Harrison's Reports (1951)

Entered as second-class matter January 4, 1921, at the post office at New York, New York, under the act of March 3, 1879, Yearly Subscription Rates: 1270 SIXTH AVENUE United States $15.00 U. S. Insular Possessions. 16.50 Canada 16.50 Mexico, Cuba, Spain 16.50 Great Britain 17.50 Australia, New Zealand, India, Europe, Asia .... 17.50 35c a Copy New York 20, N. Y. A Motion Picture Reviewing Service Devoted Chiefly to the Interests of the Exhibitors Its Editorial Policy: No Problem Too Big for Its Editorial Columns, if It is to Benefit the Exhibitor. Published Weekly by Harrison’s Reports, Inc., Publisher P. S. HARRISON, Editor Established July 1, 1919 Circle 7-4622 A REVIEWING SERVICE FREE FROM THE INFLUENCE OF FILM ADVERTISING Vol. XXXIII SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1951 No. 37 A TIME FOR JUDICIOUS THINKING The one sour note in the otherwise excellent “Movietime, U.S.A.” campaign book, the details of which appear elsewhere in these columns, is the list of pictures that the exhibitors are being asked to hail as the greatest lineup of screen entertainment ever” and as “the greatest films of all times.” There is no question that the exhibitors have a right to be justifiably proud of many of the pictures listed, but the fact remains that the list includes also a number of run-of-the-mill and mediocre pictures, some of which have been rapped in no uncertain terms by movie critics throughout the country, and a number of which have already been shown in different areas as the lower half of double bills — a fate they deserved. Obviously, the trouble behind the selection of this list of pictures is that the producer-distributors, by virtue of the financial aid they are giving to this movie-going drive, have insisted upon working into the campaign plugs for their individual pictures, good and bad alike. That the pictures listed in the press books were chosen, not on the basis of merit, but on the basis of giving each of the ten participating producing-distributing companies an equal break is evidenced by that fact that, of the forty-nine pictures listed as those that will be playing generally in subset quent-run houses during the first three months of the drive, five each come from RKO, MGM, Republic, ^Varners, Universal, Monogram and 20th-Fox; four each from Paramount and United Artists; and six from Columbia. Of 27 pictures listed as forthcoming top pictures of exceptional entertainment qualities, exactly three from each company are included. As pointed out editorially by this paper in the September 1 issue, great damage can be done to the "Movietime” campaign if any attempt is made to publicize as “great” and “outstanding” pictures that are admittedly weak in entertainment values. Fortunately, the exhibitors can avoid this pitfall by excluding from the campaign ideas and advertisements any mention of weak pictures. There is cause for concern, however, regarding the hal?page and full-page advertisements that will be used by the producer-distributors in the national ad campaign, slated to begin on October 1. As announced, these advertisements, which will appear in 1,775 daily newspapers in 1,410 cities, will be institutional as well as selling in that they will list “many great new films” that will be playing during the drive. Harrison’s Reports' concern stems from the fact that it has learned on good authority that, at a meeting this week of the advertising and publicity heads of the different producing-distributing companies, it was decided that each company should submit two pictures of its own choosing to be listed in these advertisements. It is indeed unfortunate that such a procedure has been adopted to select a list of pictures that will be exploited as among the exceptional pictures in store for the public, for, if we are to judge from past performances, there is grave danger that one or more of the companies may use the glowing advertisements to play up its duds. If this is done, the damage to the “Movietime” campaign will be irrepar* able, for those who will see the duds after being drawn to the theatres by the advertisements will be so incensed that, the next time they go in search of entertainment, they will pass up the theatres rather than risk the chance of being fooled again. It is to be hoped that none of the companies, in selecting the pictures to be listed, will win for itself the dubious distinction of having placed its own selfish interests above those of the industry as a whole. A PUBLIC RELATIONS PLAN WORTH EMULATING Last March, Mr. A. A. Holler, assistant manager of the Fenray Photoplay Company, operators of the Fenray and Elzane Theatres in Martins Ferry, Ohio, visited the writer and related to him the contemplated adoption of a plan he had fathered whereby the Martins Ferry Rotary Club, in cooperation with the aforementioned theatres, would encourage children between the ages of five and twelve to attend Sunday School regularly. At that time Mr. Holler requested that publicity on the plan be withheld until its operation had been tested. Mr. Holler, in a communication to this paper, now reports that the plan, which the Rotary Club likes to refer to as the “Moral Citizens Development Operation,” has proved highly successful. Because an undertaking of this kind offers exhibitors a means of creating good public relations theatrewise, Harrison's Reports is pleased to bring to the attention cA its subscribers Mr. Holler’s able report on the plan and its operation. Here is what he had to say: “To promote the plan, it was necessary to interview the ministers or the superintendents of Sunday Schools of each of the nine established churches in our city and to explain to them how the plan would operate, and wholehearted acceptance was received from seven of these institutions so the plan was placed in effect in the majority of the seven churches commencing with the month of April. “The plan operates in this manner: If a child within the above mentioned age bracket will have had perfect attendance at Sunday School or other designated religious services for the 4 or 5 Sundays, whichever occur in the particular month, the Rotary Club presents to the superintendent of the Sunday School or his representative 'Perfect Attendance Awards' in the form of tickets to the theatres, for distribution at the earliest possible time, to those children who had earned them during the previous month. These tickets are acceptable for admission at either the Fenray or the Elzane theatres at any of the Saturday matinees in the month following the month in which they were earned. “At the inception of the plan, of the total existing enrollment the records revealed that 60% attended Sunday School at irregular times and that an average of a little better than 30% attained perfect attendance. With the operation of the plan at the conclusion of the first month, those attaining perfect attendance increased by 5%; at the conclusion of the second month this increase had jumped to 20% and has since remained constant at that figure because of the summer season and school vacation interposing themselves in the routine of children’s lives and accepted customs of various denominations. We expect to again reassemble records of the Fall' season beginning with September, and we do not doubt that not only will the enrollment of various (Continued on bac\ page)