Variety (Jul 1930)

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'VARIETY'S" tONDOM OFFICE 8 ST. M)irtin'B Place, Trafalgar Square FOREIGN FILM NEWS CABLE ADDRESS: VARIETY, LONPON « Temple Bar 5041-5042 • 'TRUST' Paris Parleys on Sound Held Back by Germany's Situation; All Factions V • Paris, July 8. ^Wlth all interests trying desper- ately to reach accord In the sound >&tentB conference here In order to ivert an Inter-cohtinental trade var, hopes are entertained that the l«rley will reach a successful.issue irithln 10 days. iiMeanwhlle internal dlfDculties ivlthln the German group are acting (s a brake on progress. ii.Both sides are straining to And ^ ground of agreement, realizing Jiiat failure will metfn a commercial struggle of America against Eu- tope, with the rest of the Conti- nent on Germany's side. ^ ji.t the outiset the Americans were . (Continued on page 64) FRENCH COURT VODS NATIVE COLOR FILM i . Paris, July 8. ■j.The Keller-Dorian film color proc- ess has been ruled in the public Bomaln by the French courts which i'tulllfied the American patents on bis process. The American patents jyere based on the French. )■ J r Keller-Dorian natural color proc- ess for Alms at one time was high- ly touted. Last fall a special repre- sentative for ic-D visited Rochester, N. T'. to confer with the Fastmah Kodak people on a possible Ameri- can deal which did not materialize. D'S BRITISH NEWSREEL i FIRST SOliNMN-DISC ! London, July 8. First sound-on-disc newsreel in Ensland starts July 14 when U feSues Its first copy of British Talk- ing News. :>::€cheduled to average 850 feet per (saue, circulated twice weekly. Copy- ing the idea used in U's American teel. Talking News will carry run- ning comment by well-known leg- ioen. o"; U's silent ^■eel, Fmplre News Bul- fetln, still holds for the grinds, i Newsreel competition here is now ilretty Intense, with Gaumont, ^ovletone and Pathe all established .W the sound field, and Topical and British Screen News firm among the silent houses. Iluhial Production Exchange by BMIFA London, July 8. ■.A production link between British International and Ufa of Berlin Is disclosed here, i International releases Ufa prod 5Pt In England and in future will tnake English versions of suitable yia, productions, at Elstree. i Ufa will reciprocate by making ^9fman versions of B. I. subjects i.^erlin. i;i^eal covers ^nly mutual produc- tion of versions and represents nothing looking to a merger. i ■ ' " { ' W. E'«. 1«t Year South ■■ ■' Buenos Aires, July 8. I^J^estern Electric is celebrating the first anniversary of its entrance mo this territory. It has wired 60 houses. ■ ^-C-A Photophone Is in opera- »on in about 40 houses. Vienna Paid More for Tafters Last Season, But Fewer Saw Them Vienna, July 8. Since advent of sound . picture theatres, have sold fewer tickets but those sold have been at higher prices than in the days o^ silent product. This situation is cleaHy indicated in the official report of the film year of '29-'30 just published here. In January, February and March —^best of. the year—the big wired houses took in $300,000 more than in^he same period of 1929, although attendance had fallen off from 93,t 000 to 43,000 a day. It also Is clear that public Inter- est concentrated on a few hits, with the rtsult that the year saw some exhibitors on velvet and others on the toboggan. The box office says plainly the public with high prices to pay has grown very choosey about the quality of their sound films. As a result of this situation the theatre men are refusing to experiment with unknown and untried pictures, no matter how cheap they are, and are demanding product with demon- strable box office strength. PROPOSES BUY OR BUY IN ON ENGLISH STRING London, July 8. Arthur Segal, one of the heads of Astoria Cinemas, sailed for New York a fortnight ago, with the sup- posed object of selling to American interests the 15 houses here either in whole or in part. First story was that Segal sought to interest Paramount in its prop- osition, but this Is not so. Para- mount deals through Emll Wert- heimer in Its English reality trans- actions. Segal in association with Arthur Lesser and E. A. Stone, the build- er, owns six deluxe houses, mostly in the London suburbs Including Brixton, Strea*ham, Old