Inside Facts of Stage and Screen (September 20, 1930)
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
— STAGE PRICE 10 RADIO \ CENTS SCREEN Only Theatrical Newspaper on the Pacific Coast MUSIC ESTABLISHED 1924 EDITED BY JACK JOSEPHS Entered as Second Class Matter, April 29, 1927, at Post- Published Every Saturday at 800-801 Warner Bros. Down- Vol. XII office, Los Angeles, Calif., under Act of March 3, 1879. Saturday, September 20, 1930 town Building, 401 West Seventh St., Los Angeles, Calif. No. 12 LOCAL PREVIEWS ‘OUT’ MARATHON UNFINISHED DANCES IN FILMS GET BIG SPURT ‘PAN’ HERE Marathon dances, considered Elimination of previews of dead stuff around here and talking pictures in the vicinity which certain officials in the of Hollywood was a decision city have frowned upon, took a of the movie industry this sudden leap with the long dic- week. tance dance which Bill MeikeB Instead, advance public show- john promoted at the Casino in ings of pictures are to be given Balboa Beach. in San Francisco, San Diego, San Bernardino and other Contest endured for of a period points considerably distant from 1226 hours, and wound up in ex- the movie capital. citement and packed houses that, Too many wise ones in the in- notwithstanding the large overhead dustry, and their friends, have been and slow start, made a big profit for attending the local previews, and the promoters. making smart cracks about films, During last few hours of the not yet cut or actually finished. dance, excited spectators threw As' a result, many good pictures $2200 on the floor for the be- have been given the “black-eye” draggled dancers, which was in from these premature swats. Some addition to the cash prizes of- of the swats are reported decidedly fered. amateurish in character. Yet, they The marathon attracted an unu- carried weight because they came sually high class of patrons, catch- from “big shots” in financial or ing the fancy of the effete society social circles. summering in the vicinity. It was Now, the reaction of cold a nightly rendezvous for social audiences, purpose for which names. pre-views are given, will be Toward the end, a spectator obtained from throngs, consid- brought Bill Meikeljohn a windfall, ered, at least by the film execs, that happens once in a lifetime. A as being the natural audience cattleman from the open spaces, had not the wise Hollywood clique. been attending the dance nightly, Film industry, for long, has tried and just before the end, had been to discourage newspaper attendance throwing handfulls of coin and bills at pre-views. Some of the critics, at the dancers, making himself a and many fan writers, have been center of attraction. attending in and around Los An- When his cash was all gone, geles. After seeing the picture he walked up to Bill and con- once, the writers refused to sit gratulating him for the good through it again. time he had, and said he had San Francisco bay region has just sold 40,000 head of cattle, been adopted as the preview center and liked to encourage such af- for many films by the local studios, fairs, so would stick around and where the pictures, unheralded, are finance a dance. He reached in slipped in upon an unsuspecting his pocket, and drew out a audience. check for $500 and handed it Even house staffs of the north- to Meikeljohn, with his com- ern theatres are not informed of pliments, saying he had $15,000 either the name of the picture nor more to play with. the studio showing it. In most instances, nights upon which pre- Bill thought it a joke, until he views are to be shown are presented check at the bank, and kept CARLA secret, no one being the TORNEY wiser got the cash. You can knock him until the over with any feather you have title is flashed upon the screen. now. He believes the offer of the Whose Dancers are a Feature o£ Fox Grand Lake in Oakland (Continued on Page 2) has Fanehon and Marco's “ON THE SET" Idea been getting a number of the ini- tial once overs, “Liliom” and “Just Profession Imagine” from the Fox lot being Mourns Loews State . Los Angeles This Week (Continued on Page 6) Sills’ Death Milton Sill’s death has KORNHEISER OUT LE BARON RETURNS MYRA KINCH BOOKED “1930 Temptations” plunged the motion picture workers, as well as the fans, In Postponement NEW YORK, Sept. 18—In a William LeBaron, again in mourning. Just as pic- vice-president Myra Kinch, dancer, who was re- ture followers had recovered shifting of executives of Leo Feist, in charge of production of RKO cently featured with Ted Lewis “Temptations of 1930,” which from the Franklin Warner is