Variety (May 1938)

Wednesday, May 4, 1038 PICTURES VARIETY 7 Studio Unemployment Poll Shows Less Than 20% Work Year Round Hollywood, May 3. Less lhan 20% of the meniber's in the crafls and guilds in the picture uskry ai-e steadily employed, it is iscloscd in a survey niade by Jack oleiv, chairman of the Studio Un- employment Conference. , Figures also reveal more than 41% are un- employed in what is characterized as the most acute situation since 1933: Canvass establishes that the aver- age annual earning for craftsmen In picture production is around $1,500; a small percentage,makes over $2,000 annually. Report states the average annual vrase dropped from a . high of $2^433 in 1929 to the present low figure. Ifolen declared, 'While wages are steadily declining, producer profits are increasing; , Five major compa- ies reported 25% increase in profits iiom 1936 to 1937.' Problem, will be discussed is montli'at a mass meeting of the un- employed. Reinhardt Started It But Metro Finally Got 'Danton' Double for Pix Cedar Rapi , May 3. Because he resembles the famed French patriot Danton, Wade Cros- by,- former resident of Cedar Rapids la., has given up sign painting to become ah actor. It was Max Rein- hardt's idea. Passing through a the- atre lobby one morning, he saw Crosby at work. He halted and looked again. Crosby's resemblance to Danton was uncanny. As Reinhardt was planning to rxake a picture of the life of Dan- ton, he induced Crosby to give up his'painting job and become an ac- tor. Crosby agreed, but only tehiijo- rarily. He emphasized the. fact that he would return- to painting as soon •s the picture was finished. A series of successful tests were tiiade of him and though producers admitted they were impressed, none v.'a.s willing to put $1,000,000 into'a production with an unknown in. the lead. So no picture was made and Crosby went bacic to his painting sooner than he expected. But hav- ing had a taste of acting, he wasn't satlsHed with painting any more Reinhardt, however, left for Europe and with him Crosby's best chances for acting opportunities. Casting directors had no time for him when they heard he lacked ex- perience. Join some stock company, gel some experience, they aidvised then maybe we can use you. Meantime, Metro had begun work on 'Marie Antoinette,' co-starring Norma Shearer and Tyrone Power. Ai Dariton plays an important part in the story. Hunt Stromberg, who is biin.!;ins Stefan Zweig's famou.'; biography to the screen, tested dozens of candidates fot the role. Cro.sby heard of the producer's search and went to the studio for an interview. Stromberg talked wilh hini Cive minutes and was so im- pressed he signed him for the part without a test. 'His resemblance to Danton is amazin?.' Stromberg told Director W. S.,Van Dyke. And so Crosby, although he's actually been in pictures for more than Iwo years, makes his screen debut in 'Marie Antoinette.' He is married and has one daugh- ter, Ann, who, though only seven years bid, is a veteran ctress. She has appeared in 65 productions. Tracy Resting on Coast Hollywood, May 3. Spencer Tracy is back from New Vork. having abandoned his pro- posed European vacation becau.se of iir hsal'th. the result of an opera- tion in March. After a relapse in Manhattan. Triicy planed back home, where he will lake a complete rest. S.E.C. STOCK DEALS Latest eport on Show Bli Nego- tiations Washington, May 3. Transaction in securities of two film companies were reported to the Securities & Exchange Corhmission last week by two corporate insiders, while holdings of. two new directors and other members of the industry were revealed. Latest S.E.C. report shows E. V. Ric^iards of 5few Orleans,, director of Paramount, swelled his interest in,the company through Rochelle In^ vestment . Corp., in which he has, a stake; Loew's, Inc. iclccd up more paper issued by Loew's Boston thea- tre,, and John H. Devlin of Boston unloaded some of his stock in the Hub realty firm. ' In six separate: transactions during late March, Richards got 2,500 more pieces of 6% convertible second pre- ferred, boosting his hbldings to, 7,500 shares. Devlin . eddied 250 shares of Loe\y's .Boston comrnon,, keeping but 25, while the parent company picked up 450, increasing its control to 99,962 shares. Edward A.. Golden of Monogram was shown to have no stock interest in his company but Samuel I. Ppsen, just added to the board, aixou'nts for 45 shares of Universal's 9% cumula- tive first .preferred. MINN. SEaOR'S EARLY HLM SEIUNG Minneapolis, May S. Most b( local film exchanges .claim to be doing best business in years. Last Wednesday Universal here had Uie biggest shipping day in the branch's history, according lo Frank Mantzke, exchange manager. Joe Podoloff, 20lh-Fox branch manager, says his exchange is doing the fastest selling job ever on new product. Branch is four to five months ahead of corresponding pe- riod a year ago and expects to have largest percentage ot its deals com- pleted by early or id-summer at latest, he says. Metro, Paramount, United Artists, Warners. Republic and Monogram also report unusually big business. A checkup of records at 20lh-Fox in situations where the company has had ac-ce.ss to boxofiieC'.statements because of percentage deals also re- veal.'; that' 'picture for picture of sii ibr type arid quality current year's reicases have oulgrosscd these of a year ago,* according to Podoloff. Tliin Ice.' for example, played lo larger pprcenlage returns than 'One in a Million.' and "Happy Landing' has been holding its own with the (irst named, he says. 