Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (Sep 1934 - Aug 1935)

INDEPENDENT EXHIBITORS —FILM BULLETIN Independent Exhibitors Organize Plans to Present Joint Clearance Demands INDEPENDENT EXHIBITORS FILM BULLETIN Vol. 1 No. 13 Dec. 4, 1934 Issued weekly by Film Bulletin Company, at 1313 Vine Street, Phila., Pa. Mo Wax, editor and publisher. Telephone: Rittenhouse 4816. Address all communications to Editor, Film Bulletin ADVERTISING RATES Write or call us for our Advertising Rates. In New York City call Mo Wax, Circle 7-3094. CLASSIFIED RATE Ten cents per word. Minimum $1.00. Send check or money order with copy. PROFITS OF PRODUCERS ARE LARGEST IN YEARS Wall Street Journal Reports Cains Despite Theatre Losses METRO, PARAMOUNT LEADERS The Wall Street Journal estimates that the 1934 earnings of the major producers will exceed those of several years, according to an article appearing in the financial paper last week. Metro leads the group, their recent statement showing a net profit of $7,479,879, with part of the year still to go. The paper indicates that Loew's will increase their stock dividend in order to disburse the large balance now had by the company. Paramount, although in receivership, is expected to show a net profit of $6,000,000 for the year 1934. By the end of the year it is believed that this company will have a cash balance of $20,000,000. The other major producers have likewise greatly improved their financial positions according to the article. In contrast to the statement in the Wall Street Journal showing the huge profits earned by the major producing companies this past year, the small theatre owner generally is in a deeper slough of bad business than ever before. This writer cannot recall any previous period in which there was so universal a feeling of pessimism among independent exhibitors. Throughout the years of the depression the producers have sought to lift the burden of decreased earnings from their shoulders by ruthlessly piling up increased rentals on the sagging exhibitor. No noticable effort was made to reduce the fabulous salaries that prevail in Hollywood. Executives continued to draw their many thousand dollars weekly "wages," stars resisted the threats of some producers to make a cut. Money flowed freely as ever in the Golden City and the little neighborhood theatreman bore the brunt of the ponderous and unjust burden. Now the ink on the producers' books has turned from red to black. The profits assume enormous proportions. But from what FILM BULLETIN, for one, has been able to learn, the independent exhibitor's lot is still a very difficult one. The new season opened with much hope, but inferior product kept people away from the theatres in droves. The past few weeks has seen some slight improvement in the quality of the picture. So the chain theatres "hog" most of the business. And the exhibitor whose theatre is in a heavy Catholic section, asks what can even IEPA Holds Open Meeting for All Independents; Move to Force Recognition by Clearance Board TO SIFT CIRCUIT PROTECTION The independent exhibitors of Eastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey and Delaware are taking the initiative to force a fair rezoning of the territory when the problem comes before the local Zoning and Clearance Board. Last Tuesday the IEPA held an open meeting for all independents in the district at which plans were laid for gathering data to justify their clearance grievances. A general committee was appointed, to include an exhibitor in each of nine districts who will assemble information concerning the present runs of all theatres in their respective groups. The exhibitors will be asked to submit what run they think reasonable and fair for their theatres. In this manner a complete clearance schedule for the entire territory will be drawn up and presented to the film companies and the C. A. Clearance Board. This is probably the first attempt by a group of independent theatre owners to gain an equitable break in clearance which is controlled largely by one circuit. In the Philadelphia territory, Warner Bros.' Theatres each year designate the clearance they want for each of their houses. The exchanges, except in isolated cases, acquiesce to the circuit's demands, and as a result, the independent theatres find themselves pushed further back in their runs every season. The IEPA plan is apparently for the purpose of forcing the producers to heed the combined demands of all the "small fellows" who have been of necessity resigned to taking whatever run the circuit agrees to allow them each year. It is doubtful, too, if the producer-dominated Clearance Board will dare disregard the organized and reasonable schedule prepared by the independents. The committee members will carefully investigate the protection given to circuit theatres over competitive independent houses. Differences between competing unaffiliated theatres will be sifted and efforts made to equitably adjust them. The following men were appointed to represent the committee in their localities : S. Phila., Clarence Hexter; N. W. Phila., Columbus Stamper; West Philadelphia, Ray O'Rourke; North East Philadelphia, Henry Rosinsky; counties adjacent to Philadelphia, Harry Fried; Delaware, Ben Shindler ; South New Jersey, Sam Frank. Committee members for North and West Pennsylvania will be selected at meetings held in the districts by the exhibitors there. Morris Wax is chairman of the general committee. Oscar Neufeld, Business Manager of the IEPA, pointed out that the members of the committee would not prepare the schedules for their sections, but are merely gathering the data for consideration by the general committee. The final schedules will be drawn by the full committee with the assistance of experienced exhibitors and certain veteran film men. great pictures might mean to him. That Paramount, despite having delivered one of the poorest products last season, could show a profit of $0,000,000 has amazed exhibitor circles. Countless theatremcn reported that they lost money on the company's pictures in 1933-34, and now in view of Paramount's latest financial statement, they feel that they built that profit out of their own pockets. HIGHLIGHTS in the Courtroom "Ike" Chadwick's brilliant two and a quarter hours' testimony holds the undivided attention of everyone in the courtroom. Morris Wolf's efforts to upset the witness proved unavailing since Chadwick himself is an attorney, although not practicing. The independent producer's quotation from a speech by Louis B. Mayer, in which the MGM boss said that he would defy the President and the Supreme Court of the U. S. if necessary to prevent double features, causes a bit of a sensation. * * * * When Chadwick gives Wolf a quick and smart answer to a sarcastic remark by the defense attorney prompting Ben Golder to say, "Mr. Wolf has been asking for it all day, now he got it!" * * * * Judge Welsh refers to the independent producers as the 'bush leagues" of film production when Chadwick tells how the indies started the careers of many important stars and directors. * * * * Eddie Golden, Monogram sales manager, declares that Louis B. Mayer was first exhibitor to double feature when he operated the Park Theatre, Boston, back in 1915. * * * * Walter Vincent advises the court that he was an actor for ten years. On the stand he demonstrates that he still knows the value of a long pause. * * * * Vincent constantly refers to himself as a "crusader" seeking to save the industry. He says that 10-cent admission prices and double features will ruin the movie business. When Ben Golder draws an analogy with Louis the Fourteenth of France, the ciruit operator rejects it and states that he considers himself rather a "Robespierre." * * * * Replying to Golder's question if the MPTOA is subsidized by the producers, Vincent indignantly declares that as long as he is treasurer of that organization it will not be subsidized. Whereupon Golder promptly reads a decision of the Nebraska District Court finding the MPTOA guilty of conspiracy with the major producers. * * * * Morris Wolf's persistent reference to the independent producers as "minor" producers makes some wonder why he doesn't call the independent theatres "minor" theatres. * * * * Film Bulletin's editor is honored by the judge's invitation to sit close to the witness box so he may clearly hear all the testimony. * * * * Wednesday drew the biggest crowd of the trial thus far. An exhibitor remarks that he wishes he had had that many people in his theatre the night before. Looking around we spot, among others, Joe Conway, Bob Lynch (very busy making notes), George Lessy, Marcus Benn, Harry Fried, Lew Segall, Charles Scgall, Al Fisher, Ben Fertel, Jay Emanuel (he robbed us of our seat during the lunch recess), Oscar Neufeld. Can't mention them all, but they total up to a Who's Who of Vine Street.