The Exhibitor (Nov 1939-May 1940)

EDITORIAL I II E Vol. 23, No. 21 April 3, 1940 Vjdit (UREAU A Jay Emanuel Publication. Covering the film territories 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 Poinsettia Drive, Hollywood, California Representatives in Washington, D. C.; Albany, Buffalo, 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 communications to 1225 Vine Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Just In Passing AMERICANIZATION PROBLEM Metro’s contribution to the Americanization motif in two-reel subjects is “The Flag Speaks,” a Technicolor treatise on the growth of freedom as it would be related if the flag could speak. It is well-made and belongs in the same niche as the Vitaphone subjects of the same calibre but after all the applause has died down we wonder whether the reception given it will be any better than that accorded the Vitaphone themes. We understand that there are still sections of the country where this type of short doesn’t book and what we think of this lack of spirit on the part of the exhibitor can’t be put into words. With pressure from patriotic, civic and military groups, one wonders how a theatreman can withstand the barrage, but we’re told it’s being done. MISLEADING ADVERTISING The department which notes how firstrun pictures are being sold throughout the land calls our attention to the fact that never before have there been so many “world premieres” on the same picture in so many cities. It seeks a solution for what obviously is false advertising except in the one spot where the premiere takes place. We suggest that perhaps modification of the term to “Pennsylvania World Premiere,” “New York World Premiere,” “Connecticut World Premiere,” “Florida World Premiere,” etc., would do the trick. HOLIDAY NOTE After noting the recent cold spell during the Easter holidays, one wag said it would have been much better if the Rooseveltian holiday-changing technique had been applied to that time instead of Thanksgiving. HOLD YOUR HATS BOYS; HERE WE GO AGAIN With exhibitors paying so much necessary attention to the Neely Bill and the government suit these clays, it is not surprising that the first protests against high prices during the 1940-1941 season have not yet been recorded. But with all due respects to the above major problems, we believe that the matter of increased film rentals deserves the No. 1 spot on any exhibitor’s problem parade. During the last fortnight, this department has been informed that a major company which last year asked no higher than 35 percent in its top bracket, is asking 40 percent for four top pictures on its 1940-1941 lineup, with usual increases all down the line. The record of this company, usually with the industry’s best, was nothing to cheer about this season, and when the complete 1939-1940 records have been compiled, it is probable that it will be no better. Furthermore, it is reported that some exhibitors have already gone for the increase to 40 percent. Demanding high rentals is not unfair if the distributor recognizes the exhibitor’s right to a profit on these pictures, especially since the opportunity to recuperate contract losses through an occasional “sleeper” is practically impossible these days. Now, mind YOU, this is only one company. It is not too much to expect that if this distributing organization, which never asked 40 percent on such a scale in the past, gets that from exhibitors, as much more will be demanded by the distributors whose product this year has been admittedly of a much higher calibre than the first organization. What of the distributors who have now been getting 40 percent? To be sure, there are still some sections where theatremen have fought the growth of high percentage, but, on the whole, the distributors have been successful in breaking down this antagonism in most of the U. S. Even where the top pictures are outright buys, the scale should be proportionately higher. To THE exhibitors for and against the Neely Bill; to the theatremen who bank so much on the outcome of the government suit; to those who have filed their own actions in the hope of remedying conditions in their own back yards — continue your programs but don’t forget the problem of high film prices won’t be solved by the courts, governmental legislation or prayers. It can only be handled by a united front of exhibitors. We have said this many times and we say it again. No one can do for the exhibitor what he can accomplish with his fellow theatre owner. There isn’t a distributor in this country who doesn’t know that the most formidable weapon he will ever have to face is a united front of exhibitors, fighting for their lives in their own back yard. The world will long remember how little Finland stood off Russia for so many weeks. While we do not think the parallel is exact, we feel that exhibitors who trust each other and believe that this endless chain of film rental increases must stop somewhere will find that the buying power they possess can be turned into something vastly more important than what they are doing with it now. QUAD.