Variety (Oct 1929)

VARIETY PI C t U R E S Wednesday^ . October 9^ 1929 and "Pi Get Exlub Protest, with B. & K. ■■ ^ ;Clv.U;ago,^dct. ■ 8; .. ■ Gehso'r.; board' aocistphs have b^en 'breaking' ba(?ly for:-the exhibitors And exchangisis here. Mdyes are on to alleviate, the condition. ^ T^^^ Is a. statehierit; isisued by -the exhib- itors^-.and addressed^ t ' the pro- ducers, declarinig that as exhibs must consider the patrpnaee of the .'Women, anid children l ihey will . no . ; longer a(;bept '?pink'' materli^^^ . The second move/'made by B. &,', K. out, of regard for- its press de- partment, is-the shoving of iall pic- tures bookingi5 back a month; start-- . Ing-in November... All B. &li. pic- tures .bodked. for November will be penciled ^in for Dccomber, assuring the publicity nien time, for exploita.r tion; ;B^ & Kl will accept only those! pictures -which have socured per- mits a month before Rrosentation.- This last move is . made to. aypid the riecurrence 6^ the. "Modern Mai- . dens" niixup.;This picture was pen- ciled in ty/ice on the stateifhent from' the Metro ^dflflce here -that the. :pi,C7 ture had securedL a piermit. \0h both occasions the.;picture; was yank6d at. the last ■ nipment : At. present it Is stili - doubtful, whether ".Modem Maidens"'tvijl be exhibited in tOAyn. W J. Says No More Wee Kicks from the est v; ^ : .. Hbllywopci,- 'Oct.:;8, • Biggest eicetricrtl. -.load; •ever pulled by cameras Js credited '-tp.,.-:"Ne\V - 'Q Minstrels" . (I'^ox).-. ■ for;. Phe." .secjuonce . of , which three -grandeiJir .<.70inrn). and thred, normal ; (35mm> ; iMi.mera^ were'.used.. Fpr one", ^sxterior shot, on '.'Married jin Hdllywpdd" a ' . small'; genie .' (generator) couldn't - supply • sulflcicnt pep to mdke a grand- eur and normal camera, gi-ihd. ; ■ Fox ' 1S:V rep6i:ted. ; . getting . ready tp shoot .its first grand- ■ eur shot, in^ color, but .what the scene will be or for j^'hich pipture isn't kiiown. - . . ' . . One studio sidelight./ on grandieur is that many of the directors; deplore ; its entrance .into thd field as -the big film and wide scope of the lens will likely do away -vyith all theii". camera angles; ;:.ppppsing;this . faction are one pr- two who; ard.: impatidnt to take. ai crack at lt> and. .the opinion of; one director-produder whoj. aifter seeing it,; said, ".In; two years every thing' will "■ be in grand--, -eur." -; ■. In limi'i *; Coast Chain Now Totals 4S0; Added^ut 100 Theatres Last in for %on\ Byron of Metrd-Gdldwyn- Featiiring I Broadway*' Mayer, ■■ -■.: '-•;,- • . Sole management ; M. S. BENTHAM / Coast representative, Arthur Lan- I dj^u» ISOa/Np. Vine street, HpllywPod, lEXPECT 250 EXHI6S AT COAST DiDIE MEETING With Herman Wdbber represent- ing PubUx in the •west and /Harold Franklin, Fox Cpast theatres head,' reported; to be/, aroused ;&ver high- priced /Westej;n V.Eiectr'ic - talker ■ equipment accessories, the; electric here claims it has "investigated and "all is again quiet." ; It seems,. according to eleptrld Informants,/'-that another electric was peddling some stuff at half Western Electric's price. This same material," the story goes,: had been disqualified by Western as inferior. The alibi holds -water Jn the. de- nial of Sam Katz that Publix is kicking about W/ E. prices, and that Wobber received no instructions from here to register any. i . —.— —► — r-^ .- Pittsburgh, Oct. 8. There will be no. vaude' for the Bavis when reopening next month under R-k-O. Name will be changed from Davis to R-K-p and go on Bl ind policy of straight pictures. Idtea is to hold^a feature for three weeks or four. Davis has been leased by R-K-O for 10 years at annual rental of $130,000. Seats 2,-,] 000. . . "Street Girl" opens with "Rio Rita" to follow. Caption Reader Agaiii Picture patron whose favor- Itd^^ pastime prior |o, the a of tdlkers .was reading the cap- tions put loud is back again in the , heighbdi'hdod ' houses. Whdn the Fox Movietone ne\v^a is flashed and an off screen voice. starts reading, the titles, for the benefit 6f the illiterate cr: -.hear-sighted, he now exer- cises his reading ability In chorus'^ ■with the. announcer while those about him Bqulrni and-squawk. .