Variety (January 1953)

3 Surefire B.O. Ingredients Pixites Salute Zukor Exhib Sees Arbitration By EARL J. HUDSON ( United Detroit Theatres ) Hollywood. JUAII1M J niMIlJlUliltlVIl Close to 1,000 filmites will be here for tonight (Wed.) dinner ft T| ± Ci 1 i • tribute to Adolph Zukor,' ‘ Para- /Iff l/Aflf VaIIITIAH mount board chairman, on the oc- r lift lllbil|. 1 llll II |i|l VII i—— cusion of his 50th anniversary i/VUV k7VJ.tft.ttJ. Vi ft Detroit. The third of this trilogy of ob- with Par. By BENJAMIN N. BERGER rfhrop factors most directly af- servances, prompted by boxoffice . Barney Balaban, Par prez, came ■ . ... Three factors / ' experience, concerns dramatic li- in from Washington for the cele- Minneapolis. would benefit immensely from that feet every boxo ice. cense. In stories that are persum- hration and Zukor, along with a Due to the many ramifications kind of policy. Mo. 1: Not en0U Sh consideration ab j y “real” in the sense that the num ber of other Par homeoffice of our business, I have always been This plan requires the heads of is being given to the selection of characters and situations are nor- ln * rom -N. a proponent of arbitration. Thrt ou ^ industry to get into a huddle By BENJAMIN N. BERGER Minneapolis, i would benefit immensely from that titles for fea- t u r e attrac- tions. Produc- tion, distribu- tion and exhi- bition must r e m ember that a large part of the public in ev erv commu- nity decides what to see, and what not see. from mal and logical, audiences lose the y s er ° ay (Tues.). means an all-inclusive arbitration rewrite their philosophy. The illusion of reality when the exer- > ' ' 1 ■■■ " setup. It means that an exhibitor distributors must make our indus- cise of too much dramatic license n ni having a controversy of any kind try m V. c , healthier. . creates situations and actions DlllG-I CIlCll KlllPQ or description with a distributor, I will continue urging National which are not reasonably normal. including any claim against him Allied to ask Congress to classify It frequently happens that writers —-By HAROLD M. BONE-—* by Sargoy & Stein, shall have the the producers and distributors as and directors stretch th’fe’“normal” * ’ right to request arbitration. If a Public utility. If the exhibitors much too far in an effort to achieve New Haven. there is no merit to the exhibitor’s a ^ e Soing to be squeezed between a situation, a piece of business or As anyone who has ever done claim, the arbitration board will higher operating costs and higher a few lines of dialog which they any writing knows, an editor is a throw the claim out just as an es- ren tals, which spelL eventual feel will be unique or outstanding, person whose physical appearance tablished court does. doom for the theatre owners, then In so doing, from an audience is normal with exception of the Th Hictrihntnrc pprtainlv chmilri we must ask Con 6 ress to help us point of view, they actually burst fact that he has a- blue pencil. ha ve colffidenceIn an arbitration aga ? nst the film companies’ sales the bubble of reality and whatever where the rest of us have an index e + u®.. 1 ?,„policy. It’s stopping millions of Blue-Pencil Blues By HAROLD M. BONE- Earl J. Hudson New Haven. auu , tne uuuwc ui. lcaiity turn wucucvci wucic we icsi ui us nave du iiiuca cAtun wT-iPro thav hnvp pmialitv of t #v '**w* to see, fro ^ rmpH hv fldv p r ti s ing sympathy (something which at finger. This is so that he can point people from seeing the top motion impressions formed. by advertising least one character in every story out an author’s best phrases—and di^tdbutor isdemaSdins 50 60 or plctures which is damaging not and publicity. Various ar V should win from the audience) has at the same time, delete them. K thP ^rhih-aHrfn’ hnn?d only the theatre owners but the responsible organizations of mar- been created, and whatever degree High up on the list of life’s S 1”? entire industry, ket analysts agree on oneJactor in of reality har been accomplished 'greatest frustrations is the experi- ab U for Jhat^itJiaHon the arbitra If the exhibitor goes under, the their respective findings. Not more .. completely lost, and the attrac- ence of laboring, mentally, to give SJf I *}* ii H«ht fn Producers and distributors will be than 30% of the waders of any tion becomes just anothet pic ture. .birth to a timeless bon mot or g dragged along with us. daily newspaper consult the amuse- opinion, only to have the obstetri- 50 ™ le * u . I still insist that the picture bus- ment page on any ° ay *. *V 1 1 m ir %tr iah cal interference of an editor bring , 1 f ^ el J 1 . t would be smart business iness is today as great as ever. The exception of a ” oCc t a h slon ? , . GRFFKS F ARM ARK 1 40G forth a literary mouse. It’s really for the distributors to agree to that most damaging blows are being de- standing attraction, the standard UIYLLfcD EmVlTUUYIY I4UU disconcer ti n g to say the least. kind of arbitration for an 18-month livered to the industry by the pro- practice natl ?