Kent road and Finsbury. The firm also has sites for nine more houses. It is probable that Segal is ready to negotiate with any American In- terest either for an outright pur- chase or an arrangement to cut In on the operation. Suggestion of English Govt. Censorship nof Films London, July 8. Joseph Clynew, Home Secretary, Is to receive a deputation from a Parliamentary committee which will ask for the creation of a state censorship of pictures. Ellen Wlllklnson, member of Commons, in a statement prepared for submission to the Home Secre- tary declares the British Film Board of Censors passes anything American, as the board was set up by the film trade itself. The committee is principally mo- tivated by a desire to put a check upon the showing of Russian So- viet pictures, but is probably being used, without Its knowledge, of course, so that financial and po- litical control of the industry may be obtained with the object of threatening to restrict American film product whenever such a move is deemed desirable fof political party purposes. One OflFicial Guild Similar to Holding Company Operat- ing Under Italy's New Corporation Law — As- sumes. Authority Over Everybody and Every- thing in Amusements MEETING CRISIS Rome, July 8. By decisloii of the Ministry of Corporations there ihaa been created a "corenoratioh,'' or guild of the- atrea and -theatre induatries, com- prising the whole field of stage and cinema industries, which now comes under a semi-state body. This parent organization is a "first category corporation" in some respects, paralleling' what is known ii> the United Sttites as ■ holding company: This super-corporation has - been born under Italy's new corporation law, a statute approx imating the general business laws that exist in most of the American states. Interests of all amusement branches—stage, cinema and the rest—will be centeried In the new (Continued on page 43) 100 HOUSES DARK NOW IN BERUN Berlin, July 8. In round numbers there are 100 dark picture houses in Berlin rep- resenting about one-third of all the cinemas In the German capital. In view of summer dullness the municipal, government has decreed to remit the tax of 10% on picture and vaudeville theatres during their period of Inactivity. Official European Sound Survey Shows Wanii^ Public Interest FIRST JAPANESE ROAD FILM BY AMERICAN Hollywood, July 8. First 100% Japanese talker road show started this week at Guada- lupe, California farming district, and win ultimately show in the 42 halls from San Diego to Vancouver, .con- trolled by the Japanese Theatre Ass'n. Program consists of a 10-reel fea- ture, '*The Tragedy of Life," and a one-reel Japanese dancing novelty, both produced In Monrovia by Tom White, indie, who already has a Spanish talker road aho\.- playing the southwest. White plans to road show in Ha- waii and Japan. W. L. Griffith leaves for Hawaii Tuesday (IB) with Ave prints and two portable sound sets. White himself will handle the Japan showing and will take Jak- yow Matsumoto,. featured player, ((Continued on page 69) Wide Screen Demonstration London, July 8. A new wide screen apparatus was demonstrated at the Regal cinema here today (8), the invention of Pilgrim, head projectionist of the house. The device makes the enlargement of three fold possible, according to the clainfs of the inventor. Another feature Is that the ap- paratus makes it possible to in- crease the screen fteld from small to large almost imperceptibly. This phase suggests an effective treat- ment of "approach shots." Sound Pictures Disturb Upstairs Tenants, and Frimch Court Eiqdins Paris, July 8. The pdsslble future handicapping of French wiring is foreseen if the decision handed down this week by a local court at Toulouse Is sustain- ed ■ whereby the Cinema Royal In that provincial town is enjoined from playing sound pictures on the ground it disturbs the tenants In the upper stories. Many a French picture theatre, unlike the .American building laws, houses tenants in apartments over thj theatre. The tenant always get first consideration in the local mind. It is. this type of secondary the- atre whiqh now Is the objective of the less expensive sound equipment manufacturers and this court de- cision Is bound to ha,ve a telling negative effect for