• • Atlanta, Oct. 8. Operation of the new Pox 4,500- Seater. here, not, yet' opened, has been placed with Harold B. Frank- lin, In charge of the Fox coast chain. The house. is . expected to open around Thanksgiving. Recently reported In "Variety"/ that Hardld B. Franklin might be- come .; William Fox's general the- atre oper.itbr, the Atlanta despatch is. Indicative of it being well found- ed. Fox's new Atlanta theatre classes with the other deluxe Fox houses, in the large cities. It's the first and farthest east stand to be handled by Franklin, although the latter but'recently acquired the Kansas- Iowa (Midland), circuit for Fox, with its operation froni Franklin's Los Angdles office. INDIES AND UNION Court Adjudication for Musicians Coming in Toronto /. Toronto, Oct. 8. Row between local musisians' 'union and fi-ve independent theatres 'will be settled in court. ; " ; Operators were td .Walk but in sympathy if alleged contracts were not lived up to. Independents se cured an. injunction and threatened to sue for damages if strike called A few hours before the pperatorij were to" come but, musicians agreed to drop the matter temporarily and Bue oh their pdrttracts. ; /. .; /Settlement' riiade by Famous Players Canadian gives musicians approximately $100 each in salary and nullifies contract., Los Angeles, Oct. 8. It is common belief here that Harold B. Franklin will not forsake the coast. He has become a real "<tefender." , Report Is that if Franklin oper- ates A national chain such as Wil- liam Fox's; "With whom he Is now associated. Franklin will operate from this point. His friends claim a natipna,! opr eration Is feasible. Franklin /will not -discuss - the subject. . V . -V - Hollywood, Oct. a. ; Allied Non-Arbitration Franchise offered by Tiffany-$tahl and R-K-O will be presiented to California in- dependent exhibiiors this Thursday at. the Ambassa-dor' hotel. Letters inviting; over J250 exhibitors of northern a,nd southern California to £Lttend a, three day conference were sent out last week by Al Steffis, representing the Allied States or- ganizations of indie exhlbs. Steffis reports that over 60,000 yearly playing dates are now in the possession of T-S and R-K-O. He predicts that 6,000 franchises will have been signed by Jan. 1 Instead of the 3,000' quota. StefiSs starting his presentation tour Aug. 12. M P. T. O. of Southern California is expected to withjdraw from arbi- tration and. Jdiin the Allied Jine-up. Such prganlzation will be -discussed Friday. This is. the first time ex- hibitors. have bedn - planking down cash for .organization. The tax- .quota'of' the Los Angeles and'the horthern California groups will be $6,000 apiece yearly to the national coffers. Abram Myers, president of Allied,/arri'ves here from Washing- tort Thursday morning. Officers of indie exhibitor groups are coming to demonstrate their weight, and approval of the fran- chise T-S and R-K-O are submit- ting. Visiting Indies Include Richey and Ritter, ' Detroit; Metzg«r, Minnesota; Henry Staab and Steve Bauer, Milwaukee; Albert Nedau, Montana; Harry Hoffman, Denver; Charlie'; Wlllianis, Nebraska; Jack Miller, Chiciago, and Nat Yamlns, Massachusetts. T-S will be represented by Oscar Hansen, general sales manager, and R-K-O either by Joe Snitzer or Lee Marcus,. RCA will also explain the $2,995 sound ^Installation available to independent houses. During the conference previews of "Rio Rita," "Peacock Alley" and pther T-S and R-K-O features will be given the'visiting exhibSi^ Loew's "What Would You Do In a. Case, pke This?'' cdntest started Friday in 50 Lbcw theatres through- out the meti'opolltan district. ■ Contest J?' to show, .part of one flicker a week, the . flicker ending abruptly in an embarrassing or puzzling "Situation. Patrons ar<i re- quested to write to the New York Daily "Mirror" . yrhaiC. they would do if placed in the positipn. The contest runs for seven weeks with the four winners during the week sharing $l,50bi At the end of- the contest the three best ansv/ers during tlie entire contest will be awai^ded with an; autoni.obilo, trip to Europe and a radio set. The scries of cut. shorts, was made by James Cruze pn the coast E. L. Delaney, for Loew, tied up with the "Mirror." Fox gobble of tlieatres. continues. Last .