Canadian Film Digest Year Book (1976)

For thirty years | have been a part of the motion picture industry, and for twenty three of those years | have listened to the Prophets of Doom predicting the early demise of motion picture theatres. The advent of television in 1952 started the soothsayers on their merry way, and for a few years | almost thought they were right. We suffered through a period where theatre attendance, which reached a high of 248 millions in 1952, dropped steadily year by year to a low of 79 millions in 1969. In the middle of that period of decline in theatre-going, there was an experiment with Pay T.V. in Etobicoke, a Toronto suburb. This 1960 attempt to put theatre boxoffices in every home, again had the Prophets of Doom getting the hearse ready for the corpse. Then colour television appeared on the scene. Its impact on our industry would have been very great, except for the fact that it took 3 to 5 years for viewers to gradually exchange their black and white sets. The competition of television, entertainment in clubs and bars, and the increase in live theatre outlets had its affect on our theatre audiences, and provided more food for the Prophets of Doom to feed upon. Every time a motion picture theatre was closed becasue of population shifts or sold for redevelopment or because the building was simply worn out, the cry was heard: Theatre exhibition is finished. Our industry listened, but to the public rather than the prophets and acted to give theatre patrons what they wanted. Drive-In theatres blossomed as a powerful, new, movie-going experience, and the tastes of smaller but more sophisticated audiences were recognized in the creation of Art Houses. Two, three, four, five and even six-plex theatres, smaller and more intimate than the ''Palace’’ type began to change the face and the language of motion picture exhibition. THE PROPHETS OF DOOM by Harry T. Blumsom, President Odeon Theatres, (Canada) Ltd. Today, the Prophets of Doom are still with us. They point to the loss of close to two-thirds of our admissions in 20 years as proof we are finished as a major industry. | disagree with that view, as | have with other predictions of disaster to our business. It is true we have ceased to be all things to all people during the past two decades. The composition of our audiences has indeed changed. Now they are younger, with three quarters of them under 35, better educated, more affluent and with a different outlook on life. When we lost 60% of our attendance, in my opinion, we gained maturity os an art form. Patrons no longer accepted just any film that came along. They became more selective and that brought about reassessment of the description of motion pictures simply as entertainment. The most acclaimed films we have shown in recent years have been engrossing in addition to being entertaining. The total involvement of the audience, is the difference | see between theatre-going and television-watching. How difficult it is to become completely engrossed watching the small screen with the many distractions about the home and the constant interruption for commercials. The motion picture theatre can shut out these things so that there is total involvement and makes the viewing of films an entertaining experience. As long as we continue to do this successfully, the Prophets of Doom will be talking only to themselves. Recently a federal government official predicted, ‘’ ... it is obvious that, in a very few years, many people will be watching their movies on Pay T.V., cassette, video disc, or in some other non-theatrical way.’’ To that | ask: Obvious to whom? It is true that technological progress will continue to be made in the fields of electronics and communications, and some of these new developments will undoubtedly affect our business in some degree and will also bring out the Prophets of Doom once again. My own prediction is that Prophets of Doom will be as wrong in the future as they have been in the past. The motion picture theatre will not only survive all their gloom but will remain an important part of the leisure industry and vital to the life of the community in all the years ahead. WOMP! CHICAGO CONFAB HUGE SUCCESS The 22nd annual convention of the Women of the Motion Picture Industry held in Chicago at year’s end was voted by all in attendance as one of the most successful in WOMPI history. Total registration wa 149, with the following delegates representing the Toronto chapter: Diane Schwalm, Florence Long, Olive Copleston (International _ vice-president), Mary Colangelo, Vicki Knight, Kitty Fisher, Cay McDermott and Hilly Koblich. Aside from the various special breakfasts, lunches and gourmet dinners, plus some top rate entertainment, the ladies did have time to conduct some very serious business. Well known throughout the industry for their inexhaustible efforts in the areas of charity and communal activities, this years convention presented a cheque for $2,000.00 towards the upkeep of their sponsored room at the Will Rogers Hospital, plus an additional $500.00 to be used at the hospital’s discretion. Additional cash gifts from various chapters helped swell the total to Will Rogers, to $5,668.34, Total to date is in excess of $75,000.00. The 1976 convention will be held in San Francisco, with Memphis being the host city the following year. The new International officers are: President, Gladys Melson of Kansa City, Vice-president, Lois Ann Boyd of Memphis, Corresponding secretary, Mary Hayslip of Kansa_ City, Recording secretary, Marsha Weaver of Jacksonville, and treasurer, Doris Payne of Chicago. The convention ended on a high note of optimism for bigger and better things to come, and a renewal of their pledge to maintain the facility named in their honour at the Will Rogers Hospital. 25