Variety (Dec 1929)

6 VARIETY PIC T U R E S Wednesday, ^Decembec:4» I9^j^ With Westerns in M a^^^ Color, Whole h Be Making Colored Talkers Demand for color In Westerns, •with the horse operas believed About to stage a. coYnebacfc through dialog, will bring th^. .Industry t'o all-colo. pictures, including those outside of the musical and specta^ cle realm, -within a yfear. Two talking Westerns have been conipleted by Watrieria in color, "Under a. Texas. Mpon". and "Song of the'^est.'* Fbrnier wfll be the first all-talKIng all-color Western. Paramount, first to use color In silents and in both cases in West- ems; "Wanderer of the Wasteland" and "Redskin,'' latter ^ith syn- chronized score, lis planning to d6 "Rose 'of' the Banchd" and "S;ight- Ing Ciravahs," its first.' talking Wesf^hs •as' all-color productions. Universal, finally won ov^r to color," Is reported likely to try color in' sonive' of the' Kbof Gibson and Keh Mayttard fljfris. Demand' for color Increases with produceris doing muislcals and" spec- tacles. In latest batch of pictures placed in production and with con- tracts' tor Technieblor are "King of Jazz Revue" (U); "Song" of Plamfe" (F.N.); "Bride of the Reg- iment" (P. N.); "Namba" (tiffany^ and ^'Hell's Angels" (U.A.). These, ■with the exception of tfi6 Howard Hughes' plctiire. of the air, over two years ^n' the maldn§r, will 'Ije all-' color. ' "Dixlana:" Bebe .Daniels' second for Radio, soon enters produotloh as another all-color musical. "Soiiig ol the Flajner'lt Is ctdlmed, will t>e the biggest picture yet as an all-color production, with biggest ©f sets tried' In talkers and ' 3,000 extras! More 'Technicolor cameras wer^'demS^iftded for this picture .than any" thus far, it Is Said. , ..ir«chlTicplo.r CapQpity , The Technicolor.people, now in- creafjing. 4h^ .cameras..Ort^ a., w,e.:Rki declare that, th^re would be mbro color , pSctureQ ,b6w ! If they cpjUd. handle, as ma,ny^ as. .prodvicers arO; anxloua to., do, In. tints.; , ., r ProdUG.ers. are-. And^ng .It .possible to make Tecb];)I<>olor productloii^.by, the souhdionrfllm jaethod without injuring .cplor-- Q? .recording, .. That will. In ther opinion of Technicolor- ites,. :l^as.teri; the. cay,, when^ every.-, thing will so cojor^, . • Paramount. M-G-M .and jj.- axe making; ithr^e. prints of the color product—rone on -IJie film, a secojjd on the disk and ^s^'. third silent. ^ dio and Tiftany, usintf RCA Photo phone systemt are sticking to. two, while Warners, using Vitaphone, Is doing the same^ » lPar!s first with tliree, prints will be "Vagabond King," while M-.G-JM's is "The Rogue Song." U's .only all color picture made or scheduled is the Paul "Wlilteman,: special, with color haying. been Insisted., on by Whiteman. . With wide-film hanging around the Industry's back door^ the color aiithorities believe that natural tints will replace black and whites everywhere, when thai; day arrives If it hasn't before. . PAE BUYS PATHE JUV. ", Hollywood, Dec. "3. Paramount has", purchased. the contract of Stanley Smith, juvenile which has three years to run at Pathe. Smith has been working In Paul Whlteman's "Jazz Revue" (U) but iVIondaj^ r^ldced Regis Toofaiey In "Come Out of the Kitchen' <Par), Smith will work in the Paramount picture during the day and in the Whiteman, picture at night. The Limit! Los Angeles, Dec. 3. Autograph hounds, pests, at all picture openings,. went the limit when they approached, film celebs attending the Ray- mond Hitchcock services at the Hollywood Cemetery