Variety (Sep 1928)

Wednesday, September 19, 1928 P I C T U R E S VARIETY WARNERS-SHUBERTS 15 to 20% Increased Biz for Wired Houses in Syracuse; ^ing and 2d Runs Hurt Outiyi Syracuse, N. Y., Sept. 18. The advent of sound in Syracuse, which, with ita four de luxe houses playing synchronized pictures, quali- fies as the country's first medium- sized "wired city," has spelled an Increase in box office business esti- mated at 16 to 20. per cent. This gain in the gross of the wired houses admittedly Is at the expense of thei theatres playing only silent pictureis. As business has grown in the de luxe wired theatres there has been an accompanying decline in the patronage in the second run and neighborhood screen houses. ' This condition was sharply defined last week when the four wired the- atres went to bat with as maiiy specials, all sounded. Without ex- ception, the silent houses took it on the chin; two of. three combination policy theatres also reported slumps, particularly at the matinees when the deluxe prices more closely ap- proximate those in the neighborhooid houses. Keith's was the exception. It rolled up a gross of $14,000. The current week looks like a winner, the Sunday matinee, for example, setting a new record for the past six rnonths. Two of the sound pictures wluch fought it out here last week are holding over—^"Street Angel," re- maining at the Empire, where it did bettor than $11,000 last week, and "The Terroi'," staying at Schines' .'Eckel, where It did almost $12,000. The Strand, with John Barrymore's "Tempest," did . over $9,000, and 'lioew's State with "Two L,overS" grossed about $10,000. This week, the all-sound compe-. tition is duplicated, Loew's playing the synchronized "Warming Up," its first Piiramdunt, and the Strand of- fering "Lilac Time," which will be held over. The Eckel's week-end business for the second week of "The Terroi*" ran less than $200 under the gross for the first Saturday and Sunday, and with cooler weather this week it is possible that the gross for the first week may be duplicated. 15 Per Cent Ingrfease Walter D. McDowell, managing director of the Strand, which has had the longest experience with sound, says that synchronized en- tertainment, has meant a 15 per cent Increase in business. R. W. Thayer, local Scliine representative, places the percentage.benefit at the Eckel at 20 per cent. The Empire, with "Street Angel," its first sound picture, is expecting to clean up enough profit to wipe out the summer's red. The State's experience with sound is allied with _ _9j-her _.faciors-—a qha^^^ iT^.^E^^iSl" from presentations to straight pic- tures, increased advertising, etc. But the house is now reporting a profit where once it was dropping about $3,000 a week. Straight pic- tures has jurnped the gross about $5,000 a week. • "The "Terror" broke all records at Its Eckel opening, playing to more admissions than "What Price Glory ?" which held the record. The. gross approximated that of "Glory" though that picture had the advan- tage of night prices at the matinees. The Empire's experience with "Seventh Heaven" further demon- strated that Syracu.so prefers straight pictures to a stage show policy, the house's experience with the latter proving un.sati.sfactory. Tlie Savoy, playing stock bur- lesque and second run films, and the Syraou.^e, with, independent vaude- ville, both reported bu.siiu'.^s off -- -^durinff—the = wcclt;^the^wcatlvi>i'^aHd= the pii.iuro opposition were held rc- spon.«<i1)!('.. Two liijJi.so.s seloctod la.st wook a$ the time for a sra.sonal cluint,'© in prices, tlie .Empire adv.ancing the matinee find ni.c;ht scales 5 cents to 35-40, an'l tlie Syracuse going from 10 to :ju ( ent.s. Both managoments A Biblical Director London, Ser3t. 17. Said a producer in the Savoy Grill, discussing a British di- rector who's always finding a backer arid losing the dough: "Yes, a Biblical director, that's all he is." "How come?" asks someone. "He's always on the side of the angels," says the producer. NOTHEATRtDEAL Warner Brothers' Propose^l iReported for Legit Pro- ductions — Available for Talkers—If Successful Outcome Expected War- ners and Shuberts May Pool on Legit Theatre Operation as Well BANNED KEITH DEAL — MAYBE Radical Ruling on 2 Takes to Cut Down Par s Production Coste COLOIiED MAN'S 3 JOiBS Protests to Hays* Goast Society^New Methods of Grime Los Angeles, Sept. 18. Members of thfe Association of Motion Picture Producers, which is the coast brancli of the Hays or- ganization in New York, have been requested by the, latter to protest against any more underworld pic- tures. . Protests have been coming to the Hays organization from police de^ partments, civic organizations. Fed- eration of Women's Clubs and re- form organizations protesting against the showing of these pic- tures, claiming that many of them show new methods that can be em- ployed in committing crime, that methods used in some of these pic-, tures have actually "been, used in slayings,. holdups and. other feloni- ous endeavors.. • . The Producers' Association are said to have in their files a record of crirriea In various parts of the country, statistically compiled. These records, it is sa;id, show an increase of crime In the past eight or nine months over any period within the last three years. A few underworld stories are now In production, but it is said after this crop is completed that no more are to be made for the present. Louis Mayer East -, : - ^. .