Variety (Apr 1939)

Wednesday, April 5, 1939 PICTURES VARIETY T miPLE DISHES WITH DUALS Wfarners' Admbh Slashing in Philly Belt; Longer Shows Also, but No Duals PhUadelphia, April 4. Warner Bros., following slashes of prices In all midtown houses two months ago, has started a similar process in keys and nahes. WhUe the deluxer's cut was made with piuch fanfiare, the new toboganning Is taking place quietly In order to upset as little as possible the already overjumbled clearance situation here.. WB circuit is also experi- menting with other hypoes for nabe biz. About 10 Warner houses, many of them important key nabes, are un- derstood to have taken the knifing already, with morel scheduled. Most of the cuts are only a nickel. Al- though indies have long been talk- ing of decreasing their scales, none has taken that action since Warners started. In a lot of cases their con- tracts with exchanges forbid further slashes, while in others prices are so low already there's nothing more can logically be done. Price cuts in the deluxers are now felt to have been an error. There was a pick-up in biz first week un- der the new scale, but the net re- sult has turned out to be the same number of patrons as previously, but less money from each one. Latest idea to up grosses is the three-hour show. This is an attempt to get around double-features and to keep Philly from becoming a dual territory. Shorts, newsreels and everything else possible are tossed hi to make up the lengthy bia In some out-of-town houses in the territory, these marathon shows are being tried in lieu of premiums. Coast's Price War ■ Hollywood, April 4. Fox-West Coast Theatres an- nounced yesterday (Tues.) a sharp! drop in admission prices in four of Its neighborhood houses. Price war between the chain and Indies in competitive situations caused a drop from 30 and 35c top to 15c. If widespread price-cutting results, F-WC is prepared to make further cuts to 10c wherever similar action is taken by the indies. PAR'S HOLDEN SET FOR COL'S 'GOLDEN BOIT Hollywood, April 4. William Holden, juvenile tyro un- der contract to Paramount, but who has yet to appear in a picture, has been borrowed by Columbia for the principal role in 'Golden Boy.' Direc- tor itouben Mamoulian and pro- ducer William Pearlberg picked Holden after several months of cast- ing headaches. They piit the picture In work April 12. Paramount scouted Holden at the Pasadena Community Playhouse and he was to have made his screen debut in 'What a Life.' His services, in future, will be split between Paramount and Columbia. MacDonald's N.W. Concert Coloiiy Pix Sets Sextet Of Melodrama Features Hollywood, April 4. Colony Pictures Is producing six melodrama features for states rights release In addition to the six Ken Maynard westerns already' sched- uled. 'Emergency Landing,' first of the sextet, rolls early next month, to be followed by 'Extra Edition,' 'Dead Man's Island,' 'Golden Glove Kid,' 'Military School' and 'Road King.' LEE WILLIAMS' 10 ARK.-OKLA. HOUSES Oklahoma City, April 4. > Purchase of seven theatres in Ar- kansas and Oklahoma towns has been announced by K. Lee Williams, president of Williams Theatres, Inc., new circuit operating from Okla- homa City. This makes total of 10 houses since Williams began buying Jan. 1. Further deals are now pend- ing in the same territory. Acquisitions include three in Broken Bow, Oklahoma, these being the Best from Charles BuRum, and the Tower and Arrow, from S. B. Callaham. At Nashville, Ark., the New was purchased from H. H. Baker of Emer- son, Ark. The Liberty.and Gem, same city, secured from R. B. Hardy. Other house was the Dixie at Ash- down, Ark., purchased from B. K. Walker. Original three houses Include two in De Queen, Ark., and one at Dierks, Ark. The Criterion, Empress and Royal theatres at El Reno, Okla., have been purchased from F. E. Loomis and Orville Enloe by Consolidated Thea- tres, Inc, subsidiary ot the Griffith Co. Circuit takes over April 15. Lowenstcin Adds 3 More Ardmore, Okla., April 4. Harry Loewenstein, operator of three theatres here, has purchased three more houses, the Temple from Al Yomans, the Star from E. L. Black and the Fox from Max Burger. Loewenstein Theatres, Inc., is af- filiated with the Griffith Amus. Co. ot which Harry Loewenstein is a stockholder and director. New Cleve. Nabe Cleveland, April 4. Shore Amuse. Co. has completed New Shore, first nabe hou-w in sub- urban Euclid Village, which will open Easter Sunday with 'Gunga Din.' Cost $300,000, seating 1,800. Frank I. Cost, who supervised Gar- den for last three years, manages new house. Seattle, April 4. Jeannette MacDonald concert is booked by Hamrick-Evergreen for Its Music Hall (2,300 seater) for May 4. Dan Redden is looking after the house with mail sale opening to rush biz. Indications are for a sell- out at $2.75 top. Eddy's N. T. Benefit Nelson Eddy makes his first New York concert appearance in four years when he shows at the Metro- politan opera house Arril 16 for the benefit of the Met's Pension Fund. 