The Exhibitor (Jun-Nov 1942)

EDITORIAL r I ( { Reg. U. S. Pat. Office VoL. 28, No. 14 August 12, 1942 A Jay Emanuel Publication. Covering the film territories in the Metropolitan East. Published weekly by Jay Emanuel Publcations, Incorporated. Publishing office: 1225 Vine Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. New York City office: 1600 Broadway. Representatives in Washington, D. C.; Albany, Buffialo, Boston, and New Haven. Jay Emanuel, publisher; Paul J. Greenhalgh, business manager; Herbert M. Miller, managing editor. Rates: Each edition, one year, $2; three years, $5. Address all communications to the publishing offices, 1225 Vine Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Please notify the Circulation Department as to anv change in address. While every effort will be made to handle changes as fast as possible, subscribers are requested to allow three weeks in all such matters. Jn Ok li A 66ue SECTION ONE Advance Shots 10 Arbitration Cases 10 Editorial Page 3 In the Newsreels 13 In the Spotlight 13a Late News Highlights 5, 6 National Legion of Decency List 10 National Mirror 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13b National Release Date Guide Inside Back Cover News of the Territory . 4a, 4b, 15 et seq. The Score Board 12 Territorial Trade Screening Guide 11 The Tip-Off 14 SECTION TWO REVIEWS (The Exhibitor’s Pink Section) SS-l-SS-12 "Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen,” (Columbia) ; “Sabotage Squad,” (Columbia) ; “Somewhere I'll Find You,” (Metro) ; “The War Against Mrs. Hadley,” (Metro) ; “Lure Of The Islands,” (Monogram) ; “Riders Of The West,” (Monogram) : “A Night For Crime,” (PRC) ; “Tumbleweed Trails,” (PRC) ; “A Yank In Libya,” (PRC) : “The Big Street,” (_RKO-Radio) : “Journey Into Fear.” (RKO-Radio) ; “Mexican Spitfire’s Elephant,” (RKO-Radio) : “Wings and the Woman,” (RKO-Radio) ; “Highways By Night,” (RKO-Radio) ; “Tales Of Manhattan,” (20th-Fox) ; “Invisible Agent,” (U) ; “Orders From Tokyo,” (AFE) ; “Blondie For Victory,” (Columbia) , “Seven Sweethearts,” (Metro) ; “A Yank At Eton.” (Metro) ; “Berlin Correspondent,” (20thFox) : “Iceland,” (20th-Fox). Material contained in the Late News Highlights section often represents new developments in stories to be found on other pages of this issue. If the reader will bear this in mind it will avoid possible confusion. This section of THE EXHIBITOR goes to press last, with latest developments within the industry, where available. Th e “Stop Picture” Headache Again The UNITY PROGRAM devised for the motion picture industry is likely to influence all relations between the distributor and exhibitor. And this is to be expected because the unity plan is more than a settlement of grievances, it is a key to a greater understanding. Let us, for example, take a current practice on the part of practically all companies, and even some independents, the “stop picture.” The “stop picture” is not entirely an unfair device. Even an exhibitor will admit that the distributor must have some method whereby he can move lesser product, even though playing this type of feature generally means a loss for the exhibitor. But basing the relationship between the exhibitor and distributor on the fact that a contract has been signed, and should be honored, if the distributor insists that certain pictures be dated or accounted for before a big hit can be booked, this is an industry custom that has some basis for being. On the other hand, when the “stop picture” practice is used unfairly, it becomes something which undermines all relationships between exhibitor and distributor. In this CONNECTION, one might mention one exchange which has insisted that all shorts be played before a certain feature could be dated, claiming that a drive was on, and the exchange needed the revenue. Now, IN THE FIRST PLACE, there should be no forcing of shorts, even though this applies to the five consenting majors alone. In the second place, dating of shorts should have nothing to do with dating of features. Thus, the distributor is wrong on two counts. A SIMILAR SITUATION found an account with two features not booked, one of mediocre quality and the other so bad that the company even passed up the usual coast screening for the trade. The exchange, however, insisted on both being dated before a big show was made available. Even such a practice might be excused if the account were a bad one, and this might be the only way to handle it, but the account was one which religiously played off all shows, and went along with the distributor on plenty of pictures, even giving extended playing time, etc., when not deserved. One might go on and on, but these will suffice. It comes down to this. Such tactics on the part of the distributors lead to alleged deceptive practices on the part of the exhibitors, which, even if inexcusable, are, in a large measure, due to the exchanges, themselves. The distributors should remember: “He who is free of sin, let him cast the first stone.” QUAD