Variety (Jun 1938)

VARIETY PICTURES Wedneedaj, June iB, 1938 TRADE NOT KIDDING OVER NEEY'S AIMS; FOR SELF-REGULATION PRONTO Meantime Neely> in Washi Seeing HU Pet Measure Sidetracked, Blasts the. Film Industry Aneiy—Conciliation, Etc., Due With the Neely bill givea little choncc pi passing in the present session of Congress, due to adjourn within the next six or seven days, lew in the picture industry are kid- ding themselves that the siorm has blown o\*er. In fact, trade leaders are convinced that Neely's bill or' ether anti-block booking legislation will be revived early in the next Congressional session in January. And some are sure that some type of Neely law will be enacted unless voluntary industry house-cleaning makes such' legislation totally un- necessary. Consequently, the can^paign to do. eoipething about ironing out trade problems , and correcting so-called 'evil' trade practices is gaining force with each passing week. Biilk of industry leaders are becoming convinced that this is the only al- ternative to having Federal law pasded, which would harnesi the film business and, possibly do it ir> reparable damage (or, at least, add to distribution costs). Problem today; is to. :plan a means of approach to the problem. Sug- -geslions have been made for dis- tribution cptnpanies to announcie what^ they are in^ faVor of doing. Another idea is' for a joint confer- ence between distributor Heads and leading exhibi rs including officials of the . representative independent exhibitor associations. Still another plan is for several companies to act on their, own initiative' in hopes that their remedies \yiil be followed by others. And a fourth proposal is for Allied and MPTOA. groups to get together, with the as- istaiice of (ttlier exhibi rs from outlying districts, and submit, a plan. Thus far, the method by which a proiir;im to cure the present, so- called, faulty trade practices is lacking. Though many - sug:gestions have been made, a majority Of them; bog down when actual placing into action is contemplated. , Divergent interests in exhibition and distri - Hon are blamed. Jnira-Indnsiry . Farge General belief noAv held is that as soon as Congress has adjourned. Hays, or somebody* to correct the pre.sent situation by raising the. jper- centage ot cancellable pictures' that have been block-booked. 'Warnlne' Minneapolis, June 7., , A. StefTes, resident of North- wc.n Allied, has sent a 'warning' to independent exhibitors, in the tcrrir tory to beware of statements being made to them by film salesmen that eiiactment of the Neely anti-block booking bill will force them to buy pictures singly and rai their film rentals. StefTes a.sks the exhibitors hot to 'fall' for siich statements. He urges support of . the bill ih the House. Lichtman Back West Altaek Film Lobbying Washington, June 7. Sidetrackipg .qf the Neely block- booking bill drew more criticism of the Hays organization, motion pic- ture lobbyists, and film industry morals in Congress last week but the: squawks failed to budge the House Interstate Commerce •Committee which has pigeonholed the reform proposal. News' that his' scheme to compel leasing'of features on a. hand-to- mouth basis has been thwarted for this year provoked Senator Matthew M.. Neely to' charge that a. 'notorious and scandalous lobby' has prevented Congress.from taking action impera- tive to promote the'welfare of the- atre patrons. Siniultaneou.sly Rep- resentative Samuel Pettengill of In- diana — s[iohsor of a corripanion measure, whose Congressional serv- ice ends ith his retirement this: •year—voiced faint hoi^ that action in the House still is possible and that the 'inonopblistic' film trust will be: curbed by legislative action. There has never, been a more brazen example of lobbying against legislation in history,': Neeley yelped; "This trust has employed the. best talent; They have openly invaded the offices of high' Federal olTicials' to work against this measure.' Possibility the head-cracking Sen- ale Lobby dommittee, steered by rabid New Dealer Shernian Minton of Indiana, will turn its'guns on .the. Haysites who conducted the 'induirr try defensive. — Ed Kuykendall. Charles