Variety (Mar 1928)

Wednesday, March 7, 1928 P I C T U R E S VARIETY GOV'T SCANNING RUMBLING ECHOE OF DALLAS VERDICT AGAINST PARAMOUOT Elaborate Flans Reported taken by Par to Appeal from Stinnett-Charninsky Judgment of $337,500 in Anti-Trust Suit—Exbib't Suit to Hold Vita Dallas, March 6. Echoes of the judgrment rendofed kist week against Paramount. for $337,500 in favor of Ray Stinnett and Cy Charninsky, local indie ex- hlbs, for oppreaslpn under the Anti- Trust Law, say that John -Moroney, Dallas attorney who represented the exhibitors, have been approached by others, from diffierent localities to start similar actions against the big distributors. As far as reported Mr. Moroney has not as yet reached any decision oh the applications, _ It's understood ^ere that Para- mount's entire legal department in New York is at work upon an elaborate appeal on the judgnient. Local opinion and comment . are against Paramount. . Epstein's Injunction William Epstein, owner and. ihan- ftger of the A.tzec theatre, San An- tonio, has filed an Injunction action against Paramount and the Texas theatre of San Antonio, Lessees of the Empire, San . Antonio, against playing Al Jolson in "The Jazz ■Singer." Hearing came up Friday and adjourned Off Brylawski Washington, March 6. Only time Julian Brylawski, local exhibitor tied in with the Stanley CSo., waa heard from during the Brookhart hearings, was following the Thursday afternoon session when he asked all to remain. He in- formed them an attempt was being made. by the American Society to tighten up on the "music tax." He added that a hearing was scheduled for thit afternoon and asked them to remain over to help get the 'tax" oft. None did. FED.T AND OTHER CO.!) Commission Intends De- manding; Enforcement Cease and Desist Finding Again s t Paramount- Ready to Proceed Against Other Distiributors Along Similar Grounds—Rejects Trade Conference Report COMMISSION'S CAUTION BARNSTORMERS WITH Producers' Ass'n Tells Members Not to Fall— , Aimed at V. E. Meadows Who Talks on Make^Up With Contract Promised FOX IN ENGLAND London, March 6. William Pox will extend his thea- tre holdings to this country. A site is believed to have been selected in Piccadilly Circus, end scouta are Epstein alleges a 10-year contract 1 looj^i^jf ov^r locations in the prov With Warner Brothers for the Vita jnces. product for ihe Atzec. He started The-idea is to erect theatres of Vita subjects a year ago but dis- 4,000 to 6,000 Capacity, Fox pre continued, claiming lack of product yiously having refused to buy exist and'failure of Warners to deliver | jng houses as not of sufficient Bufflclent program pictures. He al- leges to still hold the "Vita fran- " chise for San Antonio. Warners* local .manager. Wild- man, has been subpoaened and I Claude iazzel, of ■ Warners' . New York office, came south for the | bearing. : ^. capacity. . At present Fox owns no theatres here; Barthelmess' Demand Lios. Angeles,. March «. R. A, Rowland, of First National, ts discussing a new contract with Richard Barthelmess, to continue after the present one expires in De- cember. Rowland is offering Barthelmess a salary increase of $1,000 a week, •with the star holding out for au- thority 09 selection of story, dl rector and casts, and with his unit separate from executive supervision by studio officials. Al Kaufman Returning London, March 6. Al Kaufman, over here for some time in the interest of Paramount, is returning shortly to the firm's studios at Hollywood, where, it Is said, he will take over the duties formerly allocated there to Walter Wanger. . Walter Wanger is now specially attached to the New York head quarters of Paramount, having come east some weeks ago. Last week >Mr. Wanger passed through a cutting ordeal and sue cessfully, from accounts, with a slight loss In weight. Variety printed It. One of his congratula- tory wires was from Alexander WoollcotL It said "Dear Walter: Trust y6u are re 1st National and Talkers I covered, and with business as , * I usual."" Los Angeles, March 6. Ralph t -Poucher, former g6neral-| manager of the Consolidated Film laboratories and recently engaged by-R.'A. Rowland to make a com- plete survey and analysis of the talking picture situation fo: First National, accompanied Rowland to the coast and will leave with him this week for New York. If Poucher's rieports iare favorable. First National will enter the talk- ing picture field in competition with other producers now using the de^ vice, Washington, March 6. In refusing to accept the "reeults" of the trade conference last October in Manhattan as a code of business ethics