Variety (Sep 1928)

Wednesday, September 26, 1928 PICTURES VARIETY 17 Triple Producing Alliance On Sound Newsreel Against Fox's Long Movietone Term It is reported that Paramount, 3a:etro-Goldwyn-May<:r arid First 3Jational are considering the estab- lishment of a joint Movietone newsreel, to be operated as a sepa- •.:ate department, primarily for the , lurppse of flupplylne a talking weekly . to the producer-owned ihains. Fox's Movietone Is now said to "ie so much in demand it is carry- Summer Attraction Film Road Show UNWED MOTHERS Percentage Booking Anywhere—Send Dates SAMUEL CUMMINS Pablix Welfare Pictures Corp. 72a Seventh Ave., New York ETHEL MEGLIN'S FAMOUS WONDER KIDDIES lEATUUED WITH FANCHON AND MARCO DORIS WHITMORE World's Youngest Prima Donna _ Toe-Dancer and Y'^'inlst Now with FANCHON and MABCO'S "UP IN THE AIR" IDEA ing the whole Fox product Into many opposition circuit houses. Fox is demanding a five-year con- tract not only for the Movietone news service, but, also for the entire product in a great, many instances, with plenty of w^ry for the others. By combining,, the three producing companies figure to save time as well a.s money. Western Electric, it is understood, is tied in on the deal. Indications are that the quickest way of getting a Movie- tone weekly for the three companies would be through the central cSt tablishment proposed- Instead of furnishing equipment for the three companies, which might take from 18 months to two years, a central Movietone organization could po.'^- silily be built.up withiri six or eight inonthsl . N'o dot isiori has been rcxcht'd yet, owing ,to oppo.sing faction^ in the compimios intercfltcd. Another Course Added by Easy Terms Teaching Firm New York Institute of Photog- raphy, horotoforo confining itself to eilucuting ambitious youLh.s as pic- ture cainei'anien for SI 95 cash or ?220 On . ea.sy terms, has extended its curri(^uUini. A" course in pro- jection operator technique lias b<'cn added. The now course usos the develop- ment of talking i)ic;tures as one of its jiiilcK points. It's a soft snap according to the Institute's go-get- ting literature. A picture of the prc>jection room. of the Colony Theatre, New York, is used, The caption reads: "And tho hours are au short, the work so easy, that many operators work during the day at some other occu- pation and earn a handsome saLai-y as a motion picture operator in the evening." . . Pupils enrolling for the Insti- tute's now 'cour.se are offered a "practical" projection machine, free. Frank Boget Killed Fighting Film Fire Cjiicago, Sept. 2u. Frank Boget; part owner of the American, Sandwich, ID., died as a result of fumes inhaled while he fought a film fire in the theatre's projection booth. He managed to tlirow the burning film from a window and succumbed a few minutes afterwia.rd. Collegiate Dance Night Chicago. Sept. 2.5. Collegiate dance contests .are held every Friday night at the B, & K. Norshore theatre. Men, wom/'U and children are eligible to compete for tiie cash prizes. The novelty is proving a draw, U'S 27 SOUNDERS -Twenty-seven IJniversal fvatii^rqs are now slated for sound. "ihiy is over half the schedule for the new season. "DAD" WALTON Present;! Booked Solid: West Coast, B. & K. Publix, Europe, Retirement THANKS TO MARCO FOR A PERFECT HOP-OFFJ ( I^MENOK 1.VND, I^.sul MILO VICKKKY, JBo»« STAM.TCY HI^KI.U Biu-IU)n« OKD TOOMKY, Top I>tJrecMon, WAUTKH METIiBS—M^M. MORRIS AGKNCy IT. SALESMEN GAGGING The newly formed 'talking Picture Division of Universal, Kddie (lolden, manager, has ap- pointed as the