Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1961)

THE NATIONAL FILM WEEKLY Published in Nine Sectional Editions BEN SHLYEN Editor-in-Chief and Publisher DONALD M. MERSEREAU, Associate Publisher & General Manager NATHAN COHEN .. Executive Editor JESSE SHLYEN. .. .Managing Editor HUGH FRAZE Field Editor AL STEEN Eastern Editor I. L. THATCHER. .Equipment Editor MORRIS SCHLOZMAN Business Mgr. Puglication Offices: 825 Van Brunt Blvd. Kansas City 24, Mo. Nathan Cohen, R\ecutive Editor; Jesse Shlyen, Managing Editor; Morris Schlozman, Business Manager; Hugh Fraze, Field Editor; I. L. Thatcher, Editor The Modern Theatre Section. Telephone CHestnut 1-7777. Editorial Offices: 1270 Sixth Ave., Rockefeller Center, New York 20, N. Y. Donald M. Mersereaii, Associate Publisher & General Manager; A1 Steen, Eastern Editor. Telephone COlumbus 5-6370. Central Offices: Editorial — 920 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago 11, 111., Frances B. Clow, Telephone superior 7-3972. Advertising— 5S09 North Lincoln, Louis Dldler and Jack Broderick, Telei>hone LOngbeach 1-5284. Western Offices: Editorial and Film Advertising— 6404 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood 28, Calif, Telephone Hollywood 5-1186. Equipment and Non-Film Advertising — 672 S. Lafayette Park, Los Angeles, Calif. Bob Wettstein, manager. Telephone Dunkirk 8-2286. London Office: Anthony Gruner, 1 Woodberry Way, Finchley, No. 12. Telephone Hillside 6733. The MODERN THEATRE Section is included in the first issue of each month. Atlanta: Jean Mullis, P. 0. Box 1695. Albany; J. S. Conners, 140 State St. Baltimore: George Browning, 119 B. 25th St. Boston: Guy Livingston, 80 Boylston, Boston, Mass. Charlotte: Blanche Carr. 301 S. Church Cincinnati: Frances Hanford, UNiverslty 1-7180. ClevelaiMi: W. Ward Marsh, Plain Dealer. Columbus: Fred Oestreicher, 52% W. North Broadway. Dallas: Mable Guinan, 5927 Winton. Denver: Bruce Marshall, 2881 S. Cherry Way. Des Moines: Pat Cooney, 2727 49th St. Detroit: H. F. Reves, 906 Fox Theatre Bldg.. WOodwaid 2-1144. Hartford: Allen M. Widem, CH 9-8211. Indianapolis: Norma Geraghty, 436 N. Illinois St. Jacksonville: Robert Cornwall, 1199 Mgewood Ave. .Memphis: Null Adams, 707 Spring St. .Miami: Martha Lumraus, 622 N.E. 98 St. .Milwaukee: Wm. Nichol, 2251 S. Layton. •Minneapolis: Don Lyons, 72 Glenwood. New Orleans: Mrs. Jack Auslet, 2268% St. Claude Ave. Oklahoma City: Sam Brunk, 3416 N. Virginia. Omaha: Irving Baker. 911 N. 51st St. Philadelphia: A1 Zurawski, The Bulletin. Pittsburgh: It. F. Klingensmith. 516 Jeanette. Wilkinsburg, CHurchill 1-2809. Portland, Ore.: Arnold Marks, Journal. Providence: Guy Langley, 388 Sayles St. St. Louis: Joe & Joan Pollack, 7335 Shaftsbury, University Oty, PA 5-7181. Salt Lake City: H. Pearson, Deseret News. San Francisco: Dolores Barusch, 25 Taylor St., ORdway 3-4813; Advertising: Jerry Nowell, 417 Market St., YUkon 2-9537. In Canada .Montreal: Room 314, 625 Belmont St., Jules Larochelle. St. John: 43 Waterloo. Sam Babb. Toronto: 2675 Bayview Ave., Willowdale, Ont. W. Gladish. Vancouver: 411 Lyric Theatre Bldg. 751 Granville St.. Jack Droy. Winnipeg: 93 Albert St., Barney Brookler. Member Audit Bureau of Circulations Second Class postage paid at Kansas City. Mo. Sectional Edition, $3.00 per year. National Edition, $7.50. DECEMBER 11, 1961 Vol. 80 No. 8 STAR-BUILDING 'CRUSADE' At long last the concrete and concerted effort needed to develop new stars is getting under way, under the guiding hand of Robert W. Selig, vice-president and general manager of National Theatres & Television, Inc. This is the all-out “crusade” that was proposed at the recent Theatre Owners of America convention in New Orleans in which production, distribution and exhibition are to give their fullest cooperation. It incorporates use of theatre screens, lobbies, newspapers and other tieins, in which all three key branches of the industry are to do their share. To introduce the new personalities, a two-reel film will be provided by the Association of Motion Picture Producers. Two nominees from each major studio will be featured. According to Mr. Selig, 10,000 theatres already have agreed to show this short subject for which they will