Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (Sep 1935 - Aug 1936)

C-B To Produce In This Country 8 to 10 . . . Continually striving to improve its product for the American market, G-B Pictures announced last week, through Mark Ostrer, chairman of the board who is visiting in this country, that it would sponsor the production of 8 to 10 features in the United States next year. These will be distributed under the G-B banner. Ostrer also stated that his company would produce 26 pictures in England for the 1936-37 season, of which between 16 and 20 would be released in America. He expressed himself as immensely pleased with the progress made by the American unit of Gaumont-British and has high hopes for the future. Michael Balcon, G-B production head, who accompanied Ostrer, left for Hollywood, where he plans to sign a number of American film stars and other talent for work in G-B pictures. NEW RELEASES EASTERN PA., S. N. J., DEL. Major contracts provide for a ten per cent cancellation privilege for exhibitors. If you desire to cancel a picture, you must notify the exchange by registered mail WITHIN 14 DAYS of the date of general release. Latest releases are listed below. Send in your notice NOW! FOX In Old Kentucky Nov. 15 Thanks a Million Nov. 22 METRO Perfect Gentleman Nov. 1 Mutiny On the Bounty Nov. 8 A Night At the Opera Nov. 15 Ah! Wilderness Nov. 22 Riff Raff Nov. 29 PARAMOUNT Little America Nov. 1 Ship Cafe Nov. 1 Peter Ibbetson Nov. 8 So Red the Rose Nov. 22 RKO Three Musketeers Nov. 1 To Beat the Band Nov. 8 Annie Oakley Nov. 15 In Person Nov. 22 UNIVERSAL Three Kids and a Queen Nov. 3 Stormy Nov. 1 1 We Surrender Nov. 18 East of Java Nov. 25 UNITED ARTISTS Splendor Nov. 23 WARNERS' I Found Stella Parrish Nov. 8 Moonlight on Prairie Nov. 8 Personal Maid's Secret Nov. 15 Frisco Kid Nov. 28 INDEPENDENT EXHIBITORS "FILM BULLETIN' A. P. Waxman, demon publicity chief of G-B, pulled a honey last week when he held a screening of "Transatlantic Tunnel" in the new 38th Street Midtown Tunnel under the Hudson River. A group of 250 hardy sandhogs and engineers viewed the picture. Seen above, left to right, are Waxman, Col. Charles S. Gleim, Construction Engineer of the Port of N. Y. Authority, and Norman Redwood, Superintendent of the tunnel. Suburb Votes For Sun. Movies But Exhib Won't Show 'Em Unless Declaring that only the force of competition will changj his intention, Joseph Conway, owner of the Epvptian Theatre, Bala-Cynwyd, suburb of Philadelphia, announced through his local newspaper immediately after the vote last Tuesday that he will keep his theatre closed on Sundays, despite the "yes" vote on the referndum in Lower Merion Township, unless . . . '"Unless" meaning that he won't open until his business is adversely affected by remaining closed. "We are making a living wiht six days' work," Conway is reported to have said, ' and the Egyptian will not be open on Sunday unless business circumstances force us to." The three precincts neighboring Conway's theatre (Cynwyd, Bala and Merion), voted against Sunday movies, but a sufficient number of "yes" votes were garnered in the other districts of Lower Merion to swing the vote in favor of the proposal. Conway is vice-president of the M. P. T. O. of Eastern Pennsylvania, which fought for the open Sunday. MERRITT CRAWFORD (Continued from Page 7) WHAT TO DO?— The chief reason why the double feature or the chance game has become a necessity to bolster up a theatre's boxoffice derives directly from the fact that the average feature is too low in attraction quality to stand on its own merits. Thus, we see that the principal reason for the need of boxoffice stimulants stems from the failure of the majors — the ones who complain loudest — to make better pictures. This is the plain fact. What there is to do about it, is another question not so easy to answer. Only about one film feature out of eight or ten made by any of the major companies is real boxoffice. Count 'em! And they are used to blackjack higher rentals for the balance of the company's mediocrities from the average independent theatre owner, if, indeed, he can get them at all when he needs them. On the other hand, the percentage of boxoffice attractions delivered by the leading independent producers is happily somewhat higher than among the majors. And they are not held out from the independent theatre owner to build up his competition, as in the case of the producer-owned circuits. With the prospects of an even higher percentage of independently produced attractions that will stand alone on their own boxoffice merits, as evidenced in the recent offerings of such companies as Republic, Gaumont-British and First DivisionPathe, it should be evident to the exhibitor, who is not hog-tied to the tail of his worst competition, the producer-owned house which gets all the best films before he can show them, where his real interests lie. By recognizing them and giving the fullest support to the independent producer the real showman may one day find that he can dispense with double bills and artificial stimulants for his boxoffice intake. To reach EVERY theatre owner in Phila. and Washington You must ADVERTISE IN FILM BULLETIN