Variety (Jul 1938)

^canes.lay> July 20, 1938 PICTURES VAItlEtV S GEO. M. COHAN GETS METRO OFFER Bepoit that Melio is dickeriug vilh Katharine Cornell to do a pic- ture is »ot correct, Stars fixed dis- incllnatipii is well knowii. Csorse M. Gohan has been of- fered a two-picture deal; at $150,000 each, with MG wanting to develop him as another Will Rogers. How far the deal will go is prob- lematical, Cohan, ^yho sailed .last week for. a European yacash, hais repeatedly said he would never again make 9 picture. He ,was last on the Coast for Paramount and starred in .'The Phantoni President.' He is due to take 'I'd Rather Be Bight' on lour in the falL RXO Asking $72374 From Center Theatre For 11 Unplayed Pix Details of tlie breach of contract suit wiiich was begun last week in N. Y. Federal Court by RKOrRadio Pictures, Inc.. against the . Center Music Hall, .Incv and Rpckefeller Center, Inc.:, were revealed Saturday U6J, when attorneys for RKO filed a complaint in Federal Court. The suit is for $72,374, plus interest. RKO clairns that on. May 7,'1934, It entered an agreement with the de- fendants, under which the Centey was granted the right to . exhibit RKO pictures in Radio City Music Hall. The contract called,'.for the showing of 20 features between Sep- tember 1, 1934, and August 31, 1935, at a niihimum rental of $5,956 per picture. Center was also given an option to renew the contract for five years, which it e.xcrciscd. Rocke- feller Center guaranteed the Cch- ter's. end of tl»e contract, • RKO now claims that Center breached the agreement by exhibit- ing only nine of the 20 pictures con- tracted for and wants payment for the remainder. WANGER'S mCH' TO COST $1,000,000 Hollywood, July 19. Walter .Wanger will produce 'Stage Coach,' story of the early American frontier; for United'Artists release at cost of around $1,000,000. It will be directed by John Fold. Goes into production immediately after completion of 'Trade Winds,' which slarls in early Augutt. Beerys to Pay $6,601 On Income Tax CSaims Washington. July 19. Tifr between the Wallace Beerys and the Federal tax . collector v/as adjusted last week, the compromise calling for payment of a 1934 in- come tax deficiency of $6,601. internal Revenue bureati refused to. let Beery and his wife slice from tneir income expenses of $19,8554. ''W'hich included $4,040 for a Euro- pean jaunt for the actor's business manager, $5.S48 for' upkeep of his au-plane. and $,'!..';97 for publicity and entertainment. Angels Turn Pink Hollywood,; July 19; No more' roughhouse stuff for, the Dead End Kids while they are working in Warners' 'Angels- with Dirty Faces.' ~ / Edict came last week, when the playful youngsters put a kink in James Gagncy's spine. U.S. 'CAVALCADE' WCSKFW^^^^^ N.Y.FAIR STUDIOS DULIING Extras Cop 700GV in 10 Weeks, Setting New Record for Season Failure , to Click, Too Few Suitable Parts, Tempera- inent, Prompt Ax Swing- ing-—Changed Economics Halts Idea One Successful F b r e i g n F i n d Equals Many Flops SWEEP UNDER WAY Formal approvaV of a historical picture, 'Cavalcade of America,' which will be the picture industry's contribiition to the New York World's Fair, was givert by the Hays office directors last week. Film will be nine to 10 reels, in length and its cost will be shared jointly by mem- ber corripanies of the Motion Picture Producers &■ Distributors association. It's planned to show the picture in the Federal building, at the N. Y. exposition. Education committee of the fair,' and experts on educational all'airs at the Hays office,' will cpU laborate on the lilm's script and actual production. Production will be made iii the east, with many ex- cerpts taken from already-completed feature pictures made by Hays mem- ber, companies. Idea of having any .special picture Industry building or display ha.s been temporarily pushed into the discard. WURTZEL HAS DOZEN PIX TO WORRY OVER ANNABELLA TO PAREE Hollywood, July 19. , Annabella lit out for Paris Satur- day.(16> after 20th-Fox studio execs approved her work in 'Suez,' in «^hich she is' featiircd with. Loretta Young and Tyrone Power: _ French actrc^-S is con^lderin;? a nlin role in Paris bcfnref .Oi* returns here in October. Hollywood; July,1. Sol Wurt7.el, with seven bread-and- but'tsi' series under. his production wing, in addition to 'our Jane With- ei's pictures and the Dionne feature, 'Five of a Kind,' rates as busiest pro- ducer at 20th-Fox. v Bread-and-butters are 'Mr. Motp," 'Charlie. Chan," 'The Jones Fahiily,' ■Sports.' 