Variety (Aug 1939)

22 VARIETY PICTURES Wednesday, August 23, 1939 Literati Footnote on Biirrouehs According to veteran wood-pulp fictioneers. Alva Johnson, in his Sat- evepost article oh the creator oi 'Tarzan,'. Edgar Rice Burroughs, is mistaken on pulp rates in. the first decade of this century. . He . says that in less than a year, after au- thor's first work .was published,, he ■was a 10c a word writer and.rnade $20,000 a year before any book is- sue of his novels, The fact is that 1912-1918 Munsey's rates ■ for All Story and Argosy, both, pulps, was at an average of Ic, sometimes climb- ing to 2c, no further. Bob Davis would have swooned at the thought of paying anyone 10c a word for ma- teriel. It never had been done, never was done until many years afterward, and then the pioneer was Adventure, in pulps, paying Talbot Mundy that for India soldier yarns. Johnson speaks of acceptance of Burroughs' books by A. C. McClurg firm of Chicago. Oddly, Burroughs is known to have bought into this firm, a small one at the time, be- fore he could persuade it to put out 'Tarzan.' He wrote all about' self- publishing, costs of printing, adver- tising and production for authors who might be 'interested,. in a writ- ters' trade jourrial, but doesn't ap- pear to' have told Johnson. Much of Burroughs' " bankroll, as from books, comes from drawing hot only royalties, but profits from the book publishing firm itself. Of course since Tarzan' has been world-famed, first serial rights to Burroughs' novels have sold at fab- ulous sums. But before he had his hero in book form he was receiving the usual rates, just as did the other wood pulp favs, pleased to get checks for $600 and $700 from mag publi- cation of book-length yarns. ing. Judges were Hubert Kelley, editor of Country Home Magazine; Gertrude B. Lane, editor of Wom.nn's Home Comp<inion; Sumner Blossom, editor of American Magazine; Wil- liam L. Chenery, editor of Collier's, and Edward Anthony, of the Crowell- CoUicr Pubiishin.r» Co. Competition drew 4,600 entries. FOx began his newspaper career on the Austin (Tex.) Daily Dispatch. Bought the Meteor two years a.eo and is the paper's publisher and editor.. 'Mad Doe' as Book Story, 'Mad Dog of Europe,' which has been on the verge of screen pro- duction a number of times, but nixed on each occasion by the Hays office, will make its first public ap- pearance in prose form. - Rights to the Hitler story were acquired by a grooip newly-formed under the name of Epic Publishers. .Book, of regu- lation size, goes . on the presses shortly. Principals in Epic Publishers are withholding their identities for the time being, awaiting reaction to the book. Groiwtb of Comic Strip Mags Comic strip mags are assuming such a rapidly increasing Impor- tance in the publishing biz that hardly a mag publisher of any con- sequence is now without one or more of this type of periodical. Growth and popularity of the comic strip mags are forcing many, other type mags to lesser positions on the newsstands. . Latest of the publishers to go In for the comic strip mags are Blue Ribbon Magazines and Lex Publica- tions. Blue Ribbon, headed by Louis Siiberkleit, which under various brand, names issues perhaps the big- gest strings of pulps in' the country, has organized a new affiliate, M.LJ. Magazines, for its comic strip mag project. Siiberkleit and his associ- ates plan to start oS with a half dozen of the comic strip pubs under the name of Blue. Ribbon Comics. At least one will feature a dog, 'Rang- a-Tang,' based on the exploits of the late Rin-Tin-Tin.' Lex will call its comic strips Speed Comics and is readying three of the periodicals as a starter. Originally, comic strip mags used only reprints of the week-end news- paper comics. But with so many of the periodicals that source is now inadequate to' supply the demand and much original material is utiV ized. Comic strip mags sell for 10c. Some time ago Dell Magazines, which early entered the comic strip field, got out a couple of five-centers. Failed to cut into the 10-centers, with most of them still at a dime. More Inside on Europe ' Members of the Overseas Press Club of America, recently formed organization of present and former American foreign correspondents, contribbing pieces for a book to be published by Prentice-Hall under the title of The Inside Story.' Each of the contribs will give the inside of an important happening. Robert Spiers Benjamin will edit the volume, and among the contrib- bers will be Wythe Williams, Bob Davis, Hendrik Willem van Loon, Irene Kuhn, Cornelius 'Vanderbilt, Jr., and George Sylvester 'Viereck. Overseas Press Club meets at a weekly luncheon in N. Y. Dallas News* Shakeup Sweeping changes in high places ot the Dallas News, announced last week, will result in. John E. King, managing editor, being sent to Wash- ington as correspondent, succeeding Mark. Goodwin, retired. King will be succeeded by