Variety (January 1954)

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PICTURES Forty-eighth P^RtWTY Annivertary Wednesday* January 6, 1954 By S. H. FABIAN (Pres,, Stanley Warner Corp.) What’s ahead for exhibition? for stage and stadium, and as a Can we count on a real future for | {^ special audience attrac the theatre end of our industry. ^ | A closed circuit can play to liun . Exhibitors, debating the merits dreds of thousands — and some day of new media and new equipment , . to a niiIllon-i-instead ''of confining are trying |o forecast the theatre of of tomorrow in order to risk a considerable investment today. I believe exhibition has a great future, an exciting future; a future the audience to . the number seats at the place of origin. To bur regular screen features we will add as consistent program items, sports, legit shows and grand opera. Presently everything , • : in entertainment will be shown in with new theatre policies, new ei -, motjon picture theatres. This is the tertainment on our screens — with a exhibition policy of tomorrow, wider service to more kinds of audiences than we have ever had in the past. The basic elements of exhibition remain the same; the camera, the projection, the screen, sound, and a comfortable theatre seat. Even Cinerama, which is not merely a modification of existing process but an entirely new method of shooting and showing motion petures— a whole series of integrated inventions^ — is based upon the same funadmentals as the original flickers. Whether we use film or tape, what we all know needs to be repeated— that no entertainment can survive on the strength of me j chanical ingenuity alone, no mat! ter how wide the screen or how j stereophonic the sound or how ■ dimensional the picture. ‘ [ Entertainment is a medium of; human communications: what it 1 Vs. Mass Prod. By WILLIAM GOETZ Hollywood. Wishful thinking doesn’t sell tickets at the boxoffice. What is put on the screen is the determine ing factor that attracts the ticketbuying public. You d.o n ’ t have to consuit a crystal ball to forsee the trend of today. It’s in the direction of the big and important picture.. Exhibit-tors are gentlemen who are very easy to please, pro Metro Party in From Cairo Metro contingent in Cairo' for the filming of “Valley 'of the Giants, ” returned to New York yesterday (Tues.) and left immediately for the Coast. Group included players Robert Taylor, Eleanor Parker, Carlos Thompson and Kurt Kasznar, director Robert Plrosh, cameraman Robert Surtees," publicity unit man Morgan. Hudgins, studio staffers John Schmidts and Helen Parrish, and make-up man Keeter Sweeney. Pre-Selling and Savvy Campaigns At Point of 6.0. Need Hypoing __ By -LEONARD^ H.-GOLDENSON — (Pres., American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres) WB $ 16 in Costas Much As W ilium Goetz . . .c . „ vided of course, you send them says is more important than “° stellar screen attractions. Since they wait with open arms for the .. . " ^.g ones^ naturally the producer’s desire is to accommodate his customers. But every picture can’t be a big one or an important one, which gives an edge to the independent producer who can wait until the property he considers ideal for the big grosser comes along. When I was in charge of producT tion at Universal-International we initiated a program to develop new talent. At that time there was considerable discussion about the star system fading into oblivion, but that was not the reason we went ahead with the ‘new faces’ plan. It was a desire to build our own play-, ers and also to avoid the high sal I think all can agree that the current “technical revolution” is more than shot in the arm, that entertainment has been enhanced by 3-D and Cinemascope, that Cinerama: has added a plus factor never before . experienced— the feeling of audience participation. It’s now up to the creative minds, who hold the fate of the industry in their hands, to use these new media and process to the best advantage in each method. Then we can be certain that this technical inoculation is not a temporary pick-me-up.. butan added vjtamin. which will keep the industry in good health for a long time. . .These developments add variety aries of the topflight actors and to screen programs. The speed . actresses, so we could expend more with which exhibitors are equipping their theatres indicates t’’ct there is wide agreement about the boxoffice values of big screens, stereopticon pictures and stereophonic sound. Thousands of theatres. are being revamped to vre money on actual production. An independent producer doesn’t have the responsibility of bringing new players up the ladder, and with the emphasis on important pictures he must resort to the marquee names because names do By JACK L. WARNER Burbank. Countless thousands of miles of film have run through the motion picture projectors since Variety began calling the turns at the theatre boxoffice. At the time we Warners were showing our first silent flic k ers in 1903 at the Bijou Dream Nickelod eon in New Castle, Pa., Variety was yet to lift the voice that _ . . w as to be L* Warner heard around the world of show business. We’ve seen tremendous changes, vast growth, great improvements. We’ve weathered innumerable crises, arid emerged from them bigger, stronger and better than before. In all those 50 years never has there been one which . has brought more sweeping changes, such technical advances and so many alarums in screen entertainment as the ! one just ended. Except for the pe! riod in the mid-1920s when we at Warner Bros, spearheaded the revolution which brought talking pictures, the year 1953 must go down unchallenged as the era of the great change, all for the good of our