'Big Town Girls," 'Roving Reporter' and 'Camera Daredevils.' Coast Getting 3 Ice Shows; Henie, Dare Hollywood, July 19. Hollywood gets three ice shows during fall and early winter—'Ice Follies,' now on extended run in At:- lantic City: Sonja Henie's new troupe, and 'Hollywood on Ice.' Latter is headed by Irene Dare, flve-ycar-old acc. John McClain Signs Goldwyn Writing Pact Hollywood. July 19. J6hn McClain, ex-New York news- paperman, who came to the Coast sometime ago for dialog job at Selzriick-lnternalional, has been signed , to a straight year'is contract by Samuel Goldwyn. McClains short story, ingle Crossing.' currently is appearing in Cosmopolitan mag. Iturbi at Metro Hollywood. July 19. Jose Iturbi. cor.ductor-composcr- pianist. has checked in at Metro lor his film debut in the musical, 'Sweethearts.' starrina Jeanctle Mac- Dohald and Nelson Eddy. Iturbi is also slated to conduc. two concerts in the summer tnusic festi- val at Hollywood Bowl Thursday (211 and Friday. Colbert Hurt Hbll.vwoocl. July 19. Claudetle Colbcil sprained, a leg ligament while rchc-vrsing can-can | dance and was unnble to report at Paraniounl yesterday (Monday^ lor scenes in 'Zo'.ii,' Giorae Ciikor. dircMin^. >-ihot around the star. Hollywood, July 19. Too few roles suitable for too nriany accents has Hollywood film producers again using the shears on their .rosters pt imported thesps, the weeding this time reaching up into the high salary, brackets. Matter of temperament, too, ' ■ .being taken into consideration in the handing out of the blue envelopes, ' Current weeding is the second to hit the' local foreign colony in last five months. Initial axing lopped off oiily the lesser lights, who \yere drawing Irom $75 to $150 weekly. Newer casualties, however, are be- ing plucked from the ranks of those brought into the United States amid heavy ballyhoo at wages ranging from $750 to $2,000 per stanza. . Already made, free agents are Metro's Delia Lind. David 6: iSelz. nick's Toni Nbvinski and Warner's Bruce Lester ■ and Isabel- Jeans. Slated.to. go within next GO days are 20th-Fox' Simone Simon and Para- mount's Georges Rigaud. , Momen- tarily shaky is the American future of. Paramount's Isa Miranda and Fra;iciska Gaal. Industry's total investment in the eight'piayers named ru'ns into figures of startling proportions. Largest ex- penditure on build-up of any one person in the group was that laid out for Simone Simon. Studio biggies used to say that uncovering: of.dne Garbo more than paid off for 1,000 Europeans who failed to click. But a; changed ecor nomic set-up has suddenly brought about a revision of their views. Production tops have also learned, after years of experimentation, that the majority of those brought-frprh nations across the seas are too hard to handle once they get the feel of the local situation. . Quickly Acclimalcd Delia Lind, a Continental musical star,, watched her Metro check mount steadily during the year of idleness she spent on the Culver City lot. Then Hal Roadh borrowed her for his Laurel-Hardy starrer, 'Swiss Mi.ss,' and the stories that floated back to Metro execs caused them to chill towai'd her. She was temperamental, checltcd in at the studio only when the spirit moved her and on tho.'ie occasions- flatly declined to take direction. Roach suddenly discovered. Be- cause she. constantly mouthed the lens during her warbling sequences, it was found necessary to give the picture careful editing, in which' she was seen on the .".creen at the .■start of a nurtiber, then erased while her voice continued to cmanaie from around the corner. Sslznick cut loose a .';i,','h of relief when Tomi Novinski. Polish dancer and film personality, decided to wed a rich Warsaw linen merchant and cast her celluloid ambition aside: for, while she stru.^gled diligenll.v in an effort to master English, she had progressed only a short distance in .the six months he had her idling on the lot. Not once did she go before the cameras. Warners Used both Bruce Li^'ster and Isabel Jeans in one or two films each, but the public's reaction was none too enthusiasiic, despite the fact that thpy arc: talented aiid expcri- chced. having soared to the lop on the London stage and in Enyi;:;ii film";, fjoster is en route b:ick to hi.s native h-ath. where he v.-;ll appear ill t'vo ot Warnor'.,- Brlii.^h-inr.dc pic- lur?.'!. vvlii<-li wrir uiiicl up hi^ con- I Continued on pu^jc o'j I Plenty B.O.