Variety (July 1929)

Wednesday, July 3, 1929 PI CTURES VARIETY 23 ROAD SHOW $2 TALKERS Talker-SQimd Device FVomotions licensed to Sefl StcMsk to PdUk Albany, K. T., July 2. More sound and talking picture ^ulpment' companies and several •ther recording, concerns are among those whose stock is^ being offered tor sale to New'Tork Investors, ac- cording to notices filed with the Secretary of State, under provisions •I the General. Business liaw. ; Whitney Thomson of 9. E&st 46tb ■ street. New Tork, licensed to. handle common stock of North American Sound and Talking Picture Equip- ment Corporation,-a Delaware cor- poration, wltK' post office address the same as dealer. . Allen & Ward, Inc.,', of 2 West . 46th street. New York, ..licensed to sell no par common stock of Reel- tone Corporation of American, Dela- ■ware concern, with headquarters at , ?40 West 42d street. New Tork. ' Psycho-Phone Company, Inc., of 103 Lafayette street. New Tork, licensed tQ float 100,000 shares of Ita own securities, at f 10 per share. Delaware corporation. . Common stock and Class A stock «f Photomovette Company, Inc., of 1671 Broadway,. Mew Tork, to be sold by John BIr6 & Co., licensed dealer, of 40 Exchange place. New Tork. Photomovette la a Delaware concern. United Motion Picture Vending Machine Corporation of America, licensed by Secretary of State to act as dealer In sale of Its own common and preferred stock. Dela- ware company and has offices at 100 William street. New Tork. D. B. Howe and Co., of 1650 '-Broadway, New Tork, licensed to offer preferred and. common stock of Photo'color Corporation, Irvlng- ton-on-the-Hudson, N. T. Photo- color la a Delaware concern. -~ Straus Brothers Company, Inc., New Tork corporation with head- quarters at 183 Main street, E. Rochester, and 1020 Genesee bulld- ' tag, Buffalo, licensed to handle, first : mortgage slz per cent serial gold bonds of Syracuse Rlverla Theatre Corporation, 3120 South Sallna ' street, Syracuse, N. T. I^atter Is a New Tork corporation. Charles E. Gass & Co., Inc., 621 6th avenue, New Tork, licensed to act as dealer In sale of 200,000 shares, no par common stock, of Bloomfleld Laboratories, New Jer- sey corporation, with headquarters at Bloomfleld, N. J. Braun Amusement Corp., licensed as dealer and syndicate . manager for sale of Its common capital stock. Headquarters at 3246 Bailey ave- nue, Buffafo, Instead of 3246 Bailey avenue. New York, as previously listed by Secretary of State. M-G's Sound School . Lios Angeles, July 2. M-G-M will open, a sound school to teach synchronization to about. 60 men. One man wlU be sent to each film exchange to see that prints and disks are perfectly synchronized be- fore the picture Is sold. This idea was presented at the convention at Chicago by Lew Edelman and was Immediately accepted,. Edelman will be at the head of thfe school at Cul- ver City. "Command to Love** Film Once Vetoed by Hays ;Los Angeles, July 2. Universal has purchased screen rights to ''Command to Xx)ve," which Brady and Wiman produced on the legit stage. Other companies nego- ,_y,fttld^for the jplcture rlfjhts when the stage original plaj'ed^here. 'The Hays ■ organization put the ban on it at the time. The title for the screen will be changed and Joseph Schlldkraut will play the lead. Carl Laemmle, Jr., Is buying a story entitled "The Homicide fQuart," undorwoi-ld story, being written by Charles McArthur and T3x:n Hec-ht. Hearst Upset In a two-column, fuU-length, front-page', signed article by .W. R. Hearst in the New Tork American, Sunday (30), the publisher asked the Govern- ment what it' is going to do about Radio (C. A.) through its representativeb suggesting a future monopoly on the show business. Hearst hopped onto the word "dynamite" used in one of the Radio statements, to the ef- fect that "what wo can't swal- low Into our organization we will dynamite out of the fleld." At the flnlsh of the scream- ing screed, Hearst goes Dem- ocratic, possibly erecting a new national party on the spot. He said: "So probably the people will have to put their faith in the Progressive - Democratlo alli- ance, which will elect the next President of the United States and control the next national government." Mri Hearst Is in the picture business, too. Wonder if he ever heard of trade conven- tions and publicity. Wired Hooses Balk at Sound Vs. Silent PoH Rochester, July 2. Rochester theatre men inclined to be wary of survey of public re- action to silent pictures vs. sound. Local newspaper submitted plan to managers for tabulating percent- ages BO OS not to reveal attendance flgures. Idea was greeted with flat re- fusal from two, with one oked pro- posal :and rest declined to answer. Rochester and Fay's have many sound pictures booked. Felt they would be in a predicament If bal- loting favored silenta. Keith's Palace ready to co-oper- ate In survey. Three Publlx houses were among those declining to reply to news- paper's proposal. A Big Screen Race On, But in the Fox