for the picture Industry, and possibly as an "out" for both Para- mount and the government, the Federal Trade Commission is liow not only ready to take Paramount into court to enforce Ita cease and desist order, but It Is also set to issue complaints agiainst every pro- ducing and distributing ' company resorting to block booking to sell Its product. In other words, to Issue complaInt£ against practically the entire industry. In all probkbllity those complaints are already In the mail. * Announcement from the conHnls- sion Monday that the trade confer-, ence agreement hcUl been rejected, because no provisions had been In- cluded to kill block booking, did net come as a surprise. Following the conference nobody expected the business controlllhg body to ap- prove the six or seven resolutions adopted, due to the failure to in- clude in those resolutions a sub stitdte for block booking the prin _j;lpal, and practically the only phase, the commission was inter ested In, And, at the same time, that it could reach. : Announcement from the commls slon places Its refusal to approve the conference on Paramount's "re port of compliance . ■ . . In re- sponse to an order to cease and desist Issued to the company last July." Amplifying on ^hat the commis- sion stated. In the*" same announce- ment, that Paramount (Famous Players-Lasky before the commis slon) "in making Its report of com- (Continued on pa«r^ 24)! Paris, March 6. Harold Smith, resigning today as American vice-consul, will act as assistant to Edward Lowry, Will Hays' French representative here, Detective as Advisor Los Angeles, March fl. Paramount hSLS hired a technical advisor for a bank robbery se- quence in "Easy Come, Easy Go,' Richard Dix's current picture. The "expert" on bank robberies is George Conteras, chief of detectives In the L. A. county dlsfricf attor- -ney-e- 0 ffl cev== — Loaning Ruth Taylor Los Angeles, March 6> Paramount will not proceed w^th Its plans for Ruth Taylor's future until all reports are In and analyzed on "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.** Meanwhile the company offers her to other companies willing to meet certain stipulations as to billing and handling. Harry Beaumont made a test of Miss Taylor last week for an M-G--M picture. Stout's Created Title SMALL EXHIB'S ERROR San Francisco, March 6. Joe Markqwitz, oWner of several small picture houses in this district, played the Hickman capture film at his Bijou In Fresno, with many pro- tests reported. West Coast turned the picture down. COLORED BRIDGE REELS Lbs Aiigeles, March ff. A series of one-reel colored pic- tures on bridge will be produced by Samuel BYeedman, with Milton C. "V^'ork, one of three national authori- ties on game, as technical super- visor,. Frcc'dmim hiis a tie-up with the AmorLcun Plr^ying Card Co. - " "r^^LOff-AWgelP3;-March 8 George Stout is assigned to, posi- tion of operating superlntemleht for the First National Burbank studio. This is a title created to cover part of the duties formerly held by D, Tt. Thompson and Fred E. PeN ton. Thompson has been promoted to assistant west coast production manager to Al Rockett, while Pel- ton Is assigned to take charge of special studio oonstructlon work. Need Action to Protect U. S. Films in France Paris, March C. ' , Abolttlon-^of-Anierlcan -4Ims In France Is predicted here as the result of the decree regu- lating showing of pictures. There are 400 American fllms lying Idle now and may not be seen. If they are It will not be before Jtrne 1. The new French commission Is composed of IT city officials and 16 men representing pri- vate concerns. Eight of the lat- ter are French picture produc- ers. They have the sole right to grant permission, of the showing oif foreign films. There are only a few rules laid down that a picture must conform to With the commission having almost unlimited power. To enforce showing of French pictures to exclusion of all others, every French pic- ture must be shown before for- elgii pictures, have a chance. Lads^ It*s the Nuts! Los Anffoles, March 6. Regina CroAO is on the coast demanding 4S-hour exclusive on all news she is to accept from producers for her now International news service col - umn, in oppoylsh to,. Louella Parsons, wlio is condviciirig a Vsimilar column over Universal Servicei. . Both services are Hearst's; Los Angoles, March G. The .Producers Agsociatlon has -sent a circiilar letter to all mem-. t)erg advising them; to discour.ige . contc.sta of any kind that will aid anyone barnstorming the country seeking plctiire talent with a con- ract as balf. This -was brought about by