Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1952)

EXHIBITORS fORUfTl Opinions Culled from Organization Bulletins DREAM BOAT KO'S TV National Allied For awhile TV never lost an opportunity to take a crack at the movies. In RHU15 AR1! the movie industry began to fight hack. Fox's current production DREAMBOAT, while it incidentally pokes fun at the old silent movies, really goes to town in ridiculing television and its gosh-awful commercial. While somewhat exaggerated — the picture is a farce — it nevertheless shows how a motion picture film and the actors engaged in it can be made ridiculous and ruined bv the interpolation of commercials in the sequences when shown on TV. Clifton Webb and Ginger Rogers turn in fine performances and it is a very amusing picture. There are as yet no Caravan reports on DREAMBOAT but if exhibitors can buy it for :>. fair price, they ought to run this picture as a matter of self-defense. The country is interested in the struggle between TV and the movies and I would not hesitate to advertise it as a picture dealing with this subject. Indeed, I would like to see display ads proclaiming "Movies Score Knockout in Titanic Struggle with Television." —A. F. MYERS BRIGHT DAYS AHEAD AITO of E. Pa. Of coursce, there is an old proverb about doctors disagreeing. Nearly everyone connected with the motion picture business, and a flock of outsiders, has his own pet theory about the cause of the present, severe boxoffice recession. According to Mr. Nicholas M. Schenck, President of Loew's, which releases Metro pictures, it is not T.V. — the greater menace are the multiple runs of the same picture in a single area. Quoted by "Variety" in its isue of August 13, Mr. Schenck said, "There is just so much money to be gotten from one zone. When you have a series of simultaneous runs you achieve nothing but a dilution of the boxoffice potential. No theatre makes any big money and it costs the distributor twice as much, and more, for his participation in a selling campaign to try to bolster business of the theatres." Of course, Mr. Schenck did not say which film company and which affiliated theatre chain started multiple runs. Mr. Sol A. Schwartz, President of . RKO Theatres Corp., in his report to the stockholders, dated August 6, 1952, and covering the first six months of the same year, said, "Gross receipts from admissions declined during the first six months of 1952. The decline in our business was more than seasonal during May and June due to the lack of good pictures." Volumes could be written on what is wrong with the picture business, but in my opinion business will get better and there 1 I are brighter days ahead. In the meantime, however, watch your film rentals and closely supervise every item of expense. Also, let's sell the pictures, let's go after business, keeping in mind the fact that no exhibitor should be penalized by way of film rentals for doing a good selling job. Getting the public to talk affirmatively and encouragingly about the motion picture business in any one location is a boost for the business generally. But unless every exhibitor rigorously guards every item of current expenses, he will not benefit by improving his business now or in the future. BIDDING MUST GO Allied ITO of E. Penna. Despite all efforts of independent exhibitors to convince the distributors that competitive bidding is the most destructive and unfair trade practice ever devised, and despite the repeated statements of highly placed distribution executives that they do not like competitive bidding, the practice still goes on. Bidding has been further aggravated by "blind" bidding. Members will, of course, recollect that our organization vigorously protested against blind bidding at the annual meeting last February and that this protest was transmitted to all of the major distributors. Nevertheless, one distributor claims that its print problem makes it impossible, in some instances, to screen pictures before exhibitors must bid on the picture. This is an evil which wreaks untold damage on the exhibitors in the particular bidding situation. The distributor in question should immediately eliminate this blind bidding. Unless they correct this glaring evil, there will be dire results. Many exhibitors, including myself, have come to the inevitable and logical conclusion that despite all protestations the distributors want bidding, like bidding, and wherever they can, stimulate bidding. Otherwise, it would have been abolished long ago! The greatest evil of bidding is that it is not bidding in the true sense of the word, because exhibitors never know on what basis the winning bid is awarded. United Artists has taken a long step to reform this angle, in its recently announced decision to allow inspection of winning bids by the losing exhibitor. From the trade paper stories I have read, United Artists has safe-guarded this disclosure of the bids. It is my opinion that this method will have a very beneficial effect on bidding. It is now time for all other distributors which use competitive bidding to follow the leadership provided by United Artists and to do likewise. I '.ill Heinemann, Vice-President in Charge of Distribution for United Artists is to be congratulated for his action in this matter. But, exhibitors must remember, that despite all efforts by distributors to reform competitive bidding, this practice is an unmitigated evil and must be eliminated from this busuiness. TAX REPEAL AITO of la., Neb., S. D. Mid-Central You know that repeal of this tax — 20% the top of every dollar you take in — if yo gross $250 per wTek, it means $200 per mon —would be eating and living money, the di ference between profit and loss; of stayin in business or going broke for most of But did you know that during 1951, this ta amounted to 7 times the profits of AL theatres, was GREATER that the annu combined payroll of All theatres?! wonder we're in trouble' You certainly D know better than anyone else, just what th tax is doing to you; how many times eve month-end you've fervently wished you cou trade your profit or loss to the Governme for their tax bite! And do you rememb how the present Washington administratio promised to take this tax off when the shoot ing stopped in WW II, and how they brokl that promise?! Get this straight — when repealed, this 205 stays with the exhibitor, unless the exhibitc! himself sees fit to pass it on. The whol campaign will be waged for straight, fu repeal with no strings attached, no promise to pass it on in reduced admission or othei wise. We need this money; we will keep to help us eat ,stay in business. Because d this we cannot ask the general public t help us in this tax repeal drive, altli Chambers of Commerce might to save the local theatres; and bankers and newspapt editors, because of your business and adve tising. IT CAN BE DONE. IF EVERYON in our industry — we, our employees, 01 close friends, landlords and other affectel will ALL do our bit, which actually very ll VERY LITTLE for EACH of us, th murderous tax WILL BE REPEALED rj this next Congress convening in Januar While it's sometimes embarrassing, arj always a real threat, the facts that we're ! bad trouble and that many theatres ha1 closed already are well-known to mo| everyone and form an unanswerable argj ment for tax-repeal. OHIO'S FAIR ITO of Ohio Our exhibit at the state fair, we belie\| will promote a great deal of interest | movies. If any of you plan to visit the fa i be sure and stop at the "Hollywood at t Fair" exhibit. Practically everyone of o| members has contributed his $2.00 for tt listing on the big board, to impress the f;| goers that the theatres have brought ;1 exhibit to them. We must express our thanks to Leon Bai berger of RKO Pictures Pictures. Whl many of the studios have furnished exhil| material, the RKO material is by far t| most outstanding and impressive. It all I the studios had furnished as much as RK we would have had the most outslandi exhibit ever displayed. Our old friend Le has proven that when you ask him for son thing, lie can deliver. FILM liULLETl