Variety (Dec 1929)

Wednesday; D^ember ^5, 1929 PICTURES VARIETY 19 Westerns All PrQducers for New Programs Inidlcations are strong at the pres- ent time that the '30-'31 programs of most all of the producers, If not every one, "will include .Westerns, whether as straight programs or as musicals with atmosphfsre that has conie to be tagged In th6 trade as! ••Westerri."v. Paramount has purchased ■ for. Gary Cooper "The Texan" as a com- panion .picture to 'IThe Vlrglnlari," a:9 well as another Zane Grey story, "The Border Legion," written years ago and made at one time by Par a9 a silent. First story bought by Par follow- ing decision to do Westerns was "The Fighting Caravan," which was to be done this winter but now Is postponed to'the spring. ' Fox has "liori^ Star Ranger" as Its next Western talker, with "Old Arizona" and "Romance of Rio Grande" ahead of It. With plans In- definite for next season but likely to Include severeil Westerns or out- door pictures, Fox. will be repre- sented among producers bringing back ,the much-maligned "horse operasl" The first Northern picture, to be placed in production soon by Fox, Is "The Girl Who Wasn't Want- ed" and is based on a lumber camp atory. ' Radio, holding'conference on next season's product, is tentatively fig- ured on two or three outdoor talk- ers with Western atmosphere, but whether they will be musicals or not femalris to be decided. Waiting . Metro is comimltted to the mak- ing of Weiaterha In dialog, but be- fore making, plans any more certain than now the company wants to see how "Montana,'' first'Western it will xnake, pans.out.. : Warner Bros, and P.. N. will de- pend .6nh<jw "Under a Texas Moon" and "Sonis of the West" go over. Both are .musicals in Western at- zhosph^e and color. Unlversalv inaklnB eight Ken May- nards and eight. Hoot Gibsons in dialog, has added as a special "-Three Bad Meii" to the current program, and with ita "horse opera'* product eelling satisfactory, still others may- be done. It la reported more, than likely, that the number of Westerns ■from U during-tlie'^SO-Sl iseason will be nearly double the 17 alriealdy oxi this year's schedule. Paihe Suspend Sflent Newsreel^^iind Only Pathe .will discontinue Its silent newsreel. service after Jan. 1 and use sound with all future news stuff. • "In 'going, all-sound Pathe Joins Movietone and M'etrotone Ih the top hewsi flight, with two complete releases weekly. Largest consum- ers of Pathe News will be the RKO vaude (Keith's) and picture the- atres. Bad Chicago Fire . Chicago, r)ec. 24. Garden, Publlx-Great States house in. Harvey, Chi suburb, was de- stroyed by fire yesterday. Loss estimated at $125,000. Nine workipen, onia. of whom was killed In the flre, were In. the theatre at the time. Fire started by boiler exploding. CLOSED TWO DAYS Chicago, Dec. 24. With Clement McMahon, owne^^"* 111 .in a hospital, affairs of the Pal- ace,. Cicero, were jammed and house Was closed for two days when the utility service was cut off over a bin squabble. Power was restored when it wjM shown McMahon, who, signs the Checks, was unable to notify em- ployees. Minn.'a F. B. T.. Still Meeting Minneapolis, Dec. 24. Although arbitration has been suspended,—managers-of--fllm ^dis- tributing branches here have de- cided to continue the Minneapolis Film Board 'of Trade to meet Weekly and discuss problems and inatters affecting business. At the annual election last week T. A. Burke, U. A, manager, was chosen president, succeeding M. A. .Levy, of Fox. W. H. Workman, M-G, was elected vice-president, replacing J, H. Maclntyre, Fox. Courtesy, Service! . Los Angeles, Dec. 24. Paramount and United Art- ists' theatres here . offered a brand new inducement to .pre- Cbristmas patronage. llouses offered to wrap all Xmas packages while the pa- trons watched the. show» and deUver them all ready for mailing on the, way out. • R-K-0 "GOOD TIMES" FOR ALL OF JANUARY Celebrating its first birthday Jan. 1, Radio-Kelth-Orpheum is planning a "January Good Times Jubilee" for the montb. With a special campaign tieing up the organization on th(B passing of its first milestone in show business. . In connection with the campaign R-K-O theatres everywhere are committed ,tb a policy of hielpful-. ness and local, CO-ojptieration ,with city officials, merchants, financial institutions and civic organizations, iSpecial trailers are being pre- pared and . other arrangements are going ahead for use during Jan- uary in connection With the first anniversary bf the organization and its campaign. ; Loew tlreatres are conducing a January exploitation month^ under the name of "Januaiy Festival." U Am) PATHE SWITCHES ' • . ■ * . . Chicago, Dec.