Variety (Mar 1929)

VARIETY PICTURES W«dn«8day, March 6, 1929 Brandts Rii^ in Knodile Deck on Duplicate Bri^e of Size Tourney By Harry Reichenbach (Unpaid, unsolicited and un^ppreoiatad correspondent of Variety en topics of interest at'6 per cent.) , Forty members of the Motion Pic ture Club assembled at the club rooms Thursday nlsht in a demon- Btratlon of duplicate bridge under the supervision of the noted expert Llssett. After the tournament' It was generally 'conceded that the only thing the boys knew* of the game ^was what their deifKlsts had told them. No bid higher than two spades prbvM also that most of the mem bers could not count above that numeral. When wanting to 1>id more they made motions oi^ held up fingers. Considering that Milton Cohen and Jaques Olucksmaii won the north-south and £Mdie Golden and Iiee Ochs won the east-west you have some idea of the ability of the players. Neither Qolden, Cohen, Olucksman or Ochs entered the fray as real contestants. They happe'hed to be three short to fill out the 10 tables and made special Induce- ments to the three to enter. As the game started, Golden wanted to know how many cards were dealt each player. Glucksman said eight, Cohen stated It was four each, with all players drawing to their hands to total five before play started. Ochs supported Cohen. They arranged special decks with handles for such prominent players as liorty Spring, Arthur Iioew, Lew Metzgar and Arthur Stebbins. During the first hand the op- ponents of LrOew and Spring bid one ten. Loew said. Pox has bid oiie twenty, already, you'll biave to bet- ter. Tou can see where. hia mind ~waa. . . FavoHt* Players ^ The game started with the 40 men orrajiged opposite eacl^ other,/\ the decks already dealt, etc.' Among the outstanding players were Hi Gains- boror and perb<ert .Ebenstein. Both of the6e players are fayorltes. The other boys se'nd cabs for theih w|ien they wish to make up a game. Eben- s'teln. .in particular. Is knowQ as "God's gift to bridge players." How- ever, his average of two lost'tricks to the hand la excelled by Iiouls Baum, who hoasts that ho has lost more tricks jthan any other player In Ainerlca.' He and Ebeiisteln al- most came to blows during the dis- cussion. Such bocistlng has never been heard. The game started and 40 men bent intently over their hands. J. D. Williams asked, In a loud tone of voice, "what would you bid if you had 10 spades and three aces? Glucksman shouted,. "pass and lay for ,a double." Williams did this, but the hand was not played as they all passed. I,ater, $tebblns made two no trump with the same hand. He forgot that his. 10 spades were good and only made three of them good. 'During the match between Ijlcht- man and Marty Schwartz, Schwartz bid 6ne heai^ Llchtihan, his op pohent, said,'' "That's pood, I Tia'ven't got a heart fii my liand.' Schw'artz withdrew his bid on the ground that Llchtman hod given informa- tion detriments! to ; the'' bid. The players went into conference and permitted the wlthdirawal to make another bid,' Schwartz bid one'^heart Ll^htntan 'winked across to his partrter who instantly doubled. Llchtman then bid two diamonds. Schwartz topped this with a two heart bid. Schwartz' partner then came back with a two. spade bid, which was accepted. When the hands were shown the bidder was found without a spade In his hand. When asked why he made such a bid he stated that ho suspected XJchtman would - go to three dia- monds 'and he -wanted to double. This team ended In'second place. Imaglnel 'Second place, A Highlight TKB~niatchr—between—Jules—Lftvy. of Warners (nee First National), Arthur Stobblns, your author, and Elmer Peai'son proved to be the highlight of the occasion, Stebbins, who Just returned from a few fhonths at Hollywood, said six clubs as his opening bid. Pearson doubled. Relchenback redoubled to show strength. Levy, who is a sales man- oger for Warners, bid six hearts 3-Way Wonderment Warnerltes are blue, figuring that they could do a lot with M-G-M. Foxltes are elated, calculat- ing that their boss is now go- ing to keep on until he owiis the industry. . . The ..Metro Ixoys are still gasping. the result that he and Reichenbach went down six tricks. After the hand had been played and asked why he made such a big bid Steb- bins said, '1 wanted to shut out Warners, who have been bidding on everything in the picture business." Scores of the players were as fol- lows: Relchenbach-Stebblns.... 