C. Pettijohh. Will Hays, and providing, of course, that there is ! local lawyers representing Associa no Neely law, definite steps will be tibn members—was suggested by taken to set up inner-industry .ma-! Neely. Would not say .positively chinery to correct conditions about'whether he will turn his 'evidence' which legislators have been hearing, of wire pulling over to his colleague, complaints. Clearance, produclj Drive will be resumed in th6 wirt- bii.v.s, zoning, cancellations, concilia-' ter. with the slop-Neely tactics spbt- tion, ett., would be considered. | lighted, the West Virginian declared. Big question is what will be done' Said he is prepared to expose the •bout ending or modifying block sins ot the 'billion-dollar trust.' booking '(vhich Neely bill seeks. —^ Of the several matters, industry- Presbyterians Approve heads believe that workable con- ; Philadelphia, June 7. ciliation machinery would go far in' Resolution approving Federal, pro- eliminating the bulk of current; hibitipn of blbcU-bboking \vas passsd scjuawks heard from exhibitors; Thisi^y -Ihe 150th General Assembly of po.ssibly would be patterned afler j the Presbytcriari Church, represent- bolh old film boards of trade align- in? 2.000.000 comniunicnnts, at its ment and NRA arbitration boards; "^'o'^ifi. session'here last Wednesday, und cp'mmittees. Idea would be fprj 'We .note and commend.* the re.so- di.stributbrs and exhibitor's to have^'i'tio" said, 'an increasing tendency equal, representation on conciliation ' oV'^" producers to select themes boards established i all key cities. .P'.'J's that a.re worthy oif the ed- While decision of the board might "cational and spiritual power that' not be final, with recourse to a the motion picture might have.. On court of law ahyays possible, many 1 hand; we condemn the,pic- bel4eve it would make: possible the j ^'^''''*'!'?" of -liquor drinkins, im- Eettlement of numerous complainls'Tifr^lity, and'alt other themes that and halt the present flow of litiga- '° lower the finer ideals of lion. I youth. It Is quite likely that a lO-poinl! 'Therefore, we urge the church program; or method of proceduve i P^oP'e. to be watchful so that the similar to that suggested- by ti,e!of films may be proKres- WPTOA would be followed if the P'^^'i''^'e believe that Fed- industry decides on a voluntary ^•'"^ P'" ibilion of block-booking Ai Lichtman left Fri (3) for the Coast by train. is plansi';oi°iginaIly, were to leave Monday (6)i but the Coast situation demanded his presence on the Metro lot, sooner than anticipated. •Joe Schenbk and Jay Paley- left Ne.w.'Ybrk for the Coast: Monday (6) night. Schenck had ' been east for around two Weeks. CARNEGIE HALL PREVIEW FOR BERLIN'S PIC Plans are being laid for a super- preview of Irving Berlin's 'Alex- ander's .Ragtime. Band' at Carnegie Hall,' N. y., around niid-JuIy. ilm will be ' generally released around the first .week of August. Hall has to be wired for sound be- fore the fll can show. Manage- ment was considering doing same and 'will probably have it set in time for the 20th-Fox film. Although ar- fangem'ents arC' incomplete, figured it will be ' special invitation stiint with kleigs, etc., a la Hollywood. Since ' swing invaded. Carnegie. 2bth-Fox conceived the 'Ragtime' pics special preview there. WB TttlRACLE' WITH BEHE DAVIS AS NUN Times Sq. Marches On Hollywood, June 7. ax Reinhardt's stage spectacle, 'The Miracle,' will be filmed by War- ners with .Bette Davis in the role of the nun. Lady iana Manners played the role i .the New York production in 1024. .Warners purchased' the screen rights several years ago but pro- duction has been delayed by budget and other difficultiie'.s. Regan 'Insolent/ Republic Charges in Suit Answer to.s Angeles. June 7. Phil Regan was discharged because of in.solehce and insubordination, according to Republic's answer to the actor's .