Variety (Mar 1929)

Wednesday, March 6, 1W9 P I C t U R E S VARIETY ELECTRICS WORRY, TOO Keidis Invito^ Indie CnrcuHs Bookbig Widi It to Conference? It's understood that Hiram S. prown, of Badlo-Kelth-Orpheum, j,as sent an InvltaUon to the In- dependent clrcuJto booking their vaude thTflugh Keith to. meet for li conference In New Tprk. The prlpclpai circuits reported ta- Tlted are Trootor'e, WUmer & Vin- cent, Ltpson'8- (ClnclnnaU)., Harris' tPitUburgh) and the Interstate, of ^exas* ' , These are also of the "Murdock iroup" of Keith-booked hou8eB,:wlth Murdock boldlns a personal share tn many of the theatres. They ieom- pose "the cats and dogs Of the Keith Circuit," as they were referred to, in downtown banking circles, before the bankers found the circuits were iskfhg »60,O0O,0OO to sell. '.' Brown's object In calling the meeting might be twofold: - To In- terview In' person the head's of the Interior circuits of his bfflce, di- rectly owned, with R-K-O. hS^vlng no Interest In them other than booking,'for such Intimate' talk aa he might wish to Indulge. In; or JM'.he.ar the expressions from the iutslie mahagers on the operation of Kelth^s at present Another rea- ^ii could bis for Brown to s^ure knowledge as to Just how these cir- cuits are hooked- up with J. J. Mur- doSsk, and if Murdock has them tied down fpr his disposal alone. In the «vent they were free to negotiate. Brown might suggest that -R-K-O trtll consider proposals for . the 100 th^titrto, niore or less, to become a part of Keith's through purchase or abme other character of deal. Hastened ;f'^Whether the Fox-Loew buy has hastened Brown's de61re to Inter- Tlew the owners of these Important > houses booked by Keith's Is not sur- mised at. 'Warners also have had the Mur- .ilock string under consideration and. foir the same Toz-Loew reason might be more exercised about .them BOW than either R-K-O or the Warners have been in the past. R-K-O had the opportunity to make the deal. Its reluctance- to. do so was becaiuee R-K-O considered the Murdock. price too high. ' - ,. Murdock Is said to have stated that, as no onek'Iooked forward to any Individual commlesloB or. out tn profit on the sale, he was indif- ferent as to how the circuits were disposed of, if satisfactory to the Owners, including himself.' The "Murdock group" haa shown ia profit of nearly $4,000,000 annually tor some time. Keith's, in its O'wn operation, by its last year's state- 'mmt, displayed a los^ of 11,600,000. Studio Unit Publicity ' Iios Angeles, March 6. Warner Brothers'- studio Is .adopt liig unit system of handling studio publicity. Statt co.nsists of William Bloecher, in charge; Ed Thomas. Bob. Donaldson, Carlysle Jones and George Barr Brown. . Each picture as it goes into pro Auction^ is assigned a unit press Agent who goes, through with the production until it is completed. Heretofore, all studio publicity has been handled by two men In the department. , - 7ACE STOOPED TO TICK 1/08 Angeles, March 6. .^Jphn Gilbert strained .his neck Monday while stooping over to pick something up In the studio during shooUng of Fred Nlblo'a "Redemp tion." With Gilbert confined-to his home for several days as a result, Nlblo Will continue production on other 'scenes. THE CODTS STILL ILL , 1^8'^Arigele3,~irarcfi"'5. Word received here as to l>ew Cody's condition at the Warwick hotel, New York, states he is sUU With no visitors allowed. Mrs, Cody (Mabel Nonnand) was • "trtoken with pneumonia five weeks ago and has not yet fully recovered Teams Ix>s Angeles, Maroh 5. A coincident proving that even two heads are better than one In producing a picture was brought out In the making .of "Close Harmony" for Parar mount. Elsie Janls and Oene Markey 'wrote the original Btoryr. Percy Heath and John 'V. A. Weaver adapted It for the screen; Charles Rogers and Nancy Carroll shared the romantic honors, while Jack Oakle and "Skeets" Gallagher teamed as a pair of song and dance men. Picture was co-directed by John Cromwell and