The Exhibitor (Jun-Oct 1939)

EDITORIAL I H f WHAT’S ALL THE BALLYHOO BEEN FOR? A Jay Emanuel Publication. Covering the film terri¬ tories in the Metropolitan East. Published weekly by Jay Emanuel Publications, Incorporated. Publishing office: 1225 Vine Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. New York City office, 1600 Broadway. West Coast office, 1119 Poinscttia Drive, Hollywood, California Representatives in Washington, D. C.; Albany, Buf¬ falo, Boston, New Haven. Jay Emanuel, publisher; Paul J. Greenhalgh, business manager; Herbert M. Miller, managing editor. Subscription rates: $2 for one year; $5 for three years. Address all communi¬ cations to 1225 Vine Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. JUST IN PASSING UTILITIES MAKE MONEY, TOO In line with a recent thought advanced here that there are other industries which might earn a few dollars now and then, we offer the following in evidence. U. G. I. and Units Earn $27,175,079 The report of the United Gas Im¬ provement Company and subsidia¬ ries for the twelve months ended on March 31, issued yesterday, shows a consolidated net income of $27,175,079. This was equal, after preferred dividend requirements, to $1 a share on the company’s out¬ standing common stock, and com¬ pares with a net of $28,485,963, or $1.06 a common share, earned in the twelve months to March 31, 1938, Gross revenues for the period were $108,393,048, against $109,164,630 in the preceding comparable period, a drop of $771,582. For the first quarter of this year the U. G. I. system had a consoli¬ dated net income 'of $7,532,236, after all expenses and charges, equal after preferred dividend require¬ ments, to 28 cents a common share, compared with $7,189,821, or 26 cents a common share, in the first three months of 1938. Gross revenues were $28,692,912, against $27,549,220 a year ago. This, incidentally, appeared on the fin¬ ancial page of the Philadelphia Evening Ledger and there was not any fanfare with it. The UGI is a local utility, re¬ stricted to the Philadelphia area, and it made more money than all the film com¬ panies put together. It is also suggested that this information might be forwarded to the lawmakers by exhibitors who have been hearing that only the motion picture business is profitable. The round of trade "world premieres” is nearly over and soon the industry can get back to its business of trying to cover the overhead, but before the chapter is closed some notes on the subject are in order. Whether Warners, with the "Dodge City” ballyhoo; whether 20th Century-Fox, with its "Alexander Graham Bell” tie-up; whether Republic, with its "Man of Conquest” showings; or whether Paramount, with its "Union Pacific” tour, provided the top-notch entry is not important; but the effect on the actors who participated and the exhibitors who were involved is, in addi¬ tion to the success of the premieres at the box office. In the first place, we think that mingling with the oublic must have convinced the stars that outside of Hollywood there is an industry as important as the studios, and that there is more to pictures than just production. In the second place, we think the institutional value of the favorable press notices received through the ballyhoos far greater than that secured than the notso-often-mentioned MPGY drive. There is still another thought which comes to our mind, particularly after spending some time on the "Union Pacific” train, and that is what a job the talent scouts must have. Just what makes a star is something we can not answer but some idea of the money and expense involved is seen in a recent article in Liberty magazine by I. I. Altman, Metro eastern talent executive. He winds up with the assertion that "in a typical year we observe from 20,000 to 30,000 people. Of these we interview 6,000; of these we audition 4,000; of these we test 40-50; of these Metro accepts 15-30. At the worst, after we see a person’s work, he or she has one chance in two thousand of being sent to Hollywood; at the best, one chance in one thousand. And these people are largely professional performers.” Altman did not supply the clos¬ ing paragraph, which must come from the exhibitor, who can tell him how many of these new faces ever get to first base. And seeing some of the stars without the halo of the studio about them makes one wonder just why they are stars. 1939 set a new record for new ideas. It was the first year that a distributor changed his convention date in order not to conflict with an exhibitor session, and it also marked the revival of big scale ballyhoo. The benefits of these steps should be tremendously important all the way down the line. QUAD