Variety (May 1941)

Wednesday, May 28, 1941 PIGTURBS SOWHAP DEH TO WRITERS Zdior's New dty, N.Y^ Estate Into FHA Develt^ment; Also Reviews Pix Biz Nyack, N. Y., May 26. Enlivening hiii Informal remarks with salty references to. the cinema, old and new, Adolph Zukor enter- tained members, of the local and New York press at a luncheon mark- ing the debut of the film magnate In a new field, real estate development. * His 745-acre estate at New City, N. Y., he announced, wlU be trans- formed Into an ultra-modern com- munity of 11 self-contained units to be known as Rockingham Park. For Its beauty and magnitude, he sug- gested. It may rival anything he has produced for the screen. Although he made no formal ad- dress, Zukor was the center of at- traction, especially when he got off a fast one about the picture business. During the course of the luncheon he was heard to give voice to the following ideas: Films in the immediate future will be all floss, .with little or no at- tempt at anything serious because the people have too much to worry abojjt outside picture houses. Inside they want to be amused. • This con- dition will change, he added, almost Immediately after the war when he expects to see a cycle of heart- breakers, playing upon audience emotions and reaping a heavy har- vest of the weeps. He named Thomas Metghan as one of his best boxoifice draws of all time, and he said that It takes pub- licity to build, up even the greatest ■ talent. In this connection he men- tioned Bob Hope, pointing out that the comedian was just as good four or five years ago as he is now, but It wasn't until assorted p.a.s got to work that Hope hit. the jackpot. About salaries, he said that in 1903, when he entered the film business, his competitors thought he was in- sane to pay a-huge sum to someone like. Sarah Bernhardt. But he proved he was right and Immense paychecks became the rule. - Prefacing his announcement of plans for. the community, Zukor ex- plained the reason for undertaking the development of his extensive • estate, - the- heart - of-which- is- land<- scaped as beautifully as the most elaborate country setting Hollywood could devise. He said he was 69 years old now and not getting any younger. He therefore felt that a community of homes would be the best way to dispose of a good share of the vast estate. (He said he liked New City more than Hollywood or any section of California because the green here was fresh and not faded.) Lowest-priced homes in the de- velopment are to cost between $6,500 and $7,000, and the project has been approved for .F.H.A. Insured flnanc- ing. Zukor has owned the estate for about 25 years. Several years ago he threw open his private golf course to the public, and the swimming pool and tennis courts were made available two sea- sons ago. One of the houses on the property has been converted into a hotel. ROACH, JR.. PRODUCING FILMUSICALS FOR UA F.D.R. PiiMsd Into Aud. Fearful of the effect- of the President's speech on the b.o,, Louise Crane, producer of 'Four Saints In Three Acts' at Town Hall, N. Y., last night, arranged to "have the talk aired for the audience. She pushed up the starting time of the VlrgU Thomson- Gertrude Stein opera so that It was completed by 10:30, when the Chief Executive's speech was jacked Into the Hall's p.a. aysr tem. HILTON GALLS IT 'Dear Reader' Period of Vic- ' torian Era Gone, He TelU Authors in Coast Confab —Changing World Scribes Problem 2,200 ATTEND Details to Gose Up Par-Sparks Deal Being Worked Out in N.Y.; Truce with WB in Ha. Win Follow Blows Some Good Hollywood, May 27. Warners ordered 125 additi- onal prints of Underground' to fill increased bookings, due to the insertion of the Rudolf Hess incident in the picture. War Activity Hikes Picture B.O. in Sask. Regina, Sask., May 27. Crowding of a number of Canadian centres duar to war activities meant more people going to motion pic- tures in these areas during 1940, sending admission receipts for Can- ada up B% In number and 11% in value compared with the previous year, a Dominion Bureau of.statistics report, received here shows. There were about 151,000,000 ad- missions recorded, while receipts, ex- clusive of provincial amusement taxes, totalled almost $37,600,000. There, were 1,226 motion picture the- atres j|n Canada, compared with 1,186 in 1939. During 1939- there were 138,497,043 admissions and $34,010,115 receipts. BRIT. PLAYERS APPEAR IH CHARTTY PICTURE Hollywood, May 27. Most of the British film players in town are doing parts In 'This Changing World,' a historical war relief film which went into produc- tion at the RKO-Pathe studio with Sir Cedi'ic Hardwicke as producer and Herbert Wilcox as the .first of five directors. Later pilots will be Alfred Hitchcock, Victor Saville, Ed- mund Goulding and Frank Lloyd. Players, working for charity be- tween pictures, consist thus far of Anna Neagle, Ray MUland, C. Au- brey Smith, Dame May Whitty, Claude AUlster and Allen Edmiston. So far Charles Chaplin hasn't volun- teered. Picture deals with the history of London. Hollywood, May 27. Hal Roach, Jr., becomes a co-pro- ducer with Leroy Prlnz, of a series of streamlined musicals on the Roach lot, for 1941-42 release by United Artists. Ruth Burch succeeds junior Roach ag casting director. 