Edward Sutherland, which will b« pre- sented by Adolph .Zukor and Jesse Lk Lasky. WIRED THEIITRES 9 People witli Jeanne Eagels for TaMig ''Jeadousy''-{howgirl Double Ass't Directs and Makenp Men Btcome Unioiuzeil To keep office boys from being promiscuously made asslstaht direc- tors and to give make-up profs a chance for a, week's pay Instead of an hour's notice Is the chief aim of the last department in film produc- tion in the East to get Its working papers from the American Federa- tion of Labor. The 26 who have signed the line as members of the Assistant Direc- tors and Make-up Men Eastern Local are loath to talk iE^bout their aims at this time. Frank 'Viesse, head of the cam- eramen's local, said that his 'work was done, that some of the boy^ had asked to be organized and that he had performed—that it is j>p to them to sink or emerge. Aa to the makeup folk who pull from (10 to 126 a day when they work, the new branch hopes, ac- cording to the organizer, to get on somewhat of a contractual basis with the artists. Their chief reason for participating In the union, he saldj is to inject a little' financial formality in their retirement from a dressing room in preference to unremunerative temperament. Orpheum Report* Lou Orpheum Circuit supplies a Dec. SI, 1928 balance sheet an income statement to stockholders—presum- ably those who have not exercised conversion privilege jhto R-K-O and to holders of the old Orpheum pre- ferred. Income account records net deficit on the calendar year of $660,- 060. Radlo-K-O last statement showed net loss for the merged concern of more than 11,600,000. the account covering Orpheum as well aa the Keith interests. Orpheum gross Income is set down at 117,628,000 and expenses, $16,888,- 000, leaving net $640,047. "Profit on sale of investments" raises total to $960,896. Depreciation and amortiza- tion of leasehold Improvements more than wipe out this operating net Additional charges are "pro- duction expenses prior to Jan. 1, 1928, written off," $160,660 and divi- dends paid, $600,648, making total deductible from surplus $660,060, leaving surplus balance $2,396,417. Total assets are $23,976,000; cash, $493,786 and total current asseU $1,046,600. Current liabilities $724, 000. ^ F-S Shutdown Due Los Angeles, March 6. Grant L. Cook, general business manager for TIftany-Stahl, will leays'tKCendTrt this -week-for New Tork where he will take up the work of laying out next year's pro- gram. John M. Stahl will follow as soon aa productions now in work at the studio are completed. Indications are of a three-month studio shut down. IiiBtaUmeiit Plan of Fay- .ment for Equipment Obliges Electric Com- panies to Carry Accounts Up to Five Years—One Already. Interested in Theatre Circuit FUTURE OF DIALOG? Electripal companies manufaetur- ing sound equipment for ^hs pic- ture industry aro bankina over $200,000,00(1 equipment and ether investments on tho ability of show mert to keep .the public Interest In talking picture* alive for fiv* years or longer. In addition to the Investment in wiring and laboratories, one of the electric companies. General Electric to protect its sales, outlet, haa laid out-tmllllons in. purchase of a na- tional chain -of theatres- (Keith's) and a film producing subsidiary, Radio Pictures. This la through the Westlnghouse and Radio Corpora tlon. The electrics are loading up with wiring which will run/to $160,000,- 000, sold mainly on the Installment plan stretching over five years, car. rylng the financing and taking the chances in the- event that talkers should die out at any time within that period. It -is reported that the initial de. posit and the advance payment fol- lowing before sound equipment is Installed, do not eover the cost of manufactureL,of sound equipment as far aa the electric companies are concerned. In the cue of an $18,- 000 installation aa "Exhibitor pays about $1,200 at time of order and about $2,600 before the equipment Is put into the theatro. The electrics have