Variety (Jul 1930)

Wedacsdiy^ July t P I € TV R E S VARIETY 27 Ducldng Musk^ and . For Comedies, L A. N(»gyM Los Angeles,: July.-8. The liresent lull Irt both legit and picture business seems to a cer- : tain extent to have skipped the ' local picture houses. While it is, admitted that business is oft and that the large de Iuja houses are .'/ hit rather hard, the general run of .: neighborhood and small houses are reporting busineso not far from normal. . .: i ., Fox West C9a8t claims, its busi- ness is about the'sainie' .as. Iajst,ye^r. Of the 180 theatre in liios Angeles, W. C. operates 6O4. Other operate . are equal!jr as cheetful. . " . Local picture 'salesmen returning, from national, conventions state according to reports' at' the coil<7 - I ventions, coast theatres' are least effected by the existing business slump. As compared with other cities, L. A. is In a fortunate condition In not being overaeated. The seating capacity here .runs around 144,000 for a population close to i,500|006. -' Circuits outside ' of West. CoasV . (Continued on page 85) . " VAHOVS . . NEW BOMB eeOS Venl«e Bivd^ Iiaa ' ABselM AIN8LBT LAMBERT V ''DAi«OEBS Now m* PobUx-Balabaa * Kate ThratMB OBIBNTAI.—4JBANADA—BIAOteRO CHICAGO, till.. €oast Zoning Coronnittee Is'Finally Chosen San Francisco, July 8. ' Harii^ony was none too evident at a meeting held in the rooms of the Allied . Amusement Industries of California here last week to select a committee to draw up a revised zoning and release, plan to apply to motion picture theatres.. The flrst choice of ■ a committee Included Morgan "W^alsh,; branch ipanager liere for "Warners-; Groyer C. Parsons, same for M-G-M and :J. Patrldge, same for Paramount. This brought an objection from the independent representatives that the committee was too much pro- ducers. .To no^ieet this protest Car- roll Nathan, independents, was ap- pointed. '; • Representing the theatres A. M. Bowles; of Fox West; Louis Green- field; Ed Smith of Paramount-Pub- lix; Bob McNeill; Mike Naffee and G. ;C. Griffith, head ,of the M. P. Independent Theatre Owners of Nv Calif ..were chosen. Smith of 'the Publix-Paramount forces wanted more .cir<;uit. representatives on the committee..'.Ass'a compromise CUft Work, manager, of the R-K-O house here, wias nanrti^d. Thls1>rought an- other objection from the Independ- ents but they~were finally quieted. Committee shortly will meet on the zoning matter. From W. B. to Loew's Pittsburgh, July 8. Larry B. Jacobs, formerly ex ploitatlon director for Warner Brothers here and lately doing ad- vance work on pictures for Tif- fany, Columbia and Universal, has been named publicity head at Loew's UA Penn. He succeeds F. Ralph Gervers, who reslfTTied recently. R4[^ SrmS UP FM BUYfliNplEVY HEADS Reorganization of R-K-O's pic- ture purchasing branch will occur this week, with the circuit film buy- ing staff split in two natipjnial dl- A^lslions, east and; west July's Levy remains the head of R-K-O's film buying. ^ * Jack L. Levy, short subject buyer for the entire circuit; also b^c'Oihes film booker for all houses west of Chicago. From Chicago east, ex- cepting New York City, Sam Lef- kowltz will supervise the buying. John O'Connor, Jules Levy's assist- ant and formerly chief R-K-O film booker, will be the New York buyer. Fred Meyers has been named booker for all straight picture theatres in the east. ' Old R-K-O system of buying pictures nationally, with no special territorial heads, goes out with the changes. Nace, Pobfix, Ariz Holljrwood, July 8. Harry, L. Nace has been made Publix division manager for Ari- zona, succeeding C. B. Stiff, trans* ferred to Texas. Charles Karr of Dallas becomes Arizona bookef. . Nace remained with Publix after Richards and Nace sold their cir- cuit t6 Publix. Selig's "Chris Columbus" Hollywood; July Si. • Col. William Selig Intends to re- vive '^Christopher Columbus," made severaryears ago.' D'Arcy Corrlgan, playwright and actor, has beeii commissioned to write and direct dialog in both Eng lish and Spanish for Insertion in the revised version. DoQ Serial Hollywood, July B. "Rln-TIn-Tln." former glorified canine of the Warner lot, goes states rights via serial route. Nat Levine Is producing the all barker at Tec-Art. Zonui^ Me#gs Futile So Far ; E Indie Exhib States Position Chioaigo, July 8. The Pettljohn (Hays) committee on zoning protection has held more meetings and still nothing accom- plished.-,. Plenty of talk but . every- thing in the air. The independent exhibs are sitting back, waiting. They don't expect anything to be handed to them on a platter but are determined that what little they have at present shall not be taken away. As one representative exhibitor stated, "Independent exhibitors will refuse a^iy. protection scheme that will reduce our. present advantages, if any. We expect equal represen- tation on the standing committee with this to be made clear in the new contract. "We exhibitors have considerable MARKS BROS. NOW DIV. HGRS. FOR WARNERS Chicago, July 8. Marks Bros., Louie and Mayer, who formerly owned the Marbro and Granada. Chicago nelghborhooders, now the property of Publix, are as- sociated with Warner Bros, as dis- trict supervisors. Louis has charge of the Ne^ Jersey district, and Meyer super- vises the Ohio section. 'Anger at $1.^ Loges Hollywood, July 8. "Hell's . Angels" will play the War field, San Francisco, and the Fo^, Seattle, at $1.60 top for the' loges. This is the only basis upon which Howard Hughes wlU release picture to Fox West Coaist. Butterfield Closes One- G.-anii Rapids, July 8. Isis theatre, Bbtterfleld house here la closed for the sUmmer. objection to the system in force at present of asking for credit reports by any one member of the film board. One of the devices of the credit committee is to stop the jug- gling of pictures, and fair minded exhibs cannot take oiffenso against the distributors for trying to pre- vent the leaving of product on the shelf, but we can object to abuse of the credit rule^ where an exhib who has tried to act fairly has been forced to refuse product, and 1? im- mediately given a CI (credit inad- equate) rating. In Other Days and Ways "When conditions were normal the exhlbltlor never worried about the film board activities. He had money and would kick in before shutting off product. Now he is short of cash and feels the pinch when the credit committee starts to hit when he Is down." Buying of pictures Is the slowest on record at present Most of the exhibs In town have enough product signed to keep their houses going until September and October, be- sides plenty of opportunity for spot booking. Exhibs are objecting strenuously, as ever, to block booking and are asking for a specific elimination clause. Talking Trailer ON UNIVERSAL'S STUPENQOUS MASTERPIECE "ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT" IS A KNOCKOUT NOW AVAIIiABI.B National Screen Service N«w Toric—IM W. 4eth St. OhloMO^M S. WsbMh l4M AntelM—I9es S. Vennont In Memoriam JOHN GRIFFITH WRAY July IS, 1929