Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1956)

(Continued from Page 5) I had asked to come look at my picture, told me, 'Never mind the picture; just let me see the trailer'." Mr. Sidney, on a barnstorming tour for his new Columbia venture, "The Eddy Duchin Story", was speaking to a group of exhibitors on the importance of teamwork between production and exhibition. His anecdote of the trailer is unfortunately typical of the taken-forgranted attitude in the tightly circumscribed Hollywood production world. As Mr. Sidney pointed out, it had never occurred to him how important the trailer was to the exhibitor and to his public. And this is only one small drop in a bucketful of hints that the men who have the closest contact with those who buy tickets can offer to the men who make the product. The idea of meetings between theatremen and moviemakers for an exchange of ideas is, of course, not a new one. It has been talked of time and again, and was even attempted a couple years ago at a COMPO -sponsored Hollywood round table. That worthy project fizzled out because of the tepid response by Hollywood's key executives, who begged off because they had "more important things to do". That such liaison sessions are not only desirable, but absolutely necessary in these times of unprecedented competition, cannot be disputed. Production should be eager to hear from the lips of theatremen why the public is staying away from movies in such large numbers, and what thoughts exhibition has about correcting that situation. How could a plan for constructive round-table meetings between exhibitors and the creative production people be effectuated? The bug, of course, lies in setting up a practical formula for such sessions. They cannot be held haphazardly on a whipped-up impulse. They cannot be harrassed by politicking, either in production or exhibition ranks. They must be purely a functional pipeline for the transmission and discussion of experiences in every strata of exhibition with the paying public. Who should logically call for such a program and start the ball rolling? We suggest that the heads of the principal production guilds — producers, directors, writers, actors — collaborate in extending an invitation to a limited, wieldy group (less than fifty) of exhibitors representing a cross-section of the practical operating theatremen in this country, and, perhaps, England, to meet in Los Angeles for a week of conferences on the industry's problems. It is not essential that the heads of the various major studios attend, although they might be informed that they would be welcome if they have practical contributions to offer to the discussions. If this industry is to fight back from the depths of its present-day despair, it must first understand itself. Regular conferences between the men who make movies and those who exhibit them is an essential step in establishing such understanding. Will the guilds take the initiative? To The Editor: In your May 14th issue, WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT mentions that Albert Sindlinger thinks that the reason more men are buying tickets than women is because of the brutality in movies. You then asked the question: "How come then, they (women) spend so much time over TV which is far more brutal and even tougher?" Based on personal observation and after talking to many women, I believe Mr. Sindlinger is absolutely correct in his statement that fewer women are going to the movies. And his reasons are correct. The stay-away from the movies on the part of women began several years ago when the market was flooded with westerns, gangster films and movies which had sex as the theme. Unfortunately for us the condition still exists. All you have to do is to turn to the pages of your daily paper where the movie ads are. How many of the ads show scenes of violence, gun in hand, or the figure of a woman stretched on the beach with the figure of a man hovering over her? This has not been the type of picture that the average woman wants to see, and movie shopping is just like going every other place; it is the woman in the family that has the most say as to where the family or husband and wife will go. Women do not like brutal things. Women do not enjoy western movies except now and then such attractions as "Shane". Women do not like an overplay cf sex, and many times sex copy dominates the ads whereby the actual picture does not have sex. Check the boxoffice hits of the past three years. Which movies have been the most popular? Certainly not the gangster films, nor films filled with blood and fights and killings. Movies like "The Glenn Miller Story", "The Magnificent Obsession", "Picnic" and "The Man In the Gray Flannel Suit". The list could go on and on. Movies like these attracted both men and women, and will bring women back to the movies. Women are not wedded to TV. Neither are women looking at the TV programs which have brutality. "I Love Lucy", "December Bride", "The Loretta Young Show", comedy shows, are the ones the women are most interested in. Programs which show some of the life that the average woman leads; programs which have a percentage of romance. Programs which make women feel like they have been entertained and that the time was worthwhile. Women today, too, don't forget, are engaged in more club activities than ever before. They take a more active part in PTA work; Red Cross work and a multitude of other things. TV does not begin to claim them all. If we will return to making movies which women will enjoy, which will send an audience from a theatre feeling that the time has been worthwhile, then we will get women and their men back in large quantity. Movies are for entertainment. Let the front pages of the newspapers record the ills of the world, the unhappy events. Let the editorial pages do the preachments. Let the movies entertain. And in the list of movies people want, don't leave out films with a touch of religion. Church attendance all over the world is at a new high. EARLE M. HOLDEN Lucas & Avon Theatres Saiannah. Ga. Page 12 FILM Bulletin Jun« 25, 1954