Variety (Mar 1929)

VARIPTY'S LONDON OFnCE FOREIGN FILM NEWS' 8 St. Mai-tin'* Place, Trafalgar Square rV«VIil\*ll, ». &iu,ff>^ 'CABLE ADDRESS: VARIETY, LONDON 6276-6277 Regent W#dobsday, March 6, 1828 New French Fibn Quota CnlsU.S.t(r2l)%af;'2& If Am. Doesitt Lend 'Em rails, March 6. Newest plan on fllm quota and restrictions comprises these'terms: Foreign distributors sliall be per- mitted to bring In free only 20 per cent of last year's Imports, with a minimum of four each. . JSach. FrencK producer will be .al- lowed three vfaas for each of the 80 native productions turned out, 80 being the total contemplated- at this! time, The only way this program can be blocked, apparently, Is for (h^ American tnide to kick In anywhere. ifoix $6l)0,pOQ to $1,000,000 as a '^ort Of contribution to the French In- dustry or <or Washington to. seek « cpmpromlse. Americans here say the new plan dooms American distribution In this cbunliy. As they read the sighs. It niea.ii? that the French- have made up their minds that Americans ^shGm pay heavily for the privilege of dp- Ing business or .step out of .th^a, marlter.. ." ,' ' . . , ■ There r)^m4ins only 6ne avenue] of relief — diplomatic representations from 'the 'State Department at Washington;' Something along this' 1ln«'bt>p'e^- to be' In the 'making.' It Id deflnit«iy Icnown here that the' AxA^ribatt ' Embassy has already gone'on'record as being Interested, in this find sai other rulinga by t^e FVehch government affecting trade restrictions. All BusineM Involved All business in the States is wide- awake to the possibllltlea of trade barriers as reflected In the fllm pro- i^m,''..American automobiles have a good-'-maricet in 4ll'Eui-ope,' for in- stance, and if a commercial holdup can; bf^ pul^.Vi^er in the fllm busi- n<;ss ijqi Franpe-it' precedent might hp.^set ioT o^ail .kinds of xestrlc-: tl.oi^ ',fii\ o^he^, )iries of American goods,' not 'onjy . -in - Franc©-;: but tlirpughout. wprld. , ■. ,. ';i^e 'li^y'. .JiUQtfi. rules, of . cqurse, aK a^ 'the 'moment' merely 'the fed- ommendatlons of th.e French mem- bers of the Chambre Syndicaie. They will go before the French Ci- nema Control Commission within 10 daya American members of the chambre will make a flght there, de- manding that at least they are en- titled to 'a hearing as a minority element in the' chambre; but ahe ffade 'here! Ibebi to see the new prb-^. erfiin enacted Intp la* wltii only a perfunctory, hearing, Vi»B4 foi^ SAIe. . Under the plab' Americans will be. a]9le to. import'about . 60 pictures fr^evand for the re.8t will have either ■ tp; 'buy Prenoii produciions or, 'bid :fbr French vlsa^'^o the nivnt>er,of ;about 160. Such a process'of mar- keting product Is regarded aa pro- hibitive. • , . . - Meanwhile, llurel is In thia States and -word;Is; awaited aq to his sue-; ^ce^s in marketing product there. iPr^tipttesing the ' new regulations are tfnacted Into law, they' .cotil^ jbe' amended protnptly ] if the '.Amer- .icah'attitude'-.