$18,000 breach of contract suit in federal court. Regan, who was di.smi.ssed Jan. IS. ask.s $li,000 for each of the two pic- tures he would have made under his contract. move to wipe put alleged trade evils. At the present time some such line- up .seems the logical way of stop- ping the complaints from the ex- hibitor groups and preventing them from Tunning to an outside party (Congress) to. settle their disputes. Several newspapers througlrioul the country have taken up cudgels for film industry and have opposed the Neely bill as'being unworkable lor best rerults. The N. "if. Times came out editorially'on Monday (6) for better pictures, Voluntary rem- ed.vini? ot flaws in the current .setup and against the~Nceiy meas- ure' as having '3' flavor of censbr- t ship." Editorial suggested 'Mr. ill ibilion would be efTective to this end.' Roach Lot Hums Hollywood. June 7. Activity was rc>>umcd on the Hal Roach lot last week with 450 work- ing on the Stan Laurel-Oliver Hardy cbmedy, 'Meet the Mis;siiK.' Another Roach prdduclion will get under way to.moriow (Wedne.sday) wher( 'There Goes My> Heart,' 'ilh Fredric March and Virgin.i ruee, hits the camera.s on Ca Una Island. Garber Switches to U Dave Gar in charge of stii i- versoL Cliff WoV . general inan.ni»er. brought him over from RKO. where he had been plant superintendent for two year;-. Other News of Interest to Films U. S. film.s' foreign iiicomc Radio biiildup for 'The Mirncid'... Tclevi.':ion four times a.s costly Rjidio' revi ws of Stroud Twins, •Jack Benny, Gertrude Lawrence nli-ASCAP proposal.'.. Arthur' wen Davis play crt. (telcvisi ;;e 27 ;i(;e 27 .Page Sis . iiue 40 By JACK OSTERMAN veryone in the Broadway dis- trict, which is gradually getting to be known as *Dewey Boulevard,'-has been Complaining the last few weeks about our 'unusual weather,' of cpitrse withi apolpgies. to the Los Angeles Chamber of Coninnerce. But through snow or sleet, rain or ay's hurricanes, we, who can't, even wade, swam oiir viray thrpugh the Great Dark'Way last week and here's what' wre found: We' found the climate di n't af- fect 'I Married An Angel,' with sev- eral standees checking their rub- biers. 'Vivicne Segal, In the cold, stopping, shows colder. ■To. Rudy . Vallee's opening, on the Astor Roof — so rhany music pub- lisher's present, you'd think 'Vallee was on the air. First time in the history of the roof during June that Chrlstenberry had to advertise a heating system!' To premiere at the Slrand bf 'Val- lee's, or should we say arner Bros. 'Gold Diggers in Paris' (Of 1938). Naturally, the dale makes it very important, otherwise they rhight think it was 'Crime School of 1934, Picture shows Rudy looking, and photographing better than , ever, his Chevalier imitation a highlight, and he' sings some swell songs. Best com- edy routines were written . by Jerry Wald (by the way, whatever hap- pened tp the Graphic?) pr .itiaybe it. was his cpllabpratpr, Maurice . Lep, but we doubt it because Leo belongs to MGM^ We stiir can't understand the. title because it. means as much to the picture as. Richard Whitney means to the history , class in Sing Sing. To Marc Connelly's opening bf Two Bouquets' which, after the first act, could have been cut down- to 'One C^arnatipn;' Great break' at in- termission for Toots Shbr's Tavern, where, everyone, or nearly, (pardon, us, Gilbert and Sullivan) drank the second act:. Bet Sardi's mad it didn't open' on. 44th street. arc .tour words) Connelly, we loved yoi'ir thought, but evert, our hp.st, anpther Marc litzstein, let's not get this column into German money ) didn't understand it, but . a lot of people didn't understand 'The Cradle Will Rock* «fither. ^ To Loew's State to see a grand personality who went through a lot: the guy we used to write material for at the. Green Mill Gardens, Chi- cago-^Joe Lewis. We get a kick \yatching our protegees; maybe it's 1 the Gus 'Edward.s in us, nd one of | his biggest laughs Oay oft Voung- : man) was when he said. 'Went to New Jersey, had a drink of Haig and Haig and it left me speechless!' U. S. COMMERCE DEPT. OKAYS HUGHES'HOP Goodwill arouhd-the.