the moment at least. Appeal has been flled with the French supreme court by the ex- hibitors' association. STAGE SHOWS COING BACK FOR U. T. IN AUS. When Clyde Hood, an American director, who left New York a week agO; reaches Australia,' he will Im mediately start on the restoration of stage presentations in some of the houses controlled by United Theatre. Among those to have stage shows restored are the State, Sydney, and the. CapltoT, Melbourne, where an ef fort on the part of the UT heads to assist the musicians ousted by the "canned music" invasion . had tho houses using augmented'sym- phony orchestras of 40 men. but which didn't click with the public. United execs decided, to go back to the band policy that has a pit band of 26 men with 18 sent to the stage to play for the vaude acts. According to Millard Johnson, the N. T. represeAti>tive of the UT of- fices,, this means more work for American turns that will be engaged to go to Australia for tJT.' The UT houses cut out its stage presentations six weeks ago. Now the apparent desire for "flesh" has resulted in Hood who staged the shows before being dispatched back to that country to restore the former shows. The Hague, July 1. A survey of the picture theatres in Europe, which the trade here calls the "Brussels Report" gives figures about wiring of theatres la Europe. Belgium has 800 theatres, of which 38 are wired; Denmark, '32B theatres, 42 wired; Germany has 6,600 houses of which 600 are wired; England, 4,000 cinemas with 1,6()^ wired; Yugo-Slavia, 320 houses, 2$ wired; Holland has 289 pFcture houses, of which 87 ' are wlted; Sweden has 1,106, 70 wired; Czecho- slovakia, 1,100 theatre, only 74 wired. Report further states that syn- (Continued on page 66) MIGGINS IN CHARGE General Chieftain of Fqx- Hearst Newsreels Paris, July 8. Ben Migglns has arrived to take charge of the l^uropean shootings of the Fox-Hearst newsreels. Two more sound trucks are to be put In the field. Harry Lawrenson remains In charge of the European edition of the Fox Movietone News. Capacity for "Atlantic" Capetown, July 8. African Theatres circuit is doing capacity here with the British In- ternational production "Atlantic." Three Sydney Hits Sydney, July 8. "Rockery Nook" (Brit. Int'nafl), "Paramount on Parade" (Par) and "Western Front" (U) are solid suc- cesses In Sydney currently. "Journey's End" has been booked for long runs on the Union Thea- tres chain. SAY ENGUSH; London, July 8. Gaumont-Brltish, which owns and operates, six West End .cinemas— Tivoli, New Gallery, Marble Arch, Capitol, Astoria and Avenue Pavilion —intends, shortly to turn the cir- cuit, with the exception of the TivoU and peiiiaps. .Capitol,, into se<;;ond runs. Reason for the change is an acute shortage of pictures rating' run' classification. Conipany figures that when worthy "super" product comes into sight. It can be spotted as first run, making .& better arrangement (Continued on page 60) 1st English Quota Fine For Ediibitor Is $50 ^ London, July ^8. The flr^t prosecution of an' e±« hlbitor by the Board of Trade under the quota act for not showing suffl.- clent ' British footage^ came' up July 3. The Brixton, Astoria, was Aned $50 under the act Defense was that the house found it impossible to get native British pictures, because other neighborhood theatres bad booked available material. COMEDY OF lADY UES' BIG HIT IN PARIS Paris, July 8. Paramount theatre has a con- spicuous success . in the second Paramount feature "Une Femme a Menti" ("The Lady Lies"). It is estimated that the picture will gross well over 130,000 in its first week. Boucot scores a big hit as the ritzy stew, contributing a fine touch of comedy that relieves an other- wise painful drama of tragic family situation. Tiffany Reorganizing Paris, July 1. Reducing their foreign dlstribu« tlon overhead. Tiffany Is letting out John Gerhart Schurman from the berth he got In France as distrl* butlon exe.cutive during the settle-* ment bt the Wilton-Brockliss-Tl£- fany dlQlculties. Schurman when last in New York was instrumental in arranging terms to return to the parent com« pany the franchise held by Wilton* Brockliss-Tlffany. Philippe de Becker, Tiffany's con>« tlnental executive with offices in Paris, win combine Schurm^n'ij duties with his own. '