-week about 101 new hbusea ■weire indlu9ed in .;the^.^r^ and within a week 65 niore are expected . to bd acquired. Harpld B. .FranH-i. lln is npw operating around /450 theatres. ■ ';./■■•;::• ■ / /With the . latest buy the Coast chain \now ■ extends, two-thirds .of . the way acrdss the continent, reach- ing to within- the shadows of Chi- cago. Also reported is that houses south of the Mason and Dixon line ': are to be included In ifuture pur- chases.; ■:.;/^■" ':- 1:'':' ■;'/ Circuits corraled during the week; were , the Midland Circuit. of 26 ripiisos ;in Missouri, 25 In Kansas, {ind five/in Iowa; Frisma Circuit of 13 In Illinois; Dickinson; Circuit of 2 in Kansas and flvd Jn Missouri; Diamps. Circuit of nine In Arizona, twp houses in Globe, Ariz;,' and fo'ui". in/ and around Missoula, Mont. Also the Arkush group near Sian Fran-, cisco. Final papers adding G6 theatres In California and Nevada^are expected within a: week-. These houses are in the T. & D. Junior and the -Goldea Statd.' chain and are, ■' for•' the most part, in central and northern Call- fdrnia. Fox auditors are now going over the. books of the many houses of these combines arid evdrything la iset for consiimmation of negotia- tions. M. Bi Shanberg, who with : Herbert /\Vdlf .operated the Midlq,nd Circuit, is to; remain in charge ,of that string.. Canadian Indies Chartefied While Investigation Is On Ottawa,. Oct. 8. The Canadian Government has granted a Federal conipany charter to the Exhibitors Co-operative of Canada, group of independent ex hibltprs in the Dominion, 'who de manded an investigation Into the affairs of Famous Players'CanadIan Corp. and other companies be cause, they claimed, bookings were blocked. This Investigation is npw being conducted by the Dominion Govern ment under > the. Comblhes Investi- gation act. The chairman of the society is J.. Earl L'awson, member Pf the Canadian House Of Commons Fox's 12 on Coast Los Angeles, Oct. 8. Complaiiit Charges Gores 1 Witii Unlicensed Operators -. Lbs Angeles, Oct. 8. A cdmplaiht charging Gore I Brothers with violation of the city I ordinance requiring the . eniplpy :T'VV'elye Arkush ':'p.eninsu pf licensed bidture-■ operators. near; San Francisco, have be'^n. added by Harold . B. Frankiin to the Fox chain out here. /, Each of the theatres is wired with the ; average capacity estimated at 1,700. ■:/ •••:■ ■• ■/-;•■- - ' "Jazz King" Set? Paul , Howard, - from , "Follow ■ Thru," engaged by Universal for comedy specialty parts in White- man's "King of Jazz Revue.." Howard departed for the, coast Monday iand begins working on'the flicker revue aboVL the first week Htn^^November r"— - ' • —— PARAMOUNT M. C.'S Charlds Davis' engagement at the Paramount, New York, finishes Oct. 17 and he goes back to the Indiana theatre, Indianapolis* Paul Ash follows DavliS Into, the Paramount for .an Indefinite period, •with Rudy Vallee and his band In the Brooklyn Paramount after Oct. 18. MAYO'S COMEBACK . Hpllywood, Oct. 8* ■ Frank Mayo, away from• pictures I for four years, is td make a come- back with his own company carry- ing the name of his wife, Margudrite Mayo, as producing head. Plctui'e will be made at the Tech Art studio with James Hogan directing. |==-4^ineyox==60Und»=eq\iipmcnt===tG==be.l uised. Film so far untitled. .. "IS.ZAT SO?" AGAIN : Hollywood, Oct. 8. "Is Zat So?" wilL be made as a talker by Fox with Jimmy Gleason and Bob Armstrong in the parts they created on the stage.;/ . Play '\Vas hiade as -a silent pic- tilre three years ago "with Edmund Lowe and Georgd O'Brien. was issued by City Prb.'