Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1962)

Aewpoiats APRIL 30, 1962 # VOLUME 30, NO. 9 The Industry 9s 'Hud Apples9 Hurt Us All Stanley Warner executive vice president Samuel Rosen recently offered some excellent advice to managers of his own circuit and theatremen at large. "Show good sense and good judgment," he counseled them, "in the handling of product." For while he challenged "this great hue and cry of censorship that films are ruining our morals and our children," the theatre executive admitted the need for "every one of you to keep your skirts clean, both in the type of pictures you book, and in your advertising." Of course, he was quick to add that "because some individual says some film is immoral doesn't necessarily mean that it is the case. It is up to you to use good judgment in your operation." As have many other responsible members of the industry, Mr. Rosen deplored the callous fringe operators who would extract as much as possible from the business without any regard for its welfare and stability. According to Mr. Rosen: "There are operators among us in distribution and exhibition who are out to make the fast buck. They play pictures that shouldn't even be shown at stag affairs, and advertise them in a fashion that appeals to the baser instincts of the individual. Thank God, this doesn't apply to the great majority. They are the bad apples in a large barrel of good apples." As Mr. Rosen contends, the initiative of upholding the status of the theatre in a community rests solely with the individual exhibitor. If he elects to play product of questionable content, and stress these features in his advertising, he must do so with the realization that he runs the risk of bringing down on his house repercussions from the citizen ry at large. Not only would such reaction reflect unfavorably on his own business operation, but on movegoing as an institution. Mr. Rosen's advice truly is worth heeding by exhibitors everywhere. A I u luu hie J* R. Piece An interesting, and potentially useful, editorial which appeared recently in the Sidney (Nebraska) Daily Telegraph has come to our attention via the Independent Theatre Owners of Ohio. It is reprinted here with the thought that it might prove valuable for the theatreman to utilize locally as a public relations piece, and to bring it to the attention of his town's newspaper editor and film reviewer for their possible comment or reprint. "It used to be that movies were reviewed by people who found real fun in their jobs, but this is long gone. The professional movie reviewer today is no longer a movie lover — he has become a self-ordained intellectual — an expert on every facet of the entertainment business. "Inasmuch as Americans are a race of sheep who like to be led, the opinions of so-called experts have a great influence in our thinking. If Time Magazine BULLETIN Film BULLETIN: Motion Picture Trade Paper published every other Monday by Wax Publications, Inc. Mo Wax, Editor and Publisher. PUBLICATION-EDITORIAL OFFICES: 123? Vme Street, Philadelphia 7, Pa., LOcust 8-09"5TJ, 0951. Philip R. Ward, Associate Editor; Leonard Coulter, New York Associate Editor; Berne Schneyer. Publication Manager; Max Garelick, Business Manager; Robert Heath, Circulation Manager. BUSINESS OFFICE: 550 Fifth Avenue, New York 34, N. Y., Circle 5-0124; Ernest Shapiro, N.Y. Editorial Representative. Subscription Rates: ONE YEAR, $3.00 in the U. S.J Canada, $4.00; Europe, $5.00. TWO YEARS, $5.00 in the U. S.J Canada, Europe, $9 00. doesn't like a movie, we take it for granted that the picture is lousy so we don't see it. Meanwhile dozens of wonderfully entertaining features are flicking across the screen and we sit at home and watch 1939 pictures on TV which don't compare with the quality we are offered at the theatre today. "This is a form of brainwashing which we deplore in other countries, but surrender ourselves without protest. It is propaganda generating from one man's mind and one man's opinion. We are led down this path of static thinking because we are mentally lazy and refuse to think for ourselves. "We live in a world of infinite wonder and beauty and fascination. The cultural riches available to most Americans, even to those of small means, exceed the imaginings of past generations. A man could spend all of his waking hours listening to music, reading books that entertain and instruct and stimulate, looking at works of art, and seeing good movies and yet die leaving much to be seen and heard and thought about. "A friend of mine who has been eminently successful in the business world tells me he goes to a movie when the pressures of economics become too great. He finds relaxation and entertainment which he needs to balance the drive he has developed into becoming a millionaire. He doesn't go to the movie to pick it to pieces or find fault with its talent quality. He is a successful man in his own field and he prefers to believe that the people who make movies are successful in their profession because they know what they are doing. "So if you are bored with life and tired of sitting at home and getting your entertainment from that one-eyed monster over in the corner, take my advice. Go see a movie. It will be good for you. It will remind you of the good old days when it was easy to be thrilled and excited." Film BULLETIN April 30, 1942 Page 7