Harry Withei-s, asso- ciate managing editor of the News and formerly managing editor of the Dallas Journal before that paper was merged with the Dispatch. Jne Murray, former assistant city editor of the Journal and now of Dispatch-Journal, is being brought to News city desk to assist in handling copy. 2 Mags* Regolar Sked With both Sensation Magazine and Carnival Magazine clicking' in their test periods, Hillman-Curl Periodi- cals is preparing the two for regular publication. Corporations have been formed for each of the inags, in line with the Hillman-Curl policy of In- dividual operation for each of its publishing properties. Lionel White, who inaugurated the mag publishing division of Hillman' Curl, is supervisory editor for both Sensation and Carnival. Also edits a number of other periodicals for the firm. Ccrf Gets Camera Annual As result of an agreement between U. S. Camera and Random House; its Camera Annual is henceforth to appear under the imprint of the Bennett Cerf publishing company. Edition for 1940 to appear as a Ran- dom House publication on Nov. IS, with Edward Steichen again re- sponsible for the choice of the entire content As customary, there will be only one printing of 25,000 copies. T. J. Maloney, editor of U. S. Camera Annual, readying a number of books on photography, which also will appear under the Random House imprint Technical Advisor to the Press Newspaper men covering the act ors vs. stagehands story in Atlantic City spent most of the time inter- viewing the few members of their Sroup who understood all the com plexities of the show biz union set- up. One trade paper reporter offered to work on an hourly basis as tech- nical advisor to the men from the dailies, who were frankly flounder- ing way over their heads. Nobody accepted his offer, but they kept on-making him explain all the alphabetical cohnotations. Best Country Editor Picked H. B. Fox, 28-year-old editor of the Madisonville (Tex.) Meteor, has been judged the best country news- . paper writer of 1939 in the Country Home Magazine annual competition to determine the leading rural jour- nalists. Contest is divided into three classes, editorial writers, news writing and country correspondence. Fox, who won the editorial award and grand prize, gets $500 and a free trip to N. Y. Winners in the other two fields, who receive $250' each, are Carl Drumm, of the Kenton (Ohio) News, for country correspondence, and Harold Severson, of the Beeville (Tex.) Bee-Picayune, for news writ- Golld Cracks L. A. First American Newspaper Guild shop contract on a major Los ^An- geles paper was signed with the Evening News and Daily News, Manchester ' Boddy dailies.^ Pact, which covers nearly 300 employes, gives the Guild full industrial juris- diction, including outside circula- tion men. Contract also ups pay, with raises in all editorial departments, includ- ing 'department heads. Potter Joins Mpls. Tlmes-Trlb Merle Potter, veteran film and drama critic who was not taken over by the Minneapolis Star when it ac- quit-ed the Journal a week ago, will be amusement editor for the Mpls,. Times-Tribune, the new evening edi- tion now being issued by the Morn ing Tribune. Potter will also be in charge of the film section for the Sunday Tribune. Exhihs^ Pros and Cons .Continued from page 4_ NEW PERIODICAL All Sports Magazine, 10c fiction bi-monthly, begins publication with an October issue under the aegis of Winford Publications. Edited by the Winford general staff. To contain new fiction only. LITEKARY, OBITUARIES Ross K. Gilbert, 58, editor of the Chambersburg (Pa.) Daily Public Opinion for the past 27 years, died Aug. 17 of pneumonia. Began his newspaper- career on the Public Opinion in 1905. Emll Baensch, 82, for many years editor and publisher of the Manito- woc (Wis.) Post, and a former prez of the Wisconsin Press Ass'n, died Aug. 17. Had many other interests, including the law, politics and bank- in". Widow and d.-^uiihter survive. Henry Roethe, 72, editor of the weekly Fennimpre (Wis.) Times, drowned Aug. 16 in Lake Mbnona. near Madison, Wis. He is survived by wife and son. James Martin Miller, 80, news-, paperman. and historian, died Aug. 18 in Los Angeles.. He was a cor- respondent in the Spanish-American war and worked on papers in Chi- cago and Newark. Among his books were^'China, Ancient and Modern,' 'History of the Japanese-Russian War' and 'Triumphant Life of Theo- dore Roosevelt' He also served as counsel general to New Ze?Iand and later France. Burial In Newport, R. L TVilliam Thomas Hlldrnn Howe, 65, prez of the American Book Co., publishiers. died Aug. 19. in N. Y. Walter Taylor Field, 78, book edi- tor and author, died Aug. 18 in his home in Hinsdale, 111. With the Chicago book-publishing house of Ginn & Co. since 1890, he also con- tribbed articles and poetry to mags. Was a former treasurer of the So- ciety of Midland Authors. Widow and a son survive. and those opposed to this Bill as an argument against its passage. Our Board of Directors has been on rec- ord all along as opposed to this Bill and so have I but I merely bring thu out to show that the distributors have used the Code for two things, to soft pedal the Department of Jus- tice and to stop the Neely Bill's pas- sage.' Check back to the date the big suit was filed in New York against the Distributors and affiliatec thea- tres, and you will find the Code be- in^ launched. Then check back to IH.