National Box Office Digest (Jan 1940-Jan 1941)

V<4e Bax Ojjjjice 'The tfndushyj’s T)isUnctioe Weelzlij WAR HAS ITS BLESSING An Editorial by ROBERT E. WELSH Actually, nothing good ever comes of war, unless we accept the strengthening of a nation’s morale that comes of digging in to defend the homeland, or the greasy benefits that come to junkers whose pocketbooks expand on the laughter of Mars. So, it is with due humility that we approach the suggestion that at least one benefit has come to the motion picture industry as a result of the unpleasantness abroad. We refer to the fact that American picture makers may have to buckle down to serving American theaters and American audiences with their pictures, instead of the laissez faire attitude that has been created by the past few years. We mean those golden days when a matter of a mere half million dollars extra on the budget could be shrugged off with the statement: "Oh, well, what’s the difference — let’s put something British in the picture, then we will know we will get the gross back from England, and we don’t have to worry about those hick American exhibitors. They must take what they get.” * * * Some highlights in production laziness have resulted from this attitude in recent production-planning periods. Pictures that should have been budgeted, and made, for a half million dollars have reached the million dollar mark — and occasionally passed that — because some production chief suddenly recalled: "Shucks, we don’t have to worry. Let’s put a British star, and a few lion speeches in it, and John Bull will pay the freight.” It was a soft life. It made a number of our production geniuses take on the aura of wizards, and they didn’t have to lose a day from the stables and their Santa Anita pets. Even the bankers paused in their groans over a domestic flop when the heavyweight dumpling behind the desk could reply: "But just wait until it breaks in England — ah, there’s the gold without the hills.” Small matter it was if the exhibitor in Kansas City complained that his audiences were not exactly crazy about the theme, the star, or the cast. "Whatineck does this American exhibitor think he is? "Doesn’t he know that WE — that’s a great big "WE” — are an international art, an international industry? "He is lucky to get our pictures, our monumental millionmental achievements. And if he doesn’t improve on his showmanship we may take them away from him. WE can live on the foreign market, accent British.” * * * So parlor dreams and light will-o’-the-wisps flourished in their delicate violet way; the cross of St. George waved in the breeze of dialogue at any slight provocation. The tail had started to wag the dog. The American public, the American showmanship, the American courage that invested in brick and mortar to build the world’s outstanding entertainment hostels, the American dimes and nickles that built the reserve accounts out of which some present day wonders are drawing pap, suddenly became the mangy tail of the husky hound. The funny thing is that really GOOD pictures needed no lazy man’s tag. Whether made here or in Great Britain, if the appeal was there, they clicked. But the lazy ones didn’t look to the reasons, they only saw the London fog. Clear back to "David Copperfield,” and "Cavalcade,” on through "Mr. Chips,” "The Citadel,” "Yank At Oxford,” Pygmalion,” "Four Feathers," the record is as bright on this side of the pond as on the other. But those were not lazy mens’ pictures. Nor were such international themes as "Suez Canal,” "Stanley and Livingstone,” "Beau Geste,” etc. Now comes the reckoning for the soft-seat squatters. No longer that easy off-hand gesture that dismisses a million dollars as though it were a WPA budget in the comforting reliance on Wardour St. Now comes some thought about that forgotten man, the American customer. So, perhaps the poet was right — there are blessings that come in disguise. DISTRIBUTORS’ BATTING AVERAGE FOR 1939 1. United Artists 16 Releases 97 2. Twentieth Century-Fox 53 Releases 96 3. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 49 Releases 95 4. Paramount 50 Releases 87 5. Warner Brothers 51 Releases 86 6. RKO-Radio 38 Releases 81 7. Universal 43 Releases 79 8. Columbia 35 Releases 78 9. Republic 22 Releases 69 10. Monogram 19 Releases 67 11. Grand National 4 Releases 66 12. Gaumont British 2 Releases 65 382 Published Weekly by The Digest Press, 1019 South Hauser Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif.; Phone WE 5373. Subscription rate, $10.00 per year.