Variety (Oct 1942)

Wednesday, October 7, 1942 PICTURES IS The Women Who Run the Men Secretaries to Hollywood's Film Chiefs Are Key Links in the Industry Hollywood, Oct. 6. Hollywood, they say, has "beeri kind of kidding itself all these years about its Napoleons of the industry, the six or so men whose merest whim is a white man's law out here: thr old masters-of their-fate and captains-ol-their soul stuff, to b. - row a phrase from Henley. Yes, these men, in a sense, do run Holly- wood—with their bush buttons nnd ducal decrees and connivings. pho- bias, fixntions and moments of acute gumption. But. in another sense, it isn't six men. or 60, who really do the 'run- ning.' It's more like six women— or so they say. However, the blatherskiters of the press departments need feel neither eliUcci nor alarmed by this slale- mcnl. For the names of the women don't happen to be Joan Crawford, Jean Arthur, Irene Dunne, Claudctte Colbert, Myrna Loy, Lana Turner or Rita Hayworth; or, in fact, any- body obvious, with headline or mar- quee name value. They're the all-powerful secre- taries, the Missy LeHands of the in- dustry—not seen, not heard, not in many cases known except by hear- •aay: but still the cool, efficient type w^o, like a stage manager, stand quietly in the wings and make the curtain go up and down. To put it more succinctly, they're the people who 'run' the men who run Holly- wood. It's This Way, Mr. Mayer And to put it another and further way, they're the type who knows what Louis B. Mayer is going to do with his day before L. B. does. The lady who does exactly that Is named Ida Koverman, confldential advisor and buffeteer-in-chief for the Metro production liead. She's been there a long time, her executive lati- tude is vast and there's very little taking place on the lot that she hasn't exerted some influence upon. Foi her's is the unseen hand that pulls the strings that make the pup- pets dance and her name is spoken softly and with some degree ot veneration. There's a great deal that goes on i.n this town that Miss Koverman knows AlM3ut and, with the carte blanche she enjoys in the matter of executive decisions, she has a lot of pretty important gents tip- toeing around her with devout re- spect. Like the ladies in Col. Zanuck's Inner-shrine—before the 20th-Fox head went into khaki for the du- rati( n—she is actuated by a sense ot knowing instantly what the boss man would do in a given instance; who he'll want to see, Instanter, and who can be seen next day, next week —or never. It will be readily un- derstood from this that the destinies, the hopes and tears and ambitions of many thousands in the industry often rest upon the decisions of th< ladies in question. The two thus running interference for Zanuck during his stewardship Over 20th-Fox production were Bess Bearman and Dorothy Hechtlinger. There was no suggestion of divided authority in this arrangement, either. Misa Bearman was a modified Ida Kcverman in the Zanuck cabinet, to further executive duties—having to do with production. Mlnlmnm of Boraps Not quite so powerful but non: theless an admitted factor In the af- fairs of state at Paramount,is Sid- ney Brecker who, as secretary, first - to Adolph Zukor and now to Y. Frank Freeman, not only has made the wheels go around through the years but has been in a position to see that they do so with a minimum 01 bumps. Dave Selznick had Just such a Liidy Friday in the person ot Mar- cella Bennett and has another now fi Frances Ingalls. The latter took over not so long ago when Miss Bennett resigned to get married. Hftli have been able to keep the producers day as free as possible irom deuiled distractions, since ^ to know with acute exactitude what he wants done, and no'v and when he wants it. A situation like that, however, can put a:> awful kibosh on a caller's pro- posed program, since he's got to make a -practice' sale of hinv-elf and hu Idea at the outer defenses before ever going to the mat with "th? producer inside. Rosemay Foley is Lady-in-Ambush No 6 on thU list. She has a unique position at Universal, being so im- portant to the success of Walter Wanger's organization that her of- ficial status is that of first assistant Of course, there are others with commensurately high qualifications, but the forementioned are essen- tially the all-American six-woman line, operating up ahead of the ball while clearing away debris, the trivia, the unnecessary and the un- welcome—the buffers before whom Fate itself might recoil In fact, buff- ing neatly and quickly done, while you wait. And wait. And wait. $225,000 TripleOamage Suit Vs. WB in Philly Philadelphia, Oct. 6. A suit tor $225,000 