Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1938)

APRIL 9th, 1938 IH O IL IL T W C € ID By DAVID J. HANNA ZANUCK CRITICIZES WASTE . . . PLEADS FOR QUALITY In the midst of the current economy whirl which finds nearly every Hollywood studio in an almost unbelievable turmoil, it is somewhat reassuring to note the views of Darryl Zanuck, who, alone of the industry's production chiefs has chosen to approach the industry's present economical problems in a sane and sensible manner. The following consists of excerpts from an inter-office memorandum by Zanuck directed to various department heads of the 20th Century-Fox lot: "It is needless for me to tell you that the moving picture business today is not in the healthy condition that it has enjoyed for the past several years. There has been a definite slump and drastic decline in theatre receipts throughout the country, and, of course, in many countries throughout the world we have been deprived of any revenue whatsoever, due to wars and political disturbances. "Today, only the really big hit attractions do business at the boxoffice of the nation's theatres. When times are good, almost every picture, regardless of its individual merit, manages to take in a certain profitable revenue because money is loose and people are inclined to spend; but in days of recession theatres are hard hit and, as a consequence, only the outstanding productions are able to do fine business. Audiences shop and select the picture they like best, instead of attending several theatres each week. "If all our pictures were like Tn Old Chicago' or 'Happy Landing,' there would certainly be no complaints or cause for alarm, but unfortunately such attractions come very seldom to any one company. Our business is a business of mass production. We release one picture each week, and while it is thrilling to see pictures like 'Happy Landing' and Tn Old Chicago' do a record-breaking business even in a recession, it is deplorable to see other pictures of merit suffer and fall along the roadside. "Almost every studio in the industry has cut down on production, curtailed expenditures and, to a certain degree, lowered the budget on each individual picture. We have not done this so far. We have not cut one penny off of our budgets. We want to maintain the same standard of quality that has put us at the top. "We believe we can fight our way out of this recession and maintain the standard and quality of our program as a whole, but in order to accomplish t-his, it is essential that we have the honest cooperation of every individual working for 20th Century-Fox, because if we exceed our budget or if we waste money, then it becomes imperative for us to cut our budgets to make up the loss; and, therefore, you, and your product are bound to suffer in the long run. If you want to be associated in the future with the fine type of productions that you have been associated with in the past — if you want to see us strive for quality and improvement — then it is necessary for you to personally recognize the fact that you have got to play ball as you have never played before. "Many of the expensive habits that we have acquired in the production of pictures during the last several profitable years must be disregarded now. Innumerable times we have gone overboard on expenditures. These are things that must now be eliminated, otherwise we will be compelled by necessity to cut down, and if we cut down, our productions suffer, and this must not happen. "Executive and department heads must, from this day on, conserve and utilize all of our resources efficiently. The great fault I find today with all studios is that a great majority of the money spent is never reflected on the screen. "I have never regretted any expenditure that we have made that was visible to the eye, once the picture was shown in the theatre, but it seems that in every department, without exception, we in the picture business are inclined to overdo everything we attempt, and it is the accumulation of innumerably unnecessary expenditures which cause the cost of pictures to soar; and yet today, when prices are almost double, we are getting no more on the screen than we got several years ago. "If times were good, there would be no complaint, even though waste is always a crime — but today, when actual boxoffice receipts reflect the seriousness of the present business recession, we must get our feet solidly on the ground and recognize at once the necessity for cooperation and a sympathetic understanding of each other's problems. "Failure on any employe's part to cooperate with you should be reported immediately to my office, as I, for one, do not intend to stand idly by and let any individual force me to curtail the quality of our productions or dim the success we have all enjoyed in the past. DARRYL ZANUCK."