Variety (Sep 1928)

Wednesday, September 5, 1928 PICTURES VARIETY 19, Fox-Indie Partner-Control Deal Goes Forward Despite Confusion in Exhibs Minds Costs 1,000 Seat Exhib $210 Extra for Sound Definite progress is being made, according to information, in Wil- liam "Fpx's partnership-management proposal made to independent ex- hibitors and . is now in a position where it "Should, go to its final stages within 10 days. Some of the biggest theatre prop- erties In the indie field are already under option to Fox and by the end of the week the situation should take definite shape. if it goes through, and that looks Increasingly likely, it will mean the acquisition by Fox of SO vaud- fllm houses In the metropolitan dis- West Coast Motion Picture Directory of Players, Direc- tors and Writers Titles by MALCOLM STUART BOYLAN FOX HARRY DELF WRITER AND DIRECTOR Current BelcAHe: "THE FAMILY PICNIC" A FOX MdVIlSTONE : I Tuture Releases: - -^MYSTERY MANSION" A FOX MOVIETONK , -• ' and •'THE LADIES' MAN" with CUIO SALK A FOX MOVIETONE NOW FREE-LANCING Granite 3716 WINIFRED DUNN W'ritintr Ulllle Dove's Next gltarrini; Vehicle for First National JOHN F. GOODRICH FREE LANCING LICHTIG . . AND . . .. ENGLANDER TEN YEARSx IN HOLLYWOOD REPRESENTING DIRECTORS ARTISTiS WRITERS Warner . BIdg. Hollywood 1068 trict and 70 straight picture houses. ProRress made has been in the face of difRculties arising from con- fusion among the independents, growing out of the mixed situation with reference to the Sapiro group, and . the ^trance of B. S. Moss into the Indie scenario with a proposi- tion to build in Brooklyn and seek alliances among the independents for the formation of a new chain. Significance of the Moss move is that it complicated a state of af- fairs already much mixed. The independent tlieatre situation in Greater New York is in a Une muifdle right now. Moving during the past few months from Aaron Sapiro to B. S. Moss and then to William Fox the indies are swarm- ing around but not getting any- where. i In the past few days A. Blumen- tlial, broker and Fox mediator, is re- ported to have actually secured options oh some sites desired by Fox. Blumerithal, however, is prac- tically mute about the deal. B. S. Moss, following a statement that he will build 15! thieatres around New York, is noW emphasizing the .insigniflcance of this move com- pared to his real ambition -which, he says, is to work up the indies all over the country iiito a Cpast to Coast chain. " . ^ Jersey's Explanation . Moss, who admits he wtis .amazed when the indie committee to which he had submitted his plan failed to report and the gang started moving Foxward, now says that Fox canriot use all of the indie houses here and that he will receive Into his original proposition those prodigal sons who may be left out in the. cold. While Moss is enthusiastic about clustering the country's indies into his General Motors' plan, with him self at the head, It is claimed by Joseph M. Selder, long time leader of the jerseyites, that Moss crossed the Hudson four months ago and personally made them .a proposition along similar lines. "We turned It down becaiise George L. Record is handling our affairs and working up an organization which 'wOl control physical properties," Seider said. The Jersey executive denied that this plan has faded into oblivion Scenarios, Continuities and Titles HARRY SCOTT HEUSTIS FITZROY 2904 PEN do. USING ROXY NAME Washington, Sept. 4. Another,firm thinks enough of the name of Roxy to have it trade- marked. This time it is an exact reproduction of the . Roxy theatre lettering and covers a fountain pen put out by the Morrison Pen Co., of Manhattan. Use of the mark Is claimed since April, 1928. Early this year so many firms were trade marking the name that S. A. Rothafel, Roxy, copyrighted it himself. This seemingly has .not stopped the others. PlattsbUrgh Rebuilding Plattsburgh, N, Y., Sept. 4. . Work has started on a new the- atre to replace the Plattsburgh, de- stroyed by Are March 17. Plattsburgh Realty Co. la doing the building with bids being - re ceivcd to lease. Jersey Town Okays Sundays Bergenficld, N. J., Sept. 4 Chamber of Commerce Anally got busy on Sunday picture!