Variety (Mar 1929)

60 VARIETY E D IT O Rf A L Wednesday/ March 2?, 1929 Trade Marh Reffiai Bred Pabllalted fTrrkly by VAHraTV. Ine. SIme Silverman, President Ml West 46th Street New .York City SUllSCRIPTION: Annual HO Foreign Ill SInRle Copies 26 Cents. Vol. XCIV No. 11 15 YEARS AGO (From Variety and Clipv^r). Universal lind just completed slx- r«eler "Sam.son" and announced It was a "super" of such quality and scope that it would be exhibited at 26 cents Instead ot the cus- tomarj' dime. "Pes o' My Heart" set its closing for June after a sensational run at the Cort, New York, o£ more than a year. Laurette Taylor starred. Richard Bennett began to get the habit. Some newspapeir referred to his plajr, "Damaged Goods," as a "garbage play," and Dick came back in a curtain speech of char- acteristic violence; Legislators already were shadow dancing with ticket speculator problem. New York City enacteS an ordinance calling for a penalty for failure to print price on ticket face, although that was the prac- tice. State had a group of bills qndQr consideration to regulate specs. Inside Stuff-Hpictiins "The Uroat. I-'ower," lndei>«ndcnt all talt^er, yanked ott'.th«L Capitol, New. York screen after one day, is the flrist recorded Instance of any picture being so treated by a .(Broadway first; run house, l4pturo was hooted at the Saturday night shows .when developing, mechanical ditncuitl^s. On the ea'rller shows projection.Vas reasonably-^ood. Buster Keaton In "Spite Marrialge-' (M-O) substituted, at . the second Sunday showing. Film is 8ynchrohlzed\ , • Mike Shea, in Buffalo, says ho. has. nO lntentlon 'ot seUtngr bis Interest in the Shea-Publlx locul theatres to Publlx, Mr. Shea ailded the best of feeling exists. The Publix idea has been reported as owning Its partnership theatres 100 per cent for uniformity of operation; When buying out a partner, also the operator, the partner usually continues as the o^rator under contract to Publix. Such a. proposal by Fulbi^ indicates nothing other than the 100 per cent desire. In speaking before the National Press Club In Washington, Louis Mayer said, among many.other things; "The other reason that American motion. pictures will. coltlnue to prevail throughout tixe woMd is my belief..that Just as sUent ; American pictures, have popularized American habits, customs,- goods and ideals abroad, so will the American-talking: picture popularize: the English language In foreign countries. The world has sought a . . universal spoken language. Esperanto failed. While every branch of the picture business has been reyolutlonlzed by the advent of talkers, the craft of Bpr<»en jvirUlnjg'Is.; looked upon by most of the old timers lis being hit the hardest Amazing demainds'are now placed upon the writers', powers of. versatility. New requirements are more difficult than, the pla.ywright who-can adopt one pturtlcular field for his efforts and stlcli. to-It. . • . ..' • ' Dialog wrltei-s are now . called upon to. furnish words for a show girl in one picture and provide polite- conversation for a. Spanish bandit in the next. .' Added to this, the screen writer must furnish accents by . ar- rang;lng the words-In proper sequ'ehce for'a iforeign delivery of speech regardless of .the. nationality. . He must also be> as familiar with the vernacular of the un,derworld as with the most cultured. Pathe, having withdrawn from Oeneral Film and established Its own exchanges, the "trust" served notice that it was war to the knife. New York Strand, under Moe Mark, announced opening with film, -"The Spoilers," which ran 136 min- utes. Rufnored deal for Vltagraph ' lease turned out to havt; been merely ' negotiation for booking in of tea.'