industry. In such a period of transition it is hazardous to gaze into the crystal _ball, or don the prophet’s. robe, and come up with predictions of what the future will bring. I never have appointed myself as a spokesman for the motion picture indus! try and I find it more satisfying ; to make screen entertainment than to speculate upon the trends it will take. The public writes its own verdicts in black or red ink at the : boxoffice. To try to out-guess, or outsmart audiences is disastrous. To use the best judgment experi: ence and years of training can give ! in trying to please the public is j the course we at Warner Bros, choose to follow. L. H. Goldenson Si Fabian recently stated in an address that the selling of a picture divides into two separate operations. First, the pre-selling while the picture is being r made, and second, the campaign for the point of sale. He devoted most of his talk to the selling of pictures from the standpoint Of the point 6f sale in large circuits, and he gave a very clear and learned dissertation on the importance of the theatre manager in this phase of picture selling. There is no question but that the theatre manager plays an extremely vital part in the sale of his attraction. He is the one who knows his patrons and must scheme out the. methods with which to reach them. He is the one who determines what kind of ballyhoo to use and he is the one who arranges the promotional tie-* ins. In short, he must be a showman who keeps resorting to a bag of tricks which may be old but which he improves, alters and pumps new life into. But there are many cases where a manager with all the showmanship in the world just cannot sell even a good picture. These are Darryl F. Zanuck every variety of lens and aspect help make good pictures important. I. As production head of our studios it is my responsibility to chart ratio and bookers are learning to juggle 2-D. 3-D and Cinemascope. Vaster Audience Potential » is new repertoire needs a few of the' older specialities; specifically. vaudeville and stage attractions to give us complete variety rr.d combine, yesterday with tomorrow. That’s coming too. Some. of. tis have already sampled the new com binations, not live, but through the Exhibitors want the top names television eye, and it will bring t-o decorate their marquees and so audiences into our theatres, for cio the producers. But high salaries I don’t think the star system in Ho lywood is on the downward trail. Perhaps the business has undergone a change where the star is not the No. 1 factor, It’s been said before and Will be said again, subject matter must carry the ball; then the weight of the boxoffice name or names will enhance the gross, receipts. Participations I entertainments never before avail able or practical in motion picture theatres. In. the earlier days of exhibition we spliced a picture show to si representations. or five. acts of v;hi:’cVille, or name bands;then all there' attractions died and pictures v.c ni it alone. Pictures were, pretty successful and complacent, until televiVm turned jut to be attractive rific competition screen.. We can AVe il have to marry the dmc Some of you • may feel you <*:r' can be strong obstacles. One way lo skirt these obstacles is through the participation deal. Giving a star the opportunity to share in the profits is helpful, affording the producer the opportunity of investing his cash to get the maximum on the screen. This is another helpful factor in making important pictures. If it lakes a big budget to put together the big one, the extra $200,000 to tya 01'cHnariIy spent forvthe star can the* thJ w Ro into production. 1{ the actor can •f ,hc,l-e do business for you and is willing t high-hat her. to gamble, he’s entitled to all he qtanrlino i.V, * j ;. x Mueaium nas Deen raised, standing up tor a shotgun w.cdd.ng must every picture be an erve9 bm I see It as a legitimate court. This,' of course, mutt be fuled^oui * * finiplrl^* Tliom m»ll . Ua n.«Aii j _ can get. The question has been raised, *> out rp. . , • quickly. There will be small pic i nrough closed circuit television lures because there still is a mar-, we can show a greater variety of ket.for them, perhaps not as big as progiiams than was ever thought it once was, yet still a market. But possible for picture houses. jOu r_ . as.wt iBL-higger. and-niore -imporiant ?r » . • a < «■ . J that course. I have no occult pow: ers to guide me but I do have a j magnificent organization, top creative and technical talent and the 1 resources of a great company of ; many long years of standing. : ■ Fewer But Bigger | We are going to make fewer pictures in 1954 than we have in previous years. They will be bigger pictures and better pictures because we will put into some 16 attractions the same budget that formerly went into 42 pictures. Every dollar of those expanded individual budgets will go into i great stories, the top talent of the | production quality. ! We believe in Cinemascope and have announced that most of our 1 pictures will be made in that me! dium. Our confidence in CinemaScope is based upon what we are ; seeing on our own studio projection room screens from currently ' filming and completed productions j in this medium. ! The first CinemaSeope production from Burbank to reach the I screen will be “The Command,” which is presently being scored by Dimitri Tiomkin and pointed to a January release. Starring Guy | Madison, Joan Weldon and James Whitmore, -“The Command” is «i ! colorful ' outdoor action drama ; from--J-ames Warner BellalT’s"Saf Cnivnum* ' a ..r ' r w i UUH.1 DUlldll r set eenx aie -successful substitutes, i (Continued on page 49) i (Continued on page 49) By DARRYL F. ZANUCK Hollywood. Among the many reasons