'Choc Soldier' Goes For Modem Dress at Metro Hollywood, May 27. First produced as an operetta in 1908, 'The Chocolate Sodler' is being fitted out in 1941 garb for Its filming at Metro. After looking over the 1908 styles, Victor Saville, producer, decided to modemhe. F.D.R.'8 Talk Last Night Affected the B.O. Plenty Theatre operators and managers' yesterday (Tues.) looked for one o£ the poorest nights ever, with interest, running unusually high in what President Roosevelt would have to say in his fireside chat at 10:30 p.m. While this is late enough in the east to miss an early show, it was felt in | managerial quarters that people. wouldn't come out, unless it was; around 6 p.m. j The President in the past has ■ dented the grosses when he's gone on the air. Broadway showmen fully expected that boxoflices would be heavily socked Tuesday night because of the intense interest in President Roosevelt's speech at 10:30, for which the world awaited. Run at-. tractions at this time get most of their patronage directly at the box- office and business generally there slowed away down., Exceptions are those few shows that still command strong advance sales and in several instances no affect on takings was indicated be- cause nearly all tickets had been I sold. I By RALPH RODDT Hollywood, May 27. The current mood of 'So What?' is one of the biggest problems facing the modern novelist. World-wide misgivings in the future of humanity due to the current International up- heaval and the streamlined pace set by the mechanized era of today, may point to a decline of the novel read- ing" public and ot. the novelist him- jself. This was the keynote of an ad- dress delivered by James Hilton be- fore 2,200 delegates to the first Na- I tioiial Conference of 'the Authors League of America at the University of California at Los Angeles. ' Discussing the economic and ere-, ative problems of the writer from the viewpoint of the novelist, the author of 'Random Harvest,' 'Lost Horizon' and 'Goodbye Mr. Chips' explained that no great writer and not even many second-rate writers could escape preoccupation with I events as they are happening today. He said a writer must write in the prevalent forms that the age gives I him. He declared the initiation of new forms is more a matter con- : nected with historical events, technl- ' cal inventions and trends of philos- ophy. ■ Hilton pointed out that" the radio and screen are perfecting a I technique far more immediate and I effective than that of the novelist I and that the 'dear reader' period as exemplified In the Victorian • era is ' gone. ! 'To put the matter In a nutshell,' - Hilton, said, ~'the modern .novelist -is- incrcasingly up against a mood prev- alent all over the world which might, be summarized in two words, 'So I What?'' John Howard Lawson, first presl- I dent of the Screen Writers Guild, traced the history of copyright and I Its significance, from the formation I of the Stationers' Licensing Corps, in i 1557 to the current fight by the American Cociety of Composers, Au- I thors and Publishers. Lawson said I that after 200 years, in which the J author has moved gi;adually toward I increasing recognition of his Individ- i ual ability and initiative, the author now, finds himself confronted with a definite tendency to vest the copy- right in corporate control. He said: Limits On Bargaining 'Legislation and contract place lim- itations on the bargaining power of the author. Instead of reserving all rights, except those specifically (Continued on page 22) 3 Frisco Zone Papers (Hearst) Q.T. on 'Citizen San Francisco, May 27. | 'Citizen Kane' opened here tonight (27) in midst of the oddest exploits- ! tion setup this town has seen, with ' three major dailies in the Bay Area not carrying a line or advertising or copy. Sheets, of course, are all Hearst's, the Examiner (a.m.) and Call-Bulletin (p.m.) here and Post- Enquirer (p.m.) across the bay in Oakland. To offset press situation, around $1,000 Is being spent in radio spbts and at least 100 24-sheets are . up. At that, $4,000 is going into the ' remaining papers with all ads In two colors, red and black. Hearst ban is a windfall for the Oakland Tribune which , is getting the heaviest sked ever placed for a' fiick in Frisco. Terry Turner and j Charles Huy of RKO, in town to handle the campaign, working with Hal Heides. OPM'S 2D DEFENSE SHORT FOR THEATRES Washington, May 27. Government's Office of Production Management has just completed its second short subject and, as it did i with its first, may make it available to the nation's theatres. Film, | 'Farming Out Defense Contracts,' Is i primarily, however, for Cljambers of Commerce, manufacturers' associa- tions and such groups. i OPM's initial film, 'Power for De-. fense,' has now virtually finished playing in theatres throughout the country. New picture is said to be a 'recruiting' rather than informa-1 tion or propaganda