first of its talk- ing Siilcsmen, Al Hermann and Samuel Kusiel, . They both insist IJ'^ talkers are so good they speak for themselves. Seattle Neighborhod House May Close; Union Trouble Sfiattle,- Sept. 2r. ■ ■• Following demands for increases in pay for suburban theatres and si;ic-day week, all neighborhood owners havo formed the Suburban Theatre Owners' As.soclation and de- livered an. ultimatum to the union. Owners claim they can't ^ pay more ■■ and that all houses are loosing money. The union asks $2.5(f in- creas»> for organists, and operators, and fifty o<Mits.j)er day increase for janitors, At recent meeting the owners d<'- i'id<'d to stand together aiid if union insists liouses will close. The downtowners seem getting - . the cream, leaving little for nelgiibor- hoods. Mike Newman, of Irniversal Chain, ojteraling iiine .theatres, lias orders from New York to close if the union is. adaniant. . Also under- stood union awaiting orders from Now York odlcials to authorize" strike. Scales run around ?}5 10 ?5b for. operators and- ?42.50 for j organist,'!. They work- but four ! hours daily, owners supplying re- j lief Sunday mat; o.nly mat" giv<'n. Ascher Bros. Want Circuit Back; Receivership Now-Fox in for Chunk Chicago, Sept. 25. Xate and Max Ascher, fiVrmer operators of the Ascher circuit of picture houses now held in receiv- ership by, th.p C.liie.;a.t:o Title &, Trust Co., are reported working to re- sume control of the circuit. They are interviewing creditors In an attempt to reach a carrying agree- ment, ■ ■ Representatives of a New York bond house is conferring with the Aschers on plans to refinance tiie circuit. William F'ox has $500,06o worth of stock in the Ascher houses. To Reichenbach on Colony Hari> l.ieichenbach is back with Universal for another eight special weeks. He has the title of Prefect of what the public should know about the reopening of the Colony, New York. He is tising many of the front offices during tJie absence of any particular Ijig executive in the U headquart'^rs. For the opening Kept. 30, with a continuous poli<^y from noon to 11 p.. m. at six bits top, Harry Is ballyhooing: " 'Jjonesomc,' featuring Glen Try- on and Bitbara Kent, with talking sequences. Ben Bernio and band, there in sound but not i-n the flesh." Capitol, N. Y., All-Sound An all-sound bill, its first, starts Saturday (29) , at the Capitol, New York. "Dancing Daughters" will be the feature, with M-G-M talking .shorts, including ,a Koach. two-reel com- edy, and Fox Movietone News. "Sexes" Sound Becord Made United Artistis executives went to Camden, N. J., Monday to listen to the score on "Rattle of the Sexes," the new D. W. Grifllth pic- ture. Print will be shipped to the Coast by airplane for the pftlclal okay. If the synchronization rejected the feature will go on the program im- mediately and silent. Either way, the film is due at the Rialto, fol- lowing "The I'atriot," Oct. 13. "Wedding March" follows "Two .Lovers" at Oie. Uivoil, New York, Oct.' Gtii or 13lh. : " - " ' ^ = - 3 Publix Houses Ruined by Hurricane Oakley theatre I.,akewood; TCet- ler. West Palm Beoch, and. LyriQj Daytona, were badly damaged by the recent hurricane in l''lorlda. All houses were owned by Pub- lix. ■ ■ ■ Kialto, independent hou.se about a block from the Ketler, escaped damage. Stanley (Publix) in West Palm Beacli was darnaged by water as 'were houses in Winter Haven and Lakeland.. I'aramount .and Beaux Arts, de- luxe houses of Palm Beach proper, withstood the assault of tlie ele- ments, The . Garden in sarne toAvn had its semi-frame roof