Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (Sep 1934 - Aug 1935)

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 1935 3 INDEPENDENT EXHIBITORS FILM BULLETIN Vol. 1 No. 42 June 26, 1935 Issued weekly by Film Bulletin Company, at 1313 Vine Street, Phila., Pa. Mo Wax, editor and publisher; Roland Barton, associate editor; Ben B. Cohen, business manager. Telephone: RITtenhouse 4816. Address all communications to Editor, Film Bulletin First Sunday Movies in Pa. November 10th ADVERTISING RATES Write or call us for our Advertising Rates. Weekly circulation 1000 copies, covering every theatre owner in the Philadelphia and Baltimore-Washington territories. son in the industry long before the picture opened its world premiere showing at the Radio City Music Hall. Those film critics and prophets who have jumped to the conclusion that "Becky" sounded the death knell of black and white films, or that color is just on another short-lived spree like the one started by Warners about four years ago, are both going to extremes on a development which will in all probability take a middle-of-the-road course. Two things are generally agreed upon by those who have seen Pioneer Production's "Becky Sharp." One is that the picture is a poor one; the other, that the new Technicolor is excellent and a vast improvement on anything done in tints before. The Story . . . It was seemingly an impossible job for the script writers and Director Rouben Mamoulian to keep their minds off the fact that they were to be responsible for the first motion picture made by a "revolutionary" process. As a result, we have a badly botched film story, directed without inspiration, in "Becky Sharp." The simple primary lesson taught by this first new process all-color effort is that with or without hues, a motion picture depends principally on story and direction, in both of which "Becky" is deficient. The Color . . . The unanimity of critical opinion concerning the optical effect of the new Technicolor is best expressed by the following excerpts from the New York news sheets: World-Telegram: "The new color photography is beautiful, impressive and eeffctive." Times: "A miraculous new element." American: "As important to the cinema as 'The Jazz Singer'." Herald-Tribune: "The most important cinematic experiment since moving shadows first became articulate." Only from Eileen Creelman, critic on the Sun, came a discordant note concerning the color quality of the film. "Color photography still has its faults, and serious ones. . . . Could not conceal the metallic sound production, the difficulty in matching up skin tones in close-ups and near-shots, the tendency of the light to fade and suddenly brighten." B. O. . « • We do not believe that "Becky," despite its novelty, will be any great shakes at the world's boxoffices. Nor can we imagine motion pictures of the future being failures only because they lack the Elk's complete review of "Becky Sharp" appears on the back page of this issue. color which is merely incidental to the plot, direction and playing. And, further, we can no more believe that a movie will achieve popular success merely because it has color. We'll hazard our guess on a limited use of Technicolor in films. By that we stand or fall as a prophet of these "revolutionary" changes in this artistic industry. Penna. Gets Its Sunday Movies And Its Tax! Death of "Blue Laws" After 140 years of "blue laws," making it illegal to buy amusement on the Sabbath, Billy Penn's State of Pennsylvania got around to liberalizing its statute books to permit motion picture shows on Sundays. Last Tuesday afternoon, by a vote of 29 to 20, the Senate jammed through the SchwartzMelchiorre-Barber bill with a few unimportant amendments. It went back to the House, which had previously passed it, for ratification of the amendments, and the lower branch promptly put the final OK on the measure the same night The bill provides that upon petition of five per cent of the voters of any municipality in the State, a referendum is to be held on the question of legalizing Sunday performances after 2 P. M. As originally passed by the House, the bill made the referendum mandatory at the November elections. Some communities will be able to see their first Sunday movie shows on November 10th. That date is the first Sunday following the elections and, unless involved enabling legislation is necessary in a community, performances will be allowed that day. Why Indies Fought . . . There is little likelihood that any of the larger communities will fail to favor Sunday openings, but exhibitors in small rural towns, faced with the opposition of religious elements, are fearful lest the vote be unfavorable, leaving their theatres closed while those in neighboring cities are open. It was this inherent danger in the local option feature of the measure that led many independent exhibitors throughout the State to oppose it. This, and the knowledge that the major producers would try to sap all the profit out of the additional day's business by demanding preferred playing time on Sundays for their high percentage pictures. ( Continued on Next Page ) The Snub The Panic