Variety (Dec 1929)

>6 VARIETY P I C T U R E S Wedndsday, December 25, 1929 Inside Stuff-Pictures ■'. Radio Pictures ia so sold on Bichard Dlx In his first talker for the company, "Seven Keys to Baldpate," which opens today (Wednesday) at the Ban Carroll for a $2 run, that it blasts forth In Its house organ, Vpadio Titan," the following: ,? "Paramount gave him nothing that compares with 'Seven Keys to Baldpate'." r Studio hanger-on set out to make a film on the an^le of a couple .<)f autograph hounds reaching the <3o|ast arid meeting all the stars. Set his cariiera up at recent premieres and stole ma^tierlal* but ran out of ■Cash beford the picture was finished. : iRaftled off his watch, selling tickets at several studios, and raised enough to finish the picture.. Now figuring how to purloin sound. '■ I A number of alleged Hollywood picture trade papers are doing everyr Ithlng within their power to <Jatch secret pre- views in out of town places, Respite requests of the producers to lay off until the picture. Is In some txi&l state of completion for a printed criticism* Latest gag adopted Is that of appointing relatives or frifends living in out of town places to Jcatch the film and write the review. fi Glendoa Allvine, Fox publicity head In New York, re-printed an article .from Arts and' Decorations and ia syndicated boiler plate about hia -futuristic home; In L.ong feeach, the first building cdmpletely done in 4he cock-eyed motif, and Is broadcasting the propaganda as Tils Christ- nuas greetings. V Prom the Coast Frank,Whltbeck, Fox theatres' chief publicist, also iells the world about his' home, one of those places where the car is parked at the foot of a peak and visitors crawl up a, ladder to the .buftgalow. Not futuristic up ih^re, but dizzy. (Continued «rom page 2) tlonal royalty to the American au- thor. In Sax's case It's Eugene O'Neill (of his repertory of plays) Who Is a member of the French so- ciety. New Ameriean Troupe With ''The .Barker" current, the tiiird in the series of six plays orig- inally scheduled, McKay , Morris leaves this troupe. He had only a four weeks' contract with Sax and so returns to America^ iplanniiig to come back_ Jn. the* spring to make his home here. There is a possibility of Mbrxis headlner another local group of Amerlca.n Playets, similar to the English Players who clicked so Well in "Jou^hsy-s End.'^ For this pur- pose Al Woods and . Major Keith Trevor (Jane Mamac's husband) niay become associated with Mor- ris* Latteri meanwhile, has be6n doubling in assisting Xiss. Harnac in the staging- of "Shanghai Ges- ture," Ijorris having been a, mem- ber ot Uie original oompany; of that pliy for Wpods In'America. Several differences have cropped up between Sax and Morris. Lat- ter was said to have aired that he was doing all the hiring and firing of the Paris-American Players. It Is known" that Sax had to call a meeting of the group and assert himself to which Morris publicly accorded. Morris was billed with sdm0 inlportance as being in. Paris 'by arrangement with Stuart Walk- ■r,^ « X - , ... X - . , , ,i6r," whereas it developed he. had Ed Porter, formerly of Paramount and lAventor of va;rlou^ Walker.- There ^'i^oritriyances for Studio uses, has a pocket-Slssed 16 mm. camera which ^as ailsp sbme'talic of Morris bring- ,; >Will rjstall at $10. A cOi^Pdny to exploit the Invention is beinT organized, ^^q^ ^ clique of Walkerites for ;?VnusuAl feature of the eaipera Js a spring that winds and re-winds. Lj^g company, which report Sax partridge of IQO feet will fit and a "fool proof'feature is that amateurs Leashed, :-v; The old racket of promising girls a pictare career met Its Waterloo ; Buth Mack, stalled her car on the way to work and a passing iihotorist stopped to give her aid. After fixing the trouble, he started hy saying she was the ideal type for pictures and he could fix It so She Vcould meet the right director who would give her a chance. Miss Mack .. Jet him rave, then politely told her "discoverer" that she happened to be: ?