Chapel. Cemetery officials ordered 6f£ six women for this reason. FOX TITLE CHANGES . Hollywood; Dec. 3. . Latest change in titles on .the Fox lot lists "Tonight's the Night" as becomln® /'Fast Workers.;'. Tiiis is the .Conrad, Gottler, Mitchell mu- sical which started out as "Holly- wood Nights." Also, the- Don Jose .MOjiCEi pic- ture-is how identified as "One Mad Kiss," while "The Big Party" is the latest for 'Playglrl^," which was ""Follow the Girls," 2 DOWNTOWN NEWSREEL GRIND HOUSES Hi BmYN Harry Brandt, formerly of the Brandt Brothers, lias leased Wer- ba'3 (legit) Brooklyn theatre In the downtown section of that city, to reopen it as a grind newsreel house at 25 cents. If will follow the lines of the Embassy, TTew Tork.. A smaller, downtown Brooklyn house, Momart, has announced a policy of newsreels and shorts on a grind at 15 cents until six p. m., and 25 cents In tlie evenings, Brandts op6rat€d a Brooklyn cir- cuit of fllni houses. They sold U .to Fox. Harry later connected With a stock brokerage- ■firm," and is still there. ■ • • ^ • . Wariier$ JResumes Feb. 1 Hollywood, Dec. 3. Report" now is that the Warner studio will resume ful^ production Feb.''J. ..':. ' ■■■ / ■ Jack Afncoate's Operiation Jack" 'Allicoate, of "Film Daily," was suddenly operated upon Satur- day fQrVi)pendicIti"s. . Mr,' ■Allicoate iS: at the Harbor Sanitarium>'T?ew York,-reported do- ing i^icely;. . ' Play-^Back Echd Hollywood, Dec, 8. Tom Oeraghty has dla-" covered a. Hollywood > canyon where voice tests can be made without the procedure of re-' cording on film. Actors can be taken there, made to read test lines and the' echo, acts as a natural play-back wifhout the mechan- ical effect. JOE SCHENCK MAY BUILD UP U. A. CHAIN ABROAD For the purpose of sttidyln^r Eu- ropean theatre conditions with th^ intention of establishing a United Artists: circuit. abro^.d,.: Joseph M. Schehck. Is sailing Dec. .14. • • He expects to he . absent for ' a month; . Establislunent of the for- eign - chain and the. number of houses will det)ehd entirely upon the outcome-:.! of hia survey, ,Schenck stated .that United Artists has no foreign group In. mind Xov a take over.. • CIRCUS FANS REMAIN AGAINST TUUn ^Washington, Dec. Attempt has been made to haW' the Circus Pans» Association oalF' oift its protest against the maWna by James Cruze of Jim Tully<S novel, "The Olrcua Parade,'? into * picture,* " Fratik WHstach, of the Hayg ori'' ganlzatlon and an old circus" maj»T has had much correspondence with' the fans' headquarters here, the" group being mad^ of business an4 - professlpnal men pledged to further the Interests of the tented outfits ' "Wllstach has informed the asso.<- elation that though the picture will liear the title of T^illy'r, book noth-^. Ing of the objectionable materia^ ' princlrtilly because of its stated In-"* accuraoies, will be incorporated iJt. the picture, which it Is said Cru^a has already underway ■ • Ass&cIatlOn qounters with—if that Is true then why call it "The CirCug parade"-and plug Tully's book? ' ; Rayenes Wfth Col Mauride Ravenes goes with the production department of Columbia. Ravenes. pleparted for the Coast Saturday. YOU MAY mmsrm me not to fedd, mock less sam ail the xxiticrm Dvsiness. lathe VciY W 1 lean; and J mean toKe^H?!