Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1948)

THE NATIONAL FILM WEEKLY PUBLISHED IN NINE SECTIONAL EDITIONS BEN SHLYEN Editor-in-Chief and Publisher JAMES M. JERAULD Editor NATHAN COHEN Associate Editor JESSE SHLYEN Managing Editor IVAN SPEAR Western Editor FLOYD M. MIX Equipment Editor RAYMOND LEVY General Manager Published Every Saturday by ASSOQATED PUBLICATIONS Editorial Offices: 9 Rockefeller Plaza, New York 20, N. Y. Raymond Levy, General Manager; James M. Jerauld, Editor; Chester Friedman, Editor Showmandiser Section; A. J. Stocker, Eastern Representative. Telephone Columbus 5-6370, 5-6371, 5-6372. Cable address: “BOXOFFICE, New York." Central Offices: 1327 South Wabash Ave., Chicago 5, 111. Jonas Perlberg, Manager; Donald Maggart, Central Representative. Telephone WEBster 4745. Western Offices: 6404 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood 28, Calif. Ivan Spear, Manager. Telephone GLadstone 1186. Washington Offices: 302-303 International Bldg., 1319 F St., N. W. Lee L. Garling, Manager. Telephone NAtional 3482. Filmrow; 932 New Jersey, N. W. Sara Young. London Offices: 136 Wcfrdour St., John Sullivan, Manager. Telephone Gerrard 3934-5-6. Publication Offices: 825 Van Brunt Blvd., Kansas City 1, Mo. Nathan Cohen, Associate Editor; Jesse Shlyen, Managing Editor; Morris Schlozman, Business Manager. J. Herbert Roush, Manager Advertising Sales and Service. Telephone CHestnut 7777-78. Other Publications: BOXOFFICE BAROMETER, published in November as a section of BOXOFTICE; THE MODERN THEATRE, published monthly as a section of BOXOFFICE. ALBANY — 21-23 Walter Ave., M. Berrigan. ATLANTA— 163 Walton, N. W., P. H. Savin. BIRMINGHAM — The News, Eddie Badger. BOSTON — Frances W. Harding, Lib. 9814. BUFFALO — 157 Audubon Drive, Snyder, Jim Schrader. CHARLOTTE— 216 W. 4lh, Pauline Griffith. CINCINNATI — 1634 Central Parkway, Lillian Seltzer. CLEVELAND — Elsie Loeb, Fairmount 0046. DALLAS— 4525 Holland, V. W. Crisp, J8-97S0. DENVER— 1645 Lafayette, Jack Rose, TA 8517. DES MOINES — Register & Tribune Bldg., Russ Schoch. DETROIT — 1009 Fox Theatre Bldg., H. F. Reves. Telephones: RA 1100; Night, UN-4-0219. HARTFORD— 109 Westborne, Allen Widem. HARRISBURG, PA. — Mechanicsburg, Lois Fegan. INDIANAPOLIS— Rt. 8, Rox 770, Howard M. Rudeaux. MIAMI — 66 S. Hibiscus Island, Mrs. Manton E. Harwood. 2952 Merrick Rd., Elizabeth Sudlow. MEMPHIS— 707 Spring St., Null Adams, Tel. 48-5462. MILWAUKEE— 529 N. 13th, J. R. Gahagan, MA-0297. MINNEAPOLIS — 29 Washington Ave. So., Les Rees. NEW HAVEN — 42 Church St., Gertrude Lander. NEWARK, N. J. — 207 Sumner, Sara Carleton. NEW ORLEANS — Frances Jackson, 218 So. Liberty. OKLAHOMA CITY— 216 Terminal Bldg., Polly Trindle. OMAHA — Omaha World-Herald Bldg., Lou Gerdes. PHILADELPHIA-^901 Spruce St., J. M. Makler. PITTOTURGH — 86 Van BraOm St., R. F. Klingensmith. PORTLAND, ORE.— David Kahn, 7722 N. Interstate. RICHMOND — Grand Theatre, Sam Pulliam. ST. LOUIS — 5149 Rosa, David Barrett, FL-3727. SALT LAKE CITY — Deseret News, Howard Pearson. SAN ANTONIO — 309 Blum St., San Antonio 2, L. J. B. Ketner. SAN FRANCISCO — 25 Taylor St., Gail Lipmcm, ORdway 3-4812. SEATTLE— 928 N. £4th St., Willard Elsey. TOLEDO — 4330 Willys Pkwy., Anna Kline. IN CANADA CALGARY — The Albertan, Wm. Campbell. MONTREAI^330 Wilson Ave., N. D. G., Roy Carmichael, Walnut 5519. ST. JOHN — 116 Prince Edward St., Wm. J. McNulty. TORONTO — R. R. No. 1, York Mills, Milton Galbraith. VANCOUVER — 411 Lyric Theatre Bldg., Jack Droy. VICTORIA — 938 Island Highway, Alec Merriman. WINNIPEG — The Tribune, Ben Lepkin. Member Audit Bureau of Circulations Entered as Second Class matter at Post Office, Kansas City, Mo. Sectional Edition, $3.00 per year; National Edition, $7.50 Vol. 53 No. 24 OCTOBER 16. 1948 Ml WiiiaiiHiiiM REPEATING HISTORY V—-' ULLED from the “20 Years Ago" column is the following item: “Drastic changes are being proposed ior the reduction of financial costs by motion picture producers. Group meetings of leading executives have been held in California. The following plans have been discussed and at least partially agreed upon: “Limitation of costs on program pictures, with a maximum amount set. “Engagement of stars on a profit-sharing basis, their pictures to be limited to two each year. “Encouragement of new stars and new faces. “Elimination of weekly salaries to directors, pcryments to be made on a picture-to-picture basis. “Limitation of presentation costs in theatres. “Reduction of distribution overhead, through the elimination of superfluous executives and employes. “Emphasis upon brand names and titles, rather than the names of stars." And in the same column was the following: “The European boycott of American films was investigated recently by Joseph Brandt, president of Columbia Pictures. He spent three months visiting England, France, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. Some of his conclusions: 'The political situation in Europe, so far as the motion picture industry is concerned, is in a critical stage ... It is preposterous to go on disregarding these foreign interests . . . Probably the most far-reaching and revolutionary of the many drastic measures in the English bill are the elimination of block booking and the outlawing of all contracts which extend over a period of one year.' " That was 20 years ago! But it sounds very much like a report from current, rather than ancient day, industry history. In view of that sage remark about history repeating itself, it is not strange that conditions of two decades ago so closely resemble those of today. But it is interesting. And another parallel is in the fact that 20 years ago the industry was undergoing a transition from silent to sound films, while today television is on the threshold. What is encouraging in this retrospection is the fact that the industry not only survived the problems it faced two decades ago, but emerged to new heights of success. And it should not be forgotten that 20 years ago conditions were very much worse and the industry not so well fortified financially, nor nearly so strong in many other respects as it is today. So. take heart, all ye worriers! But let's not merely sit around and wait for conditions to better themselves. Let's heave to. And take a firm hold on the oar each of us has in this "boat" and, all together, roll up our sleeves and row ourselves into calmer seas for smoother, better sailing.