Variety (Dec 1929)

r 7 '•VARIETrS" LONDON OFFICE 8 St. Martin's Place, Trafalgar Square FILM CABLE ADDRESS: VARIETY, LONDON Temple Bar 5041.5042 Gamnont Think Own Equipment Equal to Bob Kane s Paris, Deo, 3. 1 Although B6j> Kane brought over BCA Photophone equipment and a photophone crew, his unit, working in association with Ed. CornlgUon- Molinler, is merely using one of Gaumont*s sound stages for what- ever their activities will be. Gambiint Is proceeding with Its own eauipmdht and shooting a fea- ture which Max R de Vaucorbeil aiid Jacques Busquet are jointly di- recting; the!latter also dbing the story, being a notable scenarist. It is primarily a French talker, Gau- mbnt's first ail-dialog production In th6 native tongue. Whether or not Kane may also do an English-dialog version Is still Indeterminate and up to Kane. Meantime tests have been made here at the Gau'mont studios by the RCA and Gaumont equipments filmultaneously. Both; Compare al- inost alike, according to the Gau- itjont side of it; hence the latter's decision to continue using its own equlpmient. " Xane is doing a scries of 12 two- reel Spanish aborts for the Sputh American market The field is siize- able, but the income from shorts is not regarded as worthy of the ef- fort, excepting Kane Is proceeding with the idea chlefiy for experl mental purposes. Gaumont's own recording process has been perfected now so that in stead of two separate films being Tised, one each for sound and pho - tography, both are combined on one strip of celluloid. Xane estimates the ' Spanish speaking population at 180,000.000, of which, more than half conform a potential market, hence the ener- gies, being expended In that direc- tion. RCA Photophone's technical expert,, Fitzgerald, here with Kane, is fixing up the new sound stage being devoted to the unit at the Gaumont studio. PAR FIGURING SOUND POUCY FOR FRANCE Paris, Pec. t. Mel Shauer, In charge of Para- mount, interests here, and soni of £1. E. Shauer, a Par vice-president, l9 concernihg himself .with the im- mediate future of the sound poli- cies In the seven Par theatres in France. All these theatres are now being wired by Western Electric (the local Paramount Is already wired) and the type of sound pictures to be shown will be selected with a view to sound and eflEecta rather than dialog, English having to be qualified. with superimposed or "duped" French titles. So far, only two Par sound pic- tures have been screened at the icey theatre here, "Innocents of Paris" and "Wedding March." Flop of "Fox Follies" in some cities, 'because of the resentment, against English dialog, Is the cue from which Paramount is taking its lead. "Broadway Melody" would refute this idea except that the run of "Melody" at the Madeleine-Cine ma here Is explained by the extraor- dinary popularity of the songs, plus the boulevard location in a sec- tor where the floating English population is an Important factor, ITALY RUSHES BAN ON FOREIGN TONGUE FILMS HOUAND'S NATIVE TALK DEVICE IN 36 HOUSES Rome, Dec. 3. A new law has been rushed through prohibiting/ foreign lan- guage talkers in a,ll Italy as a sup- plementary censor measure. It is aimed -alrAmerlcan pictures with dialog. All such product has been held up. The law's passage is believed to be an aftermath of the booing of "Noah's Ark,'* hlblical story with talk in English, which the natives here resented on both grounds. Law hits Pox, which started its own Italian newsreel under the su- pervision of Jack Connolly and ed- ited by Tom Chalmers," from Amerl-. ca. The Italian local edition was de- signed by Fox to offset a sound- newsservice started a fortnight ago by Pathe-Nathan for local appeal. Fo3t has 50 exhibitor contracts in Italy, mostly in Rome. Amsterdam, Ded, 3. The . number of sound equipped theatres in Holland Is rapidly In creasing. Equipment of all kinds are being bought. The Lbetafoon, Dutch Philips de- vice, has been installed in 36 houses and Is reported'to have won the favor of exhibitors using it. Western Electric has , not disre- garded the Increasing competition to its apparatus, but is enlarging its sales and exploitation force in this field. Activities of the German. souiTd companies is still .very limited. In addition to the hit of the Jol son film here, reports fr^m The Hague say Ii\)x's "Follies'*- is being held over thera. AUSTRALIA HOLDS FILM TARIFF WITH NO CHANGE Sydney, Dec. 3. f'With the new government (for- mer government went to a general election a few weeks ago), it is believed there will be no change in th6 duty on foreign films entering the colony. Just before the election, when both sides were trying to think up new schemes for revenue and a pol- icy regarding <}ompetitIon from abroad, It' was said a prohibitive tarlfie might be placed on imported pictures. Now, although there seems to be no prospect of a reduction of the ■ present schiedule, it seems likely It will remain at its present level, about 6c a foot. **Fool" Dutch Treat -_,_^^-__-Amsterdam,-I)eo.