Box office digest (Dec 1938-Dec 1939)

*7l4e Q&x. Orifice 'Ike tfndustly s T)istinctioe Weekly TIME OUT FOR SELLING An Editorial by ROBERT E. WELSH It is difficult to find a ready-to-hand answer as to why theater box offices are decidedly off at this time of the year when they should be doing their most pleasant humming. And it is a bad dose of medicine to take on top of the castor oil administered by the foreign market situation. Wishful thinking in anticipation of war orders still remains just "thinking,” pending translation into ticket selling. So we fervently hope that the industry will quickly settle its internal union problems on an around-the-table, give-and-take basis so that the air might be cleared, and our myopic eyes have a better chance of seeing and facing the real problem. What’s the matter with box offices? * * * Every picture on the market just now is not a sensational hit, but we think that those whose memories go back over many seasons will agree the general average of available entertainment that is really ENTERTAINMENT is fairly high. Comparable, if not better, than many seasons in your Editor’s memory. Is the competition too tough? From radio, in particular? Or from a wider mass following of sports, both professional and amateur? If stiff competition is the problem, what are we going to do about it? Do we take it laying down, or have we within us the ability to meet any competition ? Modestly, we venture the thought that the picture business CAN meet competition — and lick it. But stubbornly, we repeat our frequently expressed opinion, that it will never do so until it cleans its own house. By means of two steps: First, take the relationship between distributor and exhibitor out of its present atmosphere of guerilla warfare; second, take the hooey out of Hollywood. With something accomplished towards those ends, perhaps we can face the enemy — competitive ticket sellers — with that grand old weapon SHOWMANSHIP. It seems almost impossible to conceive of any major industry in the country that exists in such a cat and dog manner as the motion picture. And it extends into every branch of our work — distributor and theater bickering, circuit chain and independent knifing, production control and creative worker counter-chiseling, it’s all dog eat dog, cat eat its tail. Cannot present conditions prompt us to some steps towards unity? We are all members of the same family. Then we will get time to get around to that essential — and our greatest strength, if we only exercised it: SHOWMANSHIP! Showmanship such as radio is showing, with the air lanes blanketed by programs and devices to KEEP PEOPLE AT HOME; showmanship such as Darryl Zanuck displayed by finding the correct way to harness radio to ticket selling with his "Drums Along the Mohawk" broadcast. More accent on entertainment that tempts and teases ticket buyers to leave the fireside; a wet blanket on themes and titles that make it so preferable to sit at home with the radio comic. More "ROLISING” themes — the sort that made the first great motion picture conversions with "The Birth of a Nation,” the type that turned a weak season upside down with "Alexander’s Ragtime Band.” Less of the patting-ourselves-on-the-back attitude in Hollywood, and more — even complete — concentration on the primary and fundamental job of luring people from comfortable homes to go out and BUY THEATER TICKETS; to, perchance, again induce them to return to that good old "go to the movies” habit. Which means less activity on the production of things WE like, and bearing down on production of things the common people MIGHT like. Then, having made an article intended for popular consumption, rather than our own patede-foi-gras palate, follow through with concentrated showmanship merchandising, hooraw, ballyhoo, whatever you want to call it — BLIT SELL. Which means less of the urge to cut publicity and exploitation staffs, to trim ad budgets, at the first faint shadow of a crisis. No department store ever pulled itself out of the red by boarding up window displays. DISTRIBUTORS’ BATTING AVERAGE FOR 1939 1. United Artists 15 Releases 99 2. Twentieth Century-Fox 44 Releases 95 3. Metro-Goldwvn-Mayer 39 Releases 94 4. Paramount 44 Releases 87 5. Warner Brothers 43 Releases 86 6. RKO-Radio 31 Releases 80 7. Universal 31 Releases 78 8. Columbia 30 Releases 77 9. Republic 20 Releases 70 10. Monogram 18 Releases 66 11. Grand National 4 Releases 66 12. Gaumont British 2 Releases 65 321 Published Weekly by The Digest Press, 1019 South Hauser Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif.; Phone WE 5373. Subscription rate, $10.00 per year.