^-Los -Angeles, Sept. 18. Louis B. Mayer, head of th(^ M-G- M studios here, leaves next Week for New York to remain about two weeks. He will have a private car on the Santa Fe, which will go straight through. Several studio officials will accompany him, as well as Fred W. Beetson of the Associa- tion of Motion Pictures, who goes east on his annual vacation of one month; M-G-M SOUOT) STAGES START Los Angeles, Sept. 18. The sound stages at M-G-M are working. The first picture to be recorded for dialog la "The Bellamy Trial," the courtroom . sequence in which is being directed by Edmund Goulding. de('^lared= there^waa riot^-singlo-prjo.^. tost. There was some indication that with the four deluxe, house.s playing .«ound pictures, local fans were •'hopping" "Two Trovers," at the .State. It did a gross under that of the house's recent synchronized of- ferings. A proposal reported existing be- tween the Warner Brotheri, and the Shuberts may reach a conclusion before the problematical Warners- Keith deal, Warners want to go in with the Shuberts. on the latter's legit play production. This, the Warners fig- ure, would be their, source for dialog full-length picturesi To secure the legit protective background for thei*- talking filrhs, the Warners are said to have prop- ositioned the Shuberts on joint play production only, leaving the subject of pooled theatre, operation,, if the first proposal _goes through, for after cohsideratibn. Apparently reliable reports say the Warners are about to open ne- gotiations for a merging or purchase pE the Keith Circuit With Harry Warner known to have talked it over with some of the Keith execu- tives now in New York, there re- main so many ramifications to the Keith-Warners possibility that the outcome of the Shubert-Warners proposal should reach a conclusion long before the other can be set. It is said to be the thought of the Warners that if getting in on the Shubert legit production, theatre operation would naturally come up, again adding to the Warners' grow- ing'string of theatres. The Warners seek to erect their own outlet for their own talkers (full length and shorts)' through their own theatres, as evidenced by their stock control purchase of the Stanley Company, chain. Keith's also would give the War- ners an adde4 supply of material, like the Shuberts, for talking shorts. Shubert theatres in and out of the biggest cities could . be alter- nately employed for special dialog full-length films or legit stage at- tractions. At one time the past season 10 legit houses of the Broad- way section held $2 films. Protection Keith's is desirable and suitable to the Warners through being a transcontinental chain. Together with Stanley's and their own the- atres, Keith's, from coast to coast, would give the Warners a first run in tlieTDesricey tow protect them for circulation against the impending talking pictures of the other large producers-distrib- utors, with theatre chains, The Keith-Warner deal seemingly Is dependent upon how John J, Mur- dbck and Joseph P; Kennedy will view it. Kennedy and .Murdbck, when planning to secure the Keith control from E. F. Albec, which duly occurred, had al.so in mind a juilc- ture with the Stanley, chain shortly after. This was allowed to lapse through the new Keith handlers de- ciding that both Keith's and Stan- ley required stral.jjhtenlng out .singly before getting together. At the present moment, with Mur- dock knowing the Keith Circuit, bet- ter than anyone el.so connected with it,, he and Kennedy might decide that any price the Warners could offer for slock control of Keith's Jus t^: n ow=. wauljd.=.nQt..bi5.=-fayo.c£jdr r^^^^ thorn. Murdock as a showman arid Koimedy as a promoter may figure the potential value of Kolth'a a ye.ar hence or two years from now. Taking the raiiid advance in val- ue? In the pli'turo bu.sinoss e.'speclal- ly and a.s (^xfmpllfied during the past five years with other deals, Los Angeles, Sept. 18. Oscar Smith, colored actor, who operates the shoe shine stand on the Paramount lot when not in front of the cam- era, will play tlie elevator man, an impoi^tant r-ole, in ""The Canary Murder Case" for Par- amount. , . Harry Warner Warns Staff Not to Gamble After ohe of Warner Brothers' ex- ecutives had cleaned $20,000 in a single day's speculating in its stocks and the word had reached, undei'- lings down almost to the office boy of the wealth in margins, Harry War^ ner circulated a round robin high and low. "The declaration, which re- quired Warner employees to ap- pend their signatures at the, bot-. tom of the page, is a cpmpiete assurance of non-gambling. Reports had reached the presi- dent's ears, and the -.caution was that employees caught "buying or selling during olllce hours would bb shown the gate. Following the official document were stoi'ies around the home of- fice of many people who had been able to sell their Ford and take on a Packai-d as the result of a little diligent work on the phone. One lad, loyal to the firm from the start, told, how he had never quavered