|he assistant casting director at the First National iatudtos. / Stage writer was under contract at a Holiywood studio for 8() weekSk • ..at $2,000 a week, during which time, he and. the StudlQ wouldn't get to- ■feether On a story» He returned to New York and the Hollywood oxedis ..posted the $60,000 aS: dead loss. -He was hack less than two weeks when '^the home office giive him Another cohtraet for the same period and price >ind he is now back on the same lot, where the execs figure him the most ^xpensive luxury to date. /' As a gesture of apprecitttlon for the hospitality extended the company while on location nearby, tnspiraitlbn will give Tampa, Florida, the wOtld premiere On"Hell Harbor." Picture will pis,y the Tampa, Publix house^ 4at6 In January. Tickets are nOW being Sold for the opening perform- V^nce specicaiy scaled ieit $2.60 a^nd a big social event for the town. Com^ Spent 10 Weeks In the Tampa district receiving many favors rbm the Chatnber of Coniner^^^ : The Assooiatlon of M. P., Producers, assignee, has applied for a patent on an optical device to adjust or correct the amount of distortion in the /Screened Image' caused by angle of projection. The dovlce was developed '\by G. F. Backett, director of the aissoclation's technical bureau. He Vjlsiys it can he adjusted to compensate for slderal distortion ap^Sarent to >v Spectators at extreme angles from the screen, as well-as to the elongation :: :l^esuitlng from the elevation of'the projection machine. Pacenl's 60% Although little Is heard about the Pacent cheaper talker, other than the lltiga-» tlon gesture Western Electric, has made for Its remoyal from certain Stanley houses, Louis G., himself. Is all het up about foreign conqueiats. In such Latin towns as Spezia, BolOgna and LlVorno, of the Pittaluga chain, Pacent claims the Pacent is by-word with distinguished foreign sound patronia. Pacent bets that Pacent ex- ceeds its competitors by 60% in Argentine popularity. No figures are released for the llnotyper. ■ SAX'S MARGIN News From the Dailies San Friincisco, Lo. Angeles and London. Variety takes no credit for thMO newB items: each hat been rewritten from m dkily paper. Will be spared the necessity of threading the film. > Although Dolores Del Rio ofllbiaUy is the star of "The Bad One." her vfirst talker, and Edmund Lowe Is featured, the latter will enjoy the same {l>illing as Miss Del Rib. This is Miss Del Rlo's 'ldea and has been given Vthe consent of U. A„ It is understood. Although stars seldom elevate via .vbilllng any featured members of the otust. Miss Del Rio is said to have : felt in this case that Lowe deserved as much as that. \v A^ni^li Independent film studio opera,ted[ on 67th street, Manhattan, hy Lawrence Swenson, former RCA. engineer, wetS closed by the Fire r^vDepartment for violations of fire code about a month before the Pathe /Are, a check of Independent KTew York studios reveals. i\ Studio was in existence but a brief period. It was situated in a i ; former apartment building. « And Larry Fletcher, a Theatre Guilder, with the closing of "Kdrl and Anna," has come over as has 1 RUth'- Connolly. Latter is a new ad- dition to do the Claudette. Colbert part in "The Barker/' Rose Bur- dick, regular femme .lead, is off for two weeks. .; A male player who went to Beverly Hills a year ago and passed around '^|the Info that he Would like to have the boys and girls drop In for tennis, ;/swimming orvwhat have you Sundays, reckoned up his entertainment ; hills and found that his Sunday hosting cost him $1,600 a month. He •,Jis now living In an apartment . - . Fox Buy in Wyo. Los Angeles, Dec. 24. Fox coast deal for the Strand at Bawllns, Wyo., has been closed. House is now under Northern Rocky division, with J. E. Bangs, former owner, managing. LONDON Lord and Lady Falkland sued by the May Fair hotel for party bill. 230 Invited, 468 went. Gate crash- ers blamed. ' ' X - . X Sunny Jarman engaged to Lieut, Francis Francis of fhe Guards. Francis resigned from the regiment iand reaped columns. Justice Eve reokoiis soup's noisier than a 3azz band, according to court reports., . Jurymen are going to sleep these di^ys. ■ ■■ ■ Community singing stiU rage. •Best people wearing spats at wed- John Galsworthy Is baking "The Roof." ■ -Audrey Thomas, dancer, is en- gaged to George Thomas, one, of the up-and-UPSi , . "■ , Suburbans are forming societies for the protection of long hair for the dames, . Saps are running around Plcoa- diiiy In football shortsi Sir Alfred Butt has signed Edgar Wallace to wrlte the next for Drury Lane. Just a pre-breakfast canter. Musical folk are raising squawks about the musical copyright act. ^ Strong cast for "The Last Ene- my/' Tom Walls' production, due at the Fortune, is Athene Seyler, Nich- olas Hdnnen, Marjorie Mars, Frank Lawton^ O. B. Clarence, CaM Har* bord and Laurence Olivier.. Frank Harvey wrote, . Constance Collier and complete English