Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1950)

Joe Exhibitor Speaks GO INTO THEIR HOMES! EDITORIAL Vol. 13. No. 5 February 27, 1950 Pajre Five What Are You Doing Today In the Fight for REPEAL Of the Unfair Ad mission Tax? BULLETIN fILM BULLETIN— All Independent Motion Picture Trade Paper published every other Monday by Film Bulletin Company. Mo Wax, Editor and Publisher. BUSINESS OFFICE: 35 West 53rd St., New York, 19; Circle 6-9159. David A. Bader, Business Manager. PUBLICATION EDITORIAL OFFICES: 1239 Vine St., Philadelphia 7, Pa., Rlttenhouse 6-7424; Barney Stein, Managing Editor; Jack Taylor, Publication Manager; Robert Heath, Circulation Manager. HOLLYWOOD OFFICE: 659 Haverord Ave., Pacific Palisades, Calif., Hillside 8183; lay Allen, Hollywood Editor. Subscription Rate: INE YEAR, $3.00 in the United States; Canada, S4.00; Europe, $5.00. TWO YEARS, $5.00 In the Initcd States; Canada, $7.50; Europe, $9.00. February 21, 1950 Mr. Mo Wax FILM BULLETIN Dear Sir: Business is oil. Mine is, and I talk to enough theatremen to know that the condition is pretty general. Can I mooch a column or so in your always interesting FILM BULLETIN to give my views on the situation? Why is business off? First answer you get from every exhibitor who operates within range of a television station is that that gol-danged free entertainment is giving us a licking. Then the average guy will mention, incidental-like, other factors like "money s tightened up," effects of the coal strike and a few other such items. Finally, as though to nail down his argument, he'll usually end up with the blanket charge that "pictures have been lousy!" No question that television is a tremendous factor in our present slump. And it figures to become tougher competition with every new set sold, with every mechanical improvement in the device and every improvement in the quality of the programs telecast. Looming in the background is Phonevision and that one really has me worried. Money is "tighter." Them that has it are nursing it, while them that ain t are spending only for the necessities — which movies are not, my friend. Surely, the coal strike is affecting our whole economy, but we are suffering because of that just in proportion to all retail business. As to the average guy s diagnosis about "lousy product," here is one exhibitor who feels that comment is off base. Generally, the films we have been getting this season have been a bit above par. As a matter of fact, yours truly just hopes the studios maintain their present pace. Oh, of course, some of the companies turn out more than their share of duds, but in the main the top studios have been delivering plenty of fine or saleable merchandise. Where does all this leave us — you and I — brother Exhibitor? Agreed that we recognize the causes of the slump, what are we going to do about it? Isn't it time we started thinking only about how we might lick it? The simple truth is that we arc now engaged in a tough battle for the public's entertainment dollar, which is scarcer today than it has been for the past ten years and more reluctant to come to us. What shall we do. sit in our theatres and moan, or shall we go out a-hunting for customers? I say, let's go into their homes after 'em! For a long time we were fortunate in that millions of folks had the "movie habit." Well, it's no longer habit that brings them to your boxoffice. Ifou have to interest them, coax them, entice them out of their cozy living rooms. Let's think about how we can do that. The film companies must wake up, and fast, to the value of television advertising for films. Special trailers for the small video screen and with copy directed at the television stay-ins should be made available on every worthwhile picture, not merely on an occasional special production. Distributors and leading local exhibitors in every territory should work out some cooperative plan for sharing the cost of showing these "teletrailers" at frequent intervals on eveiy channel. Since millions of people who used to read newspapers and magazines in the evening now focus their full attention on that miniature screen after dinner, what better way is there for reaching them with the movie message? Who can tell — it might turn out that television will prove to be the greatest advertising medium the motion picture ever had! Another proven means of reaching into the homes to sell vour attraction is door-to-door distribution of circulars. 1 note that National Screen Service iplugging this form of advertising and tbcv are to be congratulated on prodding exhibitors into reviving the use of heralds. An industry-wide campaign on the theme: "Let's go out to a movie!" might be directed at the ladies, who are bound to set fed up vv i 1 1 1 hubby's ni»htlv sit-down strike in front of the television set. Perhaps, retail merchants, affected as they are, too, by the sharp drop in evening shopping, might share the cosl of such a campaign. This is only scratching the surface. I haven'l all the answers, but this industry of ours has a huge fund of ureal advertising brains that ought to be turned loose l>v the big moguls to deal with this situation. What I'm trying to sa\ in this brief letter is that we had better go to work. \nd I mean 1I\KD work, brother. The exhibitor who doesn't roll up his sleeves todav might not have a shirt in a couple of years. Me I'm cutting off the Bleeves of all mv shirts. Gangwav ! Best to you and your bright FB boys. Ju8l keep plugging the truth: it pays off. Sincererj . JOE EXHIBITOR.