-24. Several changes in p|ers6nriel. haVe taken place in the picture ' ex- changes throughout the mliddle west. ' " : ■ Charles Lester, formerly branch manager of U's Atlanta .office, now heads the Kansas City exchange. Leo Abrams moves to New York to assume an executive position >>with that company's home office. Ralph WlUIams, formerly southern district manager for Universal, succeeds Lester at Atlanta. lYed Strief, for- merly manager of U'^ Indianapolis ofilce, is how head pf the St^ Loiils exchange, succeeding Harry Hines, who becomes city salesman. Ben Elsenberg, ■ formerly' short subject salesman at the local of- fice, .becomies city salesman, fiuc-. ceedlng Liptbn . Astrachan, - who leaves soon for Tokyo and Shang- hai to assume charge of the offices there. Bill Baker moves upa,s short subject salesman. In the Pathe" offices here, Harry. Lorch switches from -branch man- ager, to western division manager and Is succeeded by John Clark, for- merly branch manager in Milwa,u- kee. . Tom Greenwood, city sales- man, becomes head of .the Milwau- kee office. Par's 4th Western ^ Hollyw'ood, Dec. 24. Fourth Western scheduled by Paramount since the b. o, reports oh "The Virginian," IS a remake bf Zane Gray's ."Border Legion." Percy Heath is putting it into shape. . Branton iii N. E. Ralph Brahton has been ap - pointed Ne.w England division man- ager for Publlx, under J. J. Fltz- glbbons. Branton will make his head- quarters, in the chain's Scollay Square, Boston. $2 "Vagabond King" Feb. 11. "The Vagabond King," reported most costly Paramount production to date, starring Dennis King, with Jeanette MacDonald opposite, is scheduled for a special run at Crl- terlon^ Broadway, opening Feb. 11. —-Robert-Montgomeryr-underw^Gon- tract to MtG-M, is not the Robert Montgomery, picture player, who was arrested in an alleged stabbing affair and gave his place of em- ployment as M-^G. Names of the Grand-Rlviera and Grand Riviera Annex, Detroit, changed by Publix-B. & K., new owners, to the Riviera and Annex, respectively. 10.0. C. Leaders Want to Horn In Abram Myers' dictum to Hays for 1100,000 a year to run a national or- ganization in which the producers would have no vtjte, has given a lot of. Indie bodies easy money ideas. One of the brains In the Theatre Owners' Chamber of Commerce is trying to get .that outfit to throw overboard its old constitution, bar- ring affiliated say-sbes, anct let Pliinkett, Roxy and some others give their advice. At the same time work the producers into that pitch of ei;[thusiasm'whei^e the dues would yearly aggregate $76,000. The idea of swinging to Hays with compromises .which Allied As- sociation disdained *at the Union League pow-wow Is reported being presented toi the TOCC at a time when Charlie O'Reilly, heavyweight contender, is not particularly amic- able toward Al Steftes of the Myers constituency. The story Is that Al during . the . conferences wanted Cliarlie to do a few certain things, but that O'Reilly remain steadfast to the. TOCC kind' of Independence. It's been during the last few daj's that Charlie has been giving re- organization suggestions the utmost consideration. O'Reilly itnen Dolnt out that it would: be most opportune for the TOCC to stage a coup by listening and agreeing with .ftays. They point out that Hays must have an ex- hibitor body' and that the Times Sq. crowd .would be In that much doiigh and back to their older and miore luxuribus accommodations if they are. the first to let drop the flag. ■ . ' ■ ' While the TOCC is recalled as a grand, organization a decade ago, the yiris& Instigators dwell on too much reminiscing and too little ac- tion to date. They also point to the shriveled offices, all cut except O'Reilly's which still has sufficient latitude' to hpxise the leather fur- niture. The de luxe/bouses, they figure, can pay all the way from $2,500 to $6,000 a year In dues while the little lad-TA buck a week will then be enough, and not that If it pinches hlni. How will, they reciprocate for all this? ■, ' ■ First of all cut the talk down to one big meeting a year by supplant^ ing the. present taUiIng squiads .with one wholesome bptird t>i governors. Then, build ' up * ll committees to take care of the payees all the way from , opening emplosrment agencies to renewing