Harrison's Reports (1954)

56 HARRISON’S REPORTS April 3, 1954 SOME SIGNIFICANT CINEMASCOPE DEVELOPMENTS (Continued from front page) Of the different systems that have so far been developed, Skouras left no doubt that he considers CinemaScope the best of the lot, but he declared emphatically that, if anything better than CinemaScope comes along, his company will support it 100 per cent. “Our company," said Skouras, “is dedicated to the sur-. vival and continuing health of theatres everywhere. Cinemascope has made this not just a hope but a reality. Every theatre in the United States which has played a CinemaScope picture has made a profit. “We have said this before and we now re-state that 20th Century-Fox guarantees a profit to every exhibitor on every CinemaScope picture. “This kind of blanket assurance is without parallel in the motion picture industry. It is living proof that we have the same unswerving faith and confidence in CinemaScope today as we had the day we first saw it.” A strong and spirited defense of 20th-Fox's CinemaScope pohcy was offered by A1 Lichtman, the company’s director of distribution, who stressed that the company has refused to bow to the demands of exhibitors to show CinemaScope pictures in any way they see fit because to do so would "bastardize” a medium that has been designed to enable theatres to provide better entertainment and to combat other forms of entertainment, particularly TV. He pointed out that complaining exhibitors who have installed full CinemaScope equipment are now its foremost champions as a result of their successful experiences, and that 2,793 theatres in the United States and Canada had CinemaScope installations as of March 20. He cited also the fact that the cost of the equipment has come down considerably, and that a small theatre now can install full CinemaScope equipment for as little as five to six thousand dollars. Earl I. Sponable, the company’s research director, stated that, in his opinion, a variable prismatic anamorphic lens does not give as good a result as a fixed anamorphic lens, such as the CinemaScope lens. But he pointed out that, since other distributors probably will offer anamorphic pictures in varied aspect ratios, 20th-Fox will encourage manufacturers to develop a device that can be attached to a CinemaScope projection lens and thus permit the exhibitors to utilize it for anamorphic pictures in lower ratios. Mr. Sponable told this writer that the cost of such an adaptor should be nominal. Lack of space prohibits a more extensive report on the significant facts and figures presented by Skouras and his top aides in defending their CinemaScope policies and in holding that it is the only medium thus far developed that will “serve to bring a lasting and golden era to our business.” There is no question, however, that the recent introduction of competitive anamorphic systems offers a challenge to Cinemascope’s leadership and that 20th-Fox has accepted that challenge in a determined effort to maintain its leadership. All this, of course, will serve to heighten competition, which in turn cannot help but benefit exlfibition. MORE ON MISGUIDING THE EXHIBITORS (Continued from front page) simply, is that Paramount has seen fit to develop a furtherance of the wide-screen process, utilizing its own technicians and engineers coupled with efforts of outside technicians and inventors, to perfect something which is good for the industry, and that it has further seen fit to make it available to the entire industry at no profit whatever. “There will likely be numerous other wide-screen developments equally as good as Vistavision. I sincerely hope so, because every development and improvement means better projection, better quality, and more widespread appreciation of motion pictures as an entertainment medium. And we can only hope that, as these developments eventuate, they too will be made available to us on terms which preclude selfish profit to major companies, and therefore, at prices all in the industry can afford. “Paramount has made Vistavision available to the industry without our having to pay royalties, and with no obliga tion whatever. In other words, we can use it or not, as we see fit. It is not necessary to purchase special lenses, or any particular lens, and we can use one-track sound, threetrack sound, or twenty-track sound, as we see fit, based upon our own intelligent and efficient operation of our own theatres. “There is no dictation here that we must have this, we must employ this, we must follow certain dictates. It is ours to accept or reject, to use in part or en toto, according to our own desires. It is a ’gift’ — if we may call it such, which affords us the privilege of using our own discretion. “The technical aspects of the two processes in question, at the moment, is something we’d prefer to leave to the experts such as those now working in the industry to develop perfection, and to advisory technical experts such as your background indicates you might well do. “Our appreciation to Paramount for Vistavision is a strictly moral issue, and in no way is intended to depredate CinemaScope’s pioneer development, or its qualities, good or bad. “Our argument with CinemaScope concerns itself with the fashion in which it is being marketed. Skouras, as we all know, is a man of wide experience, and he and his company have courageously developed a great boon to us all. But he is far from infallible, and he may be wrong in his insistence that his form of stereophonic sound is a ‘must’ to accompany CinemaScope. His insistence constitutes a real hardship upon many small exhibitors, and upon the drive-in theatres of the nation, which is prohibitive to many of them because of the tremendous costs involved. “Granted Skouras may be a fine and capable executive and a man who is a friend of the industry, but in our opinion he is wrong in making outright demands upon the exhibitors who plays his pictures: demands which too many of them cannot possibly meet, credit or no credit. “One thing must be remembered in the final analysis, Pete: — any improvement in our industry is aimed at but one objective, and that is to please and satisfy the pubUc of the nation. It is only the public itself which can tell us what it wants, and what it does not want. The creation of standards for any new invention which can help our business must be left to the public. “It may be that the public will insist on four-track stereophonic sound. Then again perhaps it will be completely satisfied with wide-screen projection and single track sound. How can Skouras — or we — tell, until we have asked them to view the various methods and tell us its preference? “If, as you indicate in your letter, Pete, you wish to publish this letter, you have my permission to do so, but I should appreciate your publishing it in full rather than partially. “We earnestly suggest that now may be the time to give some of your very fine advice and counsel to Spyros Skouras. We believe it more essential now than at any other time that he withdraw from his position concerning the equipment he demands in presenting CinemaScope, and give all exhibitors an opportunity to exercise their own initiative and discretion in the operation of their own theatres. “Best personal regards to you, and continued success in your efforts to remain impartial in the conduct of your business and our industry. “Cordially yours, “SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA THEATRE OWNERS ASSOCIATION (signed) “Harry Arthur — Chairman” Under date of March 30, I sent Mr. Arthur the following reply: “Dear Harry: “I have received your letter of March 16, in reply to my letter of March 7, and after reading its contents carefully I find that you have not yet enlightened me as to just what Barney Balaban has offered to the industry. Instead of making clear to me just what there is about VistaVision that warranted a resolution from your board of directors hailing the process as giving ‘new life’ to the exhibitors and commending Balaban for making it available to the industry at ‘no profit whatsoever to Paramount,’ you treat on matters that were neither contained nor hinted at in my letter. (Continued on inside page)