triple damages was filed last week in U. S. district court against Stanley-Warner Co. and seven major distributors on the charge that they entered a con- spiracy to ruin the value of the Lawndale, a Northeast Philly nabe, owned by Mrs. Flora H. Friedman. Mrs. Friedman, wife of Henry Friedman, who operates the house, alleged in her suit that the Warner company had not only conspired to 'relegate the Lawndale to an inferior position' to a Warner house in the vicinity, but had 'stripped the bouse of sound and projection equipment' during the time that Warners had the Lawndale under lease. Mr. Friedman declared that when Warners were unable to get a new lease at their terms in 1937. they studiously removed valuable electrical equipment, advertising frames, etc.. in order to interrupt the flow of patrons to the Lawndale.' This action, the suit declares, forced the Lawndale to close for several nnonths 'to further depreciate its value' and cost $50,000 to repair and modernize before the house could reopen. At the time Warners operated the Lawndale. the suit declared, the house was a key house in the area, having clearance over the Oxford. alMut one mile distant. The Lawn- dale having been built before the Oxford, naturally had priority in films, said Mrs. Friedman. But since Warners, unable to ob- tain a new lease on the Lawndale. bought the Oxford, that hou.<;e has enjoyed 14 days priority over the Lawndale. In his brief. Mrs. Friedman's at- torney. Normal Ball, declared that this action was 'further evidence of the complete monopoly which War- ners enjoys in Philadelphia.' Seeking damages under the Clay- ton, Sherman and Robinson-Patman acts, Mrs. Friedman is asking $75,000 trebeled—as allowed in these cases— in addition to attorney's fees and court costs. Named as co-defendants with Warners are Paramount, War- ner Bros. Pictures, RKO, Columbia. Locw's, United Artists and Univer- sal. In 1939. Mrs. Friedman, her hus- UndiiirT' ihr Honest Dishonesty Trenton. Oct. 6 Dan Stevenson, press-ad rep- resentative for the Hildinger Theatres, says he got into his car one morning last week and found a note in it reading. "We have taken your tires, but In the envelope on the seat is the money with which we are paying you. You can get other tires. We can't.' Burbank Drive-h Wins Clearance Cut; Nix in Bronx A drive-in theatre, the San Val In Burbank, Cal., has won a substantial reduction in clearance favoring three regularly-operated houses in that area, the Major. Magnolia and Loma. Formerly getting a 63-day clear- ance, It is now reduced to 28 days as result of a decision of the Appeal Board of the American Arbitration, which upheld the findings of the Iccal Los Angeles arbitrator. Appeal was taken by the operators ot the Major, Magnolia and Loma. Distribut' s involved are Loew's, Paramount, Vitagraph (Warners) and RKO. Nix in Bronx Efforts of the operators of the Ogden. Bronx. N. Y.. to wipe out the seven-day clearance in favor of the Ml. Eden, o part ot the Consolidated chain owned by Julius Joelson, have felled on appeal to the American A-bitration Assn. AAA's Appeal Board ruled the local Ne / York arbitrator was cor- rect in dismissing the complaint orieinally broupht by the 0?den. holding that the existing clearance is reasonable. The product ot two companies in- volved, Loew's and Par, provides for tht seven-day clearance, while 20th- Fcx. RKO and Vitagraph furnish pictures to the two houses day-and- date. POST-MORTEMS ON UMPI Some Still Mourn Abortive Try For United Film Front The burial of United Motion Pic- ture Industry without tearful cere- monie.'!. especially from Paramount and Warner Bros., brings to an end an attemot which, from inside, had as its origin the organization of an industry front designed to offset Federal legislation consequent upon the consent decree. Prior to the launching ot the movement tor UMPI. certain leaders in the film business are said to have felt that some such form ot unity as UMPI would be advisable in the face of the decree and developments of a poten- tial character which the industry might have to face. Now there is no united front, even as to tax problems and mourned in some inner quarters is the fact that UMPI tax committees in every Con- gressional district in the country go by the wayside with the folding of UMPI unless the local exhibitors and distributors who are on these com- mittees wish to continue them. It is Everyone Acts in H'wood, Even Frogs, Penguins, Lions, and Also 'Gators Hollywood, Oct. 6. Maybe it's true what they say about Hollywood, that there's a broken heart (and G-string) for every heel -n Vine street and the local pat of gold at the end of the resident rainbow is flUed with bra.ss knuckles. That, in effect, this is Heartbreak Town and almost no- body, for long, can lick it. Th^n again, It cotfld be that they're trying to do it the cor ■ plicated way, such as going in for self-expression via exclamation leg.