Harrison's Reports (1954)

68 HARRISON’S REPORTS April 24, 1954 We have withheld comment on Fox’s crude methods because its efforts were so clumsy we did not think anyone would be fooled by them. “Now Fox has gone too far. “In a full page ad in Motion Picture Daily for April 14, Fox quotes from an individual Allied member in a manner that plainly implies that the Allied organization in Iowa and Nebraska endorses stereophonic sound. Here is how the ad is headed: “ ‘20th thanks ALLIED* Caravan of Iowa and Nebraska for saying’ “Then follows an excerpt from a statement by Charles Jones, of Elma, Iowa, who issued Caravan bulletins in that area until his theatre burned, several weeks ago. The excerpt states Jones’ impressions after viewing ‘The Robe’ in a small theatre. The quoted portion is favorable to stereophonic sound. “At the end of the ad the following appears: “ ‘From Organization Bulletin article by Charles Jones’ “It is astounding that in the age of the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureaus a corporation of the size and responsibility of 20thCentury-Fox would deliberately try to mislead the trade and the pubUc into believing that Mr. Jones’ personal views represent or are typical of the views of the members of Allied Independent Theatre Owners of Iowa and Nebraska. “For contained in Jones’ bulletin from which Fox culled its quotation was the following passage which was excluded from the ad: “ ‘Opinions are strictly my own and do not purport being “policy” or opinion of anyone else.’ “Likewise excluded from Fox’s ad was the following passage in Jones’ bulletin: “ ‘At present prices it is quite apparent that for the majority of us the time is not NOW. In the meantime, we think it is unfair to withhold product from the tJieatre that cannot possibly afford the CS installations.’ “The person who can speak with authority as to the attitude of the lowa-Nebraska exhibitors towards Fox’s tactics is A1 C. Myrick, President of Allied Theatre Owners of lowa-Nebraska. A1 in a wire to this office points out that Charlie Jones expressly disclaimed speaking for the organization and then goes on to say — “ ‘Our organization is definitely opposed to the Fox tactics and their demands in an attempt to force stereophonic sound and other equipment on the exhibitors against their will in order to get Fox product.’ “Elmer Huhnke, Treasurer of lowa-Nebraska Organization, has this to say: “ ‘Allied of Iowa and Nebraska has never endorsed stereophonic sound for any theatre**. Exhibitors in general as well as Allied membership disgusted with Fox’s stereophonic sound and their tactics of sending out their sales force to cram stereophonic sound down our throats. Equipment men also resent their tactics. It is our firm belief that stereophonic sound is not necessary for the small theatre and it would be a waste of money to install it.’ “While Fox’s former customers are resentful that the company has cut them off from its product because they cannot afford stereophonic sound, experience proves the deprivation is not fatal, notwithstanding the severe picture shortage. Mr. Huhnke continues: “ ‘In addition a majority of us are getting along very nicely without Fox product. In fact, we have forgotten they exist.’ “*The word ‘Allied’ is in bright red letters V/2 inches tall. “**Here Mr. Huhnke quotes the quaUfying passage from Jones’ Bulletin cited above.” A SOUND APPRAISAL OF VISTA VISION’S WORTH TO EXHIBITION That Harrison’s Reports is not alone in its opinion that Paramount’s new Vista Vision process, though a fine technical photographic improvement, is not one that will excite the picture-goers and draw them to the box-office, is indicated by a report made by Leonard Coulter, New York Associate Editor of Film Bulletin, who had this to say in the April 19 issue of that trade journal upon his return from a trip to Hollywood, where he had witnessed a demonstration of Vista Vision at the Paramount studios: “My impressions of it were mixed. I don’t think that I have ever seen a sharper, clearer picture, even when presented on the screen’s full area of roughly 62 ft. by 35 ft. The Tushinsky lens wasn’t brought into use for the demonstration. Two projectors were used, so that the effect of differing dimensions could be achieved by alternating aperture plates. By cropping in this way a 2.55 to 1 (CinemaScope) dimension was presented so that viewers could compare it with an image having the same screen length but much greater height. I thought this comparison slightly misleading, since any ’Scope effect obtained by cropping, rather than by use of an anamorphic lens involves loss of part of the picture and does not provide what, for want of a better description, can be called the panoramic close-up which is the outstanding feature of CinemaScope and provides it with so much of its dramatic value. My over-all impression, then, was that Vista Vision offers exhibitors a bigger big-screen picture, with fine definition, but that it is not as exciting from an audience viewpoint as Cinerama, CinemaScope or the Tushinsky SuperScope. “In fact, with the excellent screens and projectors used today in the average theatre I doubt whether moviegoers watching a Vista Vision picture shown at 1.85 to 1 would notice the difference between it and an ordinary 35 mm print blown-up to those proportions, unless they happened to be sitting in the first few rows of the house where the graininess of the blown-up print would, of course, be obtrusive.” A REMINDER ON TICKETS In his latest organizational bulletin. Bob Wile, executive secretary of the Independent Theatre Owners of Ohio, reminds his members that tickets that have been in use prior to April 1 are obsolete and must be destroyed as soon as new tickets are printed. Do not destroy them, however, until either obtaining permission from the Director of Internal Revenue or having some one from his office witness the destruction. If you do not do this, cautions Wile, you may sometime be liable for the 20% tax shown on all these tickets. They cannot be used after you have received the new tickets now on order, and as long as they remain in your possession you run the risk of their accidental destruction and consequent liability for the tax shown on them.