Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1949)

20 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, October 8, 1949 Jackson . . . i Cduliiiiicd from Page 19) move-overs frequently reduce the quota.) Examination of the newspapers over a two-week period showed that, on the average, eight of the twelve houses were playing the same attraction while the other four were dividing potential patronage of another. That this condition, or derivations and deviations of it, lis being duplicated in practically all metropolitan centers can be proved by checking the newspapers as I did. Now, let rrje ask : Does not this practice serve to discourage theatre attendance or, at least, to interrupt, to a marked degree, the "habit" of "Let's go to the movies" which the industry has spent many years and many dollars to cultivate? If you lived in this city and preferred attendance at its better theatres but found the choice of pictures confined to two selections — where stars, story, title, or other factor was not That's Public Relations A series of 13 trailers concerned with various phases of safety traffic lessons are being prepared for release throughout the houses of the California Theatre Owners Association. Instituted by Fox West Coast Theatres as a public welfare gesture the plan is being picked up by the Association to be shown in all the houses of the organization. to your liking — what would you do? That's right ! You'd stay home, or go to the ball game, or play bridge, or bowl or give your time and patronage to any of dozens of competitiors. Movies were built to their present status of public reception through the variety of entertainment they offered. Knowing, as we all do, the multiple likes and dislikes of our complex sphere of patronage, aren't we indulging in the mO'St obvious of idiotic, business-destroying prac Public Relations Fire Prevention Week Offers Chance for Community Effort It'.^ a little late to remind you, if you haven't been reminded already, 'but Fire Prevention Week, which opens Oct. 9 and runs through Oct. 15, offers the average exhibitor a whale of a chance to do a public service which will reflect itself to his advantage in his community-public relations. Because in the average city's fire department, which the average citizens knows little about, and, in the ever-present and expensive problem of fire, which again the average citizen knows little about, there is ample opportunity for colorful and effective tie-ins which range all the way from slogans on a theatre program to demonstrations held before the theatre. Past exhibitor experience has shown that cooperating with the fire department in this week has netted results in goodwill and appreciation and bas centered attention on the theatre. The tie-in doesn't have to be gargantuan. It can be small and still be spectacular. As an illustration, a lobby board with a punch line can call attention to the fact that three of the country's biggest fire hazards are matches and cigarettes, faulty chimneys and furnaces, and "misuse of flammable fluids." Ten to one it will surprise your patrons to know that matches and smoking cause 28.88 per cent of the nation's fires; faulty chimneys, furnaces, 21.11 per cent, and that the little woman cleaning a pair of gloves with gasoline starts 15.15 more of the fires. Misuse of electricity is beliind 10.86 per cent more. It may be late to start but the National Board of Fire Underwriters has three pamphlets — "60 Ways to Prevent, Fire in Your Home," "Stop Fires," "The Fire-Safe Home" — all of which can be obtained from the local fire board or your local fire insurance agent. If enough of these can be obtained they'd make good giveaways, for every one of them contains vital information that would surprise the average home owner. The National Board of Underwriters also has a trailer on the subject which Filmack is distributing and in the City of New York the Fire Department is putting out, with the assistance of the industry, another trailer for limited local use. However, there is a wider tie-in possibility with your local fire department where you can Use other facilities than the screen. First, there is the conventional tie-in whereby the fire-department demonstrates the use of its equipment before the theatre with the house plugging the demonstration in its ads. You can probably get a crowd around your theatre if a piece of fire equipment just shows up, but if the firemen unreel the hose or send the ladder of the hook and ladder soaring skyward and men to clamber up its rungs, you'll undoubtedly have a crowd. You might even get a jump into a fire net. You might even get the loan of some of the smaller equipment for display in your lobby, accompanied by suitable fire prevention messages. Such suits as firemen wear to fight fires in places where gasses are stored, or where ammonia gas might be freed, are attraction getters. There probably is a squad devoted to resuscitating people overcome by smoke. There are possibilities for a tie-in there. Probably an antiquated engine is around your towm that could be used in the lobby or before your theatre. If you live in a port town there is the waterfront fire fighters as a possibility, and in every city there is a city fire alarm telegraphic service, which bas a whale of an interesting story if a way to tie this in with the theatre can be found. .\nd while the Average Citizen envisages the lire department as a thing of racing engines, it has functions which are equally useful to the community though less spectacular. It does a whale of a job in preventing fire. That inspector who comes around from time to time, saves the property owner thousands of dollars by warning against defective electrical equipment. He, or his fellow fireman, makes sure that such liquids as gasoline, or such explosives, as dynamite, are properly stored. In the five boroughs of the City of New York alone, inspections for one year alone totaled 963,887. The fire fighters in turn put out 40,522 fires. Your fire department may bave its own ambulances. The firemen in their off time may have some "big brother" movement for underprivileged children. Anyway in this day when the entire industry is public relations-conscious, in this week which is intended to beat fire, the exhibitor can find an opportunity to improve his local relations. tices when we confine the field of selection to such skimpy proportions that we entirely eliminate the factor that proved our best customer magnet ? Don't misunderstand ; this is not an argument for longer clearance. Nobody welcomed the elimination of extravagant clearance and advocates further telescoping of the clearance schedule in many situations than this writer. This is an argument for common sense in booking and a complete cessation of the business-destroying practice of saturation, multiple day-and-date playing time. Our customers MUST be given a wider scope of attraction selection than this growing practice permits. If we don't correct the situation and give it to them, the time is not far off when "going to the movies" ceases to be a "habit" and enters the "occasional pastime" bracket. That the industry stands to gain through quick liquidation of product on closely related playing dates goes without saying and I'm all for it. It just makes sense to exhibit a picture as near as possible to the release date since this enables the showing while the publicity and propaganda is still echoing in public ears. That makes for more customers and the consequent reward of added revenue with which to make bigger and better productions. But let's use a little cornmon sense and stagger the spots of exhibition in some relation of playing time other than the complete saturation of a city through multiple day-and-date engagements. Why not let all owners of houses entitled to concurrent booking get together and draw lots? That method would certainly be without favor and prevent two or three theatres in one vicinity from forcing their customers to seek entertainment elsewhere because they are all showing some one film not to the patron's liking. Even two or three-day clearance is preferable, and the exhibitors should be able to work that out to the satisfaction of all concerned without putting distributors on the spot for infraction of some controversial or conflicting legal opinion. Over many years, movie patrons have been accustomed to choose their entertainment from a wide variety of film attractions. In continuing the odious practice of saturation sub-run bookings we are, in a sense, saying to our patrons : "You either buy this or take your money elsewhere." We don't mean it. We want and sorely need that money. They want a choice of film attractions. Let's give them what they want. Let's get that revenue. We can ill afford to lose even the smallest fraction of present theatre patronage, so why not take every precaution to prevent even the slightest interruption of the "habit" we've striven so hard to develop among America's millions of amusement seekers? Once they get out of the "habit," it takes great gobs of time and costs heaps of money to bring 'em back again. Why not go back to a sensible schedule of progressive exhibition with the clearance telescoped to a minimum? It'll be more pleasant — pleasant for the customers and more profitable for the exhibitor. Special Newsreel, Free Flowers for Birthday A special newsreel in which radio commentator William Winter reviewed the highlights of the past 10 years was one of the features which the Telenews Theatres of San Francisco and Oakland used recently to celebrate their 10th anniversary. Other specials were the mayors of the two cities congratulating General Manager Ellis Levy from his screens on his decade of news theatre operations and free gardenias to all feminine patrons.