Inside Facts of Stage and Screen (January 25, 1930)

— PRICE 10 CENTS ONLY THEATRICAL NEWSPAPER ON THE PACIFIC COAST ESTABLISHED 1924 EDITED BY JACK JOSEPHS Entered Second Class Vol. XI as Matter, April 29, 1927, at Post- Published Every Saturday at 800-801 Warner Bros. Down- office, Los Angeles, Calif,, Saturday, January 25, 1930 under Act of March 3, 1879. town BuildiM-, 401 West Seventh St., Los Angeles, Calif. No. 4 MEETING HELD ON NEW FILM CONTRACT; REPORT PROGRESS * Lone of COSTS WOULD BOOSI LEGIT An effort is being made by The long-heralded new standard many of the astute show observ- contract for picture players was ers to determine exactly what is understood to be “hot” this week. the cause of the general failure While semi-official sources de- of shows to make money in the clared it to be still in the “forma- legitimate field. Aside from the tive” stage, a meeting of framers Duffy theatres, all of the houses of the new document was held at have generally found it tough sledding during the past year. the Roosevelt Hotel Tuesday night Some ascribe it to the bad at the supper hour, and reports shows, but all of the losing shows emanating therefrom were that have not been bad and some of “progress had been made.” them, went into the red despite Principal the fact that business seemed to feature of the proposed be flourishing. new contract, it is reported, is a It is just a matter of arithmetic, limitation of the hours of work say some of those who have per week for freelance players, dropped rolls of various propor- with provisions for overtime tions in the game. Primarily, all where other work shall be required. houses are charging too much It is also rumored that the “on rent, the consensus of opinion or about” clause of the present says, The basis of rental for the- contract is given a definite re- striction atres was at one time based upon in the new instrument, with the the seating capacity, that is ,a date of pay forced to start fixed price per seat per month es- within 48 hours of the day named. tablished the rent. Then came Various other minor the boom and rents went soaring clauses, many, it is said, borrowed from the contract so that the general price of $1.50 advocated by Equity per seat for a well located theatre at the time of the Equity strike last summer, are jumped up to $5 and $6 a seat also in- and then some. corporated. First reports of An ordinary house like the the proposed new contract came Hollywood Music Box, with a immediately following collapse of the seating capacity of less than a Equity strike. Almost immediately thousand, asks something like pro- posals were made that a $4000 a month rental. Four or new contract granting many of the Equity five dollars a seat per month is demands should be written, considered nominal by the land- both to lessen the bitterness which threat- lords. When the overhead of opened for a time following the erating the house is considered strike and also to prevent any pos- the advertising, light, heat, license, sible recurrance. When the report taxes, janitor services, wear and got bruited about that the tear on furnishings, and inciden- plan's were being made, the proposition tals, not to mention the show, the was allowed to cool off, all sources stage hands and the orchestra connected therewith stating that it can readily be understood that, they knew nothing about it. regardless of the type of show, The proposed new contract is the net will hover close to $5000 TED REICARD AND CHRISTEL generally called a new “Academy per week, and from that to almost LE VINE contract,” but it is actually being anything, depending upon the framed by representatives of the type of show and the quality of Musical Comedy Favorites producers association and of the the performers. actors, the latter being- drawn Featured this week at Loew’s both $5000 a Week Profitless State, Los Angeles. from among those known as the So a show doing an average Fanchon and Marco’s “Trees” Idea “loyalists” during the strike and those business of $5000 is not making who were with Equity. any money and in order to get RADIO PICTURES WILL REPORT the profitable weeks it is neces- EQUITABLE TO BUY TEC-ART STUDIO! MACKLIN MEGLEY IS sary to put on shows the cost of INCREASE COLOR USE DIRECTOR AT RADIO which is a great gamble. A report which was not con-+ A1 Mannon, president of Tec- However, good Color is slated to play a big- firmed states that Equitable, the shows properly Art, and John Boyce-Smith, vice- Macklin M. Megley, for producing organization for the five presented will make money, as is ger part in the Radio Pictures pro- president, are both in New York years general manager of the evidenced by