-^ "The Singing Fool" here is a huge success, with favorable comments by the newspapers and excellent re- sponse from the public. So big was the initial week the picture has been held indefinitely. Fletcher in Coast Film Bramwell Fletcher, English actor, goes with Goldwyn for ' Ronald Coleman's next, "Raffles." $50,000 for hgram, and No Picture to Direc Paris, Dec. 3 British pride in Rex Ingram, who calls himself an Irishman, but travels on a British passport, proved somewhat of a windfall for that director. Ingram recently collected a $50,000 advance on a picture without the necessity of rendering any service as the indie company, headquar tered in London, for which he was to have functioned, did not have enough coin to go through. The director had actually gone to Mo rocco on location when it WaS found that the rest of the-production cost could not be raised by the small syndicate. Ingram's work oh "Three Passions, which United Artists is handling. Is still being talked about. Alastalr Macintosh, oi>e of Constance Tal madge's husbands, headed that unit, Ingram received $100,000 outright for directing; His wife, . Alice Terry, got $50,000, in addition to which Ingram also received a stl perid for authorship. In all, "Passions" cost $450,000, at least a third of which went Ingram, WILL MAHONEY In Earl CarroU'a "Sketch Book," 44th St. Theatre. New York City, The "Journal of Commerce'* said: 'Earl-Carroll's 'Sketch Book' Is in- deed fortunate In having ais Its star our best dancing comedian. Will Mahohey." Direction RALPH FARNUM 1560 Broadway WARNER STAND AGAINST E E 'S GERMANMOVE 'Royal Box/ Berlin Hop-AD-Gennan Dialog Talker Made in New York )UMERGUE DEFERS TO U. S. ANliS OVER FILM to Gaumoiifs Cheap Device For Houses in Spain * Paris, Dec. 3. Louis Gaumont, pioneer picture -many- owns-a-flock -of=-theatreSr^in'-- cludlng many shooting galleries In Spain, He hopes to resusitate them with the installation of cheap talker equipment of his own inven- tion and development. They Will all be equipped with the Gaumont sound projectors. Gaumont sells his equipment for 110,000 francs ($4,500) as against Western Electrics 500,000-600,000 francs. Defeated In the German courts, Western Electrlc's latest move to force terms...by creating a film fairiine in Germany through enlist- ing American producer licensees, has been chilled by the Warner Brothers. Warners, holding one of the most advantageous positions In Germany, said to be making It more money than In the silent days, has held right along that the battle is strictly an affair of the electrics. While reports were ema,nating from Berlin last week that Will Hays had spoken for the American industry In declaring' a shut-off of all product from this country as a means to combat the German con- tingent law, meetings described as coming to a. "delicate pass" were taking place in the Hays offices, New York. . Berlin reports of such, a stand were not erroneous as to the decision but as to the principal mo- tivation. Despite the .utmost means to secret the sessions In and out of the Hays office. It is said tha^t the conferences .were at the Instigation of. W. B. to get Its American li- censees to force recognition of the electrlc's equipment lii Germany by demanding that their product would be released to only German exhibi- tors with W. E. Installations. The move was almeC at the Klangfilm-Tobls strangle-hold on the German sound situation through the permanent Injunction it holds against other electrics. No Clubbing At one of the Hays gatherings Herman Starr and H. Bandy, as foreign representatives for the Warners' interests, took an about face. A* the session Monday after- noon, Harry Warner made a per- sonal appearance. It was one of the shortest meetings held in the Hays office, lasting little over an hour, from accounts. .•The Warner stand,, which. It is conceded; will Influence thei atti- tude of the entire American Indus- try, Is the first decisive set-back Western Electric has had in its re- lation with its American licensees. It Is observed that the Warners, In addition to giving Western Its "in" in the industry, was also the first to break down its stand against inter changeability by servicing the Pacent machine, the • first reason- ably priced talker In the field. Now. the brothers, as Informants describe it, refuse to let the Elec- tric \ise them as part of a club to batter in equipment salesmen. ' Paris, Dec. 3. Anti-American agitation this year has caused President Gaston Dbu^ mergue to. select a French-made picture, ^'The Queen's Necklace," featuring Marcelle Jefferson-Cohn, for his own Christmas show at the President's Palace. The only American product to be displayed will be Keatonis "Spite Marriage," used for children's par- ties, shows given to 300 or 400 youngsters . .designated by the' schools to attend the president's party. It is a great holiday fete with feasting and entertainment. The strange part of the selection is that "The .Queen's Necklace" Is right now oh display. at Frahco- Aubert's Cameo, wired with West- ern Electric apparatus, while the president's show room is being equipped wth RCA' Photophone. RCA is