«»X^^ TAD BDITKH PIY IMPART A backward look over almost a trial period Readjustment of the ducers and distributors. Neither and first run theatres is to use ais rUlX Dull lull llA UulUIll quarter century of catching plays se tup can then be made if experi- television nor any other form of play advening :tor two or tnree Washington. for Variety is the cause of the epee shows Unwisdom or races- entertainment is a serious compet- es tVp Slav advertising con- Greek Ministry of Finance has above observation. Like the char- sity of change In actual money it itor. If .good pictures are made date. The display v which g eWes * k T,, K nnnn f acter in the Bible, maybe a back- would save the industry and dis- and delivered to all the “posSibili- tains selling copy wnc 8 set up a fund of 50,000 pounds W ard look is something I shouldn’t tnbutors millions of dollars m at- ties” in the country, shown in good newspaper readers an 1 .0 sterling ($140,000) for the impor- have taken, as it only pours salt on torneys’ fees and court costs—and. theatres, and backed by good show- and Uie ton names in tationwdf British pix during the the wounds of my frustration. ! n good will, the value would be, manship, our industry will prosper 0 he ll cast ThereafteJ/ P newTpa S per year July 1, 1952, to June 30, 1953, Like, for instance the time last immeasurable. ton ads usually recite only the name tnf , pthpr rpaniatinns renorts season when a h °P eless llttle S em The creation of COMPO was an as °*l e of the to P industries in the of the^heatre^the title and the two together with^regulations. reports t itied “For Crying Out Loud” had excellent idea. It is indeed impera- country - or three names that the exhibitor Nathan D. Golden, directoi of the its premiere in our town. After tive that the industry be united. - feels are besf'known in his commu- Commerce Dept, motion picture carefully listing the producers, tlm However, COMPO is of no value if M ^ nitv. Consequently, people who division. author, the director the cast, the the film companies persist in a rflf ^ liOniSlIlIin? consult amusement pages after the .< The mechanics of licensing im- te ?bmcal credits, the theatre of sales policy that forces small towns IVI W onening day form their opinion of . .. . origin, the top ticket price and and suburban situations to pay. the attractiveness to them of any P° rts of ^ he vari °us .ypc» of pic- the date of opening, my “notice” from 40-70% and stopping several feature' picture by what the title tures, such as newsreels, shorts and (as turned in to the editor) con- thousand theatres i.i the country IVIvliruAf AIIITVAV suggests as entertainment. The per- features, and of converting royalty sisted of the following: “For Cry- from playing these top pictures. XlJJtlltVft kPUA T \*J ~ ss in d ; achm t f int ,° s n r '; n i a n u* t * portion to the total population in exchange and remitting to British ing bit of humor over which Va- be tter than ever” because these o.|,l|| | IIbIIIP I 5IC|PC any area. Therefore the majority producers,” explained Golden, riety readers would be busting a several thousand .theatres are pre- V J1 J IIUIlv ft. Uulvv of a theatre’s potential patronage “ w ni be exactly the same as those Sut laughing. vented from showing the top mo- for a particular picture determines aDD ii cab i e to United States films.” ^ my e ^ l *- or think so. tion pictures which are so neccs- By STANLEY KRAMER its interest for them by the infer- £ Nh-nh! sary for the health of this industry. ences in the title. Previously the Greek go n- Back came a little note stating: Any ncivice in this business knows Motion niotnrPQ will hpJt hp aiiio National magazines and many ment set an allocation of $500,000 “Inasmuch as Variety is a trade that while 70% may be satisfactory to MmpSte wtth^whra^they c^n progressive daily newspapers of of dollar exchange for the impor- S reTiew comme°nt e in .°" e situation, 25% for the same p resent P entertainment no? waU- large cireulat.on^ have specialists tation o£ Hollywood pictures. £?“£«£'^orv/cast^tc “° able on video. This opens up many For a Continuing Market Survey On Public Tastes By STANLEY KRAMER Hollywood. Motion pictures will best be able i n ,inrtrHctl°s W Jnrt Golden announcea also tnat tne Then there was the time when is necessary for the film companies T " 5 U1 pe f s ' /,® s ' azine aiticles and headlines ior Pi P t„ r p rpn«nr«hin Rnarri “<;kin nf Our Tppth" nnpnpd hprp necessary iorcne mm companies tems sure i y bo i d enormous hope newspaper stones that are ex- . a. in Npw Haven on the fil a ^ 1C an( ^realistic. I but f bey sbou jd be investigated tremely intriguing to readers. Far of Colombia reviewed 660 pictures in Nev J ^ aven - ^oing out on the insis t that every top picture should with unrem itting effort. too many feature productions have j n 1951 , 0 f which 436 were in the p f,^ p 1 \ a n ^v^nt^ee \ /ir^e’tn the Pu p ^ aye( ^ * P 0 ^bihty in There-are new customers avail- titles that are completely mean- p h lan «„ a « p mnctiv Ameri- « * $. !i y c u l, the countr y- That