Variety (Nov 1928)

Wednesday, November 21, 1928 PICTURES VARIETY DOWN arners Absorhing All of F. N. Excepting Name on Moving; Some F/N. Men Excepting that there will b» two gets of books, "Warners and First (National wiU be consolidated. With Warner department heads their su- periors, all departments of First National will evacuate the home oflBce on Madison avenue shortly after a meeting? of Stanley chain •tockholders' Nov. 30, when they Will ratify the sale to the brothers of 700,000 of the 900,000 shares rep- resenting . the total Issue in the Stanley circuit. With the ratification and their present 60 per cent; control of First National stock the Warnera are as- Bumlng what will practically amount to absolute dictation of F. N... although, the six and one- half per cent, vtiore needed to make Warners' authority supreme is tied up in the 35 per cent, of F. N. stock held on to tenaciously by William Fox. . Apprehension: for the viewpoint Fox may have on the independece of First National being completely subordinated by the, Warnera, with the exception of the double records, la admitted In responsible sources In the combine. •. That F; N. departments, shortly after moving day, will be cut to the bone is also conceded. The elimination of Bruce Johnson as head of the First National foreign department Is the first swing of the new reaper. Other departnient heads will also be clipped. On the schedule Is Jerry P.eatty, publicity director, it being the present plan to have his department function without a head trf its own, and be directly under (Continued on page 48) Truth in Paging Los Angeles, Nov. 20. Picture celebrities attending premiere openings on the coast find It necessary to have their cars paged several times be- fore: they can recognize them as the one rented for the aus-^ plcious occasion. A wise cracking director at one of these affairs heard the footman otder cars by the owner's name. W:ishlng to be. truthful in his caae, he i-e- quested the man to pag;e the car owned by the Pacific Finance company. -v noFio New Independents Unlikely, but Progressive Current Indie Producers With Talkers Stand Good Chance^Talkers Create New Conditions---Smsish Pictures Only in Demand with Moderate B. O. Pos sibilities Sniffed at Par Loading Up on 1.1. With Legits for Talkers-Kittle Now in N. ¥; St^^^ U. A. Sound on 24-Hoiir Grind for Two Films Los Angeles, Nov. 20 United Artists' sound studios wlU be placed on a 24-hour operat ing basis when the equipment Is finally Installed within the next few weokii. " Two pictures are now ready to 1 start, with. "Coquette." starring Mary Pickford, having her time from J a. m. to B p. m., and "The Night Stick," Rolftnd West prbduc tion, allotted from 9 p. m. to 5 a. m. This allows each shift four hours to build and strike the sets. COSTS GOING UP TEETH u Hollywood on HiH" And Stock at $551 F. N. Coast Lets Out 20 Lbs Angeles, Nov. 20. With production at peak. First National has Jaid off more than 20 of its studio emplbyeea These In elude bario Faralla, studio business manager; bIic unit biz mgrs.; Robert Salt Lake City, Nov. 20; The Pioneer Filin Corp. of Utah has bought 12 acres of land in the. Bugar House district. "Hollywood- on-the-Hill" Is its title. "The Malemute Kid" will be the. second picture for the Pioneer. First Is "The Exodus," showing the mass migration of the early Mormons to ^Pk)noor stock is offered at $55 ff jedlliail 00 LOCW'S Boafd tanit. DoiQaldson, unit press agent; six cuttefBr^*re«D props and eight ste nogS: _ Jack Warner la looking over the pay roll and may shave some more while the Warner studio Is briefly . idle. Showman Slain Los Angeles, Nov. 20. John D, Callicott, 40, former man- ager of Grau'man's Million Dollar, Kinema; Loew's State and Forum theatres, here, was killed with his oompanion, Orlie R. Mahon, while duck- hiinLing- -.on - private club grounds near Santa Ana, Cal., Nov. 16. The shot was fired by J'. W. Montgomery, 55, gamekeeper at the California Country Club and o.nce an Olcliihoma sheriff. Caljicotfs dog had been on Cali-^ ■fornia property when Montgomery : took a -shot at it. When the theatre man went to remonstrate with MontgDUiery, the latter shot him. Montgomery claims both Callicott and Mahon raised their -juns at him and he .shot .both men in self de- fense. " . His htory was rjucsiiuncd when ■ Callicott's gun and coat were found 50 yards away from the body. .. Mont.gomery was h."ld by the cor- oner's jury on a r'li:irge of murder. ASHER JOINING PARTNERS Los Angeles, Nov. 20. E. M. Aslier has resit?ned as asso- ciate producer for Fir.st National. ^^He=ls-r-n"route-to-New-=York-to..joln his partners, Small and IJogt^rs, in B.ristoluhone production, k-G^M'COLOR illiM DONE The M-(;-M all colored picture, . •^allolujnh." h.