - iSlur at . Spaii'lsii ' •':/. / ' -r Paris, Dec. 21. •' - Trbcadero,. the; new building on the hill across the Sei J frpni the Eiffel tower, will hpnbefprth be knbwn; as :the: Palais de Chaillot. Is generally called the 'chef d'peuyre d'architbcture de I'expo' by: the French. VV' ' y - New name comes, frpm the village once Ipcated pn the side pf the hill before Parish'extended that' far.- Original tag was given '■ the pld building in 1878. as.' a slap at the Spanish for their . frieridship with the Germans after the. war of . 1870. Trocadero was the hariie of a Span- ish fort taken by thb French in 1823; Napblieori' once, plaoned. to ;.build a second - Versailles on the hill:.as a palace for his spri;, the. 'King-' of liome.': . LONDON LEGIT, FILMS' m -. London, Dec; 28. IBoxing. pay>, England's national holiday, saw bariner biz: for' West Erig legit and film - houses. Period saw capacity all around. : Grosses in area exceeded $150,000. Top grossers ' >vere: taken by 'Marie Walewska' at .tl.e Enlpire;. 'All; Baba' at Gaumont; 'Heidi,' Regal, and 'Wells Fargo,' Carlton. . .,.V o Sydney^ Dec/.I4. Once regarded by legit managers as a sure biz pyiler, the Christririas paritb-. mine has slipped irit.o the realni of forr gotteri things.; Few years back legiters- banked: on around four weeks' ca- pacity at .Yuletide with kiddie trade from panto preseritatipn. Today this type of entertainment can only be found within the portals; of bomrner- cial organizatibns, with adriiissibn; sci; cured by the purchase bf .- - certain amount of drygoods; . ,-' In ;the years before sburid films Williamson-Tait, the ; Fullers and bther managements found ready trade " here and;- \ . yictoria with pantos., Lobal as Weli as pyersbas'. artists secured work aplenty to rtide- them over' into the new year. ..;; ■: This- year. Frank; Neil ;is the 'only riianager presenting a panto arid at mats only,, . with, .vaude-revue ;^^n foir the adults. Iri jpreviouis ;years the cream of England's paritp performers Verb . • impbrted-^dashing ;princii)al boys, funny dariips, and top-notch dancers. Frpm the Continent and America high-class specialty acts brbught out expressly for- the season, plus; producers; costumes, lighting- effects and sceriery. Td the legiters Yuletide then meant a good take ^yith both kiddie and adult trade. Oldtiri^ers say that in Australia panto; is not dead—it's only sleeping. Xan't Take If Looks Blah in London; iciousi : : Y Melbpume, Dec. 13. . ' IJice lineup and riiahagers are vyaitirig fpr -Yuletide: to: bring sblid mprtey. ;Curre^it.'list includes 'Souls at Sea' (Par); . 'RainbPw on the River' (RKO), 'Wake :Up and Ltvb' (20th), 'Singing Marine* (WB), 'A-Day at the Raceis';'(M-G)," ,'i Cover the War' (U), and 'It Happened Out West' (20th). ; / . :-■;;'- ; ■ll.egit;;biz is high with. 'Balalaik^a,' '.Victoria Regiria,'~under..W>^ Marcus shew fpr . Fullers-Snider- Dean; - Vaude-revue [' -still - tops for Tivoli managenierit. • - R^igii of WilKelmina In Film Chronology The Hague, Dec. 20. Cbmp.osite history .on ceUUlbid of the; 40-year rbigri of Queen Wilhel- njina, who celebrates that; event next Septbriiber, is thei ajirii of production interests here. ; V Prpductipn, is b be subsidized by the ;governriTient. -' 1-'-':-'';;■,--■■ . London, Dec. ,28. •Chopse Your Time,' Firth Shep- hard s productibri of coiribo vaude,; play, riewsreels and cartoon, opened at the Piccadilly.; lastweek ■ (21) to ^ a warm^ reception. ; play run?;; 90 minutes. :, ■ ' ■ v . [ ; - 'Bulldog Drummpnd Hits^ Out,' pios- thumb;us;-,,thriUb with Henry ,Ed>^ wards;; in the lead, ..bowed- af the Sav-^oy tiie same; ight (21) and was splendidly - received;" ■..-;;; .;..-■- 'You Can't Take It With -. You* was seen at the St. James last; Wednesday (22),; Kaufman-Hart coiriedy w erally .weU received, by the audience, but some of the newspapers panned it,:, especially the :high7bro\y London -Timbs. / Ljitter- sheet -referred to the show as 'extreriie of; dismal incbherr, ence' ; and . adds there, was little to commend about it bicept Us brevity-: Play.'s 'American ; atmosphere;: is aU. nTest;:destrbyed '.hyy-si- virtual all-; English ' cast. Libraries are shyirig at rhakjrig deals. Lboks to be. a cer- tain flop. ,;\''";;- :.■ yy ■' :-. ':.'''•'-I'/V- ;- .'•> 'A; La.dy^s ..Geritieii^an.V/ political cornedy pfodubed by Andre Van Gy'se'ghem, opened at the Vaudeville theatre -. Thursday (23). Brilliant piece W^s well received; and looks to be a success! . Hyltori CleaVer aidaptr ed from Ladislaiid BUs-Fbketb's Hun- gariaiij play, 'Jean.' Robert Squire and Margaretta Scbtt; have; the leads. ;. First impprtant legit show fbr next year is . 'Dodswbrth,'; ;.GPes into; the Palace, herie in Febriiaryi re|)labint' .'Oh Ybu Letty.