- ture on percentage. The Urban-Klneto Co., of Eng- land, spent $50,000 on a big feature atid then the censor banned Its ex- hibition. Universal let It become known that-thereafter it proposed to credit scenario authors on screen, posters and In all advertising. - 50 YEARS AGO (From Clipper) All show business aroused over an outrage to the people of the stage. Maurice Barrymore, John Drew and Frederick Warde were playing "Diplomacy" on tour. A group of them were in a restaurant in Marshall. Tex., when a local man entered drunk and spoke dis- paragingly of a woman with the party. Barrymore, unarmed, strip ped off his coat to fight and the man shot him. Ben Porter followed hi4 example and was shot dead. John Drew came Into the restaurant and was threatened, but was un harmed. Killer was James Currle, detective of t-he Texas & Pacific Railroad. Wl\at infuriated stage people was that tne killing was unprovoked and seemed to be prompted by contempt 'for stage people more or less typi- cal at the time of small towns In the sticks. Status of college athletics seems strange to readers of these daj's accustomed to their Importance. Columbia College A. C., about to hold Its ilrat Indoor games In QII- moro's Gardens, New York, pub- lished a definition and set of rules governing amateur competition. Faculty of Dartmouth granted a week's vacation in May or June to Student members of the baseball team "so they might play games with other colleges." Parent-Teacher' Association of .Liberty Center, O., heard a talk op visual- education by Vernon Reigel,- state - educational director for .Fox Films. Considered a good move on the part pt the .'company out there since the censorship board is an adjunct of the state department of education. If producers can get equipment Installed in the schools, they may halve a chance to get even for some ot the losses caused by the brutal sloshing accorded films shown publicly in the Buckeye State. Two incidents within a week at First National on the coast reminded one production unit that the microphone Is not to be Ignored. In one scene massive Iron doors were prescribed. As Is frequently done these were made of wood, but when on the screen ears were strained, to catch the clang of closing-doors, the clang was absent. Two gates each weighing 200 pounds replaced the Imitations; .... It -t^a^.also discovered that the bold, bad'villain never wfll get over in a dialog picture .if he.possesses a soft-or genial voice. - Vocal .tones must match the hard pan of the speaker. One man assigned to a toufeh part put.in plenty of tlme .rehearsing his-voice so that It -would sound as hard as he was able; to look. - Eventually he succeeded, j. On the day that Charles. ChapUn was expected by his staff to resume work following his recent illness, the'comedian; appeared at. the studio accompanied by his . two; young sons. For two . hours the three played around -the lot. ' Then the little Chapllns were lifted to the driver's seat of a big car, their father climbed behind the wheel and the machine was pointed toward/an Ice cream shop. The combination; the father arrayed in the garb by--n-hich he Is identified in the outside-world, and-the sons In Fauntleroy suits,.-attracted attention—even on Hollywood boulevard. Low down furniture on studio sets on the coast (futuristic is the name applied by the designers),,.is bringing one squawk after another from girls whose stock in. trade, or a measurable part of It, is their small, frame and short stature. They Insist the low furniture gives them the appearance'by comparison of giantesses. In one picture where twin beds hold the key to the story, the highest point In these resting places is but 18 inches from the floor. Chair backs throughout the picture are restricted to a level of 25 Inches with seat' Ing but 12 inches high. One boudoir dressing table has ah oval mirror of enormous size, with the.table but two feet'from the floor. A series of shelves range down, from that until they ax^ within a few Inches of the base. Girls Insist that with the new fangled stuff they haven't a chance, look- ing the size of a house. . Independent producer with a more or less active picture background of 25 years has returned to the coast from New York where for six months he tried unsuccessfully to. sell six silent pictures.' Best offer he could get was one of percentage without a trace of guarantee. Inde says he will synchronize the lot for sound, get a low priced equip- ment and take 'em out himself. A new game is described as in- troduced from Sonora Into Califor- nia. Two teams o^f Ave men each kicked a ball across country a dis- tance of five miles, but the Frisco -correspondontw^s—htrajr-^irbotrf-the" teclinique. Game called "Goml." A female baseball club was or- ganized In New York for e.\hIbItlon; gaines. Club had two team?, "Brit-- Ish 'Blondes" .nnrt "Amerlcon Bru- nettes" tvlio v.-cve "nttructlvcly. costumed In silki- arid woollens." "Broadway Melody," M-G-M's first screen musical comedy, cost $280,- 000 to produce and may net near $4,000,000, Eu:cordlng to ofHcIal ex- pectation. A novel gag. even for a film party, was pulled recently by John Hewlett, Paramount's newspaper syndicate editor. Hewlett handed to each of the 60 guests much mlmeography In which was contalneii] a- little writing about each. More serious attention to party business and less to conversation was the. motlviatlon. A studio unit press agent assigned to cover the production of "Bur- lesque" for Paramount, sought some information from the ntany old- time chorus girls now. appearing in the beef trust line. Raving little, ex- perience with this type of show girl,, he thought one ot the big gals was giving him the run-around' when he asked her name and was told, "44 Acres." He later learned from other old timers on the.set that this was her real name. She got It in the days of Billy Watson's "Beef Trust," and refuses to change. . . During a i^old snap the heating plant at the Paramount Long Island studios went flop, leaving, the stages in something Uke> Arctic atmos- phere. With a big scene to be shot fo.r a sound, picture, the crew as- scmbleil.' the lamps were turned on and the candle-power jumped the temperature-.30 degrees In 10 minutes. Dravif a cartoon or believe It or not. A. p. Wu:cmon, Warners' chief p. a'., has adopted the hotel Idea for his ofllce. ' It's the only one In the Warner building and the'fllm indus- try-for that matter. A large "Do Not Disturb" sign Is tied to his door knob. ■ Somoliody didn't see It and. broke up a bridge'game. A play back ls| the actor? ,ln a sc^iie.hea^lng thomaelves In It Immediately after making the bit. '.,-. ' ' .. . It occurs In the same studio iifi two different rooms. Scene Is itiada on the staere. It may be, dialog or song. From the stage the actors troupe Into an adjoining, room wheVe there Is'a loud speaker and Ilaten to theinsely.es.' . . ' This Is oiily when'the disk process Is employed. Play book Is'hot available In those studios taking the talkers with sound on Aim. On the disk talkers (Vltaphbne) the picture records on two wax records and two. Alms. .One .of each ^s for the archives, and the otherp for prac tical useage. One of" the wax disk Is placed on a recorder for the play back. In the phonogrt^ph way,. . When the actors andi studio attendants gather, the record is run oft. Directors and executors mentally mark any defect, with the players able to criticize their own work through this. procedui;-e. To hear the play bock wltljln three minutes ^fter seeing the scene made Is a thrill by Itself to the lay observer. It must be .that many times .over to the actors concerned. . Thrill la purely professional for the play bock moy be heard only in the studio.. "Fllmdom's most unusual reception room greeter has been secured by Spyros Skouraa. With a long line: daily waltlne to chat with the Warner theatre, operator this little girl, Ann Agnew, always has for the Im-' patie^nt- a; • - : - . • "Please don't go until I ask his secretary again."- A CMI housfe manager,- plenty tight at the time, stagBered down the aisle toward his-organist while the-audience watched a death -scene on the-'screen. -'"Pla^ 'St.-Louis Blues' Joe," cdmmanded the house manager. "Why?" asked -the surprised' oi^gaiflst ''Why do'you suppose*?*' re- torted the manager'stiffly.' "Because s''my favorite piece." '.a! jiidture 'actress.'.on the' coast .has -Been engaging: otchestrdH' for' .her parties'through:'a''Lo3';An^^ i'6t seVSral yeaf's. 'Recently she 'switched lo. iriUI-'c6Ioi^4 'b^<i'4^ "When tfre former tioo'kei' adke'd :the 'ireaSoYi fir the chhnge th^'hostess is said to haVe 'remarkbd caustically, "you're' boys talk too miich." At an independent studio,, the. lea^.ing man lr( a picture ,ha^ mounted a 16mm ..camera. alongside the pro(f>.ssilonal e4ulpmen,t pt t^e r.e^ular photogrrapher. When not ln> a.9cene tiie actor grinds away on his ama- teiiir . outfit. When, on .dtity .lie'^as one of tlie other players, substitute. iNo one In the cast seeh^s to take the picture making business very seriousljr, e'ven.the director seienilngly experiencing no difficulty in work- ing .'without a-script. In^ Stiitf-Lc^t Alex Yokel Is In with Larry Fay on the revival of ye olde fashioned mellers at the People's theatre on the <Bowery. At .thq. time of the Bowery fire; Alex'was. in the Equity o^ces,. idling bond for the - opening there oit ''in the Gas Light" Oo, Alex , was iveached by 'phone and notified offthe fire, and changed his bond for that house. So he grabbed the People's MorriB'Gest, in. New-'Yoilc, had occdslon to telephone rhis hrother, Simion, head of the Los Angeles Repertory Co., regarding.: some plays to .be produced on the coast. C^U developed into, a .gabfest; .running some'minutes more than an hour. . .i Most of it, according'to-report, c.oncerned who would pay the-tc^l. Morris Gest won.' ... - : .. . ■ The New York Co. of "Harlem" at the Apollo, will enjoy- a oneday layoff April 3 (Wednesday), matinee and night, while the -Chicago cast will iiave' a tryout prior to Its departure west. - Andrew iBlshop, a principal of the Chi cast which opens April 7, Is to light .Ih complexion he 'Will make-up for his role. . The colored actor hos' received instructions on his malce-up from"-white- performers. Aunt jemino of "ShoW Boat" and . George Quinn in vaudei One of Broadway's statistical group did some figuring lost week. One calculation was that the 49th Street theatre. New York, In seven yea.rs had played 83, shows. Further figuring was that the National theatre had only had four, real hits In the past II years. Hits were the Walter Hampden engagement of more than a year, "The Cat and the Canary,"- "Trial of Mary Dugan," which opened there and then moved to the Harris, and "Silence," which stuck about nine months. The Theatre Guild has. not relinquished "The Gome Of Love' and Death," which It recently rehearsed for four weeks, then paying off the company and canceling the date at the Btltmore. Another producer sought the script, but discovered the Guild had renewed its rights by paying a further advance In royalties. Guild believes the play excep- tional and will present It next season. Insidie Stiiff-rVaudeville "Play B;n-!<" Is tJie 1>lg«:ost thlnjr Iii pictures Ori the coast tc>- tli<' oastorner and iCs r.crtninly the higqfO'st thrill In tt^lkers to the 'actoi-s, After kidding the entire room at Coffee Dan's in Los Ai^geles the-other evening; Al B. White got badly kidded himself by Jack Yellen. Boys were in a party containing other celebs. As usual in Dan's cellar place, they were called up by S.B.B. to rise or do something. As each naipe was called out'by the Initialed m.c.| Al took the bow while ad libblng.: Later, B.B.B. called upon Al to $lng a ^ong on the small stage. The table din became terrific 'at this apd Al could not. well, refuse. At the iiame table was lililt Age'r, 'Yellen's, writing: and business partner (Ager, Yellen &'Bomstein). Milt is the composer and , Jock the lyricist. WitU- out thinking, Al said to Yellen, ''Come on, Jack, ploy for me," and Yellen walked with White to the platform, seating himself at the piano. "What do you want," Jack Inquired of Al. Al mentioned the title of a number and Jack commenced to strum the keys. It sounded worse than a child at practice. Finally Al asked Jack to stop fooling and play as he wanted to return to the table. Meanwhile, the party they came with were laughing their heads oft because Al did not recall his error. Of a sudden It dawned upon Al that Jack couldn't play a note. New policy at Fox's Brooklyn Is making Itself felt, cutting into the Brooklyn-fParaniouht and the other houses in the neighborhood.. Fox stand is now a Monday opening, In the vaudeville, category, changing over frorn its picture policy. First .show, which Blossom Seeley topped, ran for nine days from its jSaturday opening. ' '"'Arr-aotTj^Kffff-'foF^Z'VeeRr'w^ Marco (Fanchon & Marco) during the cpast producer's recent talent hunt In New York, making his eastern heodquarters In the Fox (vaude) office requested, througii Fox, that jLoe.w celeose the act for the coast. The .act had played but two or tho 12- weeks'pontriacted! for but was pulled oft the Loew booker and re-i)ooked .'for-Marco; - The Loflw agent who had. pvl.glnnlly placed the acti'vi'ltii Loew. is noW 'OUt the-conimiH- clon on the,10 weeks (.Loew). not illayed, with no.commissions due him on the direct Alnrco hooking.