<!. an alabaster brow and curvature of the bosom, all of which can be and often is very effectual. But it might'be simpler in the end just to get yourself, say, a performing louse. Or a gila monster with personality. Or a parakeet that sings alto. There's good money in that sort of thing—plenty good, money. Ask any gent or lady with a good, rc- liiible water buffalo cached in the back garage. Ask Rennie Renfro, who admits to paying off on close to $40,000 In 1938, who did even better last year and plans to top everything in 1942 with the dog. Daisy, operating In the 'Blondie' series and. cleaning up, plus about a dozen other Renfro dogs, In 'Black- outs of 1942' at El Capitan. It isn't necessary to ask Capt. T. Luxford, owner of Pete the Pen- quin. The'captain is saying it in municipal court, where he's suinj; Paramount, because it won't release Pete to play in the local run ot Aaron Goldberg's WiO Remembers His Staff , . • , , doubtful that they will. Some might. arners l6r tM'Ttj^»'^.!!!^';^-'±!j^. ?I! ^1^.^/^^ iI?r^1nr?„*h'ZTnf"/h.'i'''"" I national tax commilt^hlid^d by liar action in behalf of the Lans- c„,.,.„„ ci,.„.,,o downe, a subuijjan house they own, P''"" '>«""'^as. I and operated. The case never came to trial. Warners made an out-of- court settlement under which the chain leased the fheatre. Names 10 in N. Y. Suit For $62,132 Damages Dnmage.<; of $62,132 are sought from Optic lor. Inc., experimenters in color film, the estate of Ogden L. Mills and eight other detendams in' a N. Y. supreme court suit disclosed last week. Action was brought by Morris L. Welch, former associate ot the defendants. Welch alleges he was abandoned in Germ.iny. where he was carry- ing on the development and perfec- tion ot motion picture equipment as per an agreement when he was hired by the defendants in 1937. An answer by Opticolor generally de- nies the complaint and claims Welch failed to return equipment supplied to him for the German work. When UMPI wa.s fli-.st formed, it was feared that the decree, then and still without United Artists. Univer- sal and Columbia, would be extended to include Federal legislation affect- ing the film indu.stry in other ways. Some months after UMPI was launched, the Government ackowl- edged its failure to bring in the so- called Little Three, which had been unexpected, and thereupon the movement detoured from shorls- forclng, conciliation, enlarged arbi- tration, etc., to sales policy, latter being its death knell. EATZ DOUBLES UP Hollywood. Oct. 0. n.iy Kalz. former per.soiinel man- aucr of the Leon Schlesini»er cartoon plant, is combining his old job with the post left vacant by Henry Binder, production manager, who left the studio to join the Navy. George Winkler, chief of the ink- ing and painting department, takes over part of Binder's old duties. San Francisco, Oct. 6. Will of Aaron Goldberg, dean ot the indie exhibs here, who died Sept. 22, made bequests to 14 employees from an estate believed to exceed $200,000 in value. Goldberg, opera- tor of six theatres, provided in his will that employees who had been with him 15 years or more would receive $250 each, those with 10 years' service $100 each, and five- year workers $50. Bulk of estate was left to his wife. Rita, with the Community Chest and Jewish Welfare Fund to get $1,000 each, and relatives to receive $15,000. DITTO IN NW Indies Repeat Tbelr Balk At 'HIcb' Pif Terms and % Minneapolis, Oct. 6. Northwest Allied claims a rebel- lion among independent exhibitors He once 'stood' for Dorothy Lamour the 'Ice Follies.' Idea, it seems, wai to put Pete on skates—and let natur* h:.ve its head. But Par had a prior contract, i« apparently holding Pete to it and won't waive, even for the brief en- gagement Result: Luxford is ask- ing $1,500 damages, ostensibly the iro promoter's price. That'll give a cursory idea of the money angle, foi the pictures produce a demand that is constant and it's not unknown fi>r the animal star to outdraw the featured player—and even out-play him or her. Or both. That's what Skipper the Seal did, for instance, with Barrymore, La- me ur. Fonda. Raft and Lynn Over- man in 'Spawn of the North." More- over, the story was worse and so, at lengthy last, it came about that th^' only thing good in the produc- tion was Skipper. He was prac- tically consumate In the role. He played himself. Curly's Tricky Baven That's what Jimmy