The Exhibitor (Nov 1938-May 1939)

THE NATIONAL MIRROR 11 Kent Says 20th-Fox Will Develop S. A. Field Company Leader Points to Convention in Rio Sidney R. Kent, 20 th Century-Fox president, indicated last week the extent of the company’s entrance into the South American field. He stated: "We are going to Rio de Janiero in May to hold the first film convention ever held in South America, and on our return trip we are going to stop in Trinidad to hold a similar convention for Central American countries. Our thought is to develop this market. This is an important job. The motion picture business is the only salesman America has today covering a world-wide front. It has increased our country’s export business by creating demands for American goods shown in our films, it has opened new factories to meet this demand, and it has even forced foreign governments to teach English in their schools. The American film is the greatest sales force our country has today in foreign lands and it is our hope to increase this prestige in South American countries.” In discussing the problems facing the motion picture industry in this country, Kent pointed out that the public today is in a different mood. "It takes a different kind of a picture today to jar people out of their attitude, to shock them out of their state of mind. Realizing this, Darryl Zanuck and our studio executives have outlined a daring and different program of pictures for the coming season. By this I do not mean daring in a moral sense but rather in type of production. The public is demanding pictures bigger in theme and in production values. We have set our budget accordingly and have expanded our production facilities to meet this demand. Audiences today are clamoring for new personalities. In the last year we brought many new players to the screen and this year we are going to intensify our drive for new faces. While our business has suffered from loss of revenue due to the drop in foreign exchange, war scares, fear and lack of confidence and from attacks of minorities in this country, I firmly believe there is no force that can defeat a good motion picture that people want to see.” McConville Optimistic A decided upturn in the business conditions of Latin America, and considerable improvement in the relationship between Mexican producers and U. S. distributors were noted by J. A. McConville, Columbia foreign manager, who returned last week from a two weeks’ business trip to Mexico. D of J Investigators Working Investigators for the Department of Justice have been in the field and will continue to be there for several weeks, it was indicated this week in Washington. Individual complaints from independents in big and small cities are being studied by field men, who have been conferring with independent organizations in various spots. Allied Says “No" on Trade Pact Revision Indicates Certain Points Were Not Included A statement from Allied States Association last week indicated the recently announced trade pact does not meet the negotiating committee’s approval. Present at the meeting in Washington were H. A. Cole, Nate Yamins, Sidney Samuelson, Martin G. Smith, Abram F. Myers, with Al Steffes in accord. After the lapse of many weeks during which the time limit imposed on the committee by the board had expired, and on the eve of the hearings on the Neely Anti-block Booking Bill, Allied has received from the distributors a third revised draft of their proposals. This draft contains a rewording of certain of the substantive proposals but offers no change whatever in the skeleton outline of arbitration contained in the second effect that any proposals, to merit consideration, must contain all the details of arbitration, the executive committee is without power to consider this third draft, nor will the board of directors be specially convened to consider it.” The statement from the unit said, in part: "The trade practice proposals submitted by the distributors not only are incomplete, but they do not pretend to abolish compulsory block booking and blind selling, and do not touch the subject of theatre divorcement. The proposals do not provide relief at all commensurate with that asked by the Government in its suit. Under the abovementioned resolutions of the board of directors, Allied can follow no other course than to support and seek the passage of the Neely Bill (S. 280) to prohibit compulsory block booking and blind selling of motion pictures. The executive committee, therefore, has voted unanimously to appear before the Interstate Commerce Committee of the Senate, and before the House Committee if hearings are held, in support of the Neely Bill.” WE Fund Passes $50,000,000 Retirement pension fund for employees of Western Electric Company passed the $10,000,000 mark last year, according to a report made to employees by the company, April 4. Service and disability pensions together with accident, sickness, and death benefit payments made last year under the plan amounted to $1,867,000, the report showed. Totaling $52,277,63 6 on December 31 last, pensions go to retired workers. It was started in 1906. Last year Western Electric placed $2,340,920 in the fund, which is held by an independent trustee and may be used only for the specified pension purposes. Lee Surveys for Paramount Barney Balaban, president, Paramount, last week confirmed the report that Claude Lee, formerly with the Sparks Circuit in Florida, is undertaking a study of theatre public relations for Paramount and its theatre partners. To Exhibitors who are suffering from "BINGO" "BANG©" "BEANO" AND SIMILAR GAMES COMPETITION FROM FRATERNAL ORGANIZATIONS. LODGES AND OTHERS WHERE SIMILAR GAMES ARE BANNED IN THEATRES. Publication of the editorial in THE EXHIBITOR of March 29 — ’’The Theatres Face a New Menace" — hit the nail on the head. In one city, where theatres had already been prevented from playing the games, use of the editorial in bringing the situation to the attention of city authorities led to banning of “Bingo." # Another exhibitor writes : "A church in our town is planning to pay off the cost of the edifice within two years by playing games." # Another one says: "An institution in my town plays to approximately $550 in one evening. Top evening business for the theatre is $200. Five games run here nightly. At least $3 is spent for every dollar that goes into the box office." # Another writes : "Theatres have millions invested in theatres, in brick and mortar. But promoters of games have no overhead and they take money out of the town. This is unfair. Playing of games by nontheatrical institutions is definitely a menace. It has been suggested to THE EXHIBITOR that it encourage theatremen to send in names of organizations playing these games so that other theatremen can see just how serious the problem is. THE EXHIBITOR is willing to do this. Informants' names will be kept confidential. Perhaps from this, some solution can be worked out. April 12, 1939 QUAD