Fan% Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is likely to b^at its parent. Fox, In getting the flrst 70 mm. fllm show on Broadway for public view. : While Fox has all equipment In the Gaiety and Is staging a private showing now and then of "Fox Follies," Metro Is considering get- the Astpir in big screen shape for an Immediate follow-up with "Hollywood Follies," when "Broad- way Melody" moves late in August. ' Fozltes don't care so long as the scoop Is kept In the family, -one executive observing: "What difference does It make whether the money goes In the vest or panta pocket as long as It stays in the one suit" Television m Two Years Minneapolis, July 2. Addressing the National Associa- tion of Credit Men here. General James G. Harbard, president of the Radio Corporation of America, de- clared that Television will be used commercially-.on a-wldespread^scale. In two years. SET IN ERLIlNeER- ROUTE Warners Have 11 for Legit House Playing First All .Over Country; F. 7; Fox, 8; Metro, 2; JJ, 3; TS, 2 ; CoU 3 BOON FOR LEGIT Godfathers Again Tom Reed is collaborating with Peter B. Kyrie on the dialog of the latter's novel, "3 Godfathers," to be produced .by Universal Picture was made Vf the same company eight years ago with Harry Carey In the starring role. Filmdom's reeonversien to road show methods, speliing ■ been for the weakening legtt heuMa through- out the country, la witnessed by the fact that already produeere have set 23 of next season's product for individual $2 top display. The number !• eonceded to be hardly a drop in the buoket. Seme of the biggest companies are hold- ing'up judgmeni until previewing product,'the bulk of which is either just getting into the works or nearly completed. Others on the list say that they will doubtless make' considerable additions when they also get ■ line on their schedules in the film. The return to the roadshow era is keeping owners of legit houses busy. Nearly all of the fllm com- panies claim negotiations closed or pending with either Erianger or Shubert. Heading the present inclination of fllm companies toward national 12 tops is the Warners. That company added its llih to the list M6hday. This picture, topping the brothers' production efforts for the ensuing year, baa an aU-star cast -unprece- dented In the Industry's, annals. Ti- tled "The Show of Shows," this picture with a reported Initial pro ductlon budget of . f1,000,000, la plated for the camera late this week. Other productions the Warners will roadshow, probably in Shubert houses because of an agreement al- ready in effect, are: Two John Barrymores: "General Crack" and "The Marriage Cft-cle." Two Al Jolsons: "Say It With Songs" and "Mammy." "Hearts in ExUe" with Dolores Costello; "Golden Da-wn" . -with Walter Wolfe, and the following for which castings are reported not yet made: "Hold Everything," "Rainbow,' "Song of the West" "Under- a Texas Moon," with Frankie Fay, and "Gold Diggers of Broadway," from the Belasco play with Winnie Iilghtner are on the list. ' The brothers' subsidiary, First National, announces seven, with Eddie Buzzell's "Little Johnny Jones," a possible eighth. The seven: "Sally," Marilyn MlUer; "Paris." Irene Bordoni; "Spn of the Gods,'! Richard Borthelmess; "Footlights and Fools," Colleen Moore, and "No, No, Nanette," VLady in Er- mine" and "Song of Flame." Fox-Erianger The present Fox lineup of eight roadshows for the showing of which In legit houses the home office now reports dickering with Eirlanger, are: "Married in Hollywood," "Sunny- side Up.'' The second will be the Gaynor-Farrell combo's first talker. Also "Playmates" . with the same duo; "Cameo Klrby," "International Revue," "Melodies of 1930," "Fox Movietone; Follies of 1930" and '.'American Beauty Revue." AetTo has the "Hollywood Re- vue" on the national. road slate, with "Hallelt^Jah" for a later pos- sibility. —-Paramount—is—going- .Jio., .higher., than specials, still inclined to frown upon the individualist Idea being carried out nationally, but refusing to say It won't use the legit treat- ment for some later on. U Has 3 Universal reports negotiating with Shuberts for Paul Wbiteinan's "King. of Jaz?." There It is de- clared two others^ not yet pur- Producers-Exhibitors Organize in Chi to Fight Tough Censor Board Warners' Soft Money Western Electrlc's weekly tribute in talker royalties to Warner Brothers Is now $90,- 000, according to well-informed Warnerltes. The latter say that the Electric smarts every seventh day with the pay-off. chased, will make the company's minimum for the road three. Tlftany-Stahl, making reference again to Shuberts as an outlet, has designated "The Journey's End" and "Xiost Zeppelin." Probably four more wtil be added, they say. Columbia names one, "Flight," so far, but intimates that after its Los Angelea sales convention July 8 there will be others beside "Melody Man" and "Cradle of Jazz." Radio headquarters reports, noth- ing set on the national roadshow plan except It Is calling the picture leaders: "Super productions of road show magnitude." Chicago, July 2, With local fllm censor rule reach- ing a threatening stage, the pro- ducers and local exhibitors flnaUy have realized how serious the sit- uation is and started on a concen- trated effort to combat the censor bug. A conference was held in the Stevens Hotel by Charles PettUohn of the Hays organization and Jack Miller, president of the local Ex- hibitors' Association, with repre- sentative exhlbs and exchange man- agers present. Means and ways with which to flght the censors were the chief topic of this session. Although no statement was forth- coming. It is reported the nl^eting broke up'with the resolution to at- tempt to get a bill passed in the city council preventing censorship of dialog-fllms. Another and milder move pro- posed was to fight the situation in 'eourt ' on the questionable grounds of the censors* Jurisdiction on dialog pictures. Attorneys are said to have been'retained to handle the cose. Pictures On Way to llurd Place In Worids industrial hiportahce "ios Angeles, July 2, EC .'ore the advent of the talkers, the motion picture Industry was rated the fourth largest in the United States. Today It is skyr rocketing to third, if not second, position In the world's' industrial Importance. This is not entirely based upon the amount of money invested or the number of persons employed. Gloria Swanson's 2 Songs In Talker an Ambition Los Angeles, July 2, Gloria Swanson Is singing two songs in "The Trespasser," United Artists. One was written by Ed mund Goulding, author and director of the fllm; the other will be an oId< time favorite. ' This Is her first chance to realize an ambition she held when flrst reaching Hollywood. Before' Miss Swanson'ever entered Mack Sen- nett comedies as a bathing girl, she had planned to study for the concert stage, but gave it up for silent film work. » 7th Minstrel Film Los Angeles, July 2. With at least six. minstrel pic- tures already planned, Pathe enters the lists with still another, "The Grand Parade." Based on a maga- zine yam by Howard Rogers. Just for the Mob; Not for the Swells Publlx will open a new theatre Aug. 16 In Newport, R. I., called the Paramount. No special appeal to the society colony will be made as at the Par- amount and Beaux Arts theatres, Palm Beach, where a golden "horse- shoe" is maintained for the swells. Newport's swanky mob will have to-pub- shoulders. -wltlv..the.:ordlnary. citizens. STAIXINOS GOING HOME Los Ar.gelca, July 2. When his contract with M-G-M expires July 10 Lawrence Stalllngs win return to his Carolinn home to work on a number of booUn started previous to his coming west. but partly upon the influence it has In stimulating international trade for products of the other industries. A number of industrial experts have acclaimed the motion picture to be the means which is doing the work of 100,000 salesmen abroad. To substantiate this statement, the United States Department of Com- merce estimates that'iCor every foot of film exhibited American indus- try in general secure a return of $1 in trade. Follows, the Picture Pictures have created a desire to change the manner and style ot living in a great many, countries. In many spots abroad they are now copying American architecture and demanding American styles in f ur- nlshlngs and wearing appareL A newspaper correspondent in Mace- dohfa recently reported the efforts being made In that country toward modernization, as: "The bathtub ii. no longer a luxury, since it Is a reg- ular fixture In all new houses here. The short skirt, the movfe, steam heat and the Eillk stockings are all here. Observing thesie things, it is to wonder If it is not the movie, more than anything else, that has brought such uniformity of habits to the people in different corners of the earth." And this is an Im- portant factor In the foreign ani- mosity to -United States films. A buyer for Important department stores in Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Florence and other cities said that "the styles shown in American films, as conceived in Hollywood, bring drastic changes in the desires of all who see them." It is estimated 325,000 persons are engaged in making, sellings and showing pictures in this country, according to government statistics. The average- family consisting ot four persons, and considering tha(. 26 per cent.' of every ^notion picture dollar goes into wages, the industry is adding greatly to the prosperity of the nation: $4,000,000,000 Investment To facilitate the recent changes for talking pictures, the industry lias been forced to reckon with an- other of America's powerful Indus- • Tries,--that-TSf 'thr - blg - eleptpic* - 'While. It has taken, the picture busi- ness less than 32 years to accumu- late a total investment in excess of $3,000,000,000, the joining with the electrics has increased this invest- ment to $4,000,000,000, and the work of equipping the 'n-orld's . theatres tor the projection of sound has Just commenoed.