'lis last ^appearances in Gotham was In March, 1935, at Town Hali Philly Batlle Philadelphia, April 4. Proposed erection of a film house in the swank Mt. Airy section of Philly was fought in court here last Thursday by the owners of resi- dential property in the neighborhood. Judge Otto R. Heiligman, of Com- mon Pleas court, took the matter un- der advisement Lillian Schultz, owner of the site, and member of the zoning board, who okayed it for a theatre, were named defendants by Frank B. Todd. Jr., acting for; himself and other property owners in the vicinity. Wallace's 1st at U Hollywood, April 4. 'Victoria Docks at Eight' is first chore for Richard Wallace under his new producer-director contract at Universal. James M. Cain is scripting from an original by Rutus King. LOOP WONOERS WHEN IT'LL ENO Quadruples in the Chicago Sector Not Unusual, but Giveaways with Double Features Is a New Low— Ezhib Leaders Would Put Powwows to Put an End an End to It B. O. PROFIT NIL Chicago, April 4.' With doubles, triples and even quadruples a regular part of the mo- tion picture parade in this town, the exhibs continue to go overboard on added. bargains at the boxoSice. Doubles and triples with dish give- aways are not new; but uncommon is the latest stimt of giving away as msmy as three dishes at one time on a single admission ticket for two pix. Everything comes in bunches. First pictures, and now dishes. And the exhibitors fra^y admit that in a few weeks even three dishes may be too little to give to patrons. Last year two features looked like the tops in bargains, but at present a double feature exhibitor is consid- ered a piker. The same goes for the theatre giving away a single dish to a patron, as the rival exhibitors load up their customers with dishes in plural quantities. Jack Kirsch, president of Allied, Is seriously considering calling the ex- hibitors together in an endeavor to work out some means of halting this rush into overboard expenses. More conservative of the exhibitors are already talking of some agreement among the theatres to call a halt to this epidemic which can mean only headaches to the boxoffice. Indica- tions are that Balaban & Katz and Warners will also take cognizance of the situation and work out some method of returning to a normal ex- hibition policy. There seems little doubt that the public around these parts has been overfed and overdosed with too many pictures on a single bill, and the giveaways are generally iagreed to. have just about worked tiiem- selves out. Banko Theatre Bald Racine, Wis., April 4. A squad of police officers directed by the Racine district attorney's of- fice swooped down Thursday night (30) on the Venetian theatre, down- town, and seized all paraphernalia connected with the operation of bank night. Armed with a warrant charging operation of a lottery, the officers entered the Venetian while patrons were watching the picture. The raid came after a man won $1,- 500 in a drawing, but W. W. Storms, assistant district attorney, indicated there is a doubt if-he will be able to collect the award. Preceding' the drawing, theatre was jammed with more than 1,500 customers, while another estimated 2,000 waited outside. No arrests were made, but house manager, Don Nichols, was told to report to the d.a. Banho Chisel . ; St. Loiiis, April 4. A scheme to make certain that the bank nite cash offered at the Grand theatre, Breese, HI., near here, would be won by one of three men was ex- posed last week when Chief of Police A. S. Holtgrave of Breese nailed Wil- liam Baker, 36, Venice, 111., on a charge ot fraud. Baker told the chief that he and two confederates would be present on bank night at the Grand and when a call for a volunteer to selert the winning number was made one of the trio would respond with a 'palmed' number, the duplicate of which was held by one of the others. According' to the police the trio copped $80 in three weeks. Joseph Brand, Venice, was fined $50 and costs and Guy Simpson, also of Venice, was socked $60 and costs Duals Here to Stay for Long Time, Says RKO s Levy; Not So Easy to KiD New Low Chicago, April 4. High in picture bargains was nudged last week by the north- side Rosewood which gave its public four features, a comedy, cartoon, sports reel and news. Features: 'Great Guy,' 'Gambling Ship,' 'Tundra' and 'Shadows Over Shanghai,' a Three Stooges two-reeler in addition to the single reels. Show ran slightly less than six hours. House charges 15c mats and two-bits at night PHILLYTHEATRE AIDES ROBBED OF $700 Philadelphia, April 4. . Two armed bandits held up five employees of the Orpheum theatre here on. a narrow staircase leading from the balcony up to the mana- ger's office Friday (31) night, locked them in a storage space and escaped with $700. Apparently familiar with the employees' movements at the WB house, they staged the holdup short- ly after 10 pjn., while some 300 na- trons were watching the show. The bandits