Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (Sep 1935 - Aug 1936)

IXDEPEXDEXT EXHIBITORS FILM BULLETIN' EVENTS on the MARCH! "Reporting the Industry's News from An Editorial Viewpoint" ALLIED OPENS CAMPAIGN AGAINST BLOCK BOOKING Allied Issues 'White Hook' Block Booking . . . Opening what promise;, to be the most vigorous campaign against the block backing system ever waged within cr without the industry, Allied States Association has issued ils "White Bock" dealing with the subject. The pamphlet, which will be dktributed to theatre owners throughout the country, as well as to all cdueat'onal, relig'oue and civic organizations and lenders interested in metion picture advancement, urg?s support of the identical Pcttengill-Neely Bills as the "enly remedy" of the vicious ccmpulscry bloek booking system of selling films. ' Compulscry block booking," it is stated on the cover of the book, "prevents the thencres from choosing the best pictures offered by all the producers and requires them to take all of the pictures — gocd, bad and indifferent — offered by a few producers. " Hit 'Blind Selling' . . . On "blind selling," the pamphlet has the following to say: "A number of years ago the distributors supplied fairly complete information as to the pictures sold and the titles of the pictures were printed on the face of or written into the contra :ts. This enabled exhibiters to cancel socalled sub:titutions; i. c., pictures that did not conform to the data supplied. As the Big Eight, cocpcrat'ng through the Mct'on Picture Producers and Distributors of America, rounded out their monopoly they gradually abandoned the practice of furnishing d:fiiite information as to the pictures they undertook to deliver. "Today it is the general practice of the major distributers to describe in vague general terms a few of their out:tanding productions through advertising media known in the trade as 'press books,' 'announcement bock:' and 'wcrk sheets," but to make no designation of the pictures in the contracts ether than by numbers. This, practice is known to the cxhibitcrs as the 'numbers racket' and, coupled with other provision of the Standard Exhibition Contract which will be dealt with hereafter, enables the distributors to furnrh cr to withhold from the exhibitors whatever pictures they see fit." 'Wholesale Selling' . . . Striking at the major producers' cla:m that block book'ng is merely a fcrm of wholesale selling of their product, the "white book" remarks: "The Big Eight have attempted to defend the practice on the ground that it constitutes merely whelesale selling. But a moment's reflection will show that it bears no resemblance to any fcrm of wholesale selling heretofore practiced in this country. The distributers are net selling a standcrd commodity by sample cr warranty. They are forcing the exhibiters to take whatever they may see fit to produce, passing on to the exhibitere — and the public — the losses incident to their mistakes. "Not only docs ccmpulscry block booking enable the di:tributcrs to pass on all losses to the exhibitors and consumers, but it enables the Cig Eight virtually to moncpoliee the playing time of the theatres and thus to exclude independently produced pLtures from the screens. This explains the real reason for the determination of these powerful organizations to prevent the enactment of the Pctteng'Il or the Necly bill. The claim thai there would be an immediate falling off in revenue is ridiculous, since it is obvious that the distributers could make more money from the extended showing of good pictures than from the forced showing of bad pictures." Fear for Monopoly . . . "The abolition of compulsory block booking would cpen the screens of the country to anyone who could make good pictures and thus would encourage capital and creative talent now excluded from the business to enter into competition wilh the existing monopoly. It is the apprehension of such an outcome that makes the present overlords of the industry content to divide the business as best they can, shove the burden of their mirtakes as far as possible onto the exhibitors and the public, and forego for the time being the added profits which undoubt dly would result from replacing the fcrecd showing of bad pictures with added becking: fcr their meritorious pictures." Phiia. Nahe Theatres Say Sundays No Cain Hits Other Days ... With the receipts of the third open Sunday entered in their books, Philadelphia's theatre owners are expressing opinions about Sunday movies that vary from downright despair to bright optimism — bu:, the gloomy ones apparently greatly outnumber the satisfied. Fcr the vast majority of smaller neighborhood houses in this city the anticipated boom in weekly grosses has not materialized and the "little independents" are doing a let of complaining. Reports of Sunday business gathered by FILM BULLETIN from exhibitors throughout the city clearly indicate that the extra day's operation has actually had a contrary effect on many houses, hurting business during the balance of the week, without doing enough on Sunday to make up the difference. Sinking weekly grosses have made the situation so acute in some sections of the city that moves are being set afoct to close down on Sundays unless there is a startling improvement in business. Rumors are current that a number of theatres in the Kensington area will not open on the Sabbath if an agreement can be reached by all the competitors in one district. Getting Worse, Some Say . . . The first cpen Sunday in Philadelphia was accompanied by snow and sleet, yet many exhibitors report that business has been worse for the second and third Sunday shews. Several houses have shown steady declines in Sunday grosses, despite relative equality of the pictures. Practically all of the complaints are coming from the smaller, subsequent-run theatres. Central city and Warner key neighborhood spots are doing well if the reports are accurate. Their Saturday and Monday business has been cut to M. B. COMERFDRD DIES; KURT IN ACCIDENT SCRANTON, Pa. — M. B. Comerford, general manager of Comer :ord Theatres, Inc., died in Mcrcv Hospital here Monday nigh:. He had b sen injured in an automobile accident 0:1 the Lackawanna Trail, nsar Daleville, Saturday morning, while motoring to Philadelphia with his wife and two friends to see the Army-Navy football game. Death was due to concussion of the brain. One of the most popular and bcrt known theatre epe raters in the country. Mr. Comcrfcrd had been the active head of the up:tate circuit founded by his uncle, M. E. Comcrfcrd, many years ago. The lattrr has been ill in a Waihington, D. C, hospital since last rummer, when he suffered a stroke. M. B., as the dead man was affectionately called by his wide circle of friend: and business acquaintances, was 52 years old. Mrs. Comcrfcrd and Mr. and Mrs. James P. Lavclle. the ethers in the car with the theatre man were injured, but not ,'eriously. The funeral will be held en Thur day and a larg, number of prominent film and theatre men from the East are expected to attend the services.