blown off. I'iie. stcjrm's course was In the shape Of a V witlx the chain of hotises owned by Universal, prin- cipally on the west coast of Flor- ida, going entirel/ unscathed. IVrforinances were suspended in pmctically all theatres within the path of the hurricane while the united. enei'gies of the citizenry concentrated on rescue, and relief work. A. few hou.ses In Georgia reported minor damages. All contracts on pictures inter- rupted or prevented by this -'act of God" are subject arbitrarily to vedating by exchanges witliout pen- alty to exhibitor.s. This angle will be handled as previously when Florida was struck two years ago by a similar catastrophe. In both instances the chief sufferer from property damage, was Publix. PROPS" FOR PART Ernie Johnson; Pan Lot "Grip- Picked as Type "U. S. A. Abie," Dialog JjOH Angeles, Sept. 2,'j. Gotham's next will be "Abie of the U. S. A.", directed by Joseph Ilenaberry. It will <hc an ali-talifer. George Jessel is Slated for the lead. The story is of a boy and a dog in France after the war. Ted Wells' 9th Western "Smiling Terror", western picture starring Ted Wells, has been com- pleted by Universal. , This is the ninth production starring Wells, Derely Perdue appears opposite. Support includes Bud Osborne, Al Fergu.son and others. Joseph Levi- gard directed. Los Angeles, Sept. 25. Paramount continues to find new film talent among its lot workers. Having converted Krnle Johnson, prop boy. Into a screen comic. Par has taken Art Miller, veteran "grip," and put him in front of the camera. F. Richard Jones, directing Charles Rogers In "Someone to Love," decided that Miller, work- ing on the set, was the typo and ordered him to discard his overalls. Miller has been a "grip" with Par ever since Jesse Lasky came to Hollywood. Johnson's first screen appearance was in Krnil Jannlngs' "Street of Sin," in which Director Mauritz Stiller drafted him from his prop work to-v.phiy the -Salvation .Army captain. After the ijicturo was finished, he went back to propping. take over the (.•ireuil lie wuuUl havo to pay around ?000,iUiO plus .bonded indebtedness. A er.edltors' coni- mittop representing. $!r)0,000 in debts has be.cn. organized with-At- torneys Ringer, W.ilhartz and Hirseh handling all business, Be- fore taking ;the houses Fox would have to pay off the organized.cred- itors in a lump sum. ■ Nate and . Max Ascher aro re- ported .confident they can make In- dividual deals witli the creditors because of previous good will. Charles Althoif O R P H E U M CIRCUIT C RITICIS M S "CHARLJ<:S ALT- TIOFl'\ 'THE YANKIOE FID- DLER,' GIVES A DELINEATION OF A DECREPID OLD MAN WVIICII IS, LIT- TLE SHORT OF R EM ARK ABLE, ETC., ETC'-T- L. A. ."TIMES." "CHARLIl^ ALT- H O FF S TK P S FROM . THE £3IL- \'ER SHEET TO THE F O O T- LIG II T S AND OFFERS ONE OF THE CLEV- EREST ACTS OF ITS KIND THIS REVIEVVER HAS E V E R S E K N, ETC, ETC." — L. A. 'IHERALD." Addrcu Cara Jerry Carilll, IS60 Broadwuy, N. Y. HELENWARNER fkAtcrkd IN FANCHON and MARCO'S "RIVER IDEA" GOING EAST THIS TIME DIrorUon: FANCHON and MARCO ALFRED BROWER World's Fastest Russian Dancer He-cngared by FANCHON & MAKCO Direction WILLIAM HOURIS DAVE GOOD MASTER OF CEREMONIES COJjOKADO TIIKATRE, DKNViilR TliiuikH to Fanchon and Miircu ALWAYS PLAYING THE BEST JUE FONG WORLD'S GREATEST CHINESE TENOR A POSITIVE SENSATION PLAYING WEST COAST CIRCUIT Many Thanks to Fanchon and Marco PARAMOUNT, NEW YORK, THIS WEEK (SEPTEMBER 22) "JUST A CLOWN'' HEL.EN KENNEDY Celebrating One Year of Continuous Playing for tfie Publix Circuit. Direction: William Morris,