Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1950)

/ f \ EDITORIAL Vol. 18, No. 19 September 11, 1950 Page Five ft AN ART ,~|~'//E ART of taxation consists in so plucking the goose as to obtain the largest amount of feathers with the least possible amount of hissing. —Thomas Fuller, 1732 ft BULLETIN FILM BULLETIN— An 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., Rlttenliouse 6-7424; Barney Stein, Managing Editor; Jack Taylor. Publication Manager; Robert Heath, Circulation Manager. HOLLYWOOD OFFICE: 659 Haver ord Ave., Pacific Palisades, Calif., Hillside 8183; ay Allen, Hollywood Editor. Sobscriptlon Rate: INE YEAR, $3.00 In the United States; Canada, >4.00; Europe, $5.00. TWO YEARS, $5.00 In the Inited States; Canada, $7.50; Europe. $9.00. Joe Exhibitor Speaks LITTLE MAJORS ARE TOUGHER September 5, 1950 Mr. Mo Wax, Editor Film Bulletin Dear Sir: No doubt, it is regarded as professionally proper for an independent exhibitor, like yours truly, to save his harsh words for those monsters,, the big major film companies, so I am probably breaking a rule in taking this dig at a couple of the "little" majors, instead. In my dealings with the various distributors over a long period of years — yes, I'm a real vet of this business — I've found that in many respects the big outfits have a more wholesome regard for an exhibitor's rights than the lesser companies, like Columbia and Universal. For instance, when these latter two get a fair-to-middling "A" picture into the exchange, they seem to go berserk in their demands. What would pass for a second-bracket show with Metro or Fox becomes a tippety-top "must" 40 percenter in the hands of Columbia or U-I. And no flexibility, either, brother! So, all right, you say — an exhibitor doesn't have to buy if he doesn't want to, and, furthermore, he's a jerk if he pays more than he should. Yes, you can leave out that group of pictures, providing you don't care if your hungry competitor is waiting to grab them. But, these "little" majors have other bad habits they should correct. They are the ones, not the bigger companies, who wait until they have one of their top pictures available for an exhibitor to slug him for any items he might have in dispute with them. Come across, or we don't deliver this picture, is their technique for "ironing out" any outstanding issues between them and their customers. I find these smaller outfits tough, too, in the matter of obtaining prints on their percentage pictures for the dates when I want them, if the playing time I offer is not exactly to their taste. I find them far less amenable to making reasonable adjustments, to interchanging unsuitable new product for old stuff, to bringing their terms into line with my reduced grosses. Mind you, I'm not trying to whitewash the bigger distributors, but here's one independent exhibitor who finds them, in many way9, more decent to deal with than the "little" majors. That's my experience and I wish to report it, if you will, in the columns of your worthy FILM BULLETIN. Sincerely yours, JOE EXHIBITOR. Sorry, Mr. Sknuras Charles Einfeld hastens to correct our impression, expressed on this page in the last issue of FILM BULLETIN, that he is responsible for the novel idea of scheduled performances to be used in the exhibition of the forthcoming 20th Century-Fox picture, "All About Eve." He writes: "The plan for 'All About Eve' is not mine, but that of our president. Spyros Skouras. Everyone likes a pat on the back, but I like to see credit go where it is deserved, and in this case, it belongs in the fullest to Spyros. "Although I was immediately sold on his idea, there were some who doubted its possibilities, but tbev have now all come around to apnlaudins it. Funny thing ihe same thing happened when he engaged the (New York) Philharmonic for the Roxy Theatre. "They laughed when he picked up his baton — ' but they remained to cheer, because the Row has broken all sorts ot records, including Milton Berle, which just goes to show that movie audiences have grown up, and will accept the finest type of entertainment." We bow tuice in your direction, Mr. Skouras.