yearly thisatre leases.' With such " an organization changes in contract and arbitration would not be eo costly as at pres- ent. They could b* taken care of as they developed. That In Itself, it is declared, would be one of the surest ways . In which to keep the Dept. ^f .Justice nose but of the industry during 1930. No F N's in New Beacon Warners new Beacon theatre, at Broadway and 74'th, New York, which opened -Xmaa ev6« will have to struggle, along, without First NationaV pictures, according to info emanating from F. N. headquarters. F. N. product is tied , up for the metropolitan section by R-K-O for the next five years, with that cir- cuit getting first releases on eyery F. N. film after It plays, the Strkhd. New Tork. /This will leave the Beacon with either a third run choice on F. N., or strictly Warner pictiit-es, with occasional booking of outside films perhaps. R-K^O's Hunt Film R-K-O has purchased an African hunt film, untitled eis yet, from Melvin Hirsch, indie distributor, for the Cameo, New Tork. It will open there in January, as RKO expects to follow this picture up after "Hunting Tigers In India," current animaLfllnL^t^the^CohanJsJthCDJigh^ The R-K-O picture was shot last year in the Canadian Rockies and In Africa by cameramen led by Capt. Jack Robinson, ' who was killed during the adventures. Eastern Picture Production Still Relying on Shorts for Continuance An argument.can be started quite easily within the ranks of filmland as to the desirability of concentrat- ing volume of picture production in the east. But, despite the Irrefut- able and beautifully reasoned points brought out and forwarded by the eastern advocates the bulk of pro- duction stubbornly adheres to Hol- lywood. . Paramount has kept -pretty busy iat its Astoria, Long Island, studio since launching etistern. dialog pro- duction with "The Letter" in Oc- tober 1928; Warners' Flatbush out- post is characterized by a buzz of activity which translates itself Into talking shorts^ or, as'they prefer to call theni, Vitaphone Varieties. But where else is there any really impressive and reasonably continu- ous eastern production activity? Run the thumb down the list: Pathe—Made a couple of features and quite a few two-reel comedies. But lots of time elapsed as a rule between one and the next bejfore studio burhed down. RCA Photophone—This temple of mysterious engineers. Identified, with announcements 'of many features and a, flood of shorts. Apparently one feature made by an Independent l<r4ducer, is the sole tull-length acr complishment and two mlttfuls of digits about counts the shorts. Latest advices indicate a dropping Of all activity by RCA with the Grammercy (NTC) studio available for rental^ Weiss Artclaas—State right pro- ducers from coast, took over DeFor- est studio in midyear, intermitt tently active turning out two fea- tures and half a dozen-or more shorts. Metropolitan —Fort Leo studio fairly active on rental to independ- ents. Chesterfield, Rayart and Em- pire have produced features and shorts here. M-G - M—Costly fiasco represent- ing a fortune in equipment and found too expensive in operation at Cpsmppolitah; uptpwn New Tork. •Now closed. Nothing ever canine of pending plans for Fox to move in. Nicke Qrihde made about 40 talking shorts, while studio was opehi Powers Cinephbne -^ Just what plan in mind when building this place on Long Island not clear, idle sintie completion. American—Old Tilford studio oii 44th Street near 9 th avenUe, char- acterized by many announcements, but very little production. R. J, Walsh, building contractor, heads the company. Others ; Besides the above there are sound studios dotting the topography of Manhattan, Queens, Bronx and Jer- sey, the names of which wouldn't mean, a thing to anyone. In all, close to 20 studios, listing all that so classify themselves, are in Greater New. York; Sound came as a boon to • the racket bbysi who plotted their hickle and dime coups and then found the "mai^ket-' the world's most plausible alibi. Resuming in a minor key, the boys have, since -the stock market went blooey, discovered to their em- barrassment an acute shortage of marks. None of the propositions in which the" legit producers were ^reported about , to take, over the eastern film industry came to anything. And the Shuberts were having too much trouble o^ ihe road from the The-, atre (fulld. Fred Strief succeeds Harry Hynes as manager of Unlveraal's St. Louis exchange. Hynes goes back to reg- xilar sales