why the new methods such as CinemaScope are a blessing in disguise to the film industry is the fresh opportunity it has provided f o r eliminating the small pictures which sustain the evils of — the double features. By enlarging the vision and perspective of screen drama as well as the proportions of the camera field, the new method encourages the producer to make pictures that will be bigger in [scope and longer in duration. Pic! tures of this type need only a 1 small supplement to round out the longer evening’s entertainment. which many ticket buyers feel is desirable. This supplement can be provided by short subjects. The short subjects which result from Cinemascope photography will, I . believe, be fully satisfying to the public. They are not to be compared in quality, scope or entertainment value to the kind of shorts which were possible under the limitations of the routine film camera. But the film industry as a whole must make a conscientious effort to eliminate the double feature if it is to regain full health and. prosperity. This necessity must not be ignored for the sake of quick or easy profit, because in the long run double features be! get mediocrity, and mediocrity will set the industry back into j the doldrums. i Another thing the industry must make is a conscientious effort to standardize on a unified photographic system. It is our contention that, since Cinemascope, has become a trademark and has received the unquestionable endorsement: of the public, it offers the possibility of standardization. In the United States 870 theatres are already equipped for it,, with another/ 60 abroad, and installations are mounting as fast as equipment is at hand. Bigger pictures mean longer ! runs and therefore fewer pictures ; need be madei.P.icAures like “The |Rob‘c,T find “How to Marry A MilI (Continued on page 48) cases in which the picture has not been properly pre-sold. I feel, as Fabian does, and that is that pre-selling generally from Hollywood has fallen off substantially and that it is obvious that this decline may have an important bearing upon the lack of public response to pretty good pictures and may account for the failure of fine productions to make a profit not only for the distributor but for the exhibitor. For many years, I have advocated a system of pre-selling which, I believe would be of invaluable aid in the ultimate sale of motion pictures, I feel that, as soon as an idea for a motion picture is . conceived and it is decided that such a motion picture will be made, a member of the producer’s advertising and exploitation staff should be assigned to the picture. Thereafter, having familiarized .himself with the! story content and cast that man should follow that picture right through its embryonic, production and release stages. During that time he should seize every;, opportunity that presents itself to bring this picture to the public’s attention and, if necessary, he should make such Opportunities. With the personalities available in Hollywood who are in demand in , the newspapers, radio and television, this should be a comparatively easy task. This constant publicity should be had not only when the picture is in its embryonic and production stages, but also during any period when it is deemed advisable to keep the finished product on the shelf. I am confident that this type of publicity, followed by the proper advertising and exploitation campaign when the picture is released, must result in a terrific plus for the picture. I feel the time is now ripe to again urge this upon our industry. We are now entering a new era with our new techniques in projection and sound, arid the release of the first Cinemascope pictures have proven to us that the public is intensely interested. Let us make certain that this interest does not wane. I Case of ‘Roman Holiday’ | — ~I would like to dwell for a moment on a problem , which sorely, needs a solution. I am referring to some of the sophisticated comedies, and dramas and the sweet type of story or comedy like “Roman Holiday” which are very good pictures, but which never seem to get off the ground. Some of these, pictures, because of astute campaigning, have had some measure of success in metropolitan areas, but most of them' fail all over the country. It is indeed extremely vexing to watch a good picture get very little or nothing at the boxoffice, and it is difficult to believe that there is not a sufficient quantity of the public to whom these types of picture appeal enough to make of them financial successes. It can only mean that the people: interested in these types of pictures are not being reached and, if this is the reason, the advertising and exploitation approach to these types of pictures cannot be correct. I do not propose to hold myself out as an expert, because I do not have any solution. Perhaps particular attention should be given to the various mediums of advertising in an attempt to find out why one particular medium, can sell one type of picture and not another. For example, we have had so much success in selling the shock-type of picture on television that the poor results obtained through that medium in selling a sweet type of picture are almost unbelievable. If a way could be devised to sell this latter type on TV and obtain the same success as with shock pictures, what a Wonderful return we could get for our advertising and exploitation dollar. Fabian who touched on this problem briefly in his address, had a very good idea in urging that our industry be geared to testing advertising campaigns for these types of pictures. In any event, this problem is deserving of intense study by everyone in our industry, since the benefits of a proper solution would be invaluable.