Variety (Jun 1930)

"VARIETY'S" LONDON OFFICE ETkDCir'M 17II \M KTITll/C 8 St. Martin's Place, Trafalgar Square rUKftllGN FILM NEWS CABLE ADDRESo: VARIETY, LONDON Temple Bar 5041-5042 7 SOUND KILLING QUOTAS Fox Thinks for 19 Millions Fox Might Have British Gaumont Say London, June 3. Returrf" of Isidore Ostrerer and .Charles Woolf to these shores from America this week is expected to Iji-ing about some new plan for the management and control of Britlsh- Gaurriont. Ostrerer and Woolf, who went over ostensibly to buy new season's product for theatres, also included among items of biz in their overseas trip a possible new ar- rangement with Fox Films. Fox's new owners are declared to be much dissatisfied with present Eng- lish control arrangement. While the American company has no objection (Continued on page C8) 2 SWEDISH FILMS TO TEST NORSE MARKET Paramount Publlx has two Swed- ish talkers all set for the Norse narket, figuring that quite worth- while. In that wise it will test out the extent of Swedish through- out Denmark, Norway and Sweden. "Paramount on - Parade" has Ernst Rolf, the Ziegfeld of Stock- holm, m.c'ing and interpolating native lingo specialties. Bob Kane in Paris completed "The Hole in the Wall" with Swedish sequences. ■ Par plans testing every tongue and country to gauge the revenue possibilities. VIENNA HISSES OFF GERMAN-MADE 'WOMAN' Vienna^ June 3. " German soundfllm, "The Woman .M^ho Never Forgets You," was hissed off the screen here at its •premiere last night (2) by the local 'first-nighters.' They resented the banal and technically antiquated film. Individual screen performances of Lil Dagover and Ivan Petrovltch, stars, however, were liked. Wired Wireless for Holland's Politicians Is Now Reality There The Hague, June 3. "Wired wireless" becomes a real- ity here in provincial Netherlands as the direct result of the various political parties battling over the muchly involved radio broadcasting situation. Various towns are being wired for the reception of four different types of "wired wireless" programs lo subscribers at the very low rental fee of 28 cents (American) per week for the first three years; then 20c a week for the fourth and final year, when the set becomes the sub- scriber's personal property. 53 Houses Close In Berlin Through Fihns and Taxes Talkers Decrease Earnings, - Claims Holland Firm ; The Hague, June 3. Increasing expenses because of : talkers is ascribed by the Bloscoop Trust, Netherlands' big film cir- ,cuit, for the decrease of its annual ;net profit for 1929 from $93,500 to $73,000. Increased rentals and not j a proportionate_lncrease in income Is one reason given. '■ '. The trust paid $55,000 in taxes to l^he Dutch government. In certain .localities where there are supple- imentary municipal taxes, as much -.0.3 25% of the gross weekly receipts 'have gone for taxes, j ; Local public is tiring of English land American talkers and turning ■jto silents in preference. Sports Events Wanted by Egypt—No Import Duty Cairo, June 3. New government decree exempts from all import formalities foreign film records of sporting events. i These .subjects were automatically jincluded in censor regulations 'lately neacted. "Rio Eita" Replaced Buenos Aires, June 3. r, "dynamite" (Pathe) will replace ■Rio Rita" (Radio) tomorrow (4) I at the Ideal. I "Rio Rita" was expected to be a smash that would run for at least ; three months. It barely lasted a month and goes down as a flop for this territory. Berlin, June 3. Fifty-three Berlin picture the- atres are closing due to the pressure of high taxes and the difficulty of getting talking pictures of box oflfice strength. Business is dull all around. Re- ports of other closings expected at any time. As a reflection of the same condi- tion, Berlin's leading picture house, Ufa Palast am Zoo, started Sunday (1) with an operetta, "Lustige Su- enderin," chosen because of the lack of a desirable talker. WIRING FOR OPEN-AIR GARDENS SUCCESSFUL TALKERS ABROAD Germany Probably First to Alter Quota Contingent— Impractical for Sound Films — England Much Concerned "FILM CAPITAL," TOO Paris, May 23. Whether Paris or Berlin or Lon don, or other film centers in the respective countries, becomes the European film capital, a general revolution of legislative and other standards is inevitable on this side. The sound