Variety (Nov 1928)

Wednesday, November 21, 1028 PICTURES VARIETY 23 Victor May Be Savior for Smaller Picture Houses in Non^Synchronous Record From a source entirely remote from either of the electric com- panies may come - the salvation of the Brnailer picture houses in the niatter of synchronized sound pic- turea It Is the yictor Talking- Ma- chine Co.'s hon-synchronous de- vices, being perfected so as to lend the Illusion of sound synchroniza- tion Without the house actually wired excepting for loiid-speaking amplifiers like any radio receiving set's horn. ■ Victor is after the; vast market of th^ lesser houses, shooting galleries, etc., which can afford the cost of installation of the nonrsynchronous turntableg. A library- of some 300 theiffatic disks is furnished each theatre from which the pictures are Bounded; Victor in the record busi- ness Is primarily interested in de- veloping this vast new market for Its musical disks. Non-synchronous machine la merely, an adjunct to There Is No Substitute for STAGE-BAND ENTERTAINMENT Known an the . 'TAOL ASH POLICY" ORIENTAL THEATRE CHICAGO Limited Engagement "KKCLrSIVELT COLVMBIA BECORDLNO ABTIST" make possible the sale of the record library, From time to time these \Yin be added to, including new compoaitions. Basically, the library comprises a collection of agitatos,. loVe themes, gallops, marches, patrols, etc., all copyrighted composltiohs, with rx)y- alty paid on them to the outstand- ing composera of contemporary cin- ematic theme, music such as. Axt, Mendoza, Riesenfeld, Harling, Car- banara, Rapee et al. Non-synchronous appellation of the projection machinery is some- what ambiguoiis because the effect obtainable, if properly cued, is that of almost perfect synchronization. As an example of what a Targe circuit thinks of, the Idea, much less the small houses, is the case of Keith's Milton Schwartzwald, in. charge of Keith's mUsic department, who l3 installing these Victor hon- synchrohous machines in a number of outlying .Keith theatres. Turn-table Operatop Schwartzwald Is of the opinion that the task of operating the twin turn-tables, upon which alternating disks are placed, is not a matter for the ordinary picture booth projec tionist. Schwia-rtzWald wants the 'local house organist or Orchestra conductor to have that in charge, counting on their practical musical knowledge to achieve • the best re- sults. The average operator, with no knowledge; of muslcij merely al- ternates the disks. The intelligent musician can have the. alternate disk turn-table already revolving so that when the needle is set It will sound realistically* By cueing with white ink certain bars desired from the disks for certain features,, an almost perfect synchronization Is obtainable. These ink marka lire erasable for a different set of cues for other pictures, with the same thematic records usable over and. over again indefinitely.: Favorable Test The idea is in practical us© at Keith's Union Hill, N. J., and the State,' New Brunswick, where the organists, situated in a separate booth apart from the projectionists, work the turn-tables. It haa turned out particularly well at the New Brunswick standi There are thousands of small houses which cannot afford the costs for the installation of either Western Electric or R.A.C. Photo- phone equipment, and with thia In view, the Victor-is after that large exhibitor market. Argument Held in Quebec's Cyd's BiU ; Montreal, Nov, 20, Following a six months' silence the fight is now fairly on between the local theatre men a.nd the pro- vincial government on the question as to whether children under 16 shall be allowed to attend picture shows. vThe provincial law , says they shall not, even it attended by parents or guardians^ The theatre men say the law Is-unconstitutional and 35 local managers and owners of film theatres are now before the courts for admitting children to their shows. The case was argued last week before a judge of the Superior Court with Premier Taschereau for thie Government of Quebec repres- ented in court. The new Quebec law barrlhg children from movies in this province -was attacked on the ground that it invaded federal rights by being a law having to do with the maintenancei of good or- der; by affecting commercial, rights; and by concerning a matter of criminal jurisdiction. Last point, especially, -was em^ phasized in view of the fact that criminal matters lay wholly within the province of the federal authori- ties and that the new law pretended to regulate public morals. The gov- ernment fried to show the Quebec law had nothing to do With trade and commerce and also that it .was not a question of criminal Jurisdic- tion, a weak position since the the- atres, if the law is enforced, will have a cut of 20 per cent; In their grosses at least, while many of them would have to shiit UoWn en- tirely. The judge took th« case under advisement and may render decision this month. Wliichever way he decides thie case will be taken, to a higher court. New Fisher Opens ill Deiroit; May Be Followed by Other Fisher Houses COLONY NEW STA&E BILL Ben Rubin is in from the coast as m. c. at the Colony, New York, .limmy Carr's Silver Slipper band is also in place of the Ben Bemle orchestra. Colony, It is claimed at Universal, is playing other product than Its own, only because of a shortage of its own at this time. BERTPRIVAL FE/VTVBED IN FANCHON and MARCO'S "MOTHER GOOSE IDEA" Sound Film Booking Office Chicago, Nov. 20. Henry