Kinematograph year book (1944)

12 The Kinematograph Year Book. This fact remains : A new order-of-the-day has arrived. An order to play those productions which are worth it, for all they are worth. Samuel Goldwyn, many years ago, as an exponent of " high-class " product, shouted to the hilltops to advance that theory. Most important in this connection for a heavier and creamier liquidation is the growing usage of expensive, high-powered showmanship promotions of pictures intended for extended runs. It is not uncommon now for such a production to ride in on a two or three-hundred thousand dollar advance advertising and exploitation campaign. Best typifying the trend is the statement made in New York near the year's end by Herbert J. Yates, owner of Republic Pictures, that his company would spend $2,000,000 on showmanship promotions alone of pictures in 1944. There was a time, not so many years ago, when Republic did not spend that much to produce a whole season's programme of pictures, let alone advertise them. The trend, too, is away from the single-city " world premiere " of a key attraction, and now runs toward day-and-date " world premieres " in as many as 30 to 50 cities. On the year's over-all picture, some mighty strange analogies were witnessed. They found, among other items, the Government, Hollywood, producers, distributors and exhibitors related very closely in spirit and in force working gloriously in all war-winning efforts ; they found the Government working feverishly to establish a $25,000-a-year ceiling on salaries, obviously a heavy blow at the high salaries of Hollywood, and which Hollywood declare to be highly discriminatory because of the claims of talent of comparative limitations of time for top earning power ; they found the Government insisting that theatre ticket taxes be raised from 10 to 30 per cent., 'all the while urging exhibitors to sell more war bonds to low income groups (at this writing Congress was still debating this levy) ; they found Goverument ruling, but later rescinding, temporarily, the amount of bonus which could be paid to a film salesmen for his extra efforts in a film sales drive ; they found Government refusing to issue permits for the purchase of new trucks to replace trucks of film deliveries which had broken down — all the while whistling the merry tune of the value of keeping theatres open to bolster public morale. But, anyway, all hands are still on deck, and, like the expectant father pacing the hospital corridor in anticipation of his first-born, all are " doing nicely." In exhibition, generally, there is being re-drawn, as elsewhere in many parts of the world, a brand new pattern resulting from the outflux of scores of thousands from non-war-manufacturing centres — hitting theatres therein— and the influx of those migrants to war-plant places where box offices are booming for all-time highs. Significant is the fact that in some war-booming districts where theatres have not benefitted as much as elsewhere because of seven-day, round-the-clock overtiming, the Government is permitting a switch to a six-day week and less overtime, giving workers more time for recreation. The reason is the advanced stage of manufacturing in those particular localities. Coming at the year-end, and of high importance to the industries of both England and America is the deep recognition of leaders on this side — and which, we hear, is also recognised by leaders over there — of the advisability of laying plans now about " who is going to get what in world film markets when it's all over." On this subject, American leaders are not talking — at least not any more. But they have been hearing a lot about the sentiments in this connection from their cousins in England. Scanning the headlines of the Year we note that the War Production Board's quarterly raw stock allotment has been running about 320,000,000 ft. of 35 mm. for the 11 largest Hollywood studios, for regular theatrical entertainment, with the proviso that a new producer requires certification that he has an actual distribution arrangement with one of the 11, in order to secure film. Footage in addition is available to the 11 companies, and to others for war films. Documentaries, of course, have been out from the very beginning of the conflict, unless they, too, pertain sufficiently to the war effort.