- date the Neely Bill was to come up before the Senatr Committee and you will find an announcement by the distributor's committee that the Code was now ready for the exhibi- tors. At the same time .in urgent appeal was sent to our Association to do all wj could to oppose the Neely Bill. I bring all this up to show that in my personal opinion the distributors n' ver acted in good faith; first be- cause they knew that the Depart- ment of Justice would have nothing to do with the Code, secondly, that for the 1939-40 season even more un- certain and difficult than ever. Morton G. Tholhimer, President, M.P.T.O., of Virginia, Inc. Still Rooting for a Code Kansas City, Mo., Aug. 20. Editor, VARiETy; Believe I express the opinion of all our members in saying that I am surprised and disappointed at the attitude of the Department of Justice as to prosecuting the distributors on the adoption of the final draft of the Fair Trades Practice code. I still believe there is nothing to prohibit the distributors putting into effect the Fair Trade Practice code. While in my opinion the code f-Us far short of being the answer to the industry's ills, still it offers some re- lief to the independent exhibitor who if not given immediate relief from the oppression, restrictions, and dis- crimination exercised against him by the distributors iand circuits with mass buying power, soon will dis- appeai: from the picture. Adoption of the code will not N. Y. Indies Favor Code Independent Theatre Owners Ass'n of New York last Friday (18) advised the distributors to go ahead with the preparation of a code of fair trade practice and allow exhibitors to take advantage of what it offers. In a statement issued by president Harry Brandt, ass't U. S. Attorney-(jeneral Thurman Arnold was charged with being ill-advised on the code and the needs of indie exhibitors. 'If the code is not revived by the distributors, theatre owner.s can place the blame on shoulders of Abram P. Myers of Nation.il Allied, who has campaigned most actively for Government intervention rather than logical exhibitor relief. 'Divorcement of theatres is not important to the welfare of inde- pendent theatre owners. What Is more important is that the trouble that would be solved through arbitration provision of the code would mean a great deal to the success of indie theatre operation. 'The Government suit will take at least two years to prosecute and there is doubt as to whether it will be carried to a succe.s.<;ful conclu- sion. The code, on the other hand, means immediate reliel to indie exhibitors who need that relief urgently.' Touhg Brisbane Turns Pub Seward Brisbane, son of the late Arthur Brisbane, is entering the publishing biz with Jerry Fihkelsteln in publication of a civil service •iekly." Paper, tab size, called the CKU Service Leader, will make its first appearance Sept. 12. . Young Brisbane to edit with H. Eliot Kaplan to serve as a contrib- bing editor. CHATTER Fourth printing for 'Vicki Baum's 'Shanghai, '37.' Charles Hine sold four mag tales in a single week. Arthur Morgan finishing his blog of Edward Bellamy. Theodore S. Amussen, of Farrar_ac Rinehart, a. benedict soon. Helen Lincoln has joined the Pocket Books editorial staff. Harold Fawn back from France. Goes to his Virginia place the end of the month. Hugh Bradley, the former sports scrivener, collecting data for a book oh Saratoga. O. D. Keep, publisher of Cue Magazine, has taken Nelle Rulon | Hoagland as his bride. | Paul Galileo completing a novel, about a newspaper copy-reader turned Eurooean adventurer.. G. E. R, Gedye begins his duties as Soviet correspondent for the N. Y. Times the end of the month. Ben Huebsch, of Viking Press, writes from London that over there they call it 'Grapes of Wroth.' Webb Miller, general manager of United Press in Europe, back to his London post on the Yankee Clipper. Members of the Thomas Mann family, widely-separated, plan a family reunion in the fall in Prince- ton, N. J. Rex Ingram, old-time picture di- rector, will have a novel, 'Mars in the House of Death,' published by Knopf in October. John Young Kohl, Sunday editor of the Allentown (Pa.) Morning Call, and long identified with Little The- atre interests locally, is the author of 'It's A Crime,' which had its initial presentation in Hollywood last week. New three-way pact between Frances Parkinson Keyes and her American publisher, Julian Messner. and British