kmd of P oll cy ahle for high quality pictures here- ingless to the average person. They English language, mostly Amen effect that the play would probably wou i d get people back to the thfea- to forf considered risky on a low suggest nothing to the imagination, can product. Mexico supplied -136 win the Pulitzer Prize that season. t res and it would be an incentive common^ denominaS market Such titles leave readers of thea- pictures last year to the South . But did that line ever see the f or f be theatres to merchandise “Blockbusters” will be*"eood un- tre ads in newspapers cold and ut- American nation, followed by hght of print. No, siteee. Auto- the pj c f ures effectively. The re- *;i tv screens crow laree enoueh terly without interest. No title France with 26, Argentina 22, matically assuming that a luck su if s W ould be goodwill for the to comDete for sDectacle but thev should be approved unless it has Spain 21, Italy 16 and one Arabian f rom tbe sticks of this Connecticut i ndus tr y , a financially healthier wd j be r i s ky'for the independent the quality of suggesting to the film. (Continued on page 65) 1 theatre owner, and the distributors operator who cannot afford to average person entertainment that ' ■ — ■ ■■ — - - - - - - — - - ■ ■ come a sizable cropper is worth buying at the boxoffice. r ~ Many fine productions haye grossed far less than their stories, direction and performances justify, and largely because the titles given to them have lacked any appeal to their imaginations and failed to excite their curiosity. j No. 2: Laughs & Chuckles j Producers, writers and directors too often are so intent on artistic accomplishment that they lose sight of one consistent factor 'vhich the average person wants in I his or her entertainment. That fac- s J* tor is something on the screen in s C| situations, in dialog or in charac- terization which will give them at least a few* smiles, and preferably chuckles and laughs. People pa- A tronizc motion picture theatres for- entertainment. Every man and woman, regardless of age or posi- tion in life, has personal problems and worries. The motion picture theatre should offer them escape through forgetfulness and relief iioin those concerns and worries with entertainment that gives them a lew of the smiles, chuckles or taughs that their daily lives do not ^RF^_ ^5 provide. A mass entertainment ; medium such as ours does not en- ' courage repeat patronage when it < 1' subjects an audience to 80 min- ^ ^ s \ ; lues or more of drama and tragedy \ % i unrelieved for even a moment or - s ''I i two at intervals by light or broad •. comedy touches. Any theatre staff ^ (•in testify to the critical comments ' , ^ V l ,; hrons as they exit after seeing • N M production completely dramatic ‘ ' ontent. They may have admired '^i aori t '. x . ( elIen c e °f the performances . : ■— •I 1 . togic and naturalness of iacf rj i~iir*inif-fc a])noinf 1,V J S ut they have been dis- JOSE FERRER appointed because their inctinrtive V definition of “entertainment” has AS HENRI DE TOULOUSE-LAUTREC IN JOHN HUSTON'S "MOULIN ROUGE” Uol been fully experienced. Kurt Frings Agency, 468 North Camden Orive, Beverly Hills, California, Crestview 1-6115 ^ Golden announced also that the would be too much. Therefore, it ns up 1 cans of peas. Third dimaqsiqn sys- XL \ ' ^ X come a sizable cropper The day has fled when one hit would carry several duds. This means pix must find.ways to re- duce capital risks of picture mak- ing. Carve it up -any way you wish, from profit participation to decen- tralization, ad infinitum. Just find out how to kefep the dollar risk away$ from those budgets. I think we have gone about as far as possible with reduction of shooting costs. Pre-production planning, rehearsals, blueprinting, organizational start: work, all trim shooting expense. But is isn’t al- ways possible, to cut costs arbitrar- ily. You cannot cheat your sub- ject. If, after plotting every rea- sonable economy, a subject still comes in too high, then another piece of material must be chosen. Might I pass along a suggestion I overheard, which may be 10 years late, that the motion picture industry inaugurate a continuing market survey so that it always may know what kind of business it is. what avenues may be explored, what new tastes may be developed and many other things. One of our main difficulties is that we really do not know what we are talking about in this rapidly shifting en- tertainment world. I have the suspicion that we are a dozen different businesses, with different rules that will not ctoss categorical lines. Hake Homing JOSE FERRER AS HENRI DE TOULOUSE-LAUTREC IN JOHN HUSTON'S "MOULIN ROUGE” Kurt Frings Agency, 468 North Camden Drive, Beverly Hills, California, CreStview 1-6115 Clay V. Hake, Paramount man- aging director in Australia and New Zealand, trained to the Coast Friday (2) after concluding home- office confabs with foreign chief George Weltner and other execs. Following a brief studio stop- over, Hake proceeds to his Sydney headquarters.