Variety (Apr 1939)

SCREEN STAGE PRICE 25^ Prtsview of N. Y. Fair Preves It's ■ -. . By'BOKE WEAB Xiiierlca'a biggest shctWf the New iTotk World's t^, opens the etid of ^ .w«4^. On Stinday <30). Up to. gothg, to press last nlgbt, a preview puV^ Indicates that .the Play Zone <inid«ay) U the most behind. It will probably be .only 60% ready, even .with'all the yeoman, last-mln- ^te; rush thaf s gohi^r on. Day and sight labor all this week Is rushing j^verytblng toward completion. The Main Exhibit zone Is approxi- mately 80% complete, hence wiU be practically sliipshape' lor this pre- miere day. The Foreign Nations area, now about 80% complete, will lack B couple of buildings and some final touches lor , the preem.. . New "Ybric's greatest show repre- sents pn investment of close to $160,- COCi,000.'Expenditure'of $ldOiOOO;000 is antTcipated at the Fair, and the total amoUnt'that 'vyill be spent in Greater New Vdrk -the 'first year Is placed at $1,100,600,000. The N. Y. show tops the former record-holder, Chicago's (Continued .on page 46) F€ar Eng. WiH Crimp Chaplin's 6qrles<iae On Paper-Hanger Dictator Charles Chaplin's forthcoming The Dictator' comedy will be based In part on a venerable English music hall favorite. sketch. The Paper Banger.' Its analogy to the humble start.of Hitler's careeri plus the sa- tirical Utle, Is said to be a bit of a trade worry for United Artists. Company concern Isn't so much over the film's unlikely release in the dictator countries, but the sup- . plementary difficulties It would probably encounter in other Euro- pean lands, notably England, still playing political checkers with the Borne-Berlin axis, and not wanting to offend. DM. Connnends Warner Brothers' Americanism Washington, AprU 25. Taking issue with Mrs. Franklin D, Boosevelt, members of the Daughters of the American Revolution, meeting here this weelc, endorsed the playing of the 'Star-Spangled Banner* and the display of the U. S.'flag at open- logs of motion picture programs: Let- ter of appreciation to Warner Bros., In whose theatres the practice has been adopted ('commending them for Uieir Americanism'), was suggested by Mrs. LeRoy Montgomery, chair- man of DAR Motion Picture Commit- tee, who described the patriotic ges ture as 'a splendid thing.' ^ Wea was recently criticized by Mrs. Roosevelt because of the belief It would cause the loss of reverence lor the national anthem and the fiag, Opposite Viewpoint Philadelphia, April 25. The .pdp tune^ 'Heaven Can Walt,' is meeting witii opposlsh Irom-lopal clergymen.. ' They're . asking' parishioners not to slog or play it MIAMI AIDED BY NEW YORK SQOEEZE Miami, April 25. The Miami and Miami Beach ho- tels, numbering 160, will see .79 of them remaining open all summer. The reason? The New York World's Fair, as remote as that may seem. The sporting bunch which usually migrates back to Broadway when the winter breezes cease blowing north have found themselves laced with stiffer rentals—instead of a summer cut-rate, as in the past—so they'd rather stay around here and place their horse bets, etc. Normally only 30 hotels remahi open the year around here. With more than twice that number now open, many a bistro Is planning to make it a year-roimd proposition this this year. Wm DANUBE' PLAY ANGERS PTSBG. NAZIS Pittsburgh, April 25. First instance of Nazi lury at any- thing theatrical indicting Hltlerlsm took place here last weak when early Saturday morning. (22) some- body hurled a brick through the Nixon theatre lobby door and then painted 'Jude' in a crude scrawl across the front of the building. Theatre at the time housed 'Brown Danube,' anti-Nazi play by Burnet Hershey, which was trying out in Pittsburgh. Theatre management preferred to forget the whole incident and men- tioned nothing about it to newspa- pers until word leaked out the day;j after the troupe left town. 'Nazi Spy' Film Caatlon Management of the Strand, N. Y. is understood taking precautions to prevent violence, when 'Confessions of a Nazi Spy' (WB) opens at that house Friday (28). 'Brown Danube' play is currently in the first of two weeks at the For- rest, Philadelphia. It is tenUtively slated to come to Broadway during the week of May 8, but a fln^l deci- sion on that will probably not be reached by the producers, Bonflls & Somnes, until some time this week, rhere has been little talk of Nazi agitation against the play in N. Y, Antipathy to Carbon-Copy Films Interpreted in Poor B. O.