Shapiro', booking yaude for the Fox Midwesto houses In Wis- consin, has converted hls"^ offices into the first unaffiliated sound pic- ture booking agency. . Shapiro hias sent general letters to theatres In the midweat territory offering assistance and advice In the booking and arranging of sound programs. His ofllces hold a com- plete file of kll sound pictures, In- cluding shorts, that have been made to date. He has recorded their various box office showings and also estimates as to their entertainment values. Travefing Sound Expert liOS Angeles, Nov. 20. Publix has sent out of the New York office a sound expert for the purpose of Instructing projection- ists on sound and the care of sound equipment This expert is making a tour of the entire circuit. Realistic Touch, $300 Alfred Sa.nt'olli din^oling' "Fifth A-v-cnuo,". A'ilinii ]>:Vnky picture,, now boinfj . sliiit in New York City, is uVso playii^pr . a part in tho pic>tnro. tluil uf. a taxi driver. ^n.^ble to . sociu-e. an ollUMal taxi driver's badgo to m;ike Iho - costume authentic, \S.anloll hired a taxi at $4 an hour and borrowed tho driver's badso; This toucli of reali.sm re- ported costing Sammy Gold- wyn $300. WARNERS'COAST SHORTS . Los Angeles, Nov. 21. Bryan Foy, who was due to go to New York last w«ok for the pm;- poae of making shorts at the Vita- phone plant In Brooklyn, has de- ferred his trip indefinitely. He Is now casting and Will work on a dozen shorts in the Tiext two weeks. Facing Opposish The Brooklyn Strand held out the Warner Brothers' Vltaphone feature, "The Terror," last week for this week in order to buck the open- ing of the new Brooklyn Para- mount on Nov. 24, The Fox, Brook- lyn, Is also bolstering Its show this week to offset the new Paramount. . The. Par Is ballyhoolng for. the Brooklynltes a new Idea in the form of a color organ, which denotes musical shades by sight and not by sound. BERRY SUIT DROPPEfi Los Angeles, Nov. 20. . The $500,000 suit of Juanlta Mon- tanya, Mexican dancer, apainstWal- lace Beery, has been- dropped; Beery's attorneys say nothing \vas concerned In the settlement; Miss Mantanya charged the film actor with criminal assault. ■ ]leli-Mit. XfV ^i'. 'The. I'T'^nin.s. .'■>i" tVn' ni:w l-'lsnor th(',-iti-i> 'rimi-.silay was i-ino (if the- l)i iylU('si: >i);'i,il iivi'nt.s . of s(;a- svMi.' I'lililio i'pcMiin.u; foMk place l-'riila.v n<M)ii. .. Fishor is the tii'st ht'ifih.borhodd. honso to ailiipi a' slrii-tly' fu'st-rua^ pnlii'.\. Tlie luuise is beinj^ oper- ated by the Kupsky oirciiit. Seats I'Msher 1 !i-iii)vei-s, reputed'to be the ihiid li.ohesf family in the .world, are g-oiiif^ to .spi>nd JIOO.OOO.OOO in the section aroiirid ^Voodward and the r.oiiVevard, whieh (s three miles from downtown. Already tliey have spent abotit $30,000,000 on their first mvit, -wliieh includes an offieo biiMd- in>;, gara^re. and theatre. Future plans call for two more theatres by the Fi-shers in the same section. Opening program has First Nn- . tioiml's pleture, "The Outcast," with Corinne; Griffith.' Samuel Benavle is orchestra leader, coming over . from the Capitol. The stige. pre-: sen tat ion was the work, of Howard . O. Pievex", of tlio Kunsky theatres, l'''rank. "\Vadsworth is master of ceremonies. The Fisher Will change pictures weekly, although some will b^ day and date with downtown. Lesser at Bristolplione's Studio Los Angeles, Nov. 20, . Sol Lesser will be buslnos.g man- ager of Bristolphone's Hollywood studio. Negotiations are under way for the purchase of an independent studio now making silent pictures, and for the erection of sound stages on the property. Atwill's Next Short Lionel Atwill's 3d two-reeler for Fox Movietone, "The Knife," by Henry Arthur Jones, goes into pro- duction at the Fox New York studio tomorrow. Violet Henilrig will be featured in the condensed dramatic playlet, and Lester Vail, legit actor, will be in the supporting cast of 12. Lee Morrison handled the book- ings. Sennett-Edu Deal Los Angeles, Nov. 20. Mack Sennett has closed a deal with Educational for the making of 20 two-reel talkers to be released by the. latter. The Educational 20. are in addi- tion to the 28 silent two-reelers made by Sennett for Pathe and al- ready delivered. West Coast Motion Picture Directory of Players, Direc- tors and Writers Titlei by MALCOLM STUART BOYLAN FOX WINIFRED DUNN . SCENARIO .OF 'SUBMARINE' o W Breaking R«bords at Eoi- bttHBT Theatre, at f3 Top FrlcM HOOT GIBSON DIVEEGING Los Angeles, Nov. 20. Hoot Gibson will make seven pic- tures as his '29 program for Uni- versal. All Will not be westerns in the accepted sense, but will be of the "western" type. ORIGINALS ADAPTATIONS HOWARD J. GREEN Management, Edward Small Co. TITLES CONTINUITIES LICHTIG ENGLANDER TKN \KAHB IN HOIX^WOOD Il«pre<i«ntlnff milKCTOIU), ABTIBTS, WBITKB8 WAUNEB ULDO. HoUrwoi^ lOeS JOE and WILLIE HALE PUTTING THr XT^UGH^^ TN FANCHON and MARCO'S "SAXOPHOBIA IDEA" Direction: WILLIAM PERLBERQ TVM. MOnillS AGENCY W I L M A EARLYNE WALLACE SISTERS In "SONG AND DANCING THAT IS DIFFERENT" With '^DANCING ALONG" STAGED AND PRODUCED BY LOU McDERMOTT THIS WEEK (NOV. 17)—ORIENtAl^":WlCAG Week Nov. 24—Paradise, Chicago Week Dec, 1—Harding, Chicago Week Dec. 8—Norshore, Chicago Weiek Dec. 15==^Tower,- Chieago-- -----^ Week Dec. 22—Missouri, St. Louis, Mo, Week Jan. 5—Capitol, Detroit, Mich. Week Jan. 12—New Fisher, Detroit, Mich* OPENING JAN. 25, 1929, WITH NEW EASTERN PUBLIX UNIT Thanks to MAX TURNER and NAT KALCHElM WILLIAM MORRIS OFFICE