Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1956)

An International Association of Motion Picture Showmen — Walter Brooks , Director "THE HORSE Is Here To Stay" Up in Pennsylvania, a small-town harness factory has carried on for more than fifty years — and once upon a time, they printed the slogan above, on their letter heads. But it was wishful thinking — the horse wasn’t here to stay, and harness factories went out of business. The plant in our home town made a fortune in the Spanish-American War, somewhat less in World War I, and considerably less, in the years since. Strangely enough, they’re doing all right today, with pony collars and pony harness, which is a sideline not unrelated to drive-in theatres. The point we want to make is that you can’t say the movies are here to stay, either, nor even television, as we know it now, for nothing is here to stay, except death and taxes. We think our hometown factory staged a remarkable recovery, and was able to stay in business because they revised their slogan — it was the factory that was here to stay, managed by home folks who believed in their town, and had loyal business associations. Gazing into a crystal ball, you’re apt to see a cloud on the horizon, and consequently, it’s better not to depend on soothsayers, but rather on strategy. We heard an industry leader the other day recite a list of the type and kind of theatres he thought might survive sweeping change, and it meant that many now in business must either revise their rules, or move over. Things that are here, and coming up, will demand their space and time, in the public’s spending of the amusement dollar. But it’s not enough to compel any showman to be either distressed or destitute. Diversification, different methods of selling approach, a restoral of old-fashioned showmanship to places unacquainted with such procedures, will go far to keep your theatre open and operating on the profit side of the ledger. Most of all, community affairs will keep your theatre in a spotlight of public interest, and will prevent any shadow of failure from creeping over movies, at the local level. The active theatre manager is not “fighting for his life” against insurmountable odds, as some would have you DON'T WAIT FOR IT The announcement that the Government will open the door to indoor theatre renovation loans comes as much of a surprise to us as the news of Compo's victory in tax reduction— neither of which we thought exactly imminent. It's a pleasant surprise, in both cases, and our only observation is that we never advised good showmen to be holding their breath while waiting. Our policy— in these Round Table meetings, is to do all we can, by persuasion and through examples, to convince theatre managers that they must do for themselves— and do it single-handed. That is really the essence of getting along in these days. It's a very fine thing to look forward to Government loans, and about time we had some here, rather than around the world. But, don't just sit on the curb and wait for the parade to come by. It may be quite a while before it passes your intersection. We were in Washington, in 1935, when the National Emergency Council allocated $4,800,000,000 to no less than 1 1,700 "projects"—and a reasonable percentage of them were on the level. But it was a distressing and disillusioning experience to see just how public funds are dispensed for private or privileged beneficiaries. You have to know somebody who knows somebody. And, when the votes are counted, those who deserve most will get least. believe. As a matter of fact, he’s keeping up with the times, and not coasting along with showmanship methods and management that have become obsolete in the past twenty-five years. The old days are gone — a new day is here, there will be as many seats filled, in film theatres, as ever before — including the in-car audience who bring their own upholstery, and actually spend more money at a drive-in than the average family ever spent in conventional theatres. HERB PHILBRICK, by-line writer of the New York Herald Tribune syndicate, and for national magazines, quotes an article which he read, “explaining that television is far from being the only villain that keeps people away from the movies.” “In recent years,” the article says, “people in ever-growing numbers have taken up active indoor and outdoor hobbies, not the least of which ... is splashing about in their own backyard swimming pools. What used to be the hallmark of a millionaire or a Hollywood film star is now the private joy of hundreds of thousands of ordinary Americans. This year it is estimated, 30,000 new pools will be installed at a cost of a third of a billion dollars.” Without going any deeper into that article, we can hardly wait to tell you that Herb Philbrick was quoting the New York Daily Worker, official mouthpiece for the Communist Party in America. He says, “If this keeps up, the Reds had better set up an ‘Un-Communistic Activities Committee’ to find out what’s going on.” The Party Line is swerving so far away from the left that it’s going to be difficult to find a good radical newspaper, in these days. They say only the nicest things about everybody — including the capitalists, and all the various buyers. ■ ■ ■ OUR THANKS to Emery Austin, for the spread in the MGM pressbooks on the $35,000 Lustre-Creme Sweepstakes — and what the company says, officially, about being on the side of all such things that build public appreciation and audience interest for motion pictures and players. The second of the national advertising color spreads is out now in the October Ladies Home Journal, and will meet the eyes of more than twenty million readers, in addition to a similar coverage in LIFE of September 17th. There will be other ads in current magazines between now and November. The accumulative total is massive, deep penetration, intensive pre-selling for movies in theatres, not on television. You should show your appreciation for a good stunt, well planned and executed for your benefit. — Walter Brooks MANAGERS' ROUND TABLE SECTION, OCTOBER 13, 1956 31