Variety (Sep 1928)

VARIETY PICTURES Wednesday, September 5, 1928 HEETtNG TO REVIVE ALLIED STATES ASS'N W. A. Steffes in Chicago With Other State Exhib Leaders— Dead for Two Years ■^Minneapolis, Sept. 4, W. A. Steffes, president of the Northwest Theatre Owners' Asso- ciation, is In Chicago to conver with Jack Mille^r, of Chicago; Frank Rembusch, of Indiana; H. M. Ritchey, of Michlgah, and Col. Cole, of Texas, and. other .state leaders relative to the possibility of reviv- ing the old Allied States Exhibitors' Association which has b«eh prac- tically dead for more than two yeats. Steffes favors calling an open meeting . of Independent theatre owners at Chicago just prior to the M.RT.b.A. conclave at Toronto, Oct, 10-18, Allied Stated disbanded upon the promise of M.P,T.O.A. leaders, at the Los Angeles cohventlbn in 1926, to acceed to the demand for a big nian to head the national, exhibitor body and to make other concessions. It now is claimed the promises never were kept. Metropolitan, Los Angeles Says: "Walter Myers juat boohed four big name acts such as Jackie Coogan Harry Langdon Our Gang Kids and JACK NORTH . Oh yes! I finally succumbed id VITAPHONE SENSATIONAL DANCERS Four Covans Featured with FANCHON uid MARCO'S "HI-YALLER IDEA" Coast Managers Find Patronage Tiring of Synchronized Scor^ Angeles, Sepi. Novelty is all that ia bringing the erowdfl into the larger film houses to hear and Bee sound pictures and once the novelty has worn off, synchronized films—not the talkers, but those which have the synchronized musical score—will be a drawback •ad. a box- office deterrent rather than a help.. This is the opinion of a manager of one of the most Imposing new coast theatres, who cites experience to back his idea. This house is now showing its second 0ynchro"nized fllni, the announced finale of a famous romantic screen team. Picture is doing business, but the manager sayS it's the popularity of the team that is the draw, not the sound idea. He reports overhearing many customers expi-ess annoyance and dlstractlo'n because of the canned music and a desire for the hijman orchestra, of which this house carried a particularly good one, plus resolutlo'ns to avoid future synchronized films with the recurring expressioli. "If that's what sound pictures are like, we don't want any more." This, of course, applies strictly to such tlieatres where the patronage has become educated to human symphonic accompaniment. This house has found it necessary, from the start, to cut In on the canned music with Its own orchestra for short periods, just to relieve the ears of the audiences. It has found that audiences be- come restless under the monotone of canned music. Atypical demonstration of the reaction came on the first day of the showing of the second synchronized film when the orchestratitfn : went sour, four times during a single showing. Eacjt time It was ©•nly for a second or two, but as the music suddenly slowed and flatted, the audience laughed. Talkers are fiomething eLse again. Since being wired, this ho'use has had two talking shorts and each scored. The manager sti^tes the difference is striking, nnEtlnted praise being glyen the eon- rersational films while the canned^ music annoys. Other house managers have" reported feeling sinillar tendencies by their cllentel. J, " -. Midwesco Changes . Milwaukee, Sept, 4. Those up-state nianagers of 'the Pox-Mldwesco circuit who have not gotten acquainted with their bosses as yet know them now. Joe Leo, executive general manager, -and H. J. Fitzgerald, general manager of the chain. In company with several other Fox representatives, last week made a complete swing of the cir- cult. Trip was to acquaint the Fofx chiefs with their holdings more than for any other reason. In Milwaukee proper changes are being made swiftly by Lieo and Fitzgerald who holds over from the Saxe regime. One of the latest switches was the transferring of Charlie Brown, for 12 years man- ager of the Miller, to the Garfield, a neighborhood. Brown- replaces Jack Plant. iJoe Levinspn, man- ager of Fox's Princess, a grind and just across the street from the Miller, will run both of these houses. John Strain, veteran booker tdr ^axe, has handed in his two weeks notice, which up to latest reports had not been ratified officially, Strain has b^en pretty 111 for some time. Eddie Welsfeldt, reported in and out several times. Is still in, Wels- feldt said he had twice offered to resign but was told he was to* stay, Welsfeldt has been in charge of stage show production since the Wisconsin opened. -Nat Nazarro, Jr., who stepped in three or four weeks back to act as m. a, leaves next week. Bebe Barrl dancers, also long at the Wisconsin, are out, BUSH DEVICE CARRIES 3 AND 2 DISK TABLES PEOY'S TABS AND FILM Providence, Sept. 4. In an effort to 4nject life into an elephant getting no peanuts these many years, the Fay chain opened the; Carleton, nee the Emery, on Labor Day, with tab musical com edy. Lee Daly, a cast of 35, and holiday audiences seemed to take kindly to the Innovation. . Bills here also offer a feature pic ture. riUKHON r MAKOIMU The Original of Their Type, the Most Consistent of Their Kind. Claims Usage In Coast Houses for 9 Mos—Cues Films for Record Library Los Angeles, 8ept. 4-. G. A. Bush, owner of a string of houses In San Diego, has opened quarters in Hollywood to demon- strate the Bush Bynchrophohe which he states has been in oper- ation In his own and some other houses for upward of nine months. Instrument is made in two sizes, the larger one carrying three rec ord' turntables In a row and the sam« lAize as that recently in stalled here in the Bhrine Auditorl um, containing several hundred seats In excess of the Rox^r. The other Is a two-disc affair, designed for smaller houses. Keedles on the tables are poised over and do not rest on the face of the records. By a series of scales