film is bound to kill the German contingent. The Italian situation will be something to contend with, as the Fasclstic are ultra-clannish and the Franco-German alliance, on one side, . and the American interests abroad, on another side, are mu- tually resented for raiding the cream of Italian performers. The Federated British Industries* proposal of an amendment to the British film quota is another head- ache. The German contingent situation firstly is working out in such a way that its repeal is inevitable, if only for the benefit of the German film interests for which It was designed to protect. The German Fix The Germans are now making foreign versions and also Gorman (Continued on page 68) English Patriotism To Sell British-Made Talkers in Australia Belgrade, June 3. • Josef Kronstln, owner of the Kol- arac chain of cinema houses, is probably the first amusement ca- terer in the world to apply the sound screen idea to open air gar- dens. He equipped a local establishment using pictures as an incidental for the restaurant business, sending an account of his experiment to the Klangfilm people in Berlin, who dis- patched one of its ofllcials to Bel- grade to see how it turned out. The people here have a decided preference for out-of-doors resorts, owing to the intense heat of mid- summer. The Klangfilm oflicjal ex- pressed himself as greatly pleased with the effect of the innovation, declaring that he would recommend to his company that they go further in designing a sound apparatus especially adaptable to the new pur- pose. "Scarlet Seas" (FN), was the first picture projected by the new sys- tem. Syrian-Made Talker * Cairo, June 3. A talker in f?yrian is the next dialectic possibility. Assla, Syrian cinema star, ne- gotiating with German film inter- ests for a talker in that toncue. After a Sex Film Terry Turner, making his third European commutation trip since the first.of the year, sallfd sud- denly on the "Kuropji" Friday and will return on the same North Ger- man Lloyd liner. Going over to pick up a Swiss .SOX nim which he'll review !m Pari.'i. Sydney, June 3. Australia is being ballyhooed Into a vogue for British talkers, follow- ing the success of two productions from the home country, "Splinters" and "Rookery Nook," a great success for Union Theatres. The theatre chain has seized the opportunity for playing up British sentiment with much flag waving and patriotic appeal in behalf of British production. Grave danger to the British in- dustry lies in the possibility that the market will be forced for medi- ocre product from the home coun- try, with the public oversold on the patriotic Idea. Fact still is that quality and sta- bility remain with the general run of American-made, and all the Brit- ish opposition can't overcome that fact. $2 SMALL-SEATER IN PARIS FOR FAU FILMS Paris, June 3. The Paris top price of $1 for pic- tures will be doubled in September when the new and smart CoHsee on the Champs Elysees crasho.«> with a new peak oC $2, equaling the scale of the class legits. The Collsee is a 700-seater, just purchased by Jacques H£ ik for ex- ploitation first runs. It Is being wired with 'Western Electric equip- ment. John Eborson, architect who de- signed many of the American at- mospheric theatres, will remodel tlie house during the summer, hav- ing it ready in September to start its career as the classlost picture houHe in the French capital. If not in ?:urope. lOberson is undor retainer to Haik lo design and build the big new Halk houTfe, first big atmospheric theatre in I'arls, He also will alter the Olympia. Budapest Congress for Royalty; Told by WilkU.S. WiU Not Agree Italian-English in Studio Exchange for Players and Talkers Rome, June 3. First move in the campaign of Plttaluga to produce Italian pictures Is a deal with British International for the exchange of studio space. Arrangement covers only a couple of dialog pictures. Players under contract to Pltta- luga and a director will go to Eng- land to produce Italian versions of pictures made by B. I., for which it Is understood the sets are available. Meanwhile, an English cast will come to Rome to make English ver- sions of pictures being made by Plttaluga. English Exhibs Extend Own Pools For Fihn Buying London, June 3. Manchester exhibitors, continuing their campaign against guarantees on talkers and charges for discs, have formed their own company under the name of Booking Service, Ltd., and are prepared to do pool booking for that area. So far Independent theatres rep- resenting $10,000,000 of capital are embraced in the co-operative book- ing scheme. Indications are it will extend to Birmingham and may take in the whole of northwestern and midland territories. Directorate of the new company Includes William Stephenson, presi- dent of the National Exhibitors' Association. 