- Lee Ephrainti iis pro- ducing, , with Gladys. .Copper and Philip .Mbrivaie. set for cast tPppers. Alfred Bundy, director bf the Palace theatre, is angel.:-;' ; . ; Bertram Mills Circus at Olympic (22) accorded its, usual: healthy ree ceptiori. Will stay; the regular six weeks, and repeat its .aririual success; London (Casino's liew show (22) was :a :spiectacular triuiriph. ;:Thpre were somie gpod.acts but riot enough of them. ; Personalities of the prin- cipals -were upraised and riewspapei reports were favorable. • . Incidentally,; ;CJiifford; G. Fischer, producer of ;the London Casino -' yueS, .differs, "with a .previous-report that he had been busted from the French Casino "in N.. Y;> " that the F.C.'s going intb; .bankruptcy- caused a bireach. of his cphtract, on which he ; contemplates Suing. : Fischer never was an officer of the; French Casino": but boritrarily he's now a creditor,. "■- •''-;.'';■■-'"; , ^'-; By CAL S. IIIRSH 1 Shanghai, Dec. 17. \ With a ring of Japanese steel com- pieteiy surrounding the Interna- tiprial Settlement aridVthe ^French Cbnce^sion, the foreign; sectors; of Sharighai, the Japanese arrriy hay- ing cbriipletely bccupied Chinese territory (Popturig). across the Whairigpoo river. Chapel'on the north, Nantao on the south arid the western area, semi-contrplled by the fpreigni council, Iriajor-scale devas-; tation is the rule: and: rip' ;ariiuse- nients are operating in the bccupied area.-. ■■.';■..; ■ cv ,- -.-';■' In Shanghai proper, fbur first run houses are pliaying- tb 50% business, in as much as Chinese, who consti- tute 70%. of. the business, attend'.in sriiall groups only. .Their total ieat- inff capacity 6;7b6. • Matinees (thiree shows daily) - are fair, ;butv.riights/ pviririg ■ to; stHctly ; erifprbed c^^^ are popr.; No immediate pirbspects pf curfew being lifted. In fbreigri areas maybe .five or six second .-.-are bperi, business at 40%. normal, :with- distriiss : giving: special; percentage . rates. -Hongkew's (Shafnghai) two ' foreign; houses -. (seating capacity about 2,500) burned ;. tp ground,. while second, runs mnabc with ; eight' or ? nine, probably In ruins. T ' - - .;,:-;v;";''-:'-'"'■ -;". '^ StrPk's usual winter "iqUota of - six-. American ^ and ' Cofttineijtal World- famous; artists liridoubtedly will not visit Shanghai ; and several in.de-: pendent outfits definitely :bancelied. Rex Stprby , and his Holly wood . Re- vue got- out .■ just in time to aypid i the trouble. ■';'■-.;;•■.;' y" .,:' The Joints ..":;'.. -•• .';; . Gabarbts; and j itney places, lattbr:; empioyirig -rribstly. Chinesevhbstesses;; with 25% ot 'emi Russian, jip\v open at. 3 p;m., and operate only until 11 p.m. Much of the trade comes from the ■ 11,000 American, British arid allied. sailprSi marines- and solr diers being .stcitibned to prbtect fb.rr eign settlements. Fourth arid Sixth U. :S. marines arid sailors from the' U... S. S. :August^ are higher" paid| than others and fprm .;the niaiority of patronage. -, :_Jhrpughout China iri general 350; houses are wired for sound and only: 30%; operating, - business tries* being less than 40% riprriial. Whereas, in 1936 Chinese studios produced 50 jpix, first; six months of this year showed only 18 and since . then, practically nil, although . the Nanking (Gbvernment) Central Stu- dios have turned ; but ■ innumerable war newsreels; and jpropaganda films. ;Shanghai's majors-rStar:, Unique and United Phptoplay—have sus- pended entirely and staffs paid off Vvith little hope 'of resumption for better part of a year. ..; Radio locally is a flop." .Formerly 45 siatiprts . in iSharighai, ,nbyv ; p half dozen function half-heartedly, inbludirig two foreign o.utfits; Latter were of great assistance during early, days by forwarding; persbrial in- formation .-regarding^ riiissing. rela- : fives to the ipteribr or' to Siian"|hai-' landers niarooned at various sunimer resorts. -.'-■■•.::-■.:■"■■.-:? Inasmuch as very few , pre-May Hollywood: pix have been- released in Shanghai, because of the seasonal hot period, when all go on vacation, and foUpwed by the war, Shanghai fans' chpice of popular :stars returns almost to thie 1936 basis. . Nanking censor board removed to Shanghai in'" September, as: bapital: ■ was . but off by .rail connections, but haye little tp: do as-sa few pix— excepting the; ppprer stuff—.are of- fered tp the theatres. eehsors..b3nried Topper' because of supernatural at-. mbsphere., ; ■..--;'■-. '-; - .:''■■; Par A. WEWSREEL YEN Now Makirif Spanish Portuguese Editions and. Meeting demand of ;$puth -Ameri- :can :,exhibitprs, whe , have been eVi- dericiri'g iricreasin|[ interest: in new reels,, Paranipurit; now is getting out, two separate foreign language news- reel editipriis fpr Si A.; ;.. Gommentatpr speaking ISpanish. is used for; all South American cbun- tries esbepting.Brazil, V/hich uses a bomriientator talking Portuguese. Previous to that ;Par's reel to theie Latin-American nations was silerit excepting for ; scenes recorded iri, spurid and spiind effects introduced.