Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1956)

An International Association of Motion Picture Showmen — Walter Brooks , Director THEATRES — All Have a “Personal" History REPORTS that the Shuberts will have to sell the St. James theatre, on 44th Street, under the consent decree which they signed in the Government’s anti-trust suit, reveal just how this sort of thing usually works out. The price is quoted at $2,100,000 which will give the Shuberts a tremendous profit — and nothing will be changed. The house was built by A. L. Erlanger as the flag-ship of his legitimate theatre chain, and cost $1,400,000 in the days when a dollar was a dollar. But it stands on leased ground, owned by Vincent Astor, and the original investors were long since shaken out. In 1935, Eddie Dowling took over the house on a four-wall lease from the Astor office, for 8% of the gross — and, of course, he assumed all costs of operation and maintenance. The theatre has many architectural faults — the stage is too small and too shallow: the top balcony is too big and you walk up eight flights from the street! There are also eight floors of dressing rooms back stage — most of them unused these many years, because there is no elevator. The top floor, across the building, was an office floor, unoccupied during the Astor regime, but Dowling rented all the office space 20 years ago. The Globe, on Broadway, was originally Charles Dillingham’s home theatre, and a fine house in its day. As a fourth-rate motion picture theatre, it has done less than well with inferior pictures. Soon, it will be restored as a legitimate theatre, and the expansive Broadway lobby closed off and turned into a store, with the entrance to the theatre from 46th Street. This was done with the Mark Hellinger theatre, with their new entrance on 51st Street, and they are doing all right with “My Fair Lady” — more than 3000 customers clamoring for the 1500 seats at every performance, and tickets on sale until January, 1958! The movie rights for this musical adaptation of “Pygmalion” — which was made as a film in 1938 — will sell for close to $1,500,000. Movie rights go up in value when a nation-wide hit plays a long run in a small theatre, thus creating huge demand for limited seats. A PERSONAL TRIBUTE It was in October, 1916, just forty years ago, that we first met Oscar Morgan. He was the field exploitation man for Paramount at their branch office on Vine Street, in Philadelphia— and we had just signed a three-year contract to become the manager of the Auditorium theatre, Coatesville, forty miles up the Main Line— our first theatre job away from home. Oscar in those days taught us the rudiments of good showmanship, and as Short Subjects Sales Manager, in Paramount's home office today, he is still teaching good showmanship in his travels up and down the land, as he sells short films for all of the substantial values they contribute to a theatre program. His office is only a few blocks away, but we seldom see Oscar except out of town— the last time was in Jacksonville, for he's on the road so much, and covers so much of the country. Our personal salute is based not only on his years with Paramount, and the manner in which he conveys this skill to others, but because he gave us such a decided lift when we knew less than nothing about operations close to Film Row. Coatesville was a great experience in theatre operation and community relations— but we really learned more about motion picture business down on Vine Street, every day. The Mayfair, on Broadway, was operated by Loew’s as a grind house, with a double-feature policy like a remote neighborhood, but now they compete with all comers, and can outbid Loew’s State for first run films. The Roxy with the opening . of “Giant” hit its top gross of $165,000 for the first time since “What Price Glory” — and that was 29 years ago! Business is good for good pictures, and for good theatres, conducted by good showmen. SHORT FILMS are the theme in this annual issue of the Herald, and you’ll find a piece of our priceless prose, written to the subject, on another page. But we want to add one note, and that is acknowledgement to Columbia Pictures, who for many years, have provided a consistent program of short films, for quantity and quality — some of them still originating with Jules White and others whom we’ve known in the past. They supply practically all there is to be had of pure slapstick in the present day programs, and that’s wha'; we believe theatre men need more of, as feature films grow longer and more grim. Time was when a really good two-reel slapstick comedy could stop the show in any house, and obtain top billing in any theatre. No operation was too good for slapstick, in the old days. Perhaps, we have turned the full cycle, and it’s time to bring back slapstick in CinemaScope and new dimensions. What was funny before would be funny again. USB DRIVING the Mohawk Trail, across Massachusetts from the Hudson to Haverhill, over the recent holiday week-end, we saw evidence of good theatre operation, and some proof that it had been lacking. A few dark theatres were obviously decayed and decrepit, although we saw one relatively new theatre building “for rent” — in a one-street town where the theatre location was far removed from business neighbors. It takes a grain of common sense to determine a theatre opportunity. Pittsfield, Mass, has good theatres, looking clean and active — and the E. M. Loew houses in several towns were putting up a solid front for “Solid Gold Cadillac.” This circuit has good management, and it shows. And, in Haverhill, the theatre where Louis B. Mayer started in this business as an exhibitor, is still operating, to its credit. “L. B.” has gone a long ways, through his years as the head of MGM’s Hollywood studios — and his latest theatre deal, to our knowledge, was his purchase of the Rivoli theatre, on Broadway, as a personal investment. — Walter Brooks MANAGER'S ROUND TABLE SECTION, OCTOBER 27 1956 41