—Slight Switches in Scripts or Characters Not Enough of a Change FALSE ECONOMY An unusual Increase In picture re- makes during the past year, some under titles formerly carried but to a greater extent under new titles. Is causing considerable complaint among fans, according to exhibitor reports. Being drawn to the theatre by ah enticing title only to discover that the picture is one that was made before, very dften not long ago, cus- tomers are beginning to figure it's about time they weren't fooled that way. In other cases they forget titles of certain pictures they have seen be- fore, when there is no switch for the marquee, and raise the point that the producers are not playing fair by turning out so many carbons of for- mer features. The exhibitor gets the full brunt of the beef and in many instances Is attacked because he doesn't advertise that the film is a reniake. A very representative number of pictures, some with slight switches in the stories, have been deliver^.on the ctirrent (1938-39) season as re- makes. The majority of them, re- gardless of new twists or revershig former femme and male leads, etc., have not done so well at the box- office. Some stories have been re- made as many as five times, a not- able example behig The Hottentot.' A couple years ago it was redone as (Continued on page 45) FCC Lukewarm To Televish, But Can't Halt Sales Washington, April 25. Doubt that the Federal Communi- cations Commission will standardize television requirements in the imme- -dlate future was voiced last week following the return of five members from inspection toiir of eastern lab- oratories and experimental stations. Resume of the visit, in the nature of a progress report, was on the bearish side. Commercialization will not be even considered at the present stage of development; while the Commish (Continued on page 22) Franchot Toi^ Won't Take Role First Offered to Burgess Meredith Photographing Royalty Lens departments of all the majot'news agencies which , ex- pect to. liave . ph'otogs covering .the'King and Queen of England next mionth were notified last weelc that their men will have to wear special uniforms while working. Garb will be blue with white, armbands t.nd no hats. . Shutter-snappers, official In- structions say, must not address the King or Queen and can speak only when spoken to—under penalty of having all privileges revoked. That's a reminder of the time Izzy Caplan, of the N. Y. Mirror, was covering Queen Marie of Rumania and addressed her as, 'Hey, Queenie.' Lensers during the English royal visit will travel In the 'pilot train,' ahead of the official party. PATRIOTISM MARKS RADIO OFFERINGS Jittery European condition has produced its reaction in the pro- gram agenUng field. Advertising agencies are being offered a wide variety of patriotic programs. The theme In practically all Instances Is historical, some- dramatizing the deeds of prominent patriots, while others offer either a review of the fight for civil liberties or a caval- cade of oiitstandlng American crises. Most of the presentations are ac- companied by letters of approval from prominent personages of. the Washington administration. Franchot.Tone and Burgess Mere* dith refuse to let a contract for * commercial program series blight their personal friendship. While the two actors are engaged in a Gaston- Alphonse routine, their respective agents are standing by impatiently and wondering what will happen to the contract for the summer run in the Pepsodent spot (NBC). Lyons & Lyons office had sub- mitted for the 13-week groove a se- rial, 'Prosecuting Attorney,' with Burgess Meredith to head the cast, while the WlUiam Morris office, in cooperation with NBC, offered a dramatic series by Elaine Sterne Carrlngton with Tone playing a medical role. Pepsodent, and Its agency. Lord & Thomas, like the Lyons script but prefer' to have Tone instead of Meredith in the star part. The merger seems to be okay with the agents but Tone won't have It that way.' Meredith, be says, Is a pal of his and he won't step into something for which his pal had originally been suggested. Meredith retorts that if the client prefers his pal It's double okay with him and wants Tone to take the assignment Since it looks as though Tone- won't budge from his stand, the agency has started to scout around for another Hollsrwood name. It has already contacted the head of one studio for permission to Jet .one of the producer's up-and-coming names take the series. Gus Sun's ^h Anni Springfield. 0., April 28, All local houses are participating m the current Golden Jubilee Week In honor of Gus Sun's-SOth anniver- sary .In show business. Phil Chakeres, head of Chakeres- Warner Theatres,,is handling the ar> rangements. A banquet at -Uia Springfield Country CTub April Stf, to be aired over WHtO, Dayton; tops off the week's hoopla. 35 GIRLS andONEMAN Phil Spitalny An4 His AU Girl Orchestra concluding the third yeai o£ broadcasting £ok .General .Electric