standing bi' vestments on which full returns cannot be received, excepting over the full -period of time granted in their, installment contracts. Among prodncera. It la reported, beUet ia that they are taking a bigger chance on the talkers than the equipment mannfactnrera, but producers and electrical men do not seem. much concerned about the possibility that dialog pictures may take a nosedive. The inclination is rather toward the belief that the development of talkers is Just start- ing. That sound is staple the/elec- trics believe; their skepticism la in dialot?. Back of the Investment In theatre equipment is also reported a tre mendous activity. Involving hun dreds of millions, on television and home entertainment. ' Pesaiblo Blackeya One executive in talking picture distribution pointed out that the producers ' could' give talking pic- tures a black eye within a year if turning out bad product, or if fall Ing to Improve upon the first crude efforts In talking pictures. The electrical companies have been figuring on the progress in talking picture production to keep interest alive or. If the producers and exhibitors fall /In doing so, eventually Inability, to meet obliga- tions would result in the electrics assuming even further Interest in the operation of theatres as well aa production. Between the engineers for novel- ties and the show men to keep the public sold, the electrics do not seem to stand In any great danger of being Ignored through a public distaste for talkers. Ruth Taylor Free Lance Los Angeles, March 6. Paramount did not exercise its options on Rues Taylor, who played liorelei In "Qentlemen Prefer Blondes," and John Monk Saunders, writer. Both leave tha c o m p an y shortly to freelanosL Illustrated Orders Jean deLlmur, the French director at the Paramount Long Island studio, being somewhat uncertain in his English, uses a pad and pen- cil when giving Instructions to H. Emerson Torke, of the cast- ing department . DeLlmur sketches the types and characters he wants and Torke fills the specifications ^of the sketches. Reichenbach Scolds P. A.'s For Too Utile Dignity Film executives have less respect for press agents than the lowest cameraman. This attitude will con- tinue until the boys themselves in- sist upon the dignity their jobs de- serve; One step toward Uiis will have to be only a good \^ord for each other, keeping disparaging re- marks for the Inside. So Harry Reichenbach laced it Into the Association of 'Motion Pic- ture Advertisers at the luncheon dedicated to 'Vic - Shapiro and his new job with Fox. Declaring that 'Vic, one of the most capable in the p. a. ranks, had been "eased out" by United ArtlsU with a two weeks' notice, he suted that the same would never have happened in other departments. / "No," said Harry, hotly; "they wouldn't throw Herbert Brenon out With a two weeks' notice, and yet it's the, thoughts of the pub- licity director which Inhabit them- selves in the miUlona of mlnda of ticket buyers. "Never let them fire you. Always get an in that will tip ypa ott wfa^n to ask for the raise and ^resign with the asking. In my 80 years as a publicity man I was never fired. Sometimes it was because I knew my boss' secretary. I don't let Carl Laemmle or Lou Metzger tell me ho^ to 'write Universal publicity for which I am getting a thousand a week. Neither do 1 let Universal interfere with other accounts which bring me In another $2,600 the same week." Shapiro did not allude to United Artists or to Fox. except that he had gotten from Winnie Sheehan a two-year contract aa an executive. In futuristic language he predicted a mechanlcaf age for pictures and 'warned the boys to put on their thinking caps. "Jealousy," the two - character play which closed two weeks ago at the Maxlne Elliott theatre, went Into production March 4 as a nine- character all-talking Paramount picture. Jeanne Eagels is In the stage role taken by Fay Balnter. Paramount's cast Includes HalUwell Hobbes, Blanche LeCIaif, Hilda