'Heidi' was the biggest Shirley Temple grosser in. this territory in several years while 'Life Begins in College' out- distanced:'On the Avenue' and 'Pig- skin Parade.' Jane Withers releases have been increasingly popular and even lesser pictures, such as 'Love Under Fire,' have done betlcr than correspon ing releases a year ago, lie declares. ARE DISCySSED Discourse ilm Mer- chandisingr by a . Well- Known Exploiteer Is Kept Impersohal Obvious R e a sons — Dangers of H i g h - P r e s s u r e —Also False Economy GOOD-WILL ELEMENT Muni's Big Apple Hbllywobd. M.iy 3. 'Sloiry of illiam Tell' has been bought )jy -Warners as a possible' yarn for Paul Muni. I inz ilevald an rczcg | screcnpla.vinj. There is a difference of opinion as to the value of exploitation for motion ^pictures in most executives' minds. In some instances, they be- lieve it is good showittanship to give a high pressure campaign to a pic- ture that has explbitation value. Others deem it a waste of money to go out and get free space from: news- papers, department stores and other avenues of publicity, But in these days when, the in- 'dustry's resourcefulness; for mer- chandising of its prbduct must needs be called upon to the fullest, the value of exploitation seems more acut^ than ever. And, in midseason, with grosses riding high, it still is highly advantageous to capitalize to the utmost. That extra push can mean plenty of extra gravy^ There , are several execs in the larger .distributing .companies and on occasion among the independents, who argue that by sending out a haphazard array of sb-called public- ity and explbitatibn irien,, they may in. the long run db more harm to the company they represent, and tlik pictures they are exploiting, .than can be imagined; Exploitation men arie 'ambassadors of gbbd will,' they Cbntend. They should act. and. deport themselves as the direct representatives of .the company and, as such, in contacting the public through the newspapers and department stores throughout the country, reflect credit on the picture business. How important ail ttiis is cannot be underestimated. Exploiteers in the field contact the. editors of the newspapers, and all departments of the papers- Sunday features, city desk, fashions, sports and society, advertising man- agers and at times the owners and publishers. If their approach is mediocre it immediately reacts against them. Exploitation rnen pri- marily want free space in the papers, which is always a diRicuU task. For years the newspaper men's trade papers have campaigned against free press matter. Now look at it when an exploita- tion, man, representing one of the large conlpanics enters a newspaper office, seeking to get press matter in. and starts oft by telling the editor that he is dbing him a favbr in giving him material, and eiids up by saying thai he is spending extra mbncy bn advertising and he is entitled tb the news columns. He's immediately behind the eight ball. All one has lo mention to any editor that there is advertising- in- vblved, and- up goes the red flag. As far as this special man is con- cerned he is outlawed in that edi- torial room. Vtl il's a rather com- mon approach and the wrongest kind. Plenty to Overcome What happens to the next man who shows up to exploit another picture for the same company in the same city? This man is a former newspaperman, knows his business thoroughl.y, and speaks the news- paperman's language. After listen- ing to a string of vituperation about the company he represents, and his ilk in general, he's told nothing ill get , into the paper's columns re- garding his cbmpany's pictures. It then takes all the majbr salesman- ship and persuasive power of the man to set things-right and estab- lish the entente cordiale. In the past few years young men have haunUd lh» exDloitation di- (Continucd 'on Ask Special Exams for Labw B'd Hearings on 65 H wood Petitions; ActorsRetrieveCoininmClaims FOX THEATRES REPORT Seml-Annaal Data Dlsclbses $12,014 Deflcll Fox Theatres ,.Cbrp. had a deficit bf $12,014 fbr the six mbhlhs perlbd frbm June 31, 1937, tb. Dec. 31, .ac- cbrding to the semi-annual report filed last week by Milt.n Weisman. trustee, in the New 'York federal court. The report rereated that total deficit of the .Ibrjpbratibn ambuhts tb $40,333,209 and book value bf current assets total $4,400,- 000. .The trustee's book valiiation of the assets are 1^8,207^000, including the claim of William Toy, which amounts to $7,500,000. The Ibss of .the corporation under receivership since 1932 is r laced at $513,209. . Claims amounting to $29,957i578 haye been settled for $6,988,294. Unr settled claims, exclusive of the Wil- liam Fox'claim, amp'int to $1,414,42'7. investments in subsidiaries held worthless amount to $28,693,67L BIAYASS'NNIX ON 'SON OF A WITCH' BALLY License Commissioner Paul oss and Brbadway Association forced change in marquee billing bf 'Wajan' at the Brandts' Gaiety, N.Y;, this week. Lurid billing, part oic which labeled it 'Son of a Witch,' plus such scaccrs as 'niidists,' 'passion,' 'naked/ etc., was altered somewhat, with signs now reading 'Witch's Son,' etc. Billing is credited to late Al Fried- lander who created catch lines when he first saw the film about a year ago. Brandts! appropriated the posthumbus tagging. 