Harrison's Reports (1931)

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: United States $15.90 U. S. Insular Possessions. . 16.00 panada, Alaska 16.00 iexico, Spain, Cuba 16.00 Great Britain, New Zealand 16.00 Other Foreign Countries.. 17.50 35c a Copy s Reports 1440 BROADWAY New York, N. Y. Published Weekly by P. S. HARRISON Editor and Publisher A Motion Picture Reviewing Service by a Former Exhibitor Devoted Exclusively to the Interests of Exhibitors Its Editorial Policy: No Problem Too Big for Its Editorial Columns, if It is to Benefit the Exhibitor. Established July 1, 1919 Tel. : Pennsylvania 7649 Cable Address : Harreports (Bentley Code) A REVIEWING SERVICE FREE FROM THE INFLUENCE OF FILM ADVERTISING Vol. XIII SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 1931 No. 2 FORECASTS FOR 1931 Optimism is a fine quality, excellent in its way. But it should never blind the business man as to the real problems, which he has to face in a period of long drawn out depression like the present. He must not hope for miracles, but must depend upon his own initiative and his own resources to carry him successfully over the emergency. Fine words and the plausible promises or prophecies of others must not delude him into the belief that everything will soon be all right and he can buy goods in the same amount and at the same fancy prices which were obtained when all business was booming. That is why the highly colored, optimistic reports which have already begun to appear in portions of the producer-supported trade press about a sudden improvement in theatre conditions, should be largely discounted by the exhibitor. If not actually inspired, they are certainly ill-judged and ill-timed, for they are misleading, if nothing worse. While it may be possible, here and there, to pickout a theatre or even an entire section where the box office may have shown an increase of some sort since the turn of the year, Harrison’s Reports will not attempt to conceal from its readers that, in general, conditions are worse in the theatre business than they have been in a decade. In fact it is doubtful if any period during the pronounced industrial depression of 1921 could match the seriousness of the present financial and business crisis in its effect on all classes of citizens, high and low alike. The damage already suffered by all lines of business is well nigh incalculable. Improvement in present conditions will come only over a long period of time. The complex causes which have brought them about will not find a remedy overnight, in spite of high-sounding phrases from inspired sources which may predict an early return to normal. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance for the individual exhibitor to make his plans right now for the coming months. He must make only those bookings which are absolutely essential and insist upon every concession possible from the distributor. If he is to survive he will be compelled to practice economies never before considered. For many an exhibitor it is advisable to plan now to close his house for the summer months. It will be a good opportunity to clean and decorate and, perhaps, install some needed improvements or apparatus. It will at least make it unnecessary for him to operate at a loss during the heated months, which are always the doldrums of the theatre trade at the box office, and permit him to get his house in readiness for the fall by which time there should be some measure of improvement in general conditions. In the matter of production there are few indications that 1931is going to see any great number of pictures of outstanding box office value. The margin of quality between those offered in 1929 and the output of 1930 showed a distinctly retrograde movement. Surveys of the trade indicate that the 1930 income as a whole dropped below the 1929 level and there is no reason to believe that the present year is going to show any marked improvement. Indeed, every known fact — the acuteness of the widespread economic deflation, the obvious lack of creative ability of the producing organizations, who by superhuman efforts might otherwise partly save the situation by raising the level of attraction quality of their product, would augur the contrary. In presenting these views Harrison’s Reports has no desire to seem unduly pessimistic. In times past the picture business often flourished when almost all other lines of business were suffering. That, however, was in an era when theatre admissions were not what they are today and when the theatre man’s overhead did not constitute such a heavy burden and problem as now. Besides which it is no exaggeration to say that the present economic stress can find no parallel within the memory of the present generation in its direct effect on every part of our national economic life and in its seriousness as well as its extent. Facts are facts and must be faced by all. And Harrison’s Reports would not be doing its duty to its readers if it sought to sidestep or misrepresent them. Nineteen thirty-one is going to be a perilous year for all in the motion picture industry. The wise exhibitor will make his plans now — and prepare to effect his economies — to carry on. If he waits too long, or listens to the siren-voices of the paid professional propagandists of pseudo-prosperity, it may be his swan song. THE CAUSE OF THE DELAY Your copy of this issue has reached you two days late. The grippe, which kept me in bed for several days, was the cause. ORDER YOUR MISSING COPIES During the Holidays, when the mail is so heavy, a copy or two of yours may have gone astray. Look up your files and let me know what copies you are missing so that I may duplicate them.