Harrison's Reports (1930)

88 HARRISON’S REPORTS May 31, 1930 The Bulletin follows this article with an advice to theatre owners, ( i ) to buy carefully, (2) to keep on playing the pictures from the old contracts, (3) to avoid over-buying, and (4) to keep their expenses down. Harrison’s Reports hopes that the exhibitors of all states heed the advice of the Indiana exhibitor leaders, for conditions in other states are no different from those in Indiana. In another article, the Bulletin states : “We again remind you that our estimate in our February 1929 Bulletin that all sound will eventually be on him is being confirmed by events in this industry. Only two companies today stick to the disc — Warners and First National. All of the others have sound on film. Sound on film is more desirable than on disc for these reasons : in most spots, one operator can handle sound on film where two are usually used with discs ; with film, there is no chance that you will get the wrong sound records, as often happens with disc ; there is no chance for getting out of synchronization as happens with disc ; you avoid those long ‘black spaces’ found in disc film ; if you have a film break with sound on film, your operator threads up again and goes on, whereas with disc it takes longer and you have to start the reel over again at the beginning to be in synchronization ; and there is the important element that express charges are the same as always with sound on film, whereas with the sound on disc you have to pay double express— on the filrii can and on the record. Some of the best experts in the business say that in two years at the most there will be only sound on film. .We urge those who have not wired to think seriously of sound on film machines and to forget the disc equipment at this time.’’ Harrison’s Reports is gratified to know that the intensive educational work it has carried on for more than two years for the discarding of the disc sound is bearing fruit. It was a hard fight, indeed, but the victory is pleasanter for that. WHY THE WORRY? The following is part of an editorial appearing in the May 24 issue of Exhibitors Herald-WMrld : “The months just ahead constitute a critical period for the industry. It is during the coming season that the producer and the distributor must place his product for the year and the exhibitor must obtain his product necessary to fulfill his requirements. “The producer cannot guarantee what unmade and unseen product will amount to and the exhibitor, unfortunately, has no pre-vision which will enable him to tell what the forthcoming pictures are going to look like to his public on the screen. Mr. Quigley’s tears for the independent exhibitor seem to be a little belated if we are to take Kent’s recent statement at its face value ; he said that the revenue derived by the producers from the independent exhibitors is only fifteen per cent, of the total film revenue. He no doubt meant that the independent exhibitor is no longer a factor in the industry. Mr. Kent is, of course, wrong, for the revenue from the independent exhibitors is nearer fifty per cent, than fifteen per cent. Whatever the percentage, however, the revenue from such a source is just as important as the revenue from other sources ; it is the “cream.” But we cannot forget the fact that Mr. Quigley did all he could to make the independent exhibitors a negligible factor. Not very long ago he told them that they might just as well fold up their tents and go, for the producerdistributors were going to control exhibition. Other trade paper editors assumed a similar attitude. If one is to judge by the number of advertising pages in the trade journals, it will not be the indejiendent exhibitors who will have to fold up tent. The trade papers have served the producerdistributors well, and some of the prfxlucer-distributors are paying them back with the only coin they posse ss — ingratitude. SUBSTITUTIONS Universal In the analysis of the substitutions of all the producer-distributors, which was printed in the issue of April 26, the name of Universal was omitted by an oversight. Universal has had no substitutions so far. Columbia “Around the Corner” ; According to the Columbia WMrk Sheet, this picture was to be “with one of the most sensational fire sequences ever shown in a picture.” There are no fire sequences, however, shown. It is not, therefore, the picture they bought. But because Columbia is furnishing the picture with stars it did not promise, the exhibitor is getting greater values than those he bargained “Born Reckless” : — This picture was reviewed in last w'eek’s issue, on page 83. The contract title is supposed to be “It flight Have Happened,” No. 139. But “It Might Have Happened” was to feature Paul Muni, to l>e directed by Irving Cummings, whereas “Born Reckless” has Edmund Lowe as a star, and was directed by John Eord. As far as the star and director values are concerned, the exhibitor is receiving more than he bargained for ; nevertheless it is a star and director substitution and Harrison’s Reports feels duty-bound to its subscribers to present the facts. M-G-M “Montana Moon” : — This picture was reviewed in the issue of April 19, on page 62. I have just discovered that it is the same picture as “Montana.” even though No. 7 was substituted for No. 28 as the identification number. Production of “Montana,” with Joan Crawford. Mai St. Clair directing, was started November 23 and was finished February I, 1930. Radio Pictures “Runaway Bride” : — This picture was reviewed in the issue of April 26, on page 67. Its identification number is 504. There is no description in the W'ork Sheet as to what kind of picture it was to be. but the Annual Announcement, which appeared in the trade papers last July, said in the page that announces it : “From the twisted b)'ways of Shanghai to Barbary’s shadowed haunts ! . . . goodhumored drama of men who follow the sea . . . and women who follow men!” Since the finished product does not deal with either Shanghai, or Barbary Coast, or even the sea, but is a crook melodrama unfolding solely in America, it is a story substitution.