^i'th'e fliili loan prUp- psltibn changed'for 'the 'b.etter.. ; 'kmerloaiis ij^re'yould ilke' to seiE; fWill'Ha'yai 'cbjne .o'^tieV ag^in and see ''n-hat cbuHd'be .dpiie. dlpipm^cy. , ; ■ The program'outlined' goes eyen! further than: thfit. advanced at ''tlie' lc$iia>n.i>re' meeting! jpf 'Felj._ 26. ■ -A-t 'that''' time"'tSa ^Yeiicjh , distributprs iet !l,t[w kh^wn tliat they iiad'all but' adopted ' -suggestions ' whicli would limit till foreign entries tp 400, and each distributor''at the chambre would get five free permits to release foreign Alms. This was bad .enoueK . -for eight-American ebtppanies which.. disiVlb.iited- 2,13 pict.ures Jajat. year and .wpuld only- be entitled' to distribute 40 'during, the coming year. French interests have all sorts of ideas as-^lirow to get^ the 1^00,000 or $1,000,000. Xbey.range all the way. frpm ^klng t'^o or three per cent, of. tl^^; gtb^s .'bn .,a]I Americ^ business, to , paEisinf; i!be' Mt' to ibe. Anleripaii 'lndiia^^^lAnd the f^iinny piwrt Of lt.16 the "iV-enc*"- believe they have a ciiahce of getting' th^ nione^. ''' ■ ' ' ■ ' ■ ■ ' U ITALY Paris, March C. BNTE, the Italian bureau which regulates the ' native picture. in- dustry, has. taken what is regarded here as another step toward the government talcing over the entire Italian business. Following note has been sent to all distributors in Rome, according to advices received iiere yesterday: "It is of the greatest interest of rSNTE to be'in full possession of your''' eituation, and we will appre- ciated it very' much If you will sup- ply us with, .a - copy of your cor- DOrate articles, a copy of jrour li- cense .and a copy of your last flnan- ■•■ial ,statement, together with any otber dpcuments which might be jseful in explaining your economic and l^gal position." Nbbody but the tax collectbr hao the right to ask such questions and for a semi-official bureau to send out su3h a questionnaire is the last word in high-handed procedure. For these and other reasons It is re- garded aa a move to obtain an ea- timate of what ~ the dietrlbutora would consider a fair price for their buelness. Semething like gpvemment own- ership of the fllm business was fcjrecast not long ago when an Ainerlcan fllm, "Street Angel," was interdicted on the far-fetched gi^ouDd It misrepresented Italian -conditlona. ' ' .. , Fire talkersJii Wiest End ' ' London, March 6.' ' There are-five full-Tength talkers in. 'West ' Bnd picture - houses this Wefek/' "■'•',• ' ' ' ■' '" Film meti figure thlb Uneiip should attract busihese, which has be^n noticeably abaent of late. Paris' Stagie Shows . V Paris, .Uarch 6. Jac4ues Charlea la engaging: spec- tacular acts . foe .'Uae In the Para- mount theatre here,- beginning .with "The Spanlah GrUltac" thle week In- epnjunction. with screen, feature, "The Smart Set," and Nine Mar- tini.. - March 16 Amy Rever is featured, doubling out of the Perrpquet de Paris. New feature at the Gaumont Is version of Tolstoi's "Anna Kare- ^Ina." BBUECKHABN DIES '-; ''. Berlin, March t.' I Helnrjch .Bruebknianh, founder of the '^bnbild ' ay'ndlcate, Is . dead. Cpmpany ' Id! ,the! ^'nxpat. Influential a'ouiid outfit In thlis country. Brueckmann will be hard to re- place but hia death cannot affect the future of the firm. It Is In a commanding ppsitlon In this eector. WntlNO 6EBHAN HOUSES Berlin, March 6. Gua . SchleaaiDger has ' arrived here to take' charge of the Xhiro- pean offices ot i'Warner Brothers, First National and 'Vltapbpne. - He expects to, :wire ' a series . of Gennam .theatres Imme^ FOSTERS AGENCY , BARRT FOfiTER (Eittabllehca 40 Tears) . PXIU. THE I.ARC£ST IN EVBOPI! 8t 8IuH«tbnry ATcnoe Cablm: C«nnr>nBtlbii, IxtnQon ...JUitadoo,.,W. I. FhoDi) Oarrard .8818 'Recent Uoohlnita Iili liiile .MII,T.RR and I.X;I'K ' ' GEORGIE . 