-iis been compl'-ted in the e;i.-t ami King Vidor. the direc- tor. \v.M\l back to "the coast thi.s week, Leopold Friedman was elected Monday to the board of directors for Loew's, Inc^ to fill the vacancy left by the recent death of W. H. Childs. Mr. Friedman has been with Loew's since Its origination, and ban been the counsel for the corporation nearly as long. "Heirs" Dialog Los Angeles, Nov. 20. Already In the bag around $'2,000,- 000 on "Hell's Angels," for United Artists release, Howard Hughes, millioriaire producer-director, .has decided to add dialog to the colored James Hall and Ben Lyon, and probably Greta Nisseh, wUl be re- called to do several .sequences over in dialog. Cost of talking pictures. It la re ported, will bring about a condition which has been discussed for sev- eral seasons. Practically every company will produce less pictures, in some caaes only 50 or 60 pier cent, of the guaranty in previous years., ■ This ; condition may virtually eliminate a form of costly cbmpe tition which has been common In the past. Mass production by the major producers In order to block play dates for Independent product will prove too expensive and un certain now. Hikh production costs will, at the same timo, stop added, inde pendent production by new pro ducera while those independents now In the field, especially if in line with talkers, may assume a new lihportahce in the Industry. Talkers have killed practically all known schedules for tho pro- duction of medium Quality pictures. The mairket is open only for smash pictures and independents: with only average product are . finding themselves on the- wrong aido of the ledger. Major producing or ganlzations find- the same resistance in trying to selL The average, or what was formerly, a moderate money picture, la no longer grettlng attention for the box office. From reports available it seems likely that less than BOO feature pictures will be made for next sea- son as compared with over 800 for the present season. Of thla esti- mate of 500 It is practically cer tain that a number of the ismaller Independents, Included In the list of 800 features for the current season, will be out of the talker field. While the number of productions will be reduced, coat of production for the 500 features for next sea- son will run close to $200,000,000, as compared with approximately $120,000,000 for the current year Among the independents It la re ported that FBO will produce 35 pictures Instead, of 60 for the com- ing year, while the production cost of each picture will b© Increased approiirrrately 'tOO per cent. Cii.«(in{,' dirocttirs for talking, pictures are now paying close attention to the teieth of those applying for tests before the onp-eytd monster that now sees and iicars all. lIeV(?tpCore the directors wore, hialnly cori- cerned with an applicant's pan, full face and 'profile views. With fehiales the pams were not so important, as other dameK who were stunners from the hips down wore easily ob- tainable as doubles. But now with those who de- sire to talk or sing before the camera perfect molars all in a row are. oC thci .utmost .impor- tance. ■ ■ ■ ■ Home Projection With Talker at $60, Retail Home projection machines with talker eauipmont now retail, for as low as $60: . Details are kept .secret with the idea of fioodlng the market around Christmas and offsetting the competition of present high priced devices without facilities for sound in the private house. Talkers In the horhe will be ac- commodated only on di.sc, no pro- vision yet being made for sound on the 16-mm. film, ' Three manufacturers of this equipment are already Working un- der cover. Julius Singer, Universalite and head of the iShow-ixt-home IG-mm. at U's home ofTlce, where the com- pany's regular releases are boing redilced from 35-mm. size to that required for the miniature appa ratus, makes the declaration about home talker equipment.. In the model sets which he .says he has seen, the sound system is almost identical with that of Vitaphone in the big theatres. The projection machine for the home has a turn table which efilects synchronization from the film .4pobl with the records worked on an. attachment similar to that of a phonogra;ph. Another arrangement makes It possible to secure amplification of this sound by a hookup with a radio set. Singer, who recently retired as head of Universjil's sound short subject department to concentrate on home product, states he Is now selling outright Universal pictures in 16-mm., formerly lieased through a library system made up of drug camera and department throughout the-country. ■ Paranvoui-it's first ■ e.a:stt'i'n-n\ade all-dialog .picture,, '"rhe .Loiter," was fini.shed at the