We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.
Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.
INDEPENDENT EXHIBIT©^
FILM BULLETIN
VOL. 2 No. 9
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 19 55
PRICE 10 CENTS
35 -36 May Strike New Low
For Poor Major Film Product
No film season for the past five years opened with so much optimism prevailing in all quarters of the industry as this one — and none has been so productive of disappointment and gloom — for exhibitors. The hopes of thousands of theatre owners for a season that would bring them out of the mire of debts and losses in which they wallowed for four lean years, have gone a-glimmering as the major studios have poured forth more inferior pictures than any previous three month period in the industry's history.
With the Federal Government spending billions to revive trade, all business has been given a sadly needed impetus and stocks have been sent soaring and a few dollars have been put into the pocket of the man on the street. Exhibitors hopefully looked for a fair portion of this money to come into their boxoffices and vhe mortgage no longer loomed so omniously overhead. There was a boom in theatre buying and hundreds of theatres got their first dressing up in five years.
But, what has happened? True, the first few weeks of the Fall season witnessed a spurt in theatre business. People were hungry for movies and had the price of admission. But, pause to consider what the movie houses have been able to offer them in worthwhile films. Check the number of money making pictures that have come from the big studios since that time. THEY CAN BE COUNTED ON THE FINGERS OF ONE HAND!
How many BIG pictures have you received this season from the so-called big producers? What has Paramount given you to warrant its exorbitant demands? How many duds has Metro hand:d you to nullify the few dollars you were permitted to make on their specials? Chalk up everything else RKO has delivered against "Top Hat" and you're on the red side of the ledger.
But, we see all this as only of passing interest. Search deeper, if you will, for the basic cause for this dearth of worthwhile films and you will stumble inevitably upon the fact that certain of the majors — and we mean the BIGGEST of them — have become convinced that exhibitors only require a few stand-out "bait" pictures each season — and let the rest be trash!
You, Mr. Exhibitor, arc apparently not interested in doing something to cure this deplorable situation. You evince little or no interest in eradicating the block booking evil that lies at the very base of this decaying structure and is threatening to destroy the industry and your investment.
But, HOW LONG DO YOU THINK THE PUBLIC WILL STAND FOR IT?
>
CD Q_
CD
>
Q_ cr
CD =~
CD
n
Q) o
CD P
Q
in
O £ =f CD
~z CD O CD
CD £1
O O
ZD ~^
O ET
CL =f CD
CD ~° ^ CD
ZD
5 CD CD zd_
CD
S x o
— \
m
Mo Wax.