17 Tring avenney £aling,'<Lftn'donj W. 6, E^land. : • . At pfeseiit ijiiitilttg my own road show e«itltlea'*^bts In Hellywbpa." Regards tb' Oliieh and' ^Johnapn, ' El- liott and tja' Tbur.' Gtiprge''Clifford; AmeUa Allen, toIa Sharon and Clara Howard.... . i'., ' Paris, March 6., Pola Negiixhaa walked' out on.'hei^ French 'prbdiicing ^contract' after disagreements with her producers, and Is reported paying $16,000 for- feit. Ppla'B atory Is that she found Ithe itropoeed: aeenarlo,:: based: on Dumas'^ V-'OiV 5 ^e^'s SreclilaX*',*' "unaultable iuitt' 'thej-'piroduiiiEtrB^' de- clined to .niajke , the'., ohangea. ,she x»lled toK. says she .panoelled the agreemtot, inreferring t» payi the ibrfeit ■ ' ■ ' ■ '•"'•'„' ' ■■ 'Oastori Aavtel ' and Ciiarles ' J<jur- ijon .-have .a/4U$[erent ffif^lo^ fr^hey isay ; the.i ^tar . d^velpped^-.tspmpera-: nient.; called :for ntaireaspnaUe' iou- 'dlUons and generally' too actjng. Jouijo!n 'among other things complains ^that Fplsi,^ insisted ;'they build''her i'1)athi3>om th liei' stuMo quarters.- I' ,"! : -a ■'. ' Miss Nekrl lets It be knbwn that she la going to London to do a plctuM''Uk'eri 'in 'April .under the Whittaker nuirK. biiit 'With 'oer- man prodnoer, Paul Czlrineiv- in charge. She sajm she irlll Tetum to prpduce to France 'li&ter. .liOndon.. V<^P^ f- Plclur« which Pola Negri will make 'with Paul Czlnner directing, goes Into production April'!<! at'the EUstree etudHoa. - It^ls Charles 'Whit-, aker's first, ^tlsh^ production to be released by Faiamount This Is the' outcome of Viss Negri's Jaax 'with Jourjon, French company, which let her «Ut e£ pic- ture to be directed by Oustav Ravel, behind which was JeSerspn Cohen, resulting la 'Whltaker itAaklng a contract .with the.' star the same evening Involving a pagrmbnt to the French concern of $76,090 francs. 'Whltak<^ maintains ) that the negative.cost Is more than-covered by the Continental advance sales and Paramount-Brl^sh jrelease. Miss Negri.Is dne here In about two weeks. Pathe Co. Active - Paris, March 6. The Pathe Cinema Co. has been reorganised. Natan, director of the Rapid Film Printing Co„ being ap- ppioted adinlnlstratpr. ! ^ The Pathe eoneem .is a'baorblng the Interests of the Printing jCo, fuid It is declared vUl pt^esetitly resume producingl T. £. OOOOVIH DEAS n .., liOndon, Mai;o)i 6. Frederick Rica' doodwtn died In his sleep VariBIi -1,. • ' He -was a tonner president of the Etxhlbltptrs' Assoolatlon and. owner of Metropolitan.-Cina^.eatres,.,sold some six years ago to Fsavibiiolal .ClnemaloaTaDh..,ShGaii<B^.. '^'r''''T. British FdlnilEield 'Ijondoil',' Feb.'IB. If talkers are sbld to iblB -coun try—and " *hei qltiiatlpii' fa l>y jhp; means c^ear'yet—It will be beca.uae! Of 'the extraiordlnary success of "The Singing IJool." Up to this writing eight hPUsea are playing pr have played !the Warner talker, thus: I ' Regal, Linden, weeka...- CollscUm, Glasgow, 6 weeks. .Oxford, Manchester,'6H weeks. . Piccadilly, London, 2)i weeks. Plaza< Sputhsea, 2H weeks. - Carltoii.'.Upton'3Park, 1% iweekSi Ulp)>odrome, Croydon, j1?4 weeks; • DlymplotcLlverpapI,- -3 days, r.: ■■ ■ One-result -■is'.theatresrrusttlng'.to get' wired' diesplte Otterspn- dbclar- iniT'on-arrival this. weelc> from:.New Xork' there^ is still no Interchatigei ability; on • Western- Electric^ system with aiiy otheC'■ . ■ - . ■ r. Almost!--every - day the situation becomes 'ihpre. otfinplex.-' -Exblbltdra are-.'hoIding^^.oS < bcpkln?!-Anything because.) 'thby '" do 'hot knew 'wfaet^ thelr^future stands.- 'i~.' )-■--. - -;' '' They seem to be assuming thiere win be a I shortage of bUent'' iprod>- uct, though-theie Is no-ev.ldehce on this a.oore,, bemuse till icileaqa .