it Is possible to adjust the needle sp that without hesitation it may be dropped at any point Into the sound track of the record without the usual scarring of the wax. Dur- ing ai demonstration Bush shifted from one - record to another, and from any part of the record, as the picture might Indicate, without sac- rificing a beat. Bush's plan Is simply to cue a picture for records instead . of for organ or orchestra. On the larger synchrophone 83 numbered slips provide storage space for a record library which are planted on tables by the operator for use as Indicated by cue.' ♦ Instruments are designed ..for [sound effects as distinguished from story dialog, although BUsh states there Is no Inherent difficulty in recording and . reproducing dialog. Following erection of a factory near Hollywood, and a recording building In the locality. It Is Bush's plan to create records for Individu al pictures which shall'contain all sound effects, music and otherwise FOX-READE DEAL (Continued from page 6) and four possibly elsewhere In the state. . • ' - Failure to absorb the Stanley chain at his own terms is believed directly responsible for Fox caus- ing the Immediate execution of architectural plans for the loc^l stronghold of Stanley. For the past six months Fox has been active in his endeavors to ac- quire Stanley holdings. The pos- sibility of a successful culniination of negotiations for a chain in whose afliiliation. First National, Fox has for a long tim6 held a powerful in- terest, ca.used.this producer to hold in abeyancie • plans for several houses in Philadelphia wJRch he had drawn last winter when he met the first of several setbacks in this direction. Fox's Sites As one of the first steps in his I move to Foxize Philadelphia, Will- lam Fox instructed Albert Green & Co., of this city, to comb the town for nine boxoffice points. In addition to the site for a 6,.2t)0 seater, already been purchased. Green, It is understood, has se- cured options on the -following plots: 52nd and Market; 69th and Market; Germantown and Shelton Avenues; Frankfort and Al- leghany Avenues; Germantown and Leigh Avenues; Frankfort and Or-f thOdox streets. Three other sites are to be plclted while one of the 10 has already been lined up in Camden. This New Jersey vhouse will be a 4,000- seater. It is understood the $50,000,000 I appropriation will mainly be used to take care of the first six Phila- delphia theatres and that the mat- ter of additional finance fOr ,the re mainlng four will be taken under consideration upon completion of the first set. The 17th and Market street 9,200 seat stadium, the first to be gotten under way, will have a 16-story of- fice building, accommodated by the theatre's refrigerating plant: The- atiVs orchestra will comprise 125 musicians and 350 people will be on the house staff. C. H. drane is the. architect and the building contract has been given to Aaron-Fried Company of tJiis. city. Champaign. DL, 20,000, Votes Open Sunday Chicago, Sepjt. 4. Champiiifin, 111., with a population of around 20,000, voted for Sunday Bhows^ by a majority of 1,800 votes. Champaign has always been a good Sunday show town, as it adjoins Urban.a, the home of the Univer- sity of Illinois, where, there ' are- about 10,000 inhabitants. There are no theatres in tlie col- lege town. Students and Qthers'. from there drift over to Champaign,, which has several ifllm houses and one vaudeville theatre, the. Or- pheum, booked by the, K-0 Junior- Circuit. It is about 120 miles from' Chicago, ; Great States Going Into Southern Illinois Chicago, Sept. 4. Figui-ing southern Illinois as de-- sirable picture house.. territory. Great. States is directing expansion in that.region. First such location will be Alton, 111., .with several other town.s to he added shortly. Missing 7 Weeks Norwalk, Conn., Sept, 4.' A report that David, Esterson, who formerly owned the Regent and Palace theatres here and the St. Albans, St. Albans, L, I,, is missing, is "unconfirmed. But no one has seen Esterson for seven weeks. Esterson's relatives have appealed to the New York police to find Esterson, who was last reported seen in ' the. company of a New York sportsman. Esterson has been associated in many theatrical ven- tures with his brother, Charles Esterson. Another Angle Canada Wiring Seattle, Sept 4. Ifs reported sound equipment has been obtained for Canada in Para- mount's big string of Capital the- atre. It Is also understood an in- dependent concern will put Western Electric equipment Into Vancouver, a burg of 200,000 and still sound- minu9> Duty on importations has been holding back developments there. Cause and Effect? Chicago, Sept. 4. At a meeting of the Exhib- itors' Association here, held to discuss new demands of the Mxisicians' Union, one theatre owner related an argument he had with another manager concerning the relative merits of pit orchestras and mechan- ical music. "I don't like these phono- graph things," his friend said, "they scratch too much,'.' . "Scratch?" exclaimed the t. o. "Did you ever hear my fiddler?" ' There is No Substitute^ for STAGE-BAND ENTERTAINMENT Known M tb« 'TAULASHPOUCY" PARAMOUNT THEATR£ NEW YORK Indefinitely *aCXCLC8IVi;LT COLUMBIA KECORDIMO ABTIST" NEW HOTEL ANNAPOLIS Wasblni^on, D, O. BlnKle, 917,00 Double, $28.00 lb", th* H«art ' vt Tbeatra District 11-12 and H Sts. ALFRED BROWER World's Fastest Russian Dancer Ro-eiiRAirod by FANCIION A MAKCO direction WII:.UAM MORKIS Chicago, |3ept 4, The lowest paid picture house manager known hi Chicago draws 116 weelcly for taking care of a 300-seat house, Hlii employers are loi<ing about |60 weekly. JESSE CRAWFORD ORGAN CONCERT PARAMOUNT THEATRE NEW YORK Week of September 1 "JUST A NIGHT FOR MEDITATION" (Shapiro, Bernstein) •YOU'RE A REAL SWEET- HEART" (Leo Feist) "TWELVE O'CLOCK WALTZ" (J. H. Remick) "GET OUT AND GET UNDER THE MOON" (Irving Berlin, Inc.)