'GROUCH CLUB'FOR WB SHORTS SERIES Hbllywbbd, May 3, "Warners will make a series of shorts based on Jack Lescoulie's 'Grouch Club.' a radio feature over KFWB for the past six weeks. Pro- duction will be al the WB Brooklyn studio. Transamcrican Is also working on a radio deal for the comedy turn. Accompanying Lcscoulie east will be Nat iliken, his scriptcr, and Arthur Q. Bryan, producer-comic. Deal call.s for (irsi cluster of seven, wilh lv,o sets of 13 on option pick- ups. McCormick Sues Lyons Hollywood, May 3. .Tohn McCormick filed suit against his former agency partners, A. & S. Lyon.s. Inc., asking specific damages of $6,328.72 and an accounting to de- termine what commissions might have accrued to him ince Feb. 4 when he left the organization. Now a member of the Leiand Hay- ward-John McCormick agency. c- Cormick alleges-his former partners repudiated a three-year contract. John Clark's Op Under the doctor's care for several we2ks, John D. Clark, ^Oth-ifox v.p. in charge of distribution, underwent an oper'atibrt fbr.gall bladder treuble Thursday (28) at the Mbunt'ainside hospital, ontclair, N. J. Clark lives in Mbntclair. T\yenticth-Fox sale.s head is re- ported rallying satisfactorily from, the op: Hollywobd, Natibnal Labor Relations oard will be asked tb as'sigti special trial examiners here tb conduct hearings on 65 petitions involving the film in- dustry as soon as a decisibn :s handed down" in the Screen Writers Guild case. Dr. Towhe Nylander, regional director for NLRB, said date for first hearirtg will be set immediately if. writers' decision establishes author- ity ot NLRB under Wagner " labor act. . William Walsh,, special I^LRB at- torney sent here from Washington to conduct writers case,. Will be as- signed to represent board at various hearings. Because of his farriiliarity with \york. Walsti..has been perma- nently assigned to Los Angeles dis- trict. • . ■ Most Important cases awaiti hearing are those of Screen Direc- tors Guild and the Riders, Character and Extra Players. Directors' peti- tion probably will be first heard un- less Guild reaches an agreement with the producers before their case is called for hearing. . Negotiatibns be- tweien majbr studibs and SDG -wer renewed recently, and indicatibns are that a wbrking pact will be agreed upen and that complaint pending befere NLRB will be with- drawn,. In the event that the petitlbn of the Riders, Character and .Extra Players is taken scribusly, it is likely the Screen Actbrs Guild will intervene, since latter now .has a lO-year closed shop agreement with the prbducers; Should recognition be given the Riders, Character and Extra Players it might jeopardlzie agreement of SAG. Other crafts with petitions for. recr ognition as bargaining representative for their members now pending be- tbre beard arc Sbciety bf Motion Pic- ture Set Designers, Society of Motion Picture Artists and Illustrators, Screen Cartoon Guild, Society of tion Picture Art Directbrs, Screen Publicists Guild, and Screen Set De- signers Giiild. Anbther important petilibn is that of James Shaw for reinstatement as a techiiician at Metre. Latter claims he was dis- charged becau.<ie bf unibn activities in. 1933 strike bf Internatibnal .Alliance bf Theatrical Stage Empleyes. Lat- ter recently was offered reinstate- ment, but nixed bfTcr because it did not include back pay for time he has been idle. KecoenUion In Balance No appeal is planned by majority of producers if NLRB grants pctitiOii of SWG for an election of writers lo select a bargaining representative and holds picture companies arc en- gaged ifi a business where a labor dispute would affect.or obstruct in- lerstalc commerce. Granting of pe- 'Jtion, which is considered highly probable, is expected to definitely end fight of legitimate film crafts and unions for producer recognition. A favorable decision for writers Is expected to result in opening of ne- •^oliations with scribblers, as well as other independent organizations that have been clamoring for recognition. Majority bf producers are said tb feel an appeal would be useless in view of fact that U. S. Supreme Court has already, passed on most of phases in- volved in writers hearing. Writers' case was reopened by NLRB on petitibn of SWG to include certain new evidence in record. Guild was anxious to show that or. ganlzalion has now been incorporated under California law in the-name ot the Screen, Writers Guild, Inc. It was formerly known as the Screen Writers Guild of the A.uthors League, of America. Leonard S. Jahofsky will represent SWG. A total bf 2,500 claims were ad- justed for actors during the first U months undci Guild shop contracts, with only two going to arbitration, i- was announced this week by Fre'- orirk W. Bectsoh, socretary-treasu'-cr of the Associalio.) ot Motion Picture (Conlihucd. on page 4C)