The Exhibitor (May-Oct 1945)

ACCORDING TO coast reports, the exhib¬ itor is to be glamorized in “Palace on Main Street,” being produced for RKO by Stephen Laird. The story is said to be based in part, at least, on the experi¬ ences of Laird’s father, who was a Penn¬ sylvania exhibitor. Nothing of the plot lias been revealed but it might be well for RKO to hire a couple of technical ad¬ visors to make certain that the film will be devoid of flaws. We can just imagine the climax of the film, when the exhibitor finds, at 15 minutes before show time, that his print is miles away, with the film de¬ livery truck stalled by rising flood waters. The exhibitor, by using eskimo dog, bicy¬ cle. auto, plane, and helicopter, and finally swimming the swollen stream, singlehandedly brings the feature into the projection booth just as the people in the crowded theatre are beginning to tear the screen down because the show hasn’t started. RKO hasn’t indicated whether the picture will he in the top bracket, hut that will probably be another story. ★ LAST WEEK, National Noise Abatement Week, was marked by industry co-opera¬ tion. No exhibitor organization passed a resolution condemning anyone or any¬ thing, and no distributor executive handed out a statement saying that there was anything wrong with this business that a good heart to heart talk couldn’t cure. ★ POEM: Want dough in the bank? Then of course you Must include “Diamond Horseshoe.” ★ UP TO PRESS TIME, no exploitation man had yet come forth claiming credit for the mysterious flash of light, plus sound, which rolled through the heavens in the mid-Atlantic coast area one morning last week. Perhaps they are afraid they might he accused of violating the ‘brownout.’ ★ “RIP DOWN THE STARS AND STRIPES” has won the Jap Government’s award of 5,000 yen as a film “masterpiece” of 1944. From the looks of things, the Jap exhi¬ bitors had better book it fast because the B-29’s are cutting down the Jap distribu¬ tors’ possibilities. ★ INTERNATIONAL observers may think that Argentina’s decision to allow certain American-made anti-Nazi features to be shown in that country was influenced by political pressure, but we still think the shortage of features must be responsible. ★ •DISTRIBUTOR sells more than 11,000 ac¬ counts by phone.’ So one wag wants to know whether the line for adjustments will form at the nearest phone booth. ★ THIS WEEK’S DUALLER: “Hitler— Dead or Alive” and “The Strange Death of Adolph Hitler.” The Fall River Argument More than ordinary interest is being evidenced by tbeatremen in an arbitration case recently filed before the Boston tribunal by the Atlantic Amusement Company, which operates the Empire, Fall River, Mass., and which complains that RKO refuses to license “It’s A Pleasure” for exhibition in the Empire, contrary to Section VI of the consent decree. Specifically, the facts reveal that the Empire is one of three first run theatres in F all River owned by three separate corpora¬ tions hut under common stock ownership. The distributor, RKO, wishes to play the picture in the Durfee, the largest of the three houses, not the Empire. There is no argument about terms. Ac¬ cording to Nathan Yamins, who operates the theatres, the basic issue is whether the distributors are going to operate the exhibitors’ own theatres. According to Allied, “the proceeding will he followed closely by all exhibitors who at some time or other have sought pictures for one of several theatres, and have been told they must buy for all, as well as those who have been denied the right to say in which of several theatres a particular picture shall he shown.” It is common knowledge that the affiliated circuits generally do not have such trouble. In localities where they operate many houses they retain their hooking privileges. It is not too much to expect that independent theatremen he allowed to retain the same right. As A matter of FACT, this desire of some distributors to dictate to the independent isn’t restricted to this type of problem. Some distributors’ oppressive tactics, for example, include such practices as failing to allow an established account to repeat pictures because no deals have heen made for newer features, just to mention one particular item. How an arbitration hoard will see the Fall River case is open to question, hut, regardless of the result, at least the publicity spot¬ light will have heen directed toward another grievous industry headache. / A Jay Emanuel Publication. Founded in 1918. Published weekly by Jay Emanuel Publications, Incorporated. Publishing office: 1225 Vine Street, Philadelphia 7, Pennsylvania. New York office, 1600 Broadway, New York 19. Coast Representative: Samuel Lindenstein, 425 South Cochran Avenue, Los Angeles 36, California Jay Emanuel, publisher; Paul J. Greenhalgh, business manager; Herbert M. Miller, managing editor; James A. Dalton, production manager George F. Nonamaker, associate editor. Rates: Each edition, one year, $2; three years, $5 Please add. ess all communications to 1225 Vir.e Street, Philadelphia 7, Pennsylvania — H. M. M.