cast leave for the States Jan. 4 to tour "The Matriarch." New York date In February. Frank Vernon producing. Leslie Henson and Firth Shepherd presenting '.'A Warhi Corner,'-' farce, lat the Princess Dec. 24. Henson producing. W. H. Berry, COftnle Ediss arid Heather Thatcher billed. Arthur Wimperis and Laurl Wyll6 authored. [ ■■ NEW YOMC ^ Commercial artists announce^ plans to form.a national imion along the lines of Equity. Edward Adams, representing an organiziatlon of commercial artists established in Chicago, is one of the leaders. Gordon Godowsky, son of the pianist-composer, and '. Yvonne Hughes Godowsky, shoWglrl, have separated. Father hadn't given ahy blessing or nest egg, but young Go dowsky said it was just a case of incompatibility. Marriage in 1928. Asked in St. ,Loul8 why he had never broadcast, Fritz Krelsler, the fiddler, said-transmission Is some times "horrible and unfair." Adolph Zukor last week accepted Chairmanship of the motion picture division in the Christmas seal drive of the New York- Tuberculosis and Health Ass'n. contingent was defeated, shqwHig a 1;end'ency for wisecrack answers. Col, Robert J, Halre, 82, crim- Intkl lawyer who was disbarred . lii 1{|16 and later confined in the Man-, "hattari State Hospital tor insane^ was 'released OA statement that he could support himself by writing!a biographical- book About the JesS4 James gang. He defended the boys in court almost 60 years ago. As a bright press, gag, Horace Lilverlght, the publisher with the- atrical associations, staged an In telUgence contest between six chorines and six college girls. Show Baroness Theresa Von Rotten:*! kolber, former night olub dancei'^ was arrested on charge of breaking parole from Bedford Reformatory.' She was arrested.three years ago for vagrancy. Her husband, whom she Is suing for a separation plus $12^000 monthly alimony and $76,- 000 counsel fees, says he won't help her.'. Ruth Putman Mason Wolfe, writer and Intermittent producer^ was granted a divorce in Bridge- port from Edwin R Wolfe, New York etcher, on grounds of deser* tlon. Mrs. Wolfe lives in Norwalk» Hazel Forhes, showgirl. who hits print regularly, secured an inter> locutory decree of , divorce from Edward Judson, auto salesman; with whom she eloped last May. Girl Identified only as "Eve" was mentioned. Miss Forbes is the one. Jack Dempsey and Joe Benjamin got into a scrap about- Review published by Dominlck & Dominick,. mentioning that thb. Chamber of Commerce estimates pictures increase foreign trade at the rate of $1 a foot, says introduc- tion of talkers has left export of film In a doubtful state and there- fore has hurt the'general foreign market. * Motion pictures have al- ways been' considered, the most ef- fective means of advertising Ameri- can products abroad. M'irlam drosby, actress, is in Reno seeking 6t divorce from Ro- land TevUn On charge of non-sup- port. Her suit was turned down by 'courts In t'rance and Mexico. She married Tevlin in New York while understudy to Marilyn Miller In "Sunny." ^ Larry Fay,' Broadwayite, reported engaged to Evelyn Crowell of "Sketch Book." As you like it. ; LOn MUrriay, associate director Of the Rko and Mayan theatres in Lbs Angeles, has sent out a signed state- ment announcing he has started divorce proceedings against Evelyn Hannons, chorus girl, in New York^ on charge of desertion and mental cruelty. Claiming her nose was ruined in an operation by Dr. Robert Griffith, plastic surgeon, Dorothy Hlgglns, show girl, has started suit against hlrii for $6,000. • Arriving in New York from the coast, Harry Rlchman told report- ers he'll marry Clara Bow In March. Also denied the engagement started as a publicity gag. Joan Lowell, author-actress, re- ported okay again with her hubby, Thomas Buchanan. Courtlandl Smith, in charge of ^ox-MovIetone News, Is quoted as having said at a newsreel meeting, that the Embassy Is not restricted ■';to Fox-Movietone and Hearst-Metrotone clips. "We will book Pwa- ;;;^ount and Pathe, if good," he is reported having stated. Nothing from \i either of these newsreels has yet crashed the Embassy. ; Al Barlow, accessory man who six months ago Was bemoaning a let- -out from a First National post he had held, the 10 years previous now exclaims: "I wished they had let me igo five years before. They dld_ J me a good turn by getting me out ot a rut. Pve doubled my salai-y •since." ing office and got the names of New York actors signed. The following day the committee got