The Exhibitor (Nov 1938-May 1939)

EDITORIAL THE NATIONAL I Trade-mark Reg. U. S. Pat. Of?. Vol. 17, No. 8 Jan. 4, 1939 A Jay Emanuel Publication. Circulating in Maryland, District of Columbia, Delaware, Virginia, Eastern West Virginia. Covering the film territory served out of Washington, D. C. Published weekly by Jay Emanuel Publications, Incorporated. Publishing office: 219 North Broad Street, Philadelphia. Branches at Washington, D. C.; 1600 Broadway, New York City. West Coast Office: 1119 Poinsettia Drive, Hollywood, California. Jay Emanuel, publisher; Paul J. Greenhalgh, advertising manager; Herbert M. Miller, managing editor. Subscription rates: $2 for one year; for three years. Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Publisher also of The Philadelphia Exhibitor and The Net York State Exhibitor. Address all communications to the Philadelphia office. •Must in Passing ENDORSING AMERICANISM To those who have already cheered the Americanism drive of the Brothers Warner, let the name of this department be added. Lest some think it is an exclusive Warner proposition — it is not. Endorsements from organizations and individual theatre circuits for the idea of playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner” once each day reveals that in such a matter there is no parry line. Incidentally, we think that selling Americanism to Americans, aside from its patriotic angles, is smart business — for the brothers Warner and those who join in their patriotic chorus. National Screen Service, also, co-operating as it has in the actual making of the subjects to be used, deserves credit. Playing of such subjects now becomes a duty. COLUMBIA’S IDEA Columbia’s manner of paying tribute to the sales force, in the form of dedicating the annual sales drive to the boys who are responsible for the weekly grosses, is to be commended, not only because it will give the drive pushers a new angle but because it places the credit where it is due. The film salesmen rarely are given the praise they deserve, but when it comes down to facts, they always do the work. $14 FOR $250,000 It may not be new — we have been hearing it for years — but we still can’t see the logic of paying managers entrusted with theatres worth anywhere from $2 5,000 to $200,000 or more the princely salary of from $14 up weekly. The old principle still holds: you get what you pay for. Not 1933-1939, But 1933-1340 We Respectfully Suggest that the organizations which have been giving their approval to the tentative trade memorandum with the provision that it be made retroactive to the 193 81939 selling season, concentrate on being certain that it will affect the 1939-1940 selling, which is expected to start within the next few weeks. In 193 8, selling of some companies, without being certain what their product would be, began in February. Already, several companies’ district managers’ meetings have taken place. That is the starting signal. In thle First Place, no one, at this writing, knows what is going to happen to the trade memorandum. There has been a decided lack of enthusiasm for it, except among those units whose officers are strong MPTOA followers. This was to be expected. From other units, there has been a tendency to indicate that the memorandum, while a step in the right direction, is nothing to write home about. What We Think of the memorandum has already been printed. We still insist that those who composed it seem to be heading in the right direction but they have failed to travel along the road as far as they should. Now, there becomes need for more speed, either in determining that the memorandum will not satisfy, or modifying it so that it will satisfy all parties. From Contact with exhibitors and from a lack of the usual letters to the editor, the general rank and file of theatremen seem little interested in the goings-on. Either they are letting "George do all the work” or they figure that no matter what may finally be decided, concessions will amount to little. We do know this — that if something were being decided affecting us, that definitely had a dollars-and-cents value — we would do our darnest to make ourselves heard. We Will Also Wager that the usual chronic chorus of "what good is the whole thing, anyway” will be heard, even if the parley deliberators are unanimous in their opinion. But to Return to the original suggestion — the reason for all this — the 1939-1940 selling is starting. Let us accomplish something definite.