Moore, Herechell Mayell, all fra>m legit. Jean deLlmur directing. Paramount's first musical comedy, "Cocoanuts," with the Man Broth- ers, finished March 2, with 26 shoot- ing days tabbed. Paramount -studio 'with ;th9 completion of its new anneki.to - house all of the mechanical depart- ments under one roof will - have space sufllcleht for two features and talking shorts simultaneously^ ' in . production. In' the silent .jera' tho studio Is given a five unit'rating. '~ Elsie Germon, a show 'girl from 'Scandals," in the ch'orus 'With . "Cocoanuts," was selected'to double for Nancy Carroll In some N^w Tork exteriors made for the'west' coast production of "Burlesque."' ■ Multt-Lanquage Shorts At Wamera studio Ann Code* and Frank Orth, vaude, made four different short recordings, two In German, one each in French and English. This is the first Instance .' of multi-language reoordlnga Wcw- . nera wiU use the Oermnn- and French releases for their houses - In Berlin and'. Paris, also probably Ui ' some foreign localities In America, :- Raymond Hitchcock, - slated to: make shorts for M-Q-M -and navar got together with that - company, ^ did a monologue \and A couple. «t- songs for 'Vltaphonei. , • , 4 An elaborate two-reelw >stwn|iv^- Sessue Haycikawa .was .In 'pr<iduo« tlon the' end'of the .week.,' It's ^ ' special story authored' by BdmunO.^ Josepha and Murray Roth, (U'?^^^' by Bryan Foy. Twenty exiras yfan uaed. If-:',... No band recording for'Warn^ra, during the week. TlUa Is nntniiwd; aa the schedule averagea onei. b«M>4' ' a week for small towns, whl^ de--. mand band shorts In preference to any other type., Pathe studio readying for Its seiS all-talker. Everything' Indet,- la*- : eluding story which Oehe MarlMg;; has been assigned to turn out. . DeForest studio .. .partially ocoiia pled by an Independent prodvossi doing .dramatio two<-reelera Franklin-Marco Due in New York This Week Los Angeles, March'/5. Harold B. Franklin, president and general manager of Fox Weist Coast Theatres, and Marco, head of Fan ebon and Marco productions, are en route to New York, but separately. Franklin is proceeding via San Francisco, Portland, Tocoma, Se attle, Butte and Great Falls. He win arrive on March 9, after In specting hts circuit. Marco arrives after spending two days in Chicago, March 7. The lat ter Is preparing to buy 100 acts to be played in his units-over the coun- try and in Australia. Both men will remain In New York about two weeks. Henley with Par. Hobart Henley, associated with M-G-M for the past several years, haa been signed to direct for Par. amount. He will take up his new duties at the Long Island studio In about-a-monthi —- GEISET, EXEC AT U Los Angeles, March 5, Ervln Gelsey has left the Pathe story staff for an executive Job at Universal studio. Coenig Film Releases 'Victor Talking Machine Coib« pany'a subsidiary, Plot-Ur-Mu^lv Library, Is lining up all of ihe smofl : producing companies to cue their releases for non-synchronous houses. Victor claims .to have .90 per^cent of all. feature product cued with special records for' small houses. .' Cost is assessed entirety'against exhlbs with no «:(pense to produpf ers. Cue service' d'yerages 14 niee- ords to a feature. - "Victor's new in- tensive campaign to! service all jls^ leases, even the | quickies. Is aimed at the numerous - small fry cuinir' services that have sprung up; to cater to houses' with vorioiis inde- pendent turn table reproducers. There ore over 20 of the outng serlr- loea on the market, all derlvlns their revenue by renting phono- graph records. D. W. Back en Coast Los Angeles, March 8. D, W. Orlfflth and his execiitlv* staff, now in New Tork selecting story material for next year's pro- gram to be produced, for United Artists, win arrive here March 1$' to start production. Kay Johnson's Operation "Kay- Johnson (Mrs. John Crom- well), playing the lead In Cecil B. DeMIUe's "Dynamite," underwent an appendicitis operation at Holly- wood hospital, Hollywood, March 4,