^ 5d mitil % Hthe end Irn^s me (m all v^Riivliatis e end m^m M^hianoels said id out maKenno . Abe Lincolai is furnisjiir.g Will Hays Tt'ith the above alibi to frantic oxhibs ni^peallng to Film- Boards of Ti'ade .for action on picture deliveries. ' The" boards, closed for business until Federal Judge Thacher passes on their legality, have been instructed to hang the humble Lincoln and his answer in the most conspicuous part of their outer ofilces. The 32 secretaries, mostly women and college folk, at that, are Instructed to maintain their usual cajm and.answer all questions .regarding' contractural troubles with a stiff finger pointed at the ver- biage. However, everybody in the Hays ofllce is happy since they're being retained on the payroll while the moral lesson Is in pi'ogress. Shut-down has other points- in Its favor for the secretaries. It gives, them an opportunity to con- centrate On annual reports which. In othei' years, kept them working far into the night at thife sea* son. • " WALTEE HAGEN'S HEEL Hoilyood, Dec. 3. Walter Hagen, here for the P. G. A. tournanienti will make- a one reel instructional golf film for Tiffany. If okay, he will make a series. McGowah Vacation Hollywood, Dec. 3. -=-HR«bert-'^McGbwani---who=^has.=^^^^ rected all Of the "Our Gangs" for eight years, will rest In Honolulu. James Home will direct during his absence. 001*16 Kenyon Playing Again Hollywood, Dec. 3. After an absence from pictures of almost a year, Dori.4 Kenyon re- turn&,to the f^mme lead in "Strict- ly Business,'' Radio. Social Background for Beecroft Indie Feature The younger social set of West- chester County, ritzy suburb'of New York, will be enlisted aa extras, aind homes and estates in that locality Will be used for "What Pric5 Col- lege." It Is to be made by Beecroft Production,, indie film goes into pro- duction next week at the RCA Gramercy studio. New York. . Chester Beecroft heads tiie new firm. Fi-ancis T. Hunter, tennis player, and E. Harold Forbes,-, who own a .chain of .newspaR.ers in West- chester, ai'e financing. Olive Shea, radio singer, will play the lead. Henry Dixey, from legit, has a character role. William Stephens, of the Bentham office. Is casting the picture. POT SEBASTIAK'S BREAKDOWN Hollyw.ood, Dec, 3. Dorothy Sebastian. is in Holly- wood Hospital suffering from phys- ical breakdown. -"^She had=tor^vithdraw"^rbm^MO's = .I'Montana," Mayer Going Back In about a week Louis B, Mayer will return to the Metro studips at Culver City. Ml', Mayer is on one of his ptriod- ical visits to New York, making his hpadquarters as u.<?ual at the Loew bfllces. I19GBEASIKG SE0ET3 Paramount ma.'y increase the r.ob- ert C< Brucis talking sceriics to two a month, as have been the Max Fleischer song cartoons. - Brttc6 formerly produced 'noverity shorts fOr'Educational.' He is.now producing on the C<ia:6ti with ever^hirtg goin^ through Pat. X^AIIBO IN'HOKANGE'V . Hollywood; Dec. 3. . "Rbmafloe" follows "Annie Chris- tie" as Greta Garbo's. next M-G-M picture. , " Clarence Brown will direct both films. Housman Now P. A. Arthur Housman, former newis editor of the N. Y. "Evening Jour- nal,'' Is now in'charge of publicity, and advertising for the New York and Brooklyn Strand theatres and the Warners' Beacon, soon to open" at 75th street and Broadway. The appointment. was made by Harry. Cha'rnas, gen. mgr. of War- hers'"^ew"^Yorlc"tliMtreH^'"""^ Fay Wray's Changed Role Fay Wray is out of the role she was scheduled for In "The Benson Murder Case," william i'owell star- ring vehicle. She has beon assigned by Par instead to tho- lef)d opiiosilo Charlt-n • Buddy" Rogers Jn hJs ncxi, "i'ouiig Eagleii." , • Tiffany's List • Hollywood', Dec. 3. With nine pictures already com- pleted