*. A vote resulted eight to one in favor of the Sabbath programs and have been so ordered. Los Angeles, Sept 4. Sun. of ?210 a week oxtra on his projection bill is not making one owner of a south- ern California 1,000-scat house feet any sweeter toward talk- ing pictures. Before/'his house T^as wired this exhibit paid his op- erator $60 a week and his re- lief $30. Under the new policy the price was raised to $100 a week for the regular operator and $50 for the relief. Then the wbrd waa passed to the proprietor there must be two crews, the second to be at'the same rate as the first. Total $300 against what had before . b^en $90. The exhibitor says that after paying the Increased cost of synchronized pictures, his wir- ing cost and allowing for the Interest on his investment, he doesn't like to flgrure the ad- missions that must come in to niake up the difference. Handling F6x> "Ma'' Iios Angeles, Sept, 4. J. J, McCarthy, recently brought out to the:Fox k)t by Winnie Shee han, Is to . have general charge, of the showing and exploitation of Mother Knows Best," Movietone feature, scheduled to open at the Carthay Circle Oct, 1, McCarthy is now laying out a campaign bovering the entire southern California area. Picture Possibilities "The Big Pond"—Favorable "THE BIO POND" (Coihoay, ICnopf and Farmsworth, Bijou). Possibilitios of good tilm comotly. Foreign background fof love stuff,, transferal of polite Fronchnnin to An\crican town and factory with con- trasts, etc., for ..couioay. Several juicy parts. For male star rather than female, : , Lanu.. "Lido Girl"—^Unfavorable "IjIDQ .01 R1/' I I'M ward Klsncr, driuna, Totton). Trashy sontiinonlal play, valuoloss for any purpose. "He Understood Women"—Unfavorable UNDERSTOOD WOMEN" (Comedy. Michael "HE mont): Slim plot with. Froiichy situations voiding It for pictures Rush.. Kallesser, Bel- Ihce, "Elmer Gantry"—Unfavorable "EiLMER GANTRY" (Drama, Joseph E. Shea, Playhou.so). No screen value here, even though boolc widely read. Filled with incidents censors would not pass.-. Ihee. "The Song Writer"—Unfavorable "THE SONG WRITER" (Comedy, Alexander Yokel, 48th Street). Too conventional a story for pictures. Ibee, "Goin' Home"—Unfavorable "GOIN' HOME" (Pombertori, Drama, Hudson). MiRcegonatlon thomc bars this play for screening.' American negro's heart hunker for his native hoath; do.spite his apparent, community free- dom in France, might be stro.s.sod as the paramount issue providing skillful adaptation clrcumvpntcd Iho Hays edict against the racial inter-marriagc which is a somewhat important corollary, to the play although not the underlying thesis. ' Abel. "Caravan"^Favorable "CARAVAN" (Gi;psy melodrama In setting European circus wagons, Richard Horndon production, Klaw). Romantic locale an asset. Play has marty good action ideas, not de- veloped on stage, biit germ of a screen play is. in material. Rush. "Eva the Fifth"—Favorable "EVA THE FIFTH" (Ctolden-Seiwyn, Comedy-Drama, Little). Clean human-Interest comedy with Its saga of the "Tom" trouplng showhianship will make a sound picture. Screen, furthermore, greater latitude for the comedy values. affords Abel. JOHN WATERS Directing for M. G. M. Umpire Rules on Clinch ■ . Cleveland, Sept 4. It happened during a recent showing of Rlqhard Dix's latest sound picture, "Warming Up." Either the film broke or the needle on the disk turned a flip-flop. _ _ _ _ For ahoiTt tliree SitnuTcs the operator sweated, trying to. get the picture and the sound synchronized after the two had temporarily parted company, Dix had Just taken Jean Ar- thur in his arms and was kiss- ing her when the loud speaker called out "Strike One!" Recognizing the fact that changes in method come in the splendid advance- . ment of the motion picture industry, the Eastman Kodak Company con- tinues its own forward march and maintains its supremacy in presenting to the trade Eastman Panchromatic Negative 6 2 a perj proven for the cinematographer EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY ROCIIESTILR, N. Y.