^atias catc^ |un' tjiere 'is 'nearly ',a: KuU.. yiea^a produi:t; fro'm. Aiherlca 'to 'ijr.ork, ph Jh !ai?y'^e.' -. . ,-. . '.Arid^Ui.e^ are,'afraid to bp.ok..Biien^t! atufl!! in .i^aae ,th^fe iB'':a..i'^I t^ker bPo'm, w'lille a;t the.saine ,tlme^'thfy' are scored pf heav^ cpmni'ltments for wiring ih. caae,. the', bpoin'do^. npt cpme. ' V, ■ 'All rp\ind Is' a Jam. !^eld, men a!^ going short on contracts—rand on kale. Patent Troiibles The action of the German Tobis Syndikat-ihas net Improved the sit- uation., ..-.Tbls . week,fpU.pwing, , a showing .of ^bme ^langfl!lin sppndtea at Ufa's' UhiVerstim' PAJast. In. !Be>r. lin, Tobis (group ' involving,' the -Kuchehihels'ter;. Measter and' Vrl <Eli^pn systettis) gpt ah" Ihjufl'^tloh' against -A. EL G. (Selmtifis tHalske)> whlcti controls • the .^anglUml sys- 't«fa.; Tpbl^ claims tt^>wllli:alap:'j:o: 'for R. C. A. Photophoha apdj Jif^vier.: tone and that' they',wlll take ac- tions here. '■ As British PhotPtpne is,operating the Kiangflliji' system bc^e,-' after much. experiment: and research to flnd BPma system on which to yfoi^ iah'd Tbbia alap clalnlS l><itent cOn- trbl bf'any 'method. Of ai^lijln^ soiirtd to' flltn sepai^t61y fPbm 'the plbture-taking, there 'Ipoks^nks'te^ Ing' s reflection of the'tconbI&''herk-' : - A. QeoT$e Smith has: gone to-'Ber- ^n meantime,-but baa gone down; 'with gripe while all, this n>esa Is «n. ■ ■ -- " . _ ■ ■ r-i, ■ ^ .. Openino Regal—and .Aftejr!'^- ' . Elstimates of business at .the-<R^- Iral, Alatble. Arch,. figuitej ,the $fPB^ -while' "SIpging Fool" wa^ Vruhnihg. at around |82,600 a...week. J^pil<:)tv- ing fllma were ' "The 'Ware •Caae,*^ Brltiah inade, and "The JekerVAta-' glo-Continental film rather on.the linea of "The Fake" and with the same lead, Milea Mander. - tniough business . had tailed o.fl. somewhat toward the end of "Singing - Fp.pl" run. It tppk a nose dive oif tha.next program 'and fell ^way to! 'little ever 110,000 en the week. This weelvwith "Farmer's Wife," It has pulled up a'bit deSplto the meircury being-around zero and Lent having started. 1 '■ The cold and the flu epidemic have killed business thts;.iveek. , Local authoritlea at Ulster, .Ire- land, pulled a funny one clrcuIArl?'- Ing exhibitors asking them to sh'o'w posters and slides advising folk stay .away from picture hcuaea in Ah'ey 'catch flu. " I'i -1, ,,ci; .1., _ , .,5 vi.-:",iEl.)..Now'Houses Wiring •..■fi I^ulnWr of thCL theatres now be- ing built are Uelng- wired right away.- lAtest la -the Capitol, Forest Hill, southeastern suburb ot Lon- don, opened this week.,' Cest around $360,000 to build and makes its de- but with two M-Q-M picturea— "Man. .Woman and Sln" !ahd "Baby Mine." Western' Electric wiring is proposed and likely to~ be worUlnfc in two' w.eeks; That will give IkW. ^on'iltB slltth Weatem Electric wliW hbuee^o-date. —v - Annuals .,..Ead.i?f year meetings and balance sheets; copie this week from tlie KlhematPgraph Renter's' Society (di0trlbg.tois), and the latter fi'bm the G.,«t,'A. (exhibitors). Dlstrlb'- tifpr'b' 'shbw' on adverse balance 'of $l,360;'%tiiib the theatre men haVa t2't;l<3> balance Tb credit in the heodiJiuaEters accoimts- and a tptal of |39;787< ; credit on taking in the terrtt^c^tlal .branch accounts.. Ai^bUT;, Ciavering becomes. presi- dent.'for, the year pf the'Distribut- bra' 'Society, giving Warner -Bros, ancther break. .At the election ne^t inbnith dr .the BxhlbltPrs* Assocla- tloA.'Ff H. ' CPoper, of Norwich, be- comeAi' president, with W. R. Ste- pherison-'ad vlce-pres.,' and no-con-- test.' iStephensPn becomeBpresident automatically next year."