^ecu tor Nl;i. Charges tvere brought by Ted Eck- erson .of. local operators' union Gories are alleged to have put non- union and unlicensed operators in their booths, following. a~ walkout of union men on Jun-2 30/ Temporary permits to operate with non-union men wore later issued, but Nix; .qontencls that, this fact of later issuance of licenses does , not alter . >hat operators worked while unlicensoJ ijckdrson Intimated he would nc: let the matter rest with -thc^se corar pliants, but will also seek to bring charges against the Board of l^ub "li5^Sa;fet5r"~f5f=^lgSITiTil^^ permits to Operators / whom he I maintains are Inefficient. RKO's Films in 1st Run Keith's Temple, Rochester Rochester, N. Y., Oct. 8. RKO -will install sound and re dpen the Tdmple as first run house Oct. 26. . ' . . • -.• Temple is the former Kdith vaude house here, .1,700 seater, excellent location." ppening will make seven first run .filni hPuses, flvd .iall-sdund City; is. considered overseated now, with Keith's;Palace, vaudfilm only, one ddlng stand up bias, Willat Directing in East Hollywood, Oct. 8. • Irving Willat has left for New York to direct a talker for Weiss ..Brothers. . , . _ Picture for Indcpemiorit/ market from stpry by Frederic and Fannie Hatton. Fb^k in Des Moiiies? Des Moines, Oct. 8, It is rumored Fox will soon estab- lish a theatre in Des Moines. ; Of- ficials of the film distributing; ofllce, while having no connection with the theatre development' divl.'Sion, have admitted Fox recently endeavored to dbtain a location at 6th avenue and Locust street, but had to let negotiations drop when it was found it could not get" sjufflcient space for construction of as large a .hou.se as wanted. It is believed that Fox.intend.s tp. erect such ^a theatre Tra=Mt==?iH==iR3:w"i^^ costing In excess of $1,000,000.. . , Chicago, Oct. 8. In an attempted holdup of Mc-. Vicker's theatre, Reginald Scott,, once a sailor and with a record In New York,, was fatally shot by Ber- ' nard Cobb, asst. mgr; of the B. & K. house. . In - the morgue . Scott was;. later identified as the- bandit who pulled a $6,000 job at the south side Ava- lon, and/is believed to have been connected with other theatre rob- beries. Scott cornered the assistant and two others in the manager's oflflce. He started to escape with |4,600 receipts; after shutting the trio of ' employees in . the. inner • ofllce. A fake doorknob, installed, on the outer office door for just such ah. emergency, fooled the bandit, and he was shot through the head three times by Cobb while trying to get out. - - Trained td Shoot This is the first opportunity a B. & K. employee has. had to utilize the' markmanship training provided by B. & K. since theatre holdups became so prevalent over a yeiar ago. All managers and assistants are being drilled to knock, off ban-r^ dits.. ,/•-. :-■, x/---: u.-; -,./ .;.■--4 AlthoUgh the house Was packed and a , large line . waiting outside^ none was .itward of the. shooting iiir side. There was . no .disorder. Cobb 'was given; a $10 weekly raise by B. & K. for his, markmjuti- ship; Brinks' Express ni ailed a- chcck for $160 and the Insurance cdthpany ^protecting Publix also came "through. ■ Preparing "Big Fight" Hollywood, Oct. 8. .While W;iltor Lang is producing "Soul of the Tango," James Cruze is preparing "The Big Fight," play in which JacH Dcmpsey appeared. Cruze program calls for eight pictures in 10: months in addition to "The Great Gabbo." ;E N'S-FIRST SHORT ■ . Hollywood, Oct. 8. . Fii-st National is step-motheHng the first short subject in its his- tory.. It*8 "White /Lies," a Warner picture. Howard Bretherton moved over to direct It on tile FN Burbank lot. ■ ■ / - ..', ■ ... . Lillian Edmonsonj middle-'west sciiool teachpr, is the author. BURRIS POUR PICKWICKS " Hollywood, Oct. 8. C. C. Burr will act ii.s d istributor for. four features to be delivered to him within the next six months by Pickwick Productions., liritish Ini- ternatipnal will handle the Engli.sh distribution for Burr. One is titled "Darling of the GobP," previously reported the name of a future FN Alice White picture.