post StrieC U moving over from ClndnnatL Pk^eseiitations West to East - No other branch or form of en- tertainment In the variety show business has achieved and done as much for its pi'ogress and expan- sions as Presentations. The style of picture house stage, shows known by that name' has gradually grown like an octopus, reaching a tremendously important niche in the theatre world of today. Notliing has aifected theatredom at large as much as presentations. Behind the comparatively obscure beginning of the first assembled, and probably crudely fashioned pres- entation idea the. preface of a new epic in show'business was writ- ten. The far reaching scope It has achieved and important part It has played in the success of the deluxe picture house Is beyond estimate. What it win do in the future is speculative. Many theories have been advanced as to its devolutions ary and radical change In the nekt few years. Such men as A. J. Balaban, head of the big Publlx production de- partment> Sid Grauman oh the coast and geveral .others have from '.time to. time experihienteid .-With ideas) injecting new life, breath dnd form into presehtatiohs. 3 Styles There ;are. three .dififerei).t styles bf presentations under standard classlflcatlbn'': revue, sight and mu> sical. Out of -these departments come the prp'log' dtyle, the straight specialty variety in front of a band and the "trick" presefitatlon, such as "jazz vs. opera," "clrctis,'' "car- nival,", etc. ; The original presenta- tion In its more br less perfected fcrm comprised the specialties and stage ban'd policy, with as many as four, five and six acts, and some- times more, used in vaude manner. Later came ensemble embellish- ments with' large corps of line girls, ballets and specialty dancers. About the same time thb new ^tiigfil:diY5Jli55f«x^ to form around Chicago, another and separate adjunct that later be- came a stolid, brace to the complete presentation idea was being created by H. Leopold Spltalny in Cleveland picture hduscs. Spltalny evolved and perfected the orchestral pro- duction with Its symphonic over- tures and scenic appurtenances. Ilils Crganization spread all over deluxe picture houses in the country. eventually, coming Into some of thd smaller houses as well. In point'of Importanco Los An- geles and Burround|ng Califomiti. stands were secbnd to- Chicago tn- taking Up the presentation as a. major stage feature. "What Std Grauman started with iiis; lavteAi prologs at the Million Dollar anid Eigyptian thesUres wais soon picked ui> and elaborated upon by Fancboh and Marco, whose Ideas are now pliaylng from one end of the coast to the other and in the east. Fanchon and Marco Constructed their' ideas on an e'bonomlcal plan and budget system, finding they' were able tor turn out shows for as lowas $1,S00 and maklner them look twice the value. The film industry nearby .entered as an. important fac- tor to Fanchoh and Marco's succesv. Actors streaming in' from the east for ji. gamble.with pictures would soon lose patience and bankroll and F. & M. . would engage them at its own price. It became an alterVia,« tlve for a lot of acts on the doasi. The coast company has done plenty for the promotion of. the presentation . idea. . Chicago, A. 3* Balaban a.nd B. & . K. iare equalljr important among the pioneers, . MilwaUk^p Influenoe . Milwaukee and St. Lpuls are btlflir important stopping points along the presentation' route. In the WW*' consin center Eddie Welsfeldt, forj- mer productlbn .head of the WIS^ cbnsin theatre, was possibly tlje strongest infiuence in advoqatinij; the presentation policy, around that district His ideas and showihiinV ship did mticti to , exploit staiE^e shbws in Wisconsin and heighborr ing states/. 'Weisfeldt was amongr the first known to establish the lo- cal produced presentation, individ- ually put on and .changed eac^ week. He was alSo prominent lip filling many a date for acts arouiiaft Chicago at times when they ne6^|^. the work most, Skouras Bros, of St. Louis, repre* sehtlng. a strong link in picture house operation, are others who go down on record as progressive, pro- mulgators of presentations. Vision Skouras. In that direction was Re- sponsible for many competitive clashes around St, Louis for a Ibhg time. ' ' .Coming to New Tork where everything is a gag and nobody gets excited, New York Is probably, the.- biggest chump city in the world. Presentations were already ivXL grown and blooming when New (Continued on page 46) /