13 Wllliems-Levy 7 Glucksman-Cohen 6 Loew-Sprlng. 8S Schwartz-Schwartz 49 and no other score" of any kind was made. The games resulted In so many minus scores that the tournament is to 1>e played again Tom-Kippur morning. The great difficulty is that Bill and Harry Brandt were found using' pinochle'' decks and still couldn't score. This Is the first duplicate bridge tournament on record where no player made the-Jttd contracted for and no team succeeded In getting a plus bcore. Prlce-Waterhouse will audit the score, after yi^hich the pt^es vttlll be. awarded. In the play-ptf next month each of the players will have ah ac- ;countant beside, hlni and if the scores are recorded jpxoperly; it is thpught the first aiid second prUe. -will be . sent to Mohteflore Home aind .the . othefi; retained by the house committee. I,ee Ochs, ciiairman of that .committee, not being sure of wlnhlhg first prize, took it home with him the night' before. Next Saturday night there Will bo heTd the first telephone bridge ganxe ever, conceived or suggested. At Llchtman .'will play double dummy with Glucksman. They .will use the r'Hone and state what they have in their handstand each play 'will be called' as it is made. Here's good betting proposition. CHANGING FOX'S "FOLLIES" Love jnterest Instead of All Black- outs Decided Upon Los Angeles, March 6. Fox studios has decided to 7cave a love story , through tbeir "Movie- tone Follies" picture Instead of raakinr it a straight series of black- outs.and songs, Players involved in the story will be Lois Moran and David Percy with Sbaron Lynn as ■ the vamping' trouble "maker. Secondary will be the romance Ibetween Sue Carol and David Rol- lins. with . Dorothy Jordan acting aa understudy In. the story that Allowed4<^4>i^ter8 around backstage life. Jos- eph C^wtbome will play the stage door Dxan. . , , FATHE'S SIAIOO WBITEBS Los Angeles, March 6. Benjamin Glazer is doing a Mancklewlcz on writers. Army of literary gents Is due to come west for Pathe dialog pictures. First to arrive are Kenyon Nicholson and A. A. Kline. TEDDY JOYCE PIttaburgh'a' Pavorite''(Adoptml) Son Now In his 41st consecutive, week at LOBW'S PENN THEATRE, Pittsburgh. Growing better ' and going bigger every day. Exclusive Mgt: LOU IRWIM, Inc. 1660 Broadway, New Tork City STABBING YOUKG HALL Los Angeles, March 6; After . hitting' and clicking .as a featured playei: for the past three yeiars, Partes Hall is being grdemed Tj7~tK5T>arttinountT)rganizatlon-~for stardom. Fanny Hurat'a Pialeg Lbs Angeles, March 6. Fannie Hurst, author of "Lum- mox," win reach here latter part of month to collaborate with Herbert Brenon In preparation, of dialog on her story. Brenon will direct It'for and Stebbins bid seven clubs with United Artists. New Fmish For 'felly'' Los Angeles, March Benjamin Glazer Is writing » new ending for both the silent SJtd talk- er y»rslori of "Queeh Kelly." to be released by United Artists. Erich 'Von Stroh'eim started direc- tion of the picture, and was taken off when it wa^ almost completed. Several conferences were held as to what was to be done with 'Von Stro- beim being offered opportunity' to direct new silent ending - and to supervise the dialog. - This ho does hot care to do as It Is not 'bis own story. Pai}l Stein will be assigned to direct the silent portion, still un- done, with the possibility., that Frank Relcher win direct the talker version. Picture ,to date has cost better than $860,000.. o Duncans Get $160,000 If Going with M.G-M He««rtacbea which tliey. lay to the contractural .arrangement . -with United Artists, when :they' made "Topsy apd Eva" will never be duplicated with. Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer, say the Duncan Sisters. Ac- cordingly, their contract with the latter company Is described by them as speciflo In every detail. "From now on we are going to know the story we are to have, the dirrttor, when we go to work and how long we «Ork," dueted the sis- ters In their Palace dressing robm. Their contraet, which at thlswrit- Irig has not been geherairy approved by M-G-M executives,' provides for remuneration Of $160,000 for three feature lengths. Each Is to take six weeks, with the sisters not ac- tually engaged until script is ironed to a finale. On the first one $36,000 Is the price; second brings them $60,000, and the last 26 grand more than that, : If their terms with M-G-M are okayed they will be working in Cul- ver City by April «, All Work; No Sleep . Los Angeles, March 6. Bo-Llng, Chinese screen actress, after working all night In Alan Dwan's production "Far Call," at Westwpod Hills, was called by Di- rector Mai St, Clair for retakes In Harold Lloyd's "T-N-T," being :illmed at Metropolitan studios. That she had bad practically no sleep did not count, as there were 160 people on the Llojrd set held up until the actress' scenes .were shot. Bo-Llng, with her sister, Bo- Chlhg, foi;merly. knaw^ on screen as the Pa;rk Twins, recently decided to resume their right names. "A Terrible talker" Nowadays when the fre- quently, used expression, "A terrible talker" is .heard,^ one can't kno\7 whether It's a per- son or, a picture. Coiirt Refuses to R^lNni Actress On Maclean VCont^^ KHFoxY«bAg« Tears ago William Fox was the strikingly model Independ- ent exhibitor and "exchange- man. He fought anything and everybody, usually winning over alL It was BUI Fox who-busted up the. Motion Pictures Fat- ents Company and Its sub- sidiary. General Film Com- pany, 'biscause' they ' said Bill Fox theatres could biiiy lilay or sell their' 'pictures^ -'unless Fox dld'tbls or that^ > Again It was Fox who went Into- court' and busteid up. the patent rights under which- the M. P. P; C. and Gen; Film Co. sought to sew upv the film trade In the qlosest. trust ^that could be fonfkulated. It had succeeded for a while until Fox hit the courts, for hla * busting.. Bill i^px' --was looked up to by all of. the independent pic- ture men of .that day; -they still looked up.to>.hini when- Fox eommehced to expand as an exhibitor-and producer. Meanwhile the . larger film concerns - and chains wel« throwing the books plenty into the Fox organization when- ever the Opportunity presented Itself. They forced Fox pic- tures into the Bide streets and the lOo housesr walloped Fox and his fltms and theatres as best they could. And now. Bill Fox has more theatres under his direction, more better theatres and more theatres of -large capacities than any man or circuit In the ■jworld. " ' • And. still Independent, if he can so be classed, irlth aU,of.. his huge h'oldingn ih' ihe show buslne'to. . • ■ W.EVPortable " Chicago', March 6. More than 40 representatives "of local dallies and trade papers were invited,to. witness the first demou- etratloii itf the '^esterft '■ Electric's portablei .synchronous machineat the compajiy's Hawthorne,plant,, Ji.. J. I4ng, chief sound,eng^iMT for yr.. B.,. gave a detailed aind slni- pllfleii technical talk oni the me- chanical functions of the reproduc- ing outfits, explaining, the, differeinee between the difsk. and' film method. CAESAB LEATDTG FOX Los Angeles, March, 6. , Arthur Caesar -will .leayje the Fox organization upon expiration of .his contract M<brch.l4. The company did not take up his option. ^ Caesar is negotiating to Join Warners tor short subject stories. GOULBIRG'S SWAKSON STOlBY' Los Angeles; March-(.- Edmund Guulding^ Is -writing on original story for Joseph P<. Ken- nedy, the next production for Gloria Swanson to be released through U. A. N. Y. to L. A. Bill FraWley Marty Forklns Sol Lesser. Bert Tucker Mrs. Hal SkeUy. L. A. TO N. Y. 