1ST ALL-TORONTO MADE TALKER COST $3,120 Toronto, June 3. Ontario Film Co., releasing "The 'White Road" last week, is now go- ing In for two-reel talkers. Geo. Thorne Booth, producer of the first all Toronto-made feature, states that he Is not going to try and market the film, whatever may be done with It by anyone else. He said that it was an experiment to see how cheap a feature could cost. Total expenditure was $3,000. Booth made the lighting equipment him- self at a cost of $120. Gaumont supposed to be interest- ed in new company. Government has offered It the use of an $80,000 studio at Trenton. Co. starts Immediately on "The Maid of the Mist," romantic two-reeler, taken on the Can. side of Niagara Falls. Radio's English Co. London, June 3. Solly Newman is making formal registration this week looking to the formation of a British company tr distribute Radio pictures prod- uct airect. Move is a preliminary to action upon the arrival of Jos. Schnltzer, hr-.'ul of Radio Pictures, due here June 17. Smashes in Sydney Sydney, Juno ?,. ".Sally" (h S) and "Sarah and Hon" (I'yr). are Kmash kuccossck among the new pictures. Budapest, June 3. International Congress of Authors and Composers in session here de- velops into the single purpose of establishing a royalty percentage system for talking picture stories parallel to the custom in the speak- ing theatre. Local newspapers support the at- titude of the European authors as outlined by Rlcordl, representative from Milan, Italy. Jacob "Wllk, the American play agent here as an observer, has de- clared In an interview that the American producers will never agree to a percentage royalty ar- rangement. At the first session a group of French delegates, made up of au- thors and composers, reported that writers in France already had made an agreement with talker producers for a royalty basis and, further, the two parties were agreed that copy- right on stories belongs to the pro- ducer only for a term of two years, at the expiration of which all rights revert to the author or composer. The congress thereupon made It plain that It would move to bring the trade practice in other countries into line with the new French sys- tem. At the second session the authors and composers, sitting separately, discussed this question and drafted a plan of proceedings designed to force the American producers in line. B. L AGAIN FOR UFA AND U. IN BRITAIN London, June 3. British International Pictures has Just resumed representation of UFA for the British Isles. The company handled the German product for five years until last year, when UFA switched to British Gaumont. First picture to be handled under the new agreement la "The Blue Angel." British International also In act- ing for Universal in a special deal for "Western Front," Universal making a guarant'^e against loss for the showing at the Regal and Al- hambra. Special arrangement is due to Unlversal's desire to have the film run a month in both houses, re- gardless of its boxolllce record. Heavy Taxes (or Control Of Talkers m Argentines Buenos Aires, June 3. The Cinematograph Association of Argentine has presented a bill to the municipality of Buenos Aires calling for the control of talking pictures in foreign languages by asuesHlng heavy taxes upon such product. ♦ The same measure would exempt all picture theatres from municipal taxes during such times as their bills were limited to pictures of Argentine manufacture. Also for the purpose of encourag- ing native manufacture of pictures. It la proposed In the measure to offer government bonuses of 15,000, 10,000 and 5,000 pesos (current rate Is about 38 cents per peso, Ameri- can exchange). Last year there were 700 feature and short subjects released here, with only five of native origin. "Variety* For Summer .Il'NK, .ICJ-Y und AfOCST $2 Address "Variety," New York