subject. It is designed to gef sub-contractors on defense contracts to speed up pro- duction and take new Government orders. It describes large-scale tank and plane-making. Writers Guild Forcing Showdown; Move for Support of AFL Crafts Hollywood, May 27. ' Showdown on demands of the Screen Writers Guild for a minimum , wage scale for scriveners, abolition ot flat deals under $2,500, and elimi- nation of speculative writing is scheduled for tonight (Tues.). The Guild is collecting a $100,000 war chest and plans to call a writer strike if its demands 'are not reasonably met' when it huddles with the Pro- ducers. ■ ' ' I Unless the company representa- tives are more inclined to get to- gether with the Guilders, a general membership meeting of the group probably will be called tomorrow (Wed.). At that time the Writers would be advised ai to the counter- i proposals of the companies, and i probably would be asked whether a strike vote should be taken. . Anticipating a disagreement, the Writers are now urging the formation of a Studio Union and Guild Com-' mittee, to act as a clearing house for collective bargaining problems of the various film crafts. This move, 11 successful, would give' the SWG the support of'various American Federa- tion of Labor unions, as well as in- dependent organizations in the stu- dios. Pledges of support for the writers have •already, been received from both AFL crafts and unions affiliated with the Congress of In- dustrial Organizations. The' CIO telegraphed the support of its 100,000 members In ^.x>s Angeles. Following conferences held In New York during the past week, attended by top executives of the Edward .J. Sparks circuit In Florida, agreement is understood to have been reached • on virtually all points with only a couple minor details directly con- cerning Sparks himself remaining to be taken care of. These are not expected to be stumbling blocks, possibility being that they may be removed quickly so that complete papers can be prepared within a week. Fred Kent, general counsel, of the Sparks circuit; B. B. Garner, gen- eral manager of theatre operations; Marian' C. Talley, secretary-treas- urer, and Frank |togers, general manager of the contract department of the Florida circuit, were all in N. Y. last week to further the deal with Paramount. After reaching what is said to have been general accord on the Par-Sparks negotia- tions, they returned to Jacksonville Saturday night (24). Leonard Gold- enson, in charge of the Par theatre department, who is understood to have sat in on the negotiations, him- self left Sunday (25) for Galveston, Tex. and the Coast. He won't be back to N. Y. until June IS. Figure assertedly agreed upon under -which Paramount obtains control of the Sparks chain of 85 theatres, well spotted In Florida, is a little over -$1,300,000. For this amount Par obtains the 40% interest held by Sparks and his relatives. Par already owned 50% of the cir- cuit, while an outside 10% is con- trolled by Kent, Garner, Rogers and Talley. These Sparks executives, who are expected to become a com- mittee in charge of operation under the Par takeover, are retaining their minority interests. Sparks is at present In Miami Beach where he has a home but Is expected to come to N. Y.'shortly, probably after .the necessary final details are-worked-out on-the Par acquisition and papers are fcady for signing. Kent refused to discuss the Par-Sparks deal in any way'without the official sanction of Sparks him- self. Warner Bros. Although there have been no overtures to. Warner Bros, as yet, as soon as the papers are finalized In the purchase'of Sparks' 40% inter- est, .It. is believed efforts will be- made to bring about peace. So far Par has not discussed the deal with Warners because. It is added, the company didn't want to go Into the film product angle with WB until its own negotiations with Sparks had been completed. i Warners built two houses Itself I while independent interests c'esiring ' its pictures erected two others. Ad- ditional houses are not planned pending the official acquisition of the Sparks theatres by Par. Under- stood also that Par has not asked WB not to extend Ite Florida hold- ings, because it was buying out Sparks. Presumption is that War- ners will continue witlj. the four houses it now has, Inability of WB and Sparks to get together on a deal during the past two seasons was not not the No. 1 factor in Inspiring Par to offer to purchase Sparks' interest In the southern string of theatres. Para- mount itself had difficulty closing, with Sparks last year, many months of wrangling antedating the com- promise that was finally reached on a product contract. Other dlstribs have similarly had trouble largely because Sparks has always insisted on buying -film flat rather than on percentage. Executives In his own company are said to have disagreed with him on this and other matters. BENCHLETS GiaOLEB Hollywoqd, May 27. Robert Benchley draws one ot tii* comedy leads In Columbia's 'YouTl Never Get Rich.' Another cast addition to the fllmu> sical is Cllil Nazarro, sans doubl* talk.