-f Quota Kicks - Exhibitors, especially In Scotland, are* '.-faisMg . Cain about the quota stufll Universal is handling heMv They- complain It is not entertain^ ment and that it Is being bought as bad as It can be got, so as Just to comply with the fllms act. Univer- sal ran a strong anti-quota cam- paign here while the bill was in session, and has put out some flerce stuff'fbrlto "BrlUsh" Share. • '-'^'* ' rBuf ^it-is-not the only one. 'Whll^ it's m Tight tb howl at this endpde Is pretty easy to see the other ftfbt low's point of view whea he just dp.eB w)uitv he Is legally, obliged -to do, and hpthiiiK more-..-. - vi,^ Sotirse It's mighty . shp.rt8lghi,ed- 'i^'ie' sUnpiy swihgrinir ^eeiiri^ agalErst.Ataiericah fltra bcrporatipns. But'' ybu' cein't expect fhebe -fellcws !tp'bb! longsighted when-they've got ito turn In Immediate schedule re-* suits <tai: the New York office. ,. , - .-jHail, Celunbia-I. ■ : Mn^t Ciertaln Thing," a Columbia ifeiatuE^ -with 'Viola Dana^ is -about to ,creiite,a,new'style In .lawsuits. ' There's! a string of ^ea and' cake shops' bere—kinda cafeterias re'aliyi known' ea the ABC Shops, their ifull title' being the Aerated Bread Company.' ..>' • ' The fllm has a-atbry pf a^ el^aln of xestaur^'t^^wh'ere profit Is made by belllng,4[N)br food, and the proprie- toj;!s^kids beat him out of It by set- ting up an opposition, ' Iiifljals des- ,lgnate the poor food chain, and the ABC figure these Initials are so well known they have Issued writs for dani^ea on libel and for Injunc- tions against F. B. O. of' Britain ;((^ql!upiola's. distributor here), and:, egalhdt most of the theatres which showed the fllm last week. -Whitehall's Position A board meeting of this company thls .l4thi at which Geri. Sir Edward Bethune Is declared to have com- plalned.he had been led up the gar- den and refused to go on with the attempted debenture issue. At- tempts are being made to get J. W. Plckerlrtg out, he h&vlng put up some bash to ease over the situatlpn and as a lever tP push thrpugh the debentures, which he was arranging on good torms—for Pickering. Fat, ToQ, m London, March 6. Mabel Foulton has been released frpm her contract by - Archibald Nettleford. Sbe will free lance. In- side eauae Is' an accumulation of avoirdupois. Miss Poulton was formerly a stenographer at the, Alhambrg. the- atre and flrst came Intb show- bnsl- hess in the stage presentation.- of "Broken Blpsssms." ——T H kTg|!i ' yn.M 'MT?.W • "nTTR- Lchdon, March' E. Herbert 'Wilcox, Victor: SavlUe and probably John Muwell 'will Sail this Satiirday (March ;$^)j fpr New Tork. Wilcox and Savlllo %tU. msiie talkers 'WhUe Maxwell: h^ 1 qow settled nppn Installing. RCA Photo-; nhone in hla nsn XUstcaa-Btudioa. .... SAILINGS March 20 (New York to London)l Charley Wilson (Leviathan). March 13 (London to New Yerk): Dprpthy Ward, Owladys Stanley, Shaun Olenvllle, Jphn Stuart, Jimmy Campbell, Mrs. Cwfwfprd (Aqui- tanla). March 9 (Stpckhplm to New York) Greta Garbd (Brottnlngholm). March 8 (New York tP London).. Mr. wid Mrs. Bayard Veller, Beren.^, garia). March 8 (New Yprk tP BuenPa . Aires), Marcel H. Morhange (Sud- .Argentla}. ^ ^ ^ March < (London to New York)7 Sir George Tallia, Julian WylU (Olympic). Marpb 1 (New York to London): Bobby -ConnoUy, Earl Clarroll (He de France). Fbb. '28 (New Yprk tp London), ' Dpiores Farrls (Leviathan). . 1 Feb. 27 (Lenddn tp. New Voilf)" i. ,OBov Mack (BerenBarla.).... ■■.■'.■■■M: