Variety (Jun 1930)

IT A R I B T Y Wednesday, June 25; 1B30 WARNERS- Wedding of Screen and Stage By Lewis Warner Talking pictures are creating a distinct departure In entertainment, both as regards producer and the psychology of picture fans. It's bard to decide which Js influencing which: Whether producers are in- ducing audiences to relish better film entertainment, or whether flim patrons are dictating what they like to producers. Anyway, the result Is all to the good. One thing's certain, the old shoddy type of machine-made product Is dead. Everything's changed—cli- entele, approach of pictures, at- mosphere. Players nowadays can be. believed.' The talking picture story bears closer relationship to life. Tou can't give people a far- fetched story with taighfaultln' apeech to compensate for a thln- spun plot Whether it's romantic atufiC you offer fans or sophlsticiated edtnedy, it's got to be something' you and the other fellow can be- lieve in. The finest illustration of the trend, of talking pictures is how screen and stage are at last on talking pic-.' ture terms. Yesterday they were, uppish, unfriendly. TodtQr each goes out of Its way to be congenial. The stage offers the talkers both dramatic material and its best talent. It's All Chaneed The legitimate stage and talking pictures are liow going after tbie same type of audience. In the. silent picture regime, the entertainment world was pretty well regimented. One class took its Alms straight And couldn't be prodded into seeing a stage show. There was the kind of theatregoer whose nose tilted high at mention of "movies." It was a good old American custom. Talking pictures have changed all that, The presence of class players like John Barrymore, George Arllss and Al Jolson, who only appear in talking pictures, has helped right this prejudice against screen enter- tainment. Another difference. The silent picture knew its limits of possibili- ties and kept within them. There were themes it couldn't handle. Where's the theme ■ talking pic- tures can't tackle? Yes, where? The answer is nowhere. Talking pictures have success- Praise to Warner Staff For TUs Variety' Issue The task of Issuing a special number of "Variety" In honor of the Warner Bros.' 26th ahnl- . vcrsary has called forth almost superhuman efldrts' frbm the members of the Warner Bros' and; FiriBt Natlbnai: publicity e^d adyertislhg departments, wiio w£i6ily CO-opeirajted In the " : wrItlAjg and make-up pf this complete Warner 'tiros. Silver Jubilee Wumber of "Variety." ■ A. P. Waxman, director of advertising and publicity, con- ceived the Idea bf 'thls sttipen- do\is undertaking, • and in its . - accomplishment was loyally- aided by the following persons,- tb .'Whom w;amer Bros, offer a general and appreciative word of thanks: . Virginia Morris, Thomas Na- , mack, Louis Braver, Phyllis Perlman, Jack Lewis, Walter HIO, George Bonte, George Harvey, Ruth Welsbergf, George . Thomas, Florence Ross, Mary Jane Warren, L. H. Mitchell, Al ZlmbaJlst, Sanford Abrams. Also S. ^hu-Ies iEUnfeld, Her- bert Crocker, George R. Bilson and Hubert Volght of First National Pictures. fully tackled mystery plays, crook drama,[~ drawing-room comedy, dra^ ma, spectacle, romantic coihedy. Now It Is offering the public operetta. Over at our Hollywood studios original operetta is being composed by such men with international rep- utations as Otto Harbach, Jerome Kern, Sigmund Romberg and Oscar Hd.mmersteln, 2d. The next step Is opera, probably. Opera stars singing In Vltaphone Varieties demonstrate that the pub lie likes serious ° singing. What will evolve beyond that, the future will decide. The fine thing is that talking pic tures refuse to conform to a set pat tern. They won't stay put. PURCHASING STORIES FOR WTAPHONE FILMS ^Scenario Editor) I am writing this'aboard an ex- press train en route from Paris to Berlin. I have already covered 10,- 000 miles on my annual trip to the centers of dramatic and literary production abroad. Vigilance and speed are the life- blood, of the story department of a picture company. A "scoop" of five minutes secured for Warner Bros, a few weeks ago the rights to one of the most powerful war stories evor written. To . search for new material Is becoming more and more difilcult and frenzied. The days when an In- different story department eould sit back and select from material sub- mitted have passed. Now. because of the increasing number of plc-^ tures made each year, this depart- ment's function is to discover new dramatists, new people who have stories to tell through the medium of the talking screen. The search Is never ending and it circles the globe. The story department, because of the wide territory it