Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1952)

Short Subjects BY BARN TH ERE ARE at least two indisputable facts ' about Cecil B. DeMille — his pictures inevitably are boxoffice, and he lias a uncommon ability of making sense during an interview. In New York, last week, the veteran showman, meeting the press as part of his agenda for the opening of his latest spectacle, "The Greatest Show On Earth," placed his ringer right on the pulse of today's movie situation with: "No one goes to the movie theatre now for a place to sit down, or because they have time to kill, or want to eat popcorn. People today attend a film theatre for the same reason that they attend a legitimate theatre. They come to see the attraction." As for double features "(they) always have impressed me as like eating two meals on top of each other. They give you indigestion." And on "Greatest Show," DeMille thinks it will outgross "Samson and Delilah." 0()TH-F< >VS CHARLES EINFELD, who has been responsible for several innovations in the film promotion field, has another — "point-of contract showmanship." The Fox veep was enabled to present the idea to the company's annual sales convention by 20th's unprecedented unveiling of its entire 1952 program, thus giving the hucksters ample time for long-range planning on each picture. Outlining the idea, F.infeld told the sales heads: "Your job doesn't end when the contract is signed or the booking is made. Through our planning you will be ready to go further in your policy of sound customer relations to offer an exploitation foundation upon which to build a campaign that can grow with ample time for its penetration." To supplement the sales force showmanship efforts, Einfeld has assigned a group of "project officers" who will be paving the ballyhoo way on their individual pictures. With the company's field exploiteers providing on-the-spot air in each territory, each film will get three-fold showmanship backing by the distributor. Till. DISTRIBUTORS' sales meeting schedules are running hot and heavy. 20thFox had its annual conclave in New Vnrk last week; Columbia knocked off the second of a series of divisional confabs in Washington, with all the home office executiveon hand; Republic began a series of lour regional meets last week (9th & 10th) at the North Hollywood studios, to be followed by conferences in Chicago (14-15), New York (16-17) and New Orleans (2122), with prexy Herbert J. Yates addressing each regional; Paramount was due for its first '52 meeting of divisional sales managers in New York with a three-day conclave beginning Jan. 14, and Monogram will have its (op brass together this week, with president Si< .'• I.roidy, Harold Mirisch, G. Ralph Bran ton, Morey Goldstein, Edward Morey and Lloyd l.ind due to set the sales policies for '52. LEO'S DEITZ Green Grows the Showmanship METRO'S HOWARD DIETZ has come up with another solid idea for promoting the Lion's showmanship efforts by exhibitors. Leo's ad-publicity chief has set a $1000 in prizes each month for next six months for exhibitors creating the best campaigns for the designated attraction of the month. The competition begins with February's "Invitation," but, to make certain the subsequent runs have their opportunity for the cash, exhibitors will have about four months in which to complete campaigns and submit them. First prize each month will be $500, second, $250, and five additional prizes of $50. Judges for the contest have been selected from editors of the trade press. Says Dietz: "We want to make this a truly worldwide competition and we have thereby made it possible for any type of theatre operation to be considered — any theatre in any size town; it's open to one and all. All we are seeking is an enlarged interest in showmanship and promotion." There is little doubt that the green stuff is one of the most potent ways to get it. THEATRE OWNERS can save up to 40 per cent in film transportation charges by eliminating the heavy film cans, whose use is now obsolete with the changeover to acetate safety film, according to Henry Reeve, president of I exas Theatre Owners. Noting that film containers are the same as those used 30 years ago, when the heavy metal was necessary as a fire safeguard, Reeve feels that a "transportation saving of 33-1/3 in 10 per cent is possible to theatre owners mi sin^k and two-reel subjects — and a considerable saving on larger shipments — not at all a small item to small town theatres which are today paying $100 and upward a month on 200-mile hauls — and more and more as exchange distance increases.'" In his home theatre, he says, the 10-pound metal can used tor shipping the twice weekly newsreel costs 52 cents each way, or $1.04 for each issue. For the occasional shipment in a cardboard container, the round-trip cost is 60 cents. This saving on each of the subjects, coupled with the Government's concern over the metal situation, should merit a look-see toward effecting a change both in the interests of economy and in conserving metal. TOMPO'S OFFER of press facilities in its headquarters for all out-of-town newspapermen visiting New York is a smart move — and why didn't YOU think of it before? The proposal, sent to all Movietime U. S. A. publicity chairmen, urges that newspaper writers contemplating a visit to the Big Town be advised that they will be welcome at the COMPO offices, wdiere working facilities will be provided them. Consequently, when a visiting newspaper man files a story from the comfortable sanctum of COMPO's offices, there is every likelihood that movies won't suffer in the process but will certainly be in a postion to get plugs. UARIETY CLUBS International chief barker Marc J. Wolf has a helluva schedule lined up: Jan. 5, installation of officers for the Chicago tent; Jan. 7, dedication ceremonies of the Variety Children's Cancer Research Clinic in Boston; Jan. 11, Chick Lewis Testimonial dinner in New York; Jan. 14, installation of new officers and crew at Indianapolis; Jan. 19, installation of same at Buffalo, and Jan. 20, speaker at the Pittsburgh Tent's annual banquet. Whew! THE SECOND ANNUAL Monogram Week, Feb. 10-16, certainly won't lack for quantity of product. President Steve Broidy has set 87 features, including reissues, in both black-and-white and in color, as well as the Little Rascals shorts program, to help the 37 company-owned and franchiseoperated exchanges in the U. S. and Canada fulfill the slogan of "A Monogram subject on every screen in the nation during Monogram W eek." AF MEN AND THINGS: United Artists foreign distribution chief Arnold M. Picker had a busy week with switches in his department. Sidney Lieb was named foreign service manager, while the Caribbean area w'as realigned with Alfred Katz as area supervisor; Albert V. Steinhardt succeeds Katz as Puerto Rico manager and Leonard Pearlman fills Steinhardts' former post as Trinidad head . . . Bob Goodried has joined Paramount Studio's publicity dept., after two years as ad-publicity director for L. A.'s Metropolitan Theatres . . . Robert Wile was formally inducted as executive secretary of I TO of Ohio, succeeding the late and great Pete Wood . . . William Freedman, 20th-Fox purchasing agent, died suddenly, January 3, in his 54th year. LI FILM BULLETIN