Harrison's Reports (1939)

Entered as second-class matter January 4, 1921, at the post office at New York, New York, under the act of March 3, 1879. Harrison's Reports Yearly Subscription Rates: 1270 SIXTH AVENUE Published Week4y by United States $15.00 p„ 1 Ol O Harrison's Reports, Inc., U. S. Insular Possessions. 16.50 KOOm lOU Publisher Canada 16-5<> New York, N. Y. p. s. Harrison, Editor Mexico, Cuba, Spain 16/50 „ . Great Britain 15 75 Motion Picture Reviewing Servica Australia, New Zealand, Devoted Chiefly to the Interests of the Exhibitors Established July 1, 1819 India, Europe, Asia .... 17.50 35c a Cony Its Editorial Policy: No Problem Too Big for Its Editorial Circle 7-46E2 Columns, if It is to Benefit the Exhibitor. A REVIEWING SERVICE FREE FROM THE INFLUENCE OF FILM ADVERTISING Vol. XXI SATURDAY, JUNE 17, 1939 No. 24 THE ALLIED CONVENTION IN MINNEAPOLIS The day on which this issue will come off the press and will be mailed (Wednesday), the Allied Convention at the Nicollet Hotel in Minneapolis will be in full swing. As predicted, the attendance is going to be the greatest of any national exhibitor convention in the entire history of the motion picture industry, not even the Cleveland Convention in 1920, at which time M.P.T.O.A. was formed, excepted. All rooms at the Nicollet Hotel were reserved as early as the first part of the week beginning May 28, and subsequent reservations were switched to the Radisson Hotel. Some of the M.P.T.O.A. leaders, after promising to attend, reneged ; they notified Al Steffes that they would not attend. Manifestly they feared to face bona-fide independent exhibitors of the rank and file, and debate the issues in the open, even though they knew that, with Al Steffes as the chairman of the convention committee, they would receive the highest consideration and the best treatment that they have ever received at exhibitor conventions. What took place behind the scenes to make them go back on their word may not be known for some time, but if whoever suggested the withdrawal felt that their absence would make the convention less successful, he will find out how wrong he was in his calculations, for the convention is going to prove highly successful just the same. It will be more in the nature of an industry convention than of an exhibitor convention. And if the M.P.T.O.A. leaders should be absent, the loss will be theirs, not Allied's. Harrison's Reports suggests to the M.P.T.O.A. leaders that, if they consider themselves an integral part of the motion picture industry, they drop everything they may be doing and fly to the convention at Minneapolis. Whatever important decisions are made at the convention will be discussed fully in next week's issue of this paper. DUAL BILLS NOT A MATTER OF BELIEF At the first session of the Columbia sales convention, which was held at Atlantic City early in May, Mr. Abe Montague, general sales manager, upheld the dual bills, stating that, in this question, the exhibitors are guided, not by personal likes or dislikes, but by the preferences of their patrons. Mr. Montague is right. I doubt whether there could be found in this country a single exhibitor who would resort to dual bills if he could make a profit with single-feature bills. The double-feature program is a matter of necessity with these who have resorted to them. When they see their receipts vanish because the major circuits do not let them have the films until after the public had forgotten about them; or, when a circuit gives such stage presentations as to make it impossible for an independent exhibitor to compete with them, then there is only one way out for him — a doublefeature hill. If his first double-feature program draws patrons into his theatre and subsequent similar bills repeat the --re ess. nothing can stop that exhibitor from going into double features permanently. The double feature bill serves one other worthy purpose — to keep the independent producers in business. Columbia, Universal, Republic, and Monogram, and even RKO, could not have survived without the dual bill policy of thousands of theatres, for thus a shortage of film is created, causing a demand also for their "R" films. There is only one way to cure the double-feature evil : the major companies should desist from making "13" films, confining their efforts to producing only grade "A" pictures, to be sold on merit. THE PRODUCER HIGH-PRESSURE PROPAGANDA Evidently the major companies are frightened to death because of the Government suit, and have engaged one of the most astute publicity men in the United States to gain the public's good will for them. His name is Steve Hannagan, publicity man for "big shots" in other industries. The first release that has come to my attention from this publicity man was two weeks ago ; it dealt with the efforts of the majors to compel the Government to give more detailed particulars in the Federal anti-trust suit pending in New York. Mr. Hannagan says : "The defendants' counsel asked : "First, an order from the court directing the government to comply with the court's decision of March 7 by furnishing 'a further and more definite and adequate statement and bill of particulars.' Defendants claimed the government had not answered adequately many of the questions the court had ordered to be answered. "Second: for an order, in the alternative, 'striking the petition for failure to comply with said decision.' "Third : for an order for additional particulars which already had been granted to Columbia and United Artists. "Fourth : for an order extending the time of the defendants to answer until 60 days after service of a further bill of particulars. Defense counsel argued this was necessary because of the extremely long period (from 1918 to the present) covered in the government's original bill of particulars." This is only the beginning. It will be interesting to watch Steve, and see some of his clever methods of swaying public opinion. From time to time, in these columns, I shall keep you advised of his activities. PARENTS TEACHERS ASSOCIATION FOLLOWS THROUGH ON NEELY BILL Mrs. Mary T. Bannerman, National Chairman of the Committe on Legislation of Parents Teachers Association, is not resting on the laurels of our common success in having the Neely Bill reported favorably by the Senate Committee on Interstate Commerce by an overwhelming majority ; she is keeping busy in her efforts to have the Bill passed by the Senate. By a postal card dated June 1, ^he urges friends of the Bill to write to their U. S. Senators requesting them to give the Bill their greatest support. If the Bill should ever become a law, the independent exhibitors of this country will owe Mrs. Bannerman a great debt. UNITED ARTISTS FORECASTS Walter Wanger Productions (Continued from last zceek's issue) "THE HOUSE ACROSS THE BAY," a story by Myles Connolly, with Joan Bennett, to bo directed by Archie Mayo. It is the story of a beautiful young girl who is wooed by a mysterious man, falls in love with him and marries him. All goes well — Florida, New York, Chicago — with wining and dining, until she finds out that, not only was there against him a Federal charge for tax evasion, but also his life was in danger, because of his past shady connections with corrupt politicians. Feeling that if he were to (Continued on last pa</e)