Harrison's Reports (1941)

Entered as second-class matter January 4, 1921, at the post office at New York, New York, under the act of March 8, 187ft Harrison's Reports Yearly Subscription Rates: 1270 SIXTH AVENUE Published Weekly by United States $15.00 R^m 1 ft1 2 Harrison's Reports, Inc., U. S. Insular Possessions. 16.50 ROOm IO" Publisher Canada 16.50 New York, N. Y. P. S. HARRISON, Editor Mexico, Cuba, Spain 16.50 . -r . , _ . rrpnt Rritifn 1^7^ A Motion Picture Reviewing Service Australia New "Zealand,' Devoted Chiefly to the Interests of the Exhibitors Established July 1, 1919 India, Europe, Asia .... 17.50 Ug Editoria, Policy. No probiem Too Big for Its Editorial Circle 7-4622 «ft>c a copy Columns, if It is to Benefit the Exhibitor. A REVIEWING SERVICE FREE FROM THE INFLUENCE OF FILM ADVERTISING Vol. XXIII SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 1941 No. 11 HERE AND THERE MORE THAN FIVE THOUSAND THEATRES have informed Mr. Adolph Zukor, chairman of the Amusement Division of Greek War Relief Association, that they will give benefit performances for the relief of the suffering civilians in Greece. Of these theatres, five hundred will give midnight performances, about fifty of them in the Metropolitan area of New York City. In his statement, Mr. Zukor speaks with enthusiasm about the progress made for the Greek Festival of Freedom, which will be held at the Radio City Music Hall, midnight of March 28, under the direction of Messrs. Wm. Van Schmus, resident manager of the Music Hall, and Joe Vogel, of Loew's, Inc. Many stars of stage and screen will take part in that festival. Serving with Countess Mercati on an advisory committee for the event are Grand Duchess Marie of Russia, Princess Xenia of Greece, Princess Paul Chavchavadze, Cimon Diamantopoulos (Greek Minister to the United States), Nicholas G. Lely (Greek Consul-General in New York), Mrs. Huntington Astor, Mrs. Leonidas J. Calvocoresi, Francis W. Crowninshield, Andrew Empiricos, Conde Nast, Andre Vagliano, George Skouras, and Spyros Skouras (president of Greek War Relief Association). Assisting Mr. Zukor are John H. Harris, of Pittsburgh, as chairman of the Exhibitors' Committee, and Gradwell L. Sears, as chairman of the Distributors' Committee. Mr. Harris is assisted by Messrs. J. R. Vogel, M. J. Mullin, Harry M. Kalmine, Jules J. Rubens, Elmer C. Rhoden, and John J. Friedl. Assisting Mr. Sears are Messrs. M. A. Lightman, William K. Jenkins, R. J. O'Donnell, E. V. Richards, Frank H. Ricketson, and Arch M. Bowles. In Chicago, Messrs. Rubens and John Balaban are giving a gala midnight show. In Minneapolis, John Friedl has arranged for a special show to feature the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, undoubtedly under Dimitri Mitropoulos, the famous conductor of that orchestra. The Fox Theatre, in Detroit, will give a midnight show. In Buffalo, Vincent McFaul will hold a gala show in Shea's Great Lakes Theatre. In Boston, M. J. Mullin has arranged for a midnight show at the Metropolitan .and for fifty-five special midnight shows throughout New England. In Oklahoma, the Griffith Amusement Company will give fifty special shows. In the Pittsburgh area, Harry Kalmine has arranged for forty-eight shows. Each night of the theatre Drive, which begins March 25 and ends March 30, will wind up with lobby collections. Approximately 5,000,000 emblematic buttons have been distributed to the theatres. Gradwell Sears is working among the exchanges with enthusiasm to make his department equally successful. The general sales managers of all major companies have assured him full cooperation. Each general sales manager has instructed his branch offices to carry out Mr. Sear's program in every detail. MGM has made for the Drive a 200-foot trailer starring Melvyn Douglas. In calm but forceful appeal, Mr. Douglas outlines the role of the Greek soldiers in the present conflict, and tells of the suffering of the civilians. This trailer is furnished to every exhibitor to boost the Drive. If you have not yet been approached and wish to take part in this Drive, write to Mr. Adolph Zukor, Paramount Bldg., New York City, and ask for instructions. * * * THE PREVIEW RACKET IN HOLLYWOOD is getting into a mess again, according to The Box Office Digest. The object of a preview is to test the public's reaction to a new picture, fresh from the cutting room. For this reason no advance advertising for the picture should be done; it should just be put on the screen on the last day of a program, after nine o'clock in the evening. In the old days, previews were so held. But some smart showmen, particularly of the affiliated kind, began to ballyhoo them in front of the theatre ; later they took ads in the newspapers, and scores of autograph hunters were attracted to the theatre. Thus the very object for which previews were held was defeated. As a result of complaints, the studios recently decided to discontinue announcing the previews. But now they are resorting to another evil procedure — inviting the critics to such previews and wining them and dining them before the picture is shown. Says The Box Office Digest partly : " . . . One preview last week found a group of critics rousted from their seats, chosen as the result of experience in reviewing, to make room for a couple of Governors and a score or more of the director's guests. . . . Another found a house manager forced to explain to his audience that the preview would be delayed because the last bus had not arrived from the studio. . . . And this after the main title of the picture had appeared on the screen, then suddenly been choked by the projectionist. . . . What is the analysis of such happenings? . . . Why can't the companies get down to the straightforward WORKING PRESS preview system of Harry Brand at Twentieth, which satisfies all. ... Or is it because some of the top executives are afraid of the picture's reviews unless they are dressed up in free lunch? . . . They'd better think it over. . . . Because some of the reviews on which they place the most importance are written by the boys who have to meet deadlines. . . . And even ham and cheese on rye won't compensate for a missed deadline." Perhaps the cure for this evil lies in the new sales system, forced on the five major companies by the Consent Decree. * * * WHAT VOCIFEROUS OPPOSITION to double features and to "give-aways" has not been able to do all these years, the Clearance provision of the Consent Decree may do. Those who show single features have Clearance preference against those who show, either double features, with or without give-aways, or single features, with giveaways. Another cause that may contribute to the eventual elimination of the double-feature is the compulsory trade-showing. When the exhibitor sees what he buys, he would naturally want to buy the best pictures offered, and to side-track the program pictures that are mediocre. If he should decide upon a definite policy of showing only the best pictures, as against the present policy of showing everything produced, "sight unseen," he will be unable to fill all his dates with choice pictures, with the result that he will himself abandon the showing of double-features. Improved exploitation methods and better Readers for the newspapers should enable him to convert his policy more easily, to his eventual profit. * * * THE OWNER OF A DRIVE-IN theatre in New Orleans has brought an action before the local arbitration board against Paramount under Section IV of the Consent Decree for refusing to sell him film of some run. In some territories Drive-In theatres have caused great losses to regular theatres and this case will, no doubt, serve to establish whether Drive-In theatres are regular theatres and for this reason covered by the aforementioned provision in the Consent Decree. The verdict in this case ni3y depend largely on whether Paramount has been serving Drive-In theatres in other territories or not : if it has been the established policy of this company not to serve film to this type of theatres then the (Continued on last page)