'W'. J.' German Harold B. Franklin Maico Chas. Wuerz ' Bert Ennis J.. Robert Rubin Pellx Feist . ~*jBsse-Ij,-'-Lasky £}mest Schoedsack Art Hadley. William Le Baron. ', Octavlus Roy Cohens Grant -L. Cook. Irving. Thaiberg Edmund Loeb Mrs. Cecil B. DeMllle Jesse Liasky Jack Cobn \ Los Angeles, March 6. . . Ftndhig that the .promised service to: be. rendered or furnished by Sue Carol: to Douglas Maclean, to whom she was urtder contract, is not ofi a special, unique, unusual, extraor-- dlnaiy. or Intellectual character, Su-- perior Court Judge Edward Engs refused to grant an injunction re- Btralnlng-the actress from appear- ing for any btber management. Court .held that due to the fact that tJ»«»??o:F«W. notJ^ine "Pecial, unloue, unusifal,, extraordinary in the sejry- iceq .fit .th^ player any claim iKkV niacleaii,, might have ai»insit h^r cojuld reasonably and adequatejy compensated .in damages in an lic- tlpn atlaw. The-^tourt further held that any loss iBMstAlned by Maclean through reasoiti-pf the breach by Miss Carpi ot the.,.c6ntt«ot existing , between them.i.or. .of .the loBS of her services could-be adequately cbm'pensated In on action at law. Issues before the court In an in- junction proceeding say that on Aug. 11, 1928, Douglas Maclean en- tered: Into an agreement In writing wltb the-'Wll'Sam Fox studio for the services' iof Miss -Caror- for a par- ticular part but that Miss Carol was not Inforn^ed of any matters regarding this contract excepting that eheswas told by Maclean that he was negotiating with the Fox studios for her to do -some wovk and that, her services would be re- quired there on or about Oct. 1, 192»: Then It appeared that Aug. 22 Maclean served notice by writing to Miss Carol that he was exercising his option on her services for the period from Dec. 1, 1928, to May 31, 1929. This notice was sent to the home of - Miss Carol in Beverljjr Hflls.- At that Ume Miss Carol ytSa on a- 'iraln bound for New • Tdirk City -and on her way to Europe." ''- Better Contract On IvToy. 11 'Miss Carol notified the defendant that as long as he had not exercised-his purported op- tion uilon her that shiq was going to negotiate a contract .for . herself at b<^tter :than a rate , of >$6,000 a yesLr ',^hlch Maclean wiais paying her. .The court found th.at as Ma.c- lean or his corporatior'' had not been engaged in the production of pictures at any time since June, 1927, and is not at present engaged and that the only actor- or actress under contract with the' plalnUfC -was Miss- Carol, that she had not been<requlred to render or furnish any perse^ services .tc,. him since thflit tjme. , And that- when she had been decoupled her .nerv^'es were rendered to parties other'tiian to the plaintiff. But under *these' cir- cumstances the court felt/.that there wds no .equitoblf loss te M'aclcnn through loss of th'. services of MlcTs Carol through failure to foroperly exerdse-the option. Judgment was granted to Miss Carol l^ith Maclean Ordered tc pay the costs in the action. Major Walte.' K. Tuller appeared as attorney for Miss Carol who Is now to ,'a . position to negotiate a contraict on her owft with Fox for three pictures which was held in abeyance: ei account of the injunc- tion proceedings brought by ,th4 DouglajB'Maclean productions. GOTHAM ATTACHMENT Bank Stap'e on Lieu—fakes OfRcA . Furniture for 42,000 ' Los Angeli^^, 'March S..!- Deputy sheriffs, armed with' an attachment secured by the Bank of Hollywood, seized equipment and furniture ot Gotham -Productions from Tec-Art Studios pending hear- ing of an action brought' by the bank to enforce collection of unpaid loans amounting to approximately $2,000. Included In seized property were several trucks, safe, typewriter, cosh register, desks and chairs. Sam Sax is president of Gothiri Productions. /'LISTEN BABY" COLD " '.';"'£brSigeTes',''Ma'r^^ ' After spending over "$26,000 on preliminary arrangements .to film "Listen Baby," to have been di- rected by Casey Robinson, Pathe has decided to abandon It, due to a change in policy of jjroductlon. Dorothy Appleby, engaged to play opposite Eddie Quillan bi the pic- ture, remains.-Vlth the company.