were waiting on the stair- case as Lee Kline, the manager, came up. with the day's receipts. They walked ahead of him for a few moments, making Kline think they wanted to' see him on .business, and then swung around when one cried, 'That's him.' Both flashed guns. One snatched the bag with the money. Opening a small hatch in the wall, they forced Kline into the storage space. A few minutes later, Ann Perrine, the cashier,. came up. They forced her into the closet. In turn, three ush- ers came up to get into street clothes and were locked in the little storage closet Among the theatre's em- ployees, only the doorman and por- ter were at liberty. The doorman didn't see the bandits as they- left Meanwhile, Kline and the others pounded on the door with a length of lead pipe. Half an hour later, the porter, Vincent Esposito, heard them, broke the lock and pulled them out Ithaca, N. Y., April 4. Police are Investigating the theft of $269 from the Strand some time Saturday night. The thief appar- ently used a key to obtain entrance and opened th6 safe by the com- bination, locking it again after re- moving the money, most of which was in small change, including $175 in dimes. Tomassino Held Up New Haven, April 4. Michael "Tomassino, local theatre ov/ner. was held up by gunmen outr side his garage here Sunday (2) night and relieved ot $400 cash and personal belongings. Victim almost got away with $275 ot the roll by tossing it In his car when bandit wasn't looking, but stlckup artist drove off with the car and all. WB'S NEW TOECHT Hollywood, April 4. Jane Wyman replaces Glenda Far- rell in 'Dead or Alive,' first of a new group of Torchy Blane features at Warners. Picture rolls Thursday (6) with William Clements as pilot when they pleaded to a fraud charge. Baker furnished $1,000 bonds to an- swer a similar charge. A year ago. the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that bank nite was a lottery but southern Illinois exhibitors have continued the b.o. stirhulant. Hollywood, April 4. Double bills are here to stay for years to come, take It from Jules Levy, RKO's general sales man- ager, back from a tour of the key cities, where he talked with the na- tion's leading exhibitors. 'Dualers,' Levy declared, 'are as much an integral part of the show business as are the films them- selves. Hollywood says it is going to kill off double bills by ceasing to make B pictures. Producers dis- tinguish between B and A pictures by glancing at budgets, but budgets don't tell the story. There are as many $1,000,000 B pictures as there are low-budget ones.' Levy brushed aside the Idea that major studios can solve the problem by making fewer features. He pointed out that if the biggies stop making cheap films, the quickies will increase ' their production. Ex- hibitors, he declared, don't care who makes the pictures as long as they fill the bill. 'Some large theatres In big cities,' he added, 'can get by with a smash hit, aided by a short, a cartoon and a newsreel, but the great mass of exhibs are taking those same smash hits and hooking them up with sec- ond features in a desperate effort to draw customers. The public Is shop- ping more cautiously than ever be- fore.' PASCAL TO COAST ON 2D nLrFOR METRO Gabriel Pascal, producer of 'Pyg- malion,' arrived from Europe Thursday (30) together with Law- rence Irving, British art director, both leaving for Metro studios on the Coast over the weekend to polish up the script of G. B. Shaw's 'Doctor's Dilemma.' C. Aubrey Smith, Roland Young and Sir Cedric Hardwicke are cast for 'Dilemma,' and Pascal will try to borrow Greer Garson from Metro. Film goes into produc- tion in England in June. Only outside picture Pascal will do, aside from some seven Shaw plays, is 'Iiady Lindy,' based on the career ot Amelia Earhart Pro- ducer stated he has closed deal with George Palmer Putnam, the avia- trlx's widower, for the rights, and the latter will collaborate on the script Picture is to be made in Hollywood next year. Regarding status of Wendy Hiller, British actress, who has denied she Is under long-term contract to Pascal,' latter stated there are dis- agreements between them on the old contract and that a new one is be- ing worked out with actress' at- torney. W. E. Pension Fund In Excess of $50,000,000 Western Electric's pension fund for employees topped the $50,000,000 mark last year, according to report made yesterday (Tuesday) Company now includes a number «f former Electrical Research Products, Inc., employees on its payroll. Fund paid out nearly $2,000,000 last year under the plan in accident sickness and death benefits. Western Electric has more than 30,000 employees and about 1,280 retired employees getting pensions for their service. Hansen's Bankruptcy Los Angeles, April 4. Mark M. Hansen and the Hansen Theatres, Inc., were thrown into in- voluntary bankruptcy by three credi- tors, Norman Feintech, Ema Sha- piro and C. H. Hensel. Creditors charge Hansen trans- ferred real estate to his wife.