Or in Work, Tiffany announces •pi^Oduction Of the following stories to cOniprietei the current year's program: "Resurrection," "Danger- ous Business,"'"The Dull Family,*^ "Happy Days," "Cyclone Hlckey," "Medicine Man," "Song of' the Is- land," "Lasca," "The Luxury Girl," "The Torrent," "High Treason" ([al- ready completed in England), "Seiior Rip Grande," "Lovellfe and Laughter" (to be produced in Eng- land), "Ladies of Leisure," and "Moonlight and Roses."' .' Two program features and four Stories for specials are yet- to be selected. BATEIEAVESIT Resigning after 10 years with the Universal, Henry Bate, assistant to Paul Gullck, publicity . head, has joined the Motion Picture Congress of America as publicity and adver- tising d irecto r. _ _. _ ; His successor ia Oscar Cooper, lately news editor of "Motion f»ic- ture News," Arch Reeve in Town Arcli Reeve, head of Paramount's Coast publicity department, gets in town tomorrow (Thursday) to at •tf-nd the annual district -managers meeting Dec. 6-8. lioeve rtturns west next week. one's BIdg. Hollywood, *Dec. 3. : RCA-Photophone will h^ve itt own building in Hollywood as head-^ quarters for all activities, theatre comniercial department, theatre in-r. stallatlon ^ and service, - studio ser- vice and eniglneerlng. F. M.'Sammlfi^ general Tepresentative on the PacU fic . Coast,- Is looking for the BitK Building probably one-story, cost- ing aboiit t7B,000. Laboratory ■ foi^ sound • t-e'eearch • will be provided. Research service Is bfelng ^organii! Ized by Ralph H. ToWnsend witii temporary headquartets on : the Radio lot. Specialists will be en* rolled for the different phases< Tpwnsend is an old ^Brunswick re^ cording engineer, more rtecently with" Pai^anaount In the eia,st. Seven studios, Pathe,- Radio, Sen- nett, Tiffany, Tec-Art, Educational and Darmoui'," have from two te seven PhotOphone sound channels each. Half ■ a dozen service meni • are working- with studio engineers and lab officials on standard oper-' atlon. By eight o'clock evei'y moming each piece of registering apparatua ha^ been checked" to standara photometric value by the studio staff and a report madeto the - Photophonjb office. This ' enables uniform developing practice. Equipment of this coDjipany i«" now installed in the following the«; atres. . ' ' ' . Los Angeles—The Western, Am roy^, Nowell (Pacific Cokst The- atres chain); Optic and Art (Gore Br OS.).—^Long - Beach, Cal.^Home;] Lancaster, Cal.—"Valley; San Diegc^ Cal.—^Victory; Indio, Cal.—^Egyp» tian; Flagstaff, Ariz.—Orpheuni;) Glendale, Ariz,—Rainbow; Superior, Ariz.—Mauk. Hughes Paying $20,000 foir 8-Seat Projection Room Hollywood, Dec. 3,' ! Howard. Hughes, millionaii'e film producer, is building one of thp- most costly private sound theatre? yet to be erected In .Hollywood. It. win. cost in excess of: $20,000," or ,a,t the rate, of $2,500 a seat for Its eight seats... ■ When completed at the MetrO;^.' politan studios, where Hughes mak.esV. his, production, headquarters. It will/ serve for. his private projection"tj-. room requirements. L. A. to N. Y. Arch Reeve.- O, E, Goebel. Ed.-Milne; Bobby Watson, H. A.- Fendler. N/Y. to L. A. B, F. Schulberg. Mike Marco. Blanche Bryer. Paul H. Fox. Joe Swerling. Ira Hards. Maurice Ravenes . Sam Brisk in. - D. A. Durand, Elmer Harris. . CODY'S SCREEN RETUEN HollyAVOdd, Dec. 3. '' Lew Cody, out of- pictures- for"" eight months due to illness, wi» make his first talker appearance iA " a black-out. It will be in :M-G's oUl-limers' re^ vue.