the list of tests to be screened and when they found a name that had been signed, put O. K. On the test. If the player had not been signed, N. G. Went on the test. With Paramount that "son of a—" is not only in type in the trailers but Is dialoged In the company's talker version of the Wister story. To fill out the sentence some of the Par experts suggests: "Son of a Kibitzer." Estate of .Mrs. '^Babe" Ruth, burned to death ..in a mysterious house fire laist January, was found to total only $4,000 in cash, plus a few pieces of jewelry.. Mrs. Ruth was the fbrritier Clare Hodgson, ac- tress. Estate willed to her adopted daughter, actress. Inside reports are that money is not as plentiful for theatre expansion aCs formerly. This may have been temporarily influenced by the Fox matter. 1 Bankers and electrics don't take long to break filmdom's traditions. One of the latter crashed this week when Fox employees got their New York checks drawn on the First National bank.- Corn Exchange has been handling the envelope dough as long as .oldest employees can remember. Picture celebs are "being canvassed. to write an endorsement and get a year's supply of coffee. Chase and Sanborn Co. is making the offer, preparatory to an extensive campaign. Ads will also Include stage and literary celebs. Independent producer on the Coast claims he's dropped $20,000 in six months on paper promises from state rights exchanges In the east and J middle west. Says they, do nothing with his pictures but spoil the terr •j?'rItory, .From now on he roadshows. One ot the largest settings ever constructed for talking musical is •',being'.jeirected_at..the.M -G-M. studios., .It^.w^ 'sequence representing.the march of time In Holly wood .Revue of 1930.' V A chorus of 600 .dancers and 1,600 singers will be used. Budget system for production schedules at one of the major Coast studios is forcing a number of associate producers and directors to re- sort to various methods to eliminate charges. One director on this lot . believes the more writers on a~story, the better. He goes from writer to writer, when they'i'e not actlyely en- gaged, to get their Idea, of the script without having it charged to his picture. , ' LOS ANGELES Helen Boyer, N. Y. dancer,, ac- cused Of obtaining $800 froril Atheleto Estalilla, butler for John Barrymore, by posing as the mother of his non-existent baby, pleaded guilty to three counts of petty theft In Municipal Court. She was granted permission to file applica- tion for probation. - More than'34 different dance ensembles are now In preparation at the , M-G studios. Eighteen of these will be used in the "Hollywood Revue," • three for "The Songwriter and ten for "Good News." More than 400 «horus girls will be used with Sammy Leo directing. A major studio was receiving about 80 talker tests from N. Y. per day. Studio executive appointed 10 directors and writers to look at tests and report to him. After the second day the writers and directors got tired of listening to tests. One got an Idea. He went to the cast- In the-, days of the silent picture the Hays brganlzatlori attempted "to invoke the silent system for punishment for moral Infractions, the latter Including undesirable' publicity, Mostly the silent system operated against those known to haye done wrong by some one In a wrong way and which did not reach the tabloids. The silent system silently estranged people from the big film producers obliging them to go with the Poverty Row independents of Hollywood, This sooner or later eased them out, into legit, stock or vaude. While effective enough in that way Hays' silent system did not act as a deterrent to others as those punished never told the real reason. Gen- eral Hays could not be persuaded the be.<it punishment and warning (Continued on page 49) Ri B. Wharff, agent with the Kathryn Kelly office, narrowly es- caped death when his auto got out of control. and plunged off the Roosevelt coast highway two miles north of Topanga Canyon. Car calught fire and was later sub- merged by the incoming tide. Wharff suffered but cuts and bruises. Suit of Attorney G. R. Lessing against Dolores Del Rio for $31,000, alleged due him for legal services, postponed until January 15. Petitions to have contracts of 12 minor screen players certified have been filed in Superior Court by M-G-M. State law requires court approval of any contract with a minor. Contracts brought are those of Evelyn Steglat, Ruth Jennings, (Continued on page 23)