Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1951)

BULLETIN EDITORIBL |»L. 19. No. 21 October 8, 1951 Pace Three & • PROGRESS We begin by trying to alter the faults F those about us, we go on to make le best of them, and perhaps end by iving them. —FRANCIS HERBERT BRADLEY REVIEWS in This Issue tective Story 8 •VENTURES OF CAPTAIN FaBIAN . 8 ie Magic Carpet _ _. 8 ie Desert Fox __ _ ... 9 ie Lady from Texas 9 ie Clouded Yellow 9 .ver City _ ,. -10 ster Drake's Duck .... 10 e Palooka in Triple Cross 10 union in Reno _ _.16 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: Leonard Coulter, Editorial Representative. PUBLICATION — EDITORIAL OFFICES: 1239 Vine St.. Philadelphia 7. Pa., RIttenhouse 6-7424: Barney Stein, Managing Editor: Jack Taylor. Publication Manaeer: Robert Heath. Circulation Manager. HOLLYWOOD OFFICE: 659 Haverford Ave.. Pacific Palisades, Calif., Hillside 8183; Jay Allen, Hollywood Editor. Subscription Rate: ONE YEAR, $3.00 in the United States; Canada. $4.00; Europe, $5.00. TWO YEARS, $5.00 in the United States; Canada, $7.50; Europe, $9.06. LITTLE VOICES' RISING A ground swell of exhibitor resentment is rising against the trade practises of certain film compaines. again threatening to engulf the industry in strife. Evidence that this growing tide will soon be lapping at the doors of distributors was offered by the "revolt" of the 'little fellows" at the recent TOA convention in New York. Our industry has enjoyed something of a honeymoon — a honeymoon of despair, if you will — for the past year or so. Beset by the mutual problem of declining through the dark period together, arm-in-arm. but now that the first glimmer of dawn appears to be breaking, the old frictions and animosities again threaten our business. Why? Why. one must ask. at a well organized convention like the TOA's is there a spontaneous outburst of indignation from the little fellows demanding that action be taken to curb alleged abuses in trade practises by the distributors? Why. one must also ask. do those same practices fail to stir the ire of the circuit operators? There must be an explanation that makes sense. Can it be found in the answer to this question: Are practises and policies acceptable to circuits and large theatres so economically incompatible with the profitable operation of smaller theatres that they will forever be an unending source of contention between distributors and their thousands of smaller customers? Dissension, at this time particularly, is fraught with peril, for it endangers the most important cooperative action the movie business has ever taken — COMPO and the "Movietime, U. S. A." campaign. In the September 21 issue of FILM BULLETIN, we expressed the hope that exhibitor-distributor differences would be put aside for 'the duration of the "Movietime" drive: '"Let's quarrel, if we must, about these differences after the campaign is over and not rock the boat while it is in midstream." Is not this period of comparative goodwill the moment for distribution executives to consider altering their policies to remove the basic causes of friction which arouse the little fellows against them? If any degree of permanent peace is to be established in our industry, a new set of rules must be written. It is obvious that the same picture-pricing formula which is applied to the larger theatres will never be acceptable to the mass of smaller exhibitors. This is a sood lime for the distributors to start thinking in such term.-. MO \\ \X