producing sorrow occasioned by Inc., Phil Kornheiser resigned as Radio Pictures, is back at his desk after completing many seasons with at the Mayan theatre and Lon Chaney’s passing, came secretary this week. Rocco at the West Coast studio after a Vocco, Fanehon and Marco, will open with which was scheduled to open news of Sill’s last curtain. Both several weeks’ trip to New York, former Chicago manager, stepped the “Temptations 1930’’ on Sept. 22 has had its premier were beloved by co-workers where he conferred with othe RKO of at the up to the position of general postponed, and will not ring up and everyone, who knew them. man- officials in the forthcoming produc- Mayan Theatre as a specialty before Thursday, the 25th. ager of promotion. tions of this busy company. dancer. -YOU’LL ' " ' " - SEEv IT~ IN FACTS-. ’• ! V -*" " ’ " 1 - , ^ - PAGE TWO INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN SEPT. 20, 1930 HALF HOLIDAY BOOSTS FILM GROSS nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn nnnnnnnnnnn Chaplin’s New Film Seen as Come-Back For Silents DENVER LOCALITY Studio Line-up HUMAN TOWER IS SILENTS MAY MAN APPOINTED LEARNING THE BIZ WEEK’S TAKE FOR INSIDE FACTS Qot It’s Break FROM GROUND UP STAGE RETURN L. C. “Dusty” Rhodes, for Pantages theatre in Holly- BY PICTURES many years connected with From RKO Lot wood is hot after Warner Bros’ show business, and now a resi- business. Warners’ has two big dent of Denver, has been ap- towers on the roof, with which IN NEW FORM pointed representative in that RKO studio held onto its musi- to broadcast radio, as well as to GOES UPWARD city for Inside Facts. cal comedy girls longer than any act as a landmark. Mr. Rhodes has countless other studio in Hollywood. Differing somewhat but for Just why stuck to this pol- takings for the week, There is shortly to be a new friends in the business, and will RKO the same purpose, Pantages has Picture icy, after every other study had ac- have charge of territory east of hired J. B. Ballard to decorate just passed, have been consis- sensation sprung on the motion ceeded to public demand for a Salt Lake City and west of their front door as footman. tently good, being favored with picture situation, and one that change in pictures, is clear, but Chicago. not Ballard is 7 feet 4 inches tall the girls certainly got the a half holiday at the beginning may throw the game into as RKO and is as much an attraction as break. complete a chaos as sound did. the Warner towers. of the week, and excellent show Some of the younger women of He is not yet on the roof of weather throughout the seven Strange as it may seem, astute the films, now that dancing lines are the building, because when he day period. showmen all over the country YUMA HOTEL out, are sticking to the studios, seek- applied for job stated a he “Let’s Go disturbance ing extra bits in hope of becoming Paramount, with believe the seismic he wanted to learn show biz pic- dramatic leads. Others have quit Native,” a new Jack Oakie will the return to silent from the ground up. He has presage them. ture, along with their stage films cold, because films quit been working on the sidewalk pictures. CAMP’S SITE show, took in $31,000. United is dancing They realize their forte a week, but expects a raise This must not be interpreted Artists, judging from the open- and shapeliness only. shortly. to mean the silent pictures as While Warner Brothers used ing five days of “What a knew them, but a new era Widow” starring Gloria Swan- we “Beau Ideal” to be filmed by RKO theirs in Larry Ceballos revues, of the art, which will be as far of sin, figured their week to total Radio Pics., will be made within a RKO kept on finishing its quota advanced in novelty over thee $30,000. few miles of the site, formerly used musical comedies. Some of the present sound pictures as Warner Bros, in Hollywood, with for “Beau Geste” when Paramount movie chains merchandised the LAEMMLE IN in Girl of the marked the talkies over the old last pics Ann Harding “The made the latter as a silent. of the musical comedy style dumbies. Golden West,” scored about $19,000 glis- without a whisper in the ads and Something about the wide, final of “The Bad It is believed that Charley Chap- publicity about the girls and bands. while the week tening wastes of sand west of Yuma, got a trifle less lin will lead the innovation when JAUNT EAST Man” downtown attracts the film makers to this spot, he lets loose “City Lights,” a silent box office, around $17,000. when a “Beau Geste” type picture BELA LUGOSI picture now being sinced for U.