covers, works around the clock. When people are going, to the theatre In New York they are Just having breakfast in Rome and lunch in San Francisco The story department must be in every theatre, whether it's in New York, San Francisco, Bombay, Moscow or in Berlin, every night li every bookstore every day. At •very gathering of writers. Reaching out to all these places Its functionaries must be prepared to recognize .Immediately new thought, , new situations, a new way of telling the story. Seeing Ahead But It Is not only the .active reaching out and search for mate rials which is the function of the story department, which Is conduct- ed like a newspaper office in a large city. The executive In charge of such department must keep- his finger on the public pulse all of the' time. He must not have set stand ards. His mind must work qulokly and tnomentarlly adjust Itself to: changed conditions. In this adjustment he must see, must., live, at least six months ahead of his time. When he pur chases a story he must feel what kind of pictures will appeal to au- diences by the time the story he purchases today Is made and dls tributed. Since motion pictures are universal, he must know not only the public tempo of the United States, but also that of the world. The story departments of War- ner Brothers and First National function Jointly, with headquarters In New York and representatives In every country. These represen- tatives cover their territories as thoroughly as the foreign corre spondent covers his territory for his newspaper. In New York competent edlto rlallsts digest the foreign reports. Separate sub-divisions exist for stories and for titles. Usual Way Young feminine member of the editorial staff of the Curtis paper, Philadelphia "Public Ledger," re- cently got a blue slip because she "couldn't write." Two weeks later she had a short story accepted by that other Curtis publication, "Saturday Evening Post," world's most difficult literary market for a beginner. By H. M. Warner (Presldsnt of Warner Bros.) Twenty-five years age Warner B^os. started their first film ck- change. Today Warner Bros. Plo> turesT>.lnei^ and Ks numerous sub- sidiary companies are cslebratihg that anniyenwry. The Introduction of Vitaphonst like our first sxehahge vsnturSf was critical undsrtaklng. We wsre acting against the Judgment of pnpctieally everylKMly in the motion picture industry. Every dollar we had in the world and every dollar we could raiss was staked on bur belief that thore was'a mighty new enteriainineht-medium sure -to -win the piiblie's support. ^oday 'we are gathering the re- wards of success, a success shad- owed only by the absence of our brother, Sam,' who brought Vlta- phone ta; us when It was only a vague Idea, and Inspired us to make It a . reall^. Spectacular Rise The growth of Warner Bros, as a corporation, hlis been as spectiMsular as the sweep of Vltaphone popu- larity throughout the world. Our steady expansion has been directed toward making ourselves an organi- zation equipped from ° within to operate all the multiple phases of talking picture production and marketing. . The. future la a greater responsi- bility >than ever. For now we are the custodians of not only our own personal resources but the Inviest- ment of 16,260 stockholders. Yet we have never been so optimistic of success. The public Is our guide and Its wishes are our commands. We have always considered our responsibilities to. the public and to our 16,260 stockholders as a sacred trust. Safeguarding the confidence reposed In us and trying to antici- pate its demands, is perhaps the reason for the financial approval which has been bestowed upon us. Our 26 years In motion pictures has given us « great deal of ex- perience. In the long run, we be- lieve It bama up to this, that the measure, of reward received by any of us fs governed by the measure of service rendered. ' WAPHONE AND THE AMERICAN COMPOSER By Ibnio Bapee (General Musical Director, Warner Bros. Studios.) Three months in Hollywood, working with pictures, has con 'vlnced me anew that the greatest opportunity for creative work In niodem musical history Is at hand .A great new field to which the musical genius of Amerlca-^and 'in fact, the. whole world—can turn with hope of recognition and artistic and financial reward, has been opened up with the perfecting of talking pictures. T believe Warner Brothers' Intro duction of Vltaphone will be recognized In time as the greatest single step ever taken in the devel opment of an American school of composers. I am speaking as a musician, as a conductor of sym phony orchestras and not as a showman, when I say that. With Vltaphone was born the hope that American genius, present and future, 'will find in its own country the opportunities and the appreciation that have always be- fore been so sadly lacking. Before its advent, if a gifted composer, like Cadman, for example, could not find a msurket for an opera or other worthy composition in New York or Chicago the only outlet left him was Europe. "The Song Writer" Now Now American composers have the greatest potential market in the history of the world. The "song writer" is making way for the more serious composer. The whole mu slcal world has its eyes on' Holly- wood. Starting with the "theme song," a tuneful bit that could be fitted here and there into a story, Statistics and Facts About Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. Compiled by Samuel Carlisle ComptroJIer Affiliated companies and subsidiaries, 61. Stockholders, 16,260. . Market value of seetirHies (as of May 1, 1930): Bonds, 176,000,000, Stocks, 9204,497,287. Dividends, $11,600,000. Gross: film rentals: . - Domestic, 950,292,329. Foreign, $16,761,004, Employes, 18,500. ' Annual payroll, $36,696,921. Valuation of real estate, $160,000,000. Studios, 6. Exchanges, 93. Theatres,, 812. Gross revenue from theatres, $7^90,919.16. Production costs, $26,323,622.18. Total footage of film used in productions, 168,537,000. Number of records ussd, 1,760,000.-. Foreign branoties, 43. Foreign countries served, 70. Music publiiiiiing branches, domestic and foreign, 33. Since January 1, 1930, Warner Bros, have acquired an. average of 1.3 theatres a day. Warner theatres seat 982,763 patrona 296,360,606 paid admissions were taken In at Warner theatres during the past year. Present 'valuation of Warner Bros. re^I estate—1)60,000,000— Increases daily with the acquisition of 'new' "theatres and office quarters. ' • Building program now under day Involves''iih' expenditure of 1142,000,000. ' . Eight new film exchanges arg under construction—in New Orleans, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Dallas, and Buffalo. Phonograph records of Vltaphone songs sold to date would form a pillar 28 miles high. Warner Bros. Pictures, First National Pictures and Vltaphone Varieties are advertised every day in the year In 92% of all ne'ws- papers in the United States and Canada. Every Inhabited community In the United States and Canada Is visited at least once every two weeks by a salesman for Warner . Bros, and First National Pictures. Of the 18,600 persons on Warner Bros, payroll, 88% carry insur- ance, 62% own their own motor care;, and 41% own their own homes. Warner Bros, is an organization of young blood, the average employe's age being 84 years. Alumni from 86% of the colleges and universities In the United States and Canada are represented on Warner Bros. payroU. Included In the personnel are 187 former army officers, 118 former navy officers, and 16 former marine officers. Warner Bros, support a Hollywood population estimated at more than 10,000 persons. . Warner cameras last year took 7,000 miles of film, constituting more than 600,b00,000~tiny individual pictures or "frames." The 20.000,000 feet of lumber used by the studio yearly costs $800,000. One hundred trucks and 200 passenger cars, used constantly by the studio, covered 3,000,000 miles last year. Thirty-five cameras, costing from |3,700 to |8,000 each, are in con- stant use during the production season. Warner Bros, eastern studio can develop and print 6,600,000 feet of film weekly. The still department of the eastrn studios can print 60,000 stills weekly. The administrative offices in New York occupy 10 fioors of two adjoining buildings and house 2,600 employes. (The above records are as of May 1, 1930) music has grown in importance un- til it has become organically a part of the whole picture. Music will never dominate the screen as it does the grand opera stage and may never becoinia more important than the story proper in the making of pictures, but it is rapidly taking its rightful place of importance. When one remembers the Important names in the musiccl world and a host of others, whtch have recently become associated with Hollywood and pictures, it be- comes obvious that the cliiema has at last become a vital factor In th3 story of music. There are great things in the air, out here, amazing plans and devel' opments, and music plays a leading part in every plan. Its future prom- ises to be tremendously interesting. "Radio Broadcast" Sold Doublediay-Doran, getting rid of its magazine properties to concen* trate on bool; publishing, disposed of another mag last week, "Radio Broadcast." Edward Lyman Bill, who publishes a group of trade pa* pers, bought it. Doubleday-Doran may retain only "Short Stories," its sole fiction nft^'