Harrison's Reports (1945)

148 HARRISON'S REPORTS September 15, 1945 THE NATIONAL POLICY MYTH One of the chief arguments most film salesmen use, when demanding unreasonable rental terms for pic tures, is that the terms conform with their companies' national sales policies. Those of you who may have wondered whether there is any such thing as a na' tional sales policy will be interested in what Pete Wood, secretary of the Independent Theatre Owners of Ohio, has to say on the subject in an organization bulletin dated September 5. Says Wood: "At the Board Meeting of National Allied held in Pittsburgh during the week of August 20th, we had the privilege of examining the reports received by the National Caravan Committee from all sections of the country, and it is quite evident that film is being sold mostly under the rigid policy of "GETALL-THE-TARRIFWILL-BEAR." With the exception of perhaps one company, none of the film distributors has anything that resembles a national sales policy . . ." Stating that the figures he saw in Pittsburgh "could fill a fair sized book," Pete Wood then gives his members some of the highlights in the hope that the figures will be of some value to them in their dealings with the different distributors. In the belief that the information will be of value to its subscribers, either in connection with the deals they have already made, or for use as a reference in pending negotiations for deals, Harrison Reports is reproducing the following deals cited by Pete Wood: Metro-Gold wyn-Mayer "Without Love" — Second bracket "Gentle Annie" — Fourth bracket "The Clock" — Second bracket "Picture of Dorian Gray" — Third bracket "Son of Lassie" — Second bracket "Valley of Decision"— First bracket "Thrill of a Romance" — First bracket "Twice Blessed"— Fourth bracket "Bewitched" — Fourth bracket Paramount "Affairs of Susan" — Top flat rental "Murder, He Says" — 60% of top flat rental "A Medal for Benny" — 60% of top flat rental "Incendiary Blonde" — Percentage split, starting at 25% "Northwest Mounted Police" (reissue) — 40% of top flat rental "This Gun for Hire" (reissue) — 20% of top flat rental RKO "Back to Bataan" — 60% of top flat rental "Along Came Jones" — Top flat rental Twentieth Century-Fox "Song of Bernadette" — 75% of top flat rental "Wilson" — 75% of top flat rental "Diamond Horseshoe" — Sliding scale, 25% to 40% "Nob Hill"— 25% "Junior Miss" — Top flat rental "A Bell for Adano" — Top flat rental "Call of the Wild" (reissue) — 25% of top flat rental United Artists "Its in the Bag" — 40% of top flat rental "Bedside Manner" — 30% of top flat rental "The Great John L" — 80% of top flat rental "The Southerner" — 30% of top flat rental "Colonel Blimp" — 25% of top flat rental "Blood on the Sun"— 30% to 40% "The Story of G.I. Joe"— 30% to 40% "Guest Wife"— 30% to 40% Universal 1945-46 product. Four on percentage. The other fifty-one are being sold flat rental in so many different ways that it is impossible to list all of them. All we can say is that these flat rental prices range from 100% of top flat rental down to 12j/2% of top flat rental. Warner Brothers "The Corn is Green" — 100% of top flat rental "Christmas in Connecticut"— 100% of top flat rental "Pillow to PosC — 65% of top flat rental Explanation: "65% of top flat rental" means that if your top flat rental is $100, Warner Brothers' "Pillow to Post" at 65% of top flat rental would be $65. While Wood docs not quote any deals on Columbia pictures, he has this to say, in part, about that company : "In our opinion it is a waste of space to comment in any manner whatsoever on this gang of 'elastic' thinkers (?). Their record of unfilled promises is so long that we are beginning to lose sympathy for all exhibitors who do business with them. . . . "Here is an incident indicative of the manner in which they do business: "Trade papers showed "A Thousand and One Nights" as Production No. 6005. Many exhibitors bought the 1944-45 product on the basis of the top four (No. 6001-6004) on percentage. We are now informed that under Columbia's 'flexible' method of doing business, this production is being billed as No. 6004." SPECIAL COMMITTEE COMPLETED The Conference of Independent Exhibitors on the Consent Decree has selected a special committee to follow the trial of the Government's anti-trust suit against the major companies, which is scheduled to get under way on October 8. The Committee is to cooperate with the Department of Justice in such ways and to such extent as may be agreeable to the Department. Members of the special committee include Jesse L. Stern, Moderator of the Conference and President of the Unaffiliated Independent Exhibitors of New York; Robert H. Poole, Executive Secretary of the Pacific Coast Conference of Independent Exhibitors; Nathan Yamins, Chairman of Independent Exhibitors, Inc., of New England; Sidney E. Samuelson, General Manager, Allied Independent Theatre Owners of Eastern Pennsylvania; Irving Dollinger, Eastern Regional Vice-President, Allied States Association; Maxwell Anderson, Secretary, Allied Theatres of Connecticut; and Abram F. Myers, General Counsel of Allied States Association and of theC.I.E.