Astoria. L. L, studio last week in 29 shooting day.'' two da>'s ahead of schedule, the eastern staff felt particularly good over its showing. "The Let- ter" was the first picture ever di- rected by Jeaii .DeLltnur, former assistant dirc'otor, and scenarist "The Iloio in tho Wull," by EVed Jackson, goes into productidn Dec. 1. Mofore it is iinlshed a second unit, headed by Richard Dix, will start work on a talker. Possibility that "Bulldog Drummond" will he used, but this is not definite. John Ci. Bachman, who will Bu- .. perviae the Dix - plcttirc, hoa en- gaged . William A. Driike, former publicist for the Frbhman Ic-glt pt- fice, to act as his. assistant. . . ; Frank Cavctt, one of Professor Baker's pupils from Yale, has been made an assistant director by Para-, mbiint and win funQtlbn under Rob- ert Flbrey on "Hole In the Wall" Irving Rapper, former stage direc- tor for Al Woods, will supervise the dialog on the same picture. . ; ^ Garret Fort has been placed un- der contract by Par and s.wells to^ three the list. of writers now at- tached to the Astoria studio. Others are Pierre ColUngs and Bartlctt Cormaclc Fort worked on„ "The Letter" as a free lance. . Little activity around outside of Paramoiint.' FBO expects to . get started on "Stepping High" around Nov. 22. Still indef about cast for this first all-talker. M-G-M still making testa for talking shorts in New York, but little actual production work. War- ners In Brooklyn remains in th«l hands of the electricians. Sam Cohen, in Person Los Angeles, Nov. 20 Sammy Cohen, on the expiration of his picture contract -with Fox, will begin a tour of the Publlx cir- cuit, opening at the Oriental.in Chi cago Jan. 19. Cohen will return to the coast to resume his picture ^'oTk Tnext" ai Weather Forecast Washington, Nov. 20. Weather Bureau turnlshes Vari- ety with the following outlook ior country east of Mlssl.sslppl: Generally fair weather next four or five days,, except, some probabil- ity of showers about Friday night or Saturday (24). . Continued ' cold Wednesday, warmer Thunsday and Friday; cold- er again about Sunday. N. Y. to L, A. Benjamin W.. Shipman L. A. to N. Y. Pox. Releasing! Writei-a ~• Loa Ahgeles, Nov. 20. Among those to be released by Fox when their contracts expire Dec. 1 are George Edward Josephs and Edward Quail, writers. They return to New York- Abe Carlos Harry Pollard Ed.ward Mo-ntagne Benny Rubin Harry J. Brown Low Cody E.'xrl W. Hammons Harry M. Warner. J. A. Ball. stores Actors' Flat Salary For Talker Work Los Angeles, Nov. 20. United Artists set a talking pic- ture precedent when they signed players appearing In "Nightstick" for lump sums for their work In th« film rather than by the day or week. This Is ■ reported to have been prompted by the Idea of. avoiding arguments over payment for talking rehearsals and rates to be paid for callbacks. In most Instances, the sum is said to be more than would be paid the actor on a weekly basis for sched- uled duration of tho picture. Vita. Jr., at $2,500 1st Ford of Talkers Warner's cheaper talker, which reports .say will bo ihK'rchangcablc and ln.stalled for. around $2,500, will, be .christened Vit-uphone ■.luTiior, It is hoard. That Western VZU^rlnc has firially okayed the.-first Kord of the tal.kf-rs. in little Juni'jr, is also understood, DotHils of the device will not be ofilcially announced until. a period later than first e.xpfoted. Spencer's 60-Ft. Dive Los Angeles, N.rjv. 20. B^. M. Spenner. former army Jle iJ tTnan tT^wryrT^^^ Mix company, while taking off . in his plane.from Frenchman's ranch, ...N'owhall,' went Into a di.ve GO.-fi!.r't from the ground. He hit the top of a tree and cra.'<hed. Spencer's head came in contart^ with the cowl, a possible sl;ii!l firi'-- j turo resulting. SwansoD oo Legit Stage Los Angeles, Nov, 20. Gloria .Swanson, temporarily out oZ filma, will play opposite Edward ^iverett Ilorton-iii "Her .Cardboard. Lover" (legit). Show will be the next at the Vine Street, Hollywood. "Interference" Stays On Los Angeles, Nov. 20.. Though a .slight fall off . was evU dent after "JntrM-rerchce"' opened at tho Carthay Ciircle at $1.50 top, busl- ne.ss came back later, in'the -week. ■ Last week, its second, the Para- mount all-dlalbg special did $11,100, That was a little under its first weok'.s gros.s. It will remain at the Circle until Dec. 6, when "The Barker" (L'\ N.) succf'fds. Caesar's Chauffeur Los Angeles, Nov. 20. fast of Christies' two-reel talker, "VV-hmi-f=7frcflai^Kan-a-N.(t\vjjRUP^jL_. b.^.sidcs Itiiymond Hatton as Caesar inchidr.s Betty Loraine as Cleopatra» .Svun ILardy as MtLrk, Anthony. Carl Slo- kdale as Caesar'.s chauffeur and Maudo Tnia.x as Calpurnla, or Mr*. f'.i",--.ir. . Written by W'aldemar Young an* \\ il!l;)ni .J'i<-'>ij».