the Raven's doing in 'Edgar Allen Poe' at 20th- Frx. He's owned by a gent named Curly Twyfford. who keeps him constantly occupied, for Jimmy can carry coins from person to person, lift a dgaret from a guy's mouth and do all kinds of antics. He cur- rently 'quothing' at Ed Poe's w.k. chamber door. Other studios are reaching co- piously Into the exchequer to p^y oft animal, bird and reptile acts, the e>ception being Metro. It owns Asta outright for the "Thin Man' -scries and maintains its > own me- nagerie, much as Universal used to do. According to° a studio inventory, fnere is the following assortment of our foot-footed. friends now on the premises: Three baby elephants, one Chimp, one big lion, 45 deer, 0 bears, 20 raccoons, one psssum. four foxes. 20 hounds, ^ree squirrels, Five baby alligators, and a random litter of livestock. No jumping frogs, though. War- ners has those for the 'Mark Twain* picture, having impor.cd them from the Mother Lode country. They are alleged to jump 15 feet or more, which is almost as far as their own- e:-. Alt Jermy, Jumps every time he sees the salary Warners pays him IS technical advisor. It may be Judged from this that a great deal of eccentricity creeps in with animal thespianism, not the least of which came about - when Daisy, the dog, was in two pictures and needed a double. Daisy was bought from a pet shop window for $3. whereas the studio had to pay $500 for the double. Then there's -Ponchartrain Billy, the 'gator—very old, very tractable. against terms and allocations now being demanded by distributors is slowing up buying to a snail's pace in the' territory. The body itself has made no effort to foment a rebellion or discourage buying, its heads de- clare. With a few exceptions, how- ever, according to the reports reach- ing its office here, theatre-owner.s are refusing to do business at the terms demanded. At present most of the exhibitors have enough to carry them for some time and can afford to wait, it's pointed out. In many of the towns .sitting on his back, though, come to think of it, a lot of us would stand for that, too. But, of course, Billy was just like all the gators. He went hibernating in the winter right in the middle of a scene, which is to say that he sank to the bottom of the tank and went to sleep. Studio In- genuity finally solved that one. They turned steam into the tank, BUly thought It was spring again, he woka up and they went on with the pic- ture. Snaps Only at Food Jnckie the Lion is another 'gentle- there has been loss of population | man.' He's as docile as an old rug and will let anybody wrestle him around,^ including Joe E-Brov that, It's alleged, has cut down osses.. Nevertheless, the exhibitors or more for their product than a year ago. Percentage terms are called particularly onerous. Technicolor Uncertain The uncertain outlook regarding earnings and raw stock conservation were pointed out as reasons for Technicolor directors postponing action on the capital stock dividend until the December meeting. Techni- color paid 25c earlier this year. Dr. Herbert T. Kalmus, president of the corporation. i.s.sued a statement out- lining these tacts after the directo- rate meeting last week. He stated ir Guy Standing's brother was killed In a lion picture, and so they're always I on the alert tor a reversion to type ' by Jackie or any other cat. That's one thing they didn't have to worry about in the case of tbe trained flees, once expressly imported here from West 42d street. But the wild boars In the 'Lives ot a Bengal Lancer' were something else. Very vicious, practically ber- serk—or something. So they possed- •d the entire location to keep the boars from goarlng up the nearby residents. All they did was come out of their cages, sit up on their hind legs and 'oink, oink' for food. And one of their number, who'd been especially trained to grapple that also the slump in volume which occurred the middle of the present | on the ground with Sir Guy Stand- year i.s now converted into a current ' '"C- 'ost his tusks two nights be- demand beyond the capacity of f'"'c. Nobody but Standing and the Technicolor to handle Besides the conservation ot motion picture film and taxes, Kalmus cited the effect of the rapid labor turnover and loss of trained employees to the trainer knew it, the latter then f.ishioning some ersatz or makeshift or upper denture tusks, so that the scene could go on. Everyone was amazed by Standing's bravery, as armed .services as making it difficult i he grasped the tusks in both hands to determine profits or volume and rolled the boar In the dust, the cleiirlyat this time. 'director being particularly agitated.