the consistent win- newly formed Motion Picture Con- RKO gram this year than last 'in line at the present time, but whether ning weeks of the Duffy houses. gress, is negotiating to purchase vaudeville production department, with the general trend toward the Tec-Art studios. report But one show at the El Capitan The or not in connection with this has signed a contract to assist in color. lost Estimate is that big pic- said the new company also planned rumored deal was not disclosed. money last year, according to stage direction of Radio Pictures. tures will be up to one-half made to purchase Henry Duffy. Only two of them the Winter Garden Harry Hoyt, preminent as a in color, as compared to approxim- ice skating rink nearby His first assignment will probably fell behind at the Playhouse, and with the Hollywood director and producer, ately one-third in color during object of converting it into an ad- has been named production man- be on a musical show soon to go (Continued on Page 5) 1929. ditional sound stage. ager for Equitable. into production. £ YOULL SEE IT IN FACTS PAGE TWO INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN SATURDAY, JAN. 25, 1930 ROAD-SHOW SEASON DOES FLOP Themie Change Due If the Hollywood producers would attend regular picture showings with conscientious frequency they would discover one PLAY 1 very definite trend of the times, and that is that the interpo- lated song-and-dance numbers are becoming extremely bore- some to audiences in the metropolitan centers. It happens now at picture after picture that a sigh of res- TERRIBLE B. O. S ignation goes up simultaneously with the opening bars of a number which the spectators know only too well presages a VANCOUVER, Jan. 23.—The length of footage dedicated to nothing more interesting than road-show season which opened a second rate song delivered by a second rate singer and fol- with more bookings at the Van- lowed by a typical ensemble doing steps which have been old couver than for many seasons stuff this twelve-month. Not only this, but the number sud- heretofore has turned out a decid- denly jerks the audience out of whatsoever interest the story ed flop. The companies which did has worked up, and when the story starts again the feel of come in, with few exceptions, the house is cold. It takes many scenes before the audience is played to heart-breaking business, again lost in the romance, and sometimes the story interest is while the majority cancelled, definitely gone forever. Favorable word-of-mouth is lost, and among them being "Rio Rita,” the boxoffice figures are far under what they might have been. “Blossom Time.” “Chauve Souris,” The eagerness with which producers rushed into the 100 per "Pordgie,” “Tommy Merson, Eng- cent theme song— racket is easily understandable. The first ones lish musical comedy star and his went over big “Weary River,” “Tonia,” etc.—and Hollywood Company, Capt. Plunkett’s "Dum- decided that the public must have its themies. Maybe so then, bells” and a dozen others. The but certainly not so now. The talking pictures have settled last road attraction in at the Van- down to a comparative normalcy, and the introduction of theme couver is the “Columbia Urand songs into certain of the recent pictures is as ridiculous as As “Tecalero” As the “Ship Captain" Opera Co„” the last part of Feb- would be the case were the legit producers suddenly to write ruary. The Maurice Colbourne themies into all their product. Imagine the effect should the Co. in Bernard Shaw comedies characters of “Strange Interlude” suddenly pause while one of Bud Averill plays a return engagement the them sang “You May Be the Sweetie of Somebody Else But week of 20. The stage You’re Just My Interlude,” or if the e. of Who is appearing in “Oh, Susanna” at the Mayan Theatre, Los January m. “The Front Page” were to lead a line Angeles, displays his versatility in two distinct characterizations, crew and musicians have been of girls in “I* Lost My Watch on a Sandy Beach.” in “Tecalero,” a Spanish grandee, and the “Ship Captain” of the Sacra- given their notice and the house But the movies they do it. will The producers mento packet, both in the same production. His vocal rendition of a be dark with the exception of should heed the storm signals. Operettas, local rentals and bookings, which yes; musical comedies, yes; “Vengeance Calls” is one of the highlights of the finale of the first act. but the hybrids of story with an are fairly interrupting Prior to his engagement at the Mayan, Averill has appeared on the numerous for the bal- theme song are just about washed up insofar as ance the winter months.

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