-world flight by Howard Hughes in behalf of the N. Y. World's Fair has been .np. proved by the U. S. Department ot Cpmmerce, accbrding to infor at ion received yesterday ;tTue5.'»; is duie iri from the Coast Ju will hop oft tor Europe as .soon as possible after that. Etabbrate ploris fbr use of i-adi 'and motion pictures on the 'rpun the-world flight have been maile. Newsreei pictures of a prelim tcke- o(T and other details of .i.iunt over the ocean will be- carried in plane for nve American newsreei com- panies. These arc to be delivered for showing in Pari.s; , In addittph, it is.likely that he will take an aiitpmatic mbtipn picture camera and 2.000 feet pf fli in or- der to make pictures as far: as Mbs- cowv Arrangements now are being .made with Amkino so that additional negative will be furni.sheid there and additional films taken on remaini legs- of hop. It will be the first time that tion picture films have been fibw'n across, from U. s: and also the initial time that newsreei photographs have been taken on siich an extensive air flight Flight headquarters will be estab- lished on the fair :gr6unds, which will enable officials to keep in con- stant communication with the Hughes plane. For the first time a wprld's weather map will be framed so., that; weather reports can be broadcast, to hi throughout flight. Radio expert will be cine of four assistants to Hughes on his trip. He. wi'U keep track-pf position via three diflferent stations: one at New Fovmd- land, one: in England and one oh B' ship at sea. Two navigators and a mechanic will be on plane when it hops of! from N.' Y.' besides Hujghes and the radio operator; ThouKhls While Thinkinfr The War Admiral and Sca Bi.scuit of ribbers are working together at the: Casa: Manana under the narhes of Frank Fay and Bert Wheelei-... Teddy ('Room Service ) Hart an Jimmy (No Service Pictures) Savo will play diial roles in Rodigers and Hart's forthcoming musical version of 'Comedy of Errors'.. .Shake.s- peare will get ci-cdit. but very litHc ...We sold our first mag stbry to Norman Anthony's 'MR'; gue.^.s we'll have to start buying American Mercury.. .Connie Talmadge at the last • moment replaced her sister. Norma, on Ole Man Jessel's program. Sunday, and did a swell job...only goes to prove never marry an only child because you can never tell when a broadcast needs a brother or sister...There's a barker in front of the Miami theatre, siluated on Rosbft's 6th ave.' boardwalk,' who sells pipe.s while yelling . . . 46lh Varietv street ousht to give Leonard Sillman an idea, ' ■ w Moiniliun Faces'.. .'Joe Lewis received a wire from Bert Frolimari. who was about to open at the Trnc in lloll.vwobd... wire re.nd, 'Opening at Trocadero. plea.se adyi.se"... Wc .'^ii.«t;c.vlcd to an- swer, 'Don't Open' i nly kidciinj; Bert, the Troc is a pu.shover with your delivery; and as f.nr as that new gas mask ma.i<aziiie is concerned, the , by-line should be, 'It KENHj.ppen I Here!" j' Jack rnun.' ^ Miii'iy (io.tc 0-. B. Ii;i .Win. Alfred; IliUhrdc I .Si^lncy MinvHid, A! L:th(rn.-.rr. .lohnny Hy»lt. J':y Pi-IC;V.-' .Ii..--('|)h M. Scl.ciick. j " ornton Wiiiiji- ! Mhur iVIi. I ic(:ii SAILINGS June 15 (New: York to London), J. Cheever Cowdin, Maurice Silver- stone, J. A, McConvill.s (Non iuidie). June 11 (New "ifork to London), J. H.^ iedelman ('Nieuw Amster- dam). June 8 (New York to London), Mr: and Mrs. Frank Hummert. John Barbirolli. D. Mitropoulis, Mrs. D. Basham, Winifred Christie, Mr. and .Tames A. Fitzpatrick,. Herman Mhieri Cnnrord Odets. Luther Adier, Har- old Clurman (Queen Mary >.' June 8 (New York- to London), Morris Carnovsky, Phoebe Brand, Elia Kazan. Robert Lewis. Harry Bratsburg, Will Lee, Sanio.rd Mtis- ner. Art Smith, Roman Bohne.n. T,;ee Cobb, Michael Gordon. John OMalley, Kermit Bloomgiinlen (President Harding). Jime 7 (New York to London), Adolphc Menjou, Verree Teasdale, Nadia Boulanger, Col. ' Lc-^ili R. Naftzger (He de France). July 6 (London to New Yoi W. H. Stein (Normandie). June 4 (New York to London), Bernard Hart (Staatcnriam). L. A. to N. V. Stella Adler. Luther Adler. Charles A. Buckley. Harold Clurman. Williarn Darling. John: Ford. Herman Freedman. Mack Gordon. Williarri Hetneman. Harold Hurley. Julian Johnson. CliiTbrd Ode'.s. Arch Reeve. Harry Revel. Leila Rogers. Edgar Selwyn. Charles P. Skourss. Jack Whiting. Rulph Wonders. Palritin Zi !;ii'l«i. ARRiyALS "Olga Pctrova, Gloria iVIr. and Mrs. Whitfoid |iind Mrs. Alfred Hitchcock, I .-ind Hepzibah Mcnuhip. Dian ' Victor .Algrant, Jiminv Pbv; Cr,-ifl, Henry Sher A. I Edw.i :M. Fadnr