Harrison's Reports (1938)

Entered as second-class matter January 4, 1921, at the post office at New York, New York, under the act of Mareh 3, lK7a. Harrison's Reports Yearly Subscription Rates: 1270 SIXTH AVENUE Published Weekly by United States $16.00 Rn._ i R1 o Harrison's Reports, Inc.. U. S. Insular Possessions. 16.60 Room lou Publisher Canada 16.50 New York, N. Y. P. S. HARRISON, Editor Mexico, Cuba, Spain 16.50 ^ ^> • a Great Britain 15.75 Motlon Picture Re^ewmg Sernce ....... , 1(n9 Australia, New Zealand, Devoted Chiefly to the Interests of the Exhibitors Bstabhehed July 1, 1»19 India, Europe, Asia .... 17.50 ■>^n u n„™ Tts Editorial Policy: No Problem Too Big for Its Editorial CIreie 7-4622 ooc a <^upy Columns, if It is to Benefit the Exhibitor. A REVIEWING SERVICE FREE FROM THE INFLUENCE OF FILM ADVERTISING Vol. XX SATURDAY, JANUARY 8, 1938 No. 2 THE INDEPENDENT EXHIBITORS' RARE OPPORTUNITY A feeling of resentment is prevailing in Washington against some of the big business people and against the monopolies. Assistant Attorney-General Jackson recently made a speech over the radio condemning monopolies and laying the blame for the present business recession to their keeping the prices up. Last week, Secretary Ickes made a similar radio speech accusing the "Sixty Families" that rule the American financial world of going "on strike" against the administration. Other prominent members of the Administration, including the President himself, are about to talk to the American people over the radio on the same subject. The inability of the independent theatre owners to obtain national legislative relief has so far been owed to either hostile or indifferent administrations. During the Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover regimes no independent exhibitor could hope to obtain such relief, for obvious reasons ; but during the Roosevelt Administration, every independent theatre owner hoped that he would at last obtain relief. He has, however, been disappointed ; for nothing was done for him, either because the administration did not believe that the situation is as serious as the independent theatre owner has presented it, or because the producers employed political influence to prevent the taking of action. But now that the administration itself is feeling the pressure of big business, just as you have felt it for several years, you should not experience any difficulty in getting its attention and enlisting its aid. The questions to which you should call the Government's attention, and the correction of which would go a long way toward equalizing conditions in the exhibition field and toward improving the quality of pictures, are two : Block-booking, with its companion, blind-selling, and ownership of theatres by producers and distributors. As to the former, enough work has already been done in Washington to have made its effect upon independent exhibition clear; it is on the latter that considerable work will have to be done. Of the two abuses, ownership of theatres by producers and distributors is the worse, and its correction should bring to the independents, distributors as well as exhibitors, greater benefits. It is an abuse in line with the abuses against which the administration is fighting. For this reason you should exert your greatest efforts on it. And you should have no trouble obtaining the sympathy of the administration if your national leaders should have a theatre divorcement bill introduced in Congress. Because of the present state of mind of the administration, Harrison's Reports suggests that the next annual convention of Allied States Association be held in Washington, on a date that would prove most profitable to the cause. The advantage of holding the national convention in Washington this year cannot be lost to every exhibitor leader, for with Congress in session the exhibitors will be able to call their grievances to the attention of the administration and of all the congressmen more forcefully. And they will be able to get much newspaper publicity. If you agree with these views, write to Mr. Abram F. Myers, chairman of the board of directors and chief counsel of Allied, addressed to him at the Securities Bldg., Washington, D. C, as well as to Mr. Nathan Yamins, president of the organization, in care of Empress Theatre, Fall River, Mass., and make your sentiments known to them. You should take the matter up also with the officers of your local organization. Let the slogan be : "On to Washington !" A RESOLUTION FOR DISTRIBUTORS Mr. Nate Blumberg, the new president of Universal, in announcing the policies of his company, made some observations that deserve to be considered by all the other major companies ; it should profit them greatly if they should adopt the same policies. Mr. Blumberg stated : "The new management's policies will be based solely on what is best for the company's exhibitor customers and for its investors. This industry exists on the money taken in at the box-office and, in our opinion, the exhibitor is the most important factor in the business. The money he takes in provides what is essentially a revolving fund which keeps the industry operating. "Universal will be an exhibitor-minded company. We will not tolerate within the organization anyone who does not have the exhibitor's viewpoint. "Universal has the good will of exhibitors everywhere. This was demonstrated in a most gratifying manner only recently when we asked (Continued on last f>apc)