whert the stock was a little above 12, and that as a re- sult of his steadfastness his $250 of one year ago is now a round 10 grand. they would calculate the current value of Keith's, on stock market quotations or estimates, would more than double Itself yearly from now on if Keith's can maintain itself on the vaudeville end. Keith's Faith This the Keith people appear to have sufficient faith in to waive haste in wiring their theatres. Mur- dock's opinion of sound is that with everything else wired In the variety field, the Keith houses, silent, but playing vaudfilm, wiir largely draw upon the human side of its stage show. Just now with a partial new policy on the Keith Circuit of two- a-day with, reserved seats, Kennedy and Murdock may prefer to give that a try before approving a buy. It is believed that if Kennedy and Murdock .should consent to a Keith sale or merger, Kennedy will have Id" include W FliO and; tHe" Pathe film producers with it. Just now Keith's is fhe rock for FBO and Pathe,. with FBO lately, receiving very favorable film rental terms from Keith's. Pathe particularly would heavily feel the loss of Keith's. ..* • \ . Another Keith-Warner complica- tion Is that While Keith stock con- trol might be secured after Dec. 1, next, no stock sale binder has ex- pired for the larger Keith ".stock- holders, operation control would still remain with Kennedy and Mur- dock. Their current operation con- trol of Keith's, taken with Albee's stock, runs for five years. Murdock and Kennedy, now abroad, are expected, to. return around Oct. 1. Despite Harry War- ner's, conferences with Maurice, Goodinan, the Keith altornoy, and the lyhman Brothers, .Ko)th-Or- pli.aumjjbiuilteES,.^it..i.s^Jia.Edly^-lilijily that anything approofhlug deiinlto- nfiss can be reached before the m.iiri Keith exoculivcs arc bnck in .New York. It is said the Warnf-rs h i ve no immediate expeetamy of a K'eiili closure and are coiieeritr.itiny rnof- on the ShubTt angle Los Angdl^e.s, Sept. 18, . . brie of the first, major cluihges in physical operation of studios as a result of talking pictures is to be found in the order posted by Para- mount limiting the laboratory print- ing of dli-ec tor's scenes to; two "takes" unless special dispensation is secured. This : order, daals a crushing blow to a practice most prolific of delay and consequent expense. Since feature pictures have been made with more or loss disregard for expense on thie part of directors and supervisors with that expense condoned by a producer who felt more or less helpless once a direc- tor had started on a production, . it has been the rule for many direc- tors to take a scene from every concelvaijlo angle. The script might call for close-ups and long shotd in abundant number, but the. direcr; tor or supervisor, dreaming of the masterpiece, think up other shots, "protection," as, they are described- "The result h.as been not so much the cost of the negatiVei, Involved or the positive printed by the lab- oratory—even ■ though sometimes the number of added scenes may run as high as 10. "Therei is a rec- ord of one on the Paramount lot Which ran to 22, of which 13 were printed. The grief for the. pro- ducer rides in the time involved In the extra shots. Instead of follow- ing a script which the production department had declared to be suffi- cient in detail. When talking pictures first ap- peared it w,as a frequent comment that under the new regime it would be necessary for a director to know what he was going to shoot before he started and that it would bo Impossible for, him to pile up "protection" shots' and haVe his dialog. ma;tch up in the cutting. He would have to adhere to the script. The "I told you sos" are sniillrig. Under the Paramount rule a di- rector may photograph a dozen added scenes, scenes not outlined or indicated in the script, but only, two, may carry the symbol on the slate," which instructs the labora- tory to print on positive film. Outside Noises Retard Talking Productions Los Angeles, Sept. 18. According to reports vibration from automobiles and traJfic ort Bronsori avenue have been hinder- ing the recording of Vitaphone sub- jects at Warner Brothers' studio In Hollywood. The noise, it is said, retarded prog- ress in completing dialog recording especially. -Efforts were made to see what could be don© with, sound-proof stages on the lot, all of which are of wooden construction with stucco surfaces. It was iinally decided police should be called In to protect the studio from vibration and noise from the outside. Last week po-. licemien were stationed at Sunset boulevard at the intersection of Eronson, to, divert traffic ,from go- ing along Brotison avenue. Pathe's All-Negro 'Porgy' Los Angeles, Sept. 18. Pathe will make a dialogue and sound picture of' the Theatre Guild play, "Poigy." This play has an entire colored cast which will also 1*0 ii.sed for the picture. The .screen i ii,'lita. .were . first bought by Cecil B. DoMillc. When wjtlvMra\v^lr)g---fpom--T-athCr=-J3cMiUe tiinicii over the Htory to the com-- paiiy. Sereen tfeJitirient of the play will lie fnade by lleiijamin Glazer, who will i\\Hi> siii)"rvi.se production. lOffin-ls an; being made to get I';ii ;iinourit to loan Harry D'ArniSt [to (.lir-r-et.