pay a nominal rental fee, thus contributing toward defraying the cost of the campaign. He also reported that 25 leading newspapers have agreed to devote news space to the project. And a 40x60 lobby display will serve to keep the new faces before the moviegoers. To be most effective, a continuing effort will have to be made at the local level by exhibitors. In addition to the two nominees from each studio that will appear in the short subject, there will be many other promising young people who will merit extra plugs on the part of exhibitors via their screens, in their advertising and publicity. Pressbooks, too, should give extra attention to these new players and provide illustrated biographical sketches that can readily be made available to newspapers. Regular contact by exhibitors with newspaper editors will garner additional cooperation. Those exhibitors who issue programs or use heralds can put them to use in building interest in the new faces. Reflecting on the big names of the past, some of which retained high boxoffice value for a quarter of a century or more, it is noted that, for the most part, they came to the screen as complete unknowns. There were overnight “discoveries” resulting from an extraordinary performance in one of the pictures in which the player’s talent stood out. But that alone didn’t make the star. It was the continuing promotion, through publicity, through accenting that player’s appearances in upcoming pictures, through personal appearances — even in neighborhood theatres around the country — and the whole range of all-out effort in the development process that did the job. In a way, this might be likened to experimental laboratories which many businesses support to discover new products or new ways of making older ones more attractive to the buying public, thus perpetuating interest in the basic item. This marks their investment in the future. Discovering new personalities and developing them into stellar attractions is one of the motion picture industry’s ways of keeping alive interest in its product. It is an investment essential to this industry’s well-being — present and future. Sometimes quick dividends are derived. But perpetuation of the pay-off rests in continuing the work on a full-time and permanent basis, with producers, distributors and exhibitors keeping at it all the way. ★ ★ . . . And Selling Ourselves Using theatre screens to promote our own business, as will be done in the above-reported instance, is something that should be given greater attention than has been the case. As an exhibitor subscriber has written us, “We just don’t do enough of that type of promotion. We show shorts on bowling, golf, water sports and everything that keeps folks away from the movies, but no time or thought or planning are given to any shorts which might again glamorize our business.” This was done some years ago, when a series of shorts selling the movie theatre to the public was made available to exhibitors and served an excellent institutional purpose. The Council of Motion Picture Organizations, in cooperation with the exhibitor organizations and producers and distributors, sponsored these films. Recently, a plan for reviving and, perhaps, updating this series was announced, but it has lain dormant. Prompting the exhibitor’s letter was the film recently shown by Universal at the TOA convention and, subsequently, to various exhibitor groups around the country. “This,” he says, “impressed the exhibitors who saw this film, which I think should also be shown in the nation’s theatres to our patrons. It would whip up interest in forthcoming product, new stars, etc.” He then suggests that a short to which all the picture companies would donate clips be compiled and made available for showings in theatres. That, of course, is the composition of the short to be used in the “new faces” campaign. But that may not include enough of promotional effect for product generally. We recall that some years ago, MGM made available a two-reel subject, along the lines the exhibitor subscriber suggests, for theatre showings and it created widespread public interest, not only in that company’s forthcoming product but for the industry as a whole.