counting on making use of the prestige of having its device In the president's house. Up to now Metro arranged all the president's Xmas shows, but this year the public anti-American agi- tation, with its background of the quota wrangle, compelled the split- ting of the show. Even at that, the star of "Necklace" is indirectly an American, being the French wife of Jefferson-Cohn, American sports- man. Berlin, Dec. 3. Warner Bros. American-made, all^Germaii dialog picture, "The" Royal Box," did a heavy flop here at the Tltanla Palast. Picture has Alexander Mpissl and '^ Camilla Hbrn as star and feature^ respectively. It was made in New York. . The dialog is foggy in reproduc- . tlon and bad in quality, while the direction Is regarded here as primi- tive, merely a deliberate transscrip- tipn of the play itself, Molssl'Q bld-fashlOned acting does not adapt to the screen medium with any suc- cess, according to local, opinion. : Miss Horn looks amateurish and her recording of 'dia;log Is unsatis- factory. Trade here takes it that the use- lessness of making German lan- guage pictures in. America has been deinonstrated. ., Nativel^alkef Liked Production of "I Used to Ijove You," reproduced onl'obls appara- tus at the Capitol theatre here, la revealed as a satisfactory native production of all dialog. Mady Christians IS starred and leaves an excellent Impression. The Tbbis reproduction of voices and music is taken here to demonstrate. that that system is iri a position to compete with Western Electric. PAE'SM.C.'S Hollywood, Dec. t. Paramount will forelgnlze "Para- mount On Parade" (revue) by using a series of m. c.'a who, speaking for their indiviual countries, will Intro- duce and explain the various num- bers. Similar innovation will be used on "Vagabond King," also Par. GLUCKSMAN HEAVY LOSS INSURED, BUTFIUtt GONE Buenos Aires, Dec. 3. Fire that destroyed property worth 3,000,000 pesos in the city of Rosario, Argentina, wiped out a dozen storey, one used by Max Glucksman as a storage place for film. The flicker prints were lost entirely. Glucksman is said to carry ample Insurance. Damage represents about $1,230,- 000 at the current rate of exchange for the peso, but it is impossible to calculate the loss, to Grluckman one of the Important distributors In this territory. He has many, con tracts for film service - pending which now cannot be completed. It is Impossible at this time to obtain the titles of the lost pictures. QUOTAPHIM FORCED BUST London, Dec. t. British a:nd Dominion's horse opera "Wa.rned Oil" made good on Its title at the Empire. It's a story by Robert Slevier. Crowded house received the pic-, ture with derision. Booked with Uie knowledge it was a bust but house Is forced to comply with quota .regulations as Empire mu... run 10% of native product. Out of the English output they can get nothing suitable to shoyr except at the high sca.'e and took on this one in preference to a cdstlV product that would be bound tc cut Into the net. Canadian Censoring Most Severe of AD Hollywood, Dec. 3. ' Canada has- taken the palm away- from Australia as the most Puri- tanical country so far as picture censorship is concerned. During the last five months Canadian cen- sor boards have thrown out bodily 130 features that passed muster in the United States, making the other British colony a, poor second. The arbitrary manner Iii which pictures are banned in their en- tirety by foreign censors have the producers sitting up nights figuring a way to beat the 'bannlngs, but so far without success. In the silent days 'an elimination of an offensive scene or. title caused no concern, but with the advent of talkers its more serious. London Hails "Rita" London, Dec, 3, "Rio Rita" in screen version (Ra- dio) w.a.s shown to an Invited audi- ence at the Tivoll. It received unan- imous and extreme praise from the press. The '"Times" said, among other things: "Certainly the best repro- duction of a musical comedy yet made for the talking screen." picture opens today (Tuesday) at the Tivoll under favorable auspice? of : i!iuclat ory..adv ance. exploitat ion. Radio-U^ A. Abroad Negotiations fof the dl.strlbutlon of Radio Pictures' product on the continent through exchanges of Unit('d Artists, are reported nearly clcsod. Ambrose Dowling, forelfjn head of Radio, has been in New York pri- maiMly in the interest of this deal RAZZES BRITISH FILMS, PAYTON GETS CANNED London, Dec. 3. Stuart Pay ton, formerly with Uni- versal and now here as assistant production manager for Brltlsl In- ternational, put, out a press i?iter- vlew Nov. 2B In whlcif he'ruzzed everything and everybody at Els tree, the 13nglish film jrod'iclng centre. He took occasion to Jieiition that he had directed !'64 picture.^ in Hollywood. Yesterday Payton was flred with no ceremony and mufch dl-ipatcb by John Maxwell, with th* suggestion that he return to Hollywood for hH 265th. /P INDEX Legit Reviews ..,,. Foreign Film New.s. Burlesque Radio •. Night Clubs .■ .. News of. Diiilifs .,, Outdooi's Lf^ttfT List ......... .Sports ■ 5C->>7 ■ £5-4 40 5S-5C' 58 4C CO 63 46