V. B. MeiEidows, who claims to be a make- up expert and is touring the coun- try giving lectures on how to make lip tor the screen, conducting at the same time a contest for the most talented girl In each of the 20 cities. These will be given a. six weeks* contract at |B0 per week to act Jn pictures, Meadows alleges. Upon investigating this man It was learned he is not a recognized member of the local Screen Make Up Artists Association, which, con- sists of all people engaged In make up work for pictures. . The first obstacle to be en- countered from the Commis- sion is that it will not start to function before two months, to give It time to prepare by- laws and organize. American producers are bound to suffer'sever losses if authorities at Washington do not act. Pbiish Exhibitors Demand Woman Censor's Removal Portland, Ore., March 6, Battle between local theatre In terests . and the Portland Censor Board has now reached' the point where a radical change has been de tnanded by All 12 film exchanges. Neal Bast,, branch manager of Par- amount, representing film and the- atre interestia of the town, appeared before Acting Mayor Bigelow and demanded that, the City Fathers Immediately remove Mrs. Frank Northrup as chairman of the Cen- sor Board. East maintained that Mrs. North- rup's "antagonistic, objectionable, unladylike, hard-boiled, lack pif diplomacy," made her removal from the board a "boon and a blessing to the people associated with the picture Industry of Portland." Squawk for Mrs. Northrup's re moval comes as a climax to years of grief which local theatre man- agers and film heads have expert encefd while she held the whip. After listening to East's protests, Acting Mayor Bigelow assured the film representatives that he would take the matter up with the City Council. While on a vaca,tlon in Qermany last summer, Michael Bohnen, barl- ffitohe of the Metropolitan, made one. picture on the quiet for Ufa, It will shortly be released .through M-G-M or. Paramount. The title is 'Secret Power" and concerns Rus- sian refugees in Germany. Besides Bohnen, the cast Includes Susl Ycmpn, feminine lead, Walter Rllla, Juvenile and Henry Stuart, English actor known on the conti- nent. Eric Waschnek directed. Henley Savies Time And Money on **Super" Los Angeles, March 6. Ho^bart Henley, director of Adolphe Menjdu In "The iSuper Of the Gaiety" tor Paramount, finished the picture nine days ahead of the original schedule and $60,000 under the budget estimate. Paramount bought picture rights for "The Gay Old Dog" from Ifobart Henley, and will make a special of it for release next acason, Henley will direA "Gay Old Dog," The picture was originally made l)y Henley In 1919 when he was pro ducing indopcndorttly, with Palhe releasing that time. MET'S BARITONE IN GERMAN-MADE FILM "Drums" Picked by British ' Los Angeles, March 6. D. W. Griffith's "DrunriB of Love" will be screened for the Asitoclatlon of British Exhibitors, when they, convene in London March 13, This was selected by a coinmlsaioVi ap- pointed by the British exhibitor body as an . honor picture, but they requested a happy chdlng, which Griffith has made and sent along. New Hour for Gross Pick-Ups by Banks Arrangements are being made with local banks by the Theatre Owners' Chamber of Commerce In New-York to-pick- ujp-house receipts after regular hours. This move has been adopted due to the Increase la holdup attempts resulting from un- employment, conditions. In New Jersey the theatre owners recently put Into force a similar plan. LondS^nV Ai^setis LSwer London,. March 6, London Theatres of Varlcitlos" dls tributlon of artsots, rcsultinp frdm the sale to the. Glb'boris-Sz.'ir'vii.s.v syndicate, 'will bring around $.H.r,n a share In-^'toad of the $16 anii'il- pated by the stook' market. An a result of this news tho 't'irk excli.'ingre prV-f f"!V fro.m to $10.50. • Jaydee's Case Starts . London, March 6. J. P. Williams' caae against Brit- ish National opened yesterday lit King's Bench before Judge Hor- rldgft. Sir Patrick Hastings is coun- sel for Williams, and Sluart Bevan for the picture company. Williams claims ■. damages for breach of conlnirt for 10 years at $25,000 yearly' salary, IDefense is that he rofiL^ird to obey reasonable orders and was extravagant Mar.shall S'pilan, Claude Year«loy and James Abee are cxpectDd to go ^fr"tTi^Kl;rfm=^"Tor""VVIiliTrmsr='"-^ M-G-M's English-Made Jjija AtjupIos, Mi.ccn 6. .Syd f'ha.plin'H "A Little Bit of I'Muff." prodiicod in EncUnd, has been pKIi r'M to ihe M-.G-M studios rfir odiUn-. nnd tltllnrr, jl-f- M hns f.'itvti'.T.ct'wl to v.elivise \v iiio I'nl'.od States.