publishers. Eyre & Spolt- iswoode, calls for three novels and orte book of non-fiction in the next five years. . Mark Saxton, of the Farrar & Rine- hart editorial department has written his first novel, and his own firm will publish, book to carry the title of •Danger Road.' Young Saxton's parent Eugene F. Saxton, is the Harper's editor. Richard Duffy, former foreign ed- itor for Literary Digest, is translat- ing the latest book of the ex-French premiere Edouard Herriot Will be published under title Of 'The Well- springs of Liberty* late In Septem- ber by Funk Si Wagnalls. the Distributors used the Code to oppose the .fecly bill. Any Exhibitor with a grain of common sense knows that the Code was never intended to help him be- cause the distributors wanted to help him, but was only to help the dis- tributors. Naturally this leads to complete loss of confidence between the exhibitors towards the distribu- tors. It would have been far better if the Code had never been started than to have gone this far and then drop it The rank and file of the exhibitors have' held their many grievances in check thinking, that the Code would be operative soon and that this would settle most of their troubles,' and I honestly believe't would, if it had been given a fair chance and if the distributors had released it for acceptance by the exhibitors and had lived up to it themselves. There were numerous complaints of ex- hibitors in the Atlanta area that the distributors were selling their 1939- 40 product without regard to the Code's provisions as to forcing short subjects, and they also raised the price of the features to off-set the 20% cancellation privilege allowed by the Code. This condition itself can only lead one to believe that they never intended to live up to the Code and the exhibitors in numer- ous cases will be left with a big in- crease in film rentals on new prod- uct and no cancellation. Summing this all up I can only see trouble and numerous law suits ahead and I don't believe that the distributors will ever again get the exhibitors to set in on any other plan, and if the exhibitors have grievances then they will take them to the Courts. . Milton C. Moore. President, Southeastern • Theatre Owners Association. Need for a Code Richmond, Va., Aug. 19. Editor, VARitiY: I feel that regardless of any action or attitude of the Department of Justice, there is a need foi a Trade Practice Code. It seems to me that although not everything would be desired the adoption of this code would have been a big step in the right direc- tion, and would have greatly im- proved the existing conditions and^ fostered better relations between exhibitors and distributors. . Its abandonment will, I think, con- fuse the situation and make selling deter the government from prosecut- ing all violations of the anti-trust laws, and will offer some measure of relief to the Independent who sorely needs relief now. Many of the ex- hibitors in this territory have bought 1939-40 product on the basis of 20% cancellation privilege. If the dis- tributors are sincere in their ap- parent efforts to remove the evils •from the industry, they will make this cancellation privilege effective nationally regardless of the Depart- ment of Justice failing to approve the code; otherwise, the Neely anti- block booking, blind selling bill when next presented' to Congress will find all independent exhibitors one hundred percent on the propo- nents side instead, like the writer, who appeared before the Senate committee to oppose it at the last session owing to its unworkable pro- visions and penalties. In face of increased taxation, overhead and distributors' unfair rental demands, unfair clearances and price fixing I, as an independent, am fearful of our existence in this business. I am extremely hopefuls that the Department of Justice will continue their prosecutions of all ex- isting monopolies and violations of the anti-trust laws and again niakc it possible for the independent to exist Frank H. Cassil. Pfff; Kan-Mo. Theatre Assn. Dizzy Dean In and Out Of Suits in St Louis St. Louis, Aug. 22. Dizzy Dean,'twirler with the«Chi- cago Cubs, last week settled a suit for $6,989 brought by William O. DeWitt, v.p. and general manager of the Browns for commissions cn earnings Dean made between May 29, 1933, and Dec. 31, 1935, when De- Witt was his percenter. The suit was settled for $1,125 and imme- diately afterwards Dean was. again made a defendant in a $6,000 action filed by Harry I. Silverman, a dress shpp proprietor of University City, a Suburb, who charges that Dean wantonly assaulted him on June 29 last Dean, here with the Cubs, said he knew nothing of the latter charge, In the DeWitt suit the former star hurler for the . Cardinals is said to have collected more than SOCJ's from p.a.'s in picture theatres, radio ap- pearances and for allowing use of his name for various articles of merchandise.