—No Coin Biggest play on Broadway is the S.R.O.'business the free li-k-. hibit on 'Marie Antoinette' (MG) is getting at the Aslor, N. Y. Lobby holdouts are oc- curirig early in the morning. Picture opens here Aug. ,16. HIKE IN BUDGET PLANNED FOR MONO Plans will be formulated for a subistantial increase in Monogram's 1938-39 budget of $2,500,000 at a special. board of directors' meeting tomorrow (Thurs.) in 'New. York. Larger allotment will. be handed special features scheduled for the new season since grosses are coming in on several of its larger-budgeted pictures made for 1937-38 release. Raise on budget sheets is justified, company also feels, due to better playdates. in first run situations, heretofore open only to the larger outfits. , Among matters to be taken up at meeting will be the outline of spe- cial campaign to back the four Boi-is Karloff specials and the. two , star- ring Jackie Coopers. First picture to draw larger budget will be 'Gang- ster's Boy,' Cooper starrer, which rolls Aug. 15. . , . Scott R. DUnlap, vice president in charge of production, is irt New York to attend the session, remaining east one week. Hollywood, July 19. ilm Oftras arc now 'in th^ mid.st of' the greatest financial boom they have enjoyed in the:past two years. Junior players earned approximate-' ly $700,000 during the la.st 10 week.s, with; June setting a hi£h mark for the year and the first weeks of July starting oft at an even faster pace. Total .job placements for Friday (15) --ched 2,039, a new high mark for any single doy in last two years. Central C,'asting Corp. worked until 3 a.m. getting calls "ut and experienced considerable dif- ficulty in furnishing sulTicient ex-- tras in the $5.50 bracket. Kenneth ; Thom.son, executive secretary of ' Screen Actors Gi'.'d, expressed gratification over rreased earnings for the extras. .:aid.action of the Guild in expelling '.-hiselers and occasional playcis, and in closing its registration books for extras, was beginning to, be rcllecied in the earnings of players who de- pend upon .the industry for a living., Extra earnings are.,figured on aa averagie of $10.50 per day. This,'will be slightly higher some months when the average climbs becau.se of the number of calls placed in the higher wage brackets. CANTOR'S BIG SUCCESSIN ENGLAND AMECHE STRICKEN WITH APPENDICITIS IN EUROPE Paris, July 1.9. Joe Mo.sckowitz and Darryl.Zanuck Sunday (17) flew to Holland to see Don Ameche, who is suffering a su i- den attack of appendicitis. An.cthe was near Amsterdam when stricken. Zanuck expects to sail home ,luly 27 unless Joe Schenck's deferred sailing retards him. London, July 19. Eddie Cantor Will play a' b-jna midni^^ht show at the Hyams Bros. State Cinema, Kilburn, July 23, which is expected to net' around. $23,000. Scale will rah.'je f ron> $2.50 to .$25 lop for the show. I :Entir(i*prococds will go into Can- i tor's collection for Germaii and Aus- [trian child refugees, j . Cantor's itinerary this week in- cludes Sheffield, - Leeds, Glasgow, Manchester and Newcastle. In four days he has raised $85,000 and i.<; nov/ ; confident he -wiM get $250,000 in- 'stead of the $150,000 he ori inall/ set out to collect. Tapley-Paramoant Split Over 'King' Assignment O'Brien (Freelance) Now Suing O'Brien (WB)> et AI, On 'Blacklist' Conspiracy Hollywood, July 19. Colin Taplcy, under contract to Paramount for foxir arid one-h,Tlf years, demanded and was given his release List Wednesday (13) after an argument over a bit part in 'King of Alcatraz.' Actor claimed he deserved a bcl^ ter role after being featu."ed in 'Boo- loo." Bradna-Millaiticl Top Par's'Say It in French' Hollywood, July 19. Olympe Bradna and Ray Milland head cast of .'Say It in French' for Paramount. Picture originklly w,is written by Jacques Dcval as "S6u- brelte.' ■ Andrew Stone, producer and direc- tor, left for New York today (Tucs.) to shoot backgi oimds. Hollywood. July 19. Amended complaint charging con- spiracy to blacklist was filed in .su- perior court in a $250,000 adioii bi*ought by Pat O'Brien, freelance actor, against Warner ros., Pat O'Brien,. WB star: Loualla O. Par- son.s, columnist: Jimmy I'idler, radio chatterer-columnist, and 21 uniden- tified individuals and coi-poratiotis. Document Is based on n(;ver-ba-. ■ fore used section of California Slate labor code, -which makes efTorl.v of a former employer to keep an ex- . employe out of jobs ebowliere a m"s- j demeanor, Originril suit v::>s ba.s ' on charge of conspiracy only. {ilson Out at Universal After His First Picture Curtiz on 'Faces' Hollywood. July 19. '.-irniMs h.ns a.ssjyned Michael Cur- tiz to direct 'Each Dawn I Die' based o:i the Jerome Odium novel. Production start.*" as soon a.-: Cur- li/. fiiii.-;hes hi.« cm l erit jol), ■.\nid.-: with iriy F.ico.^.' Hollyv.ood, July M. Cicorge Bilson checked oui hI Uni- vcrsal (15i .nftor fmishinf; liis oio- duction job on .'Frc'^hnian Vmt.' t'li-.it of a ;;c-ric.s of ciiP.sgo |!iclur-.';;. Although Bilson hod ty.'o mor» i1icturp.>; of the .'icrl-s uiicicr. prjpa- p'.ilion, another prorturjr will (inish thfiri. He! came In I'niycrsiil last ^pring under Ch.'u-U-s Uoycrs.