Harrison's Reports (1949)

Entered as second-class matter January 4, 1921, at the post office at New York, New York, under the act of March 3, 1879. 'S Yearly Subscription Rates: 1270 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS Published Weekly by United States $15.00 (Formerly Sixth Avenue) Harrison's Reports, Inc., U. S. Insular Possessions. 16.50 N y I, 9ft M Y Publisher Canada 16.50 Wew York zu» * • p. S. HARRISON, Editor Mexico, Cuba, Spain 16.50 A Motion Picture Reviewing Service Great Britain 17.50 Devoted Chiefly to the Interests of the Exhibitors Established July 1, 1919 Australia, New Zealand, India, Europe, Asia .... 17.60 ltg Editorlal Poiicy: No Problem Too Big for Its Editorial Circle 7-4622 35c a Copy Columns, if It is to Benefit the Exhibitor. A REVIEWING SERVICE FREE FROM THE INFLUENCE OF FILM ADVERTISING Vol. XXXI SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 1949 No. 24 THE MEDICAL ASSOCIATION SETS AN EXAMPLE FOR US TO FOLLOW In the professions, there is no greater monopoly than the American Medical Association. Whenever a member violates any of its rulings, he is expelled from the association. When he is expelled, the use of hospitals is barred to him. And every one of you knows that denying to a doctor the use of hospitals is the greatest punishment that can be imposed on him. Without such a privilege, a doctor, whether physician or surgeon, cannot give his patients proper care, no matter how proficient and brilliant he may be in his work. And without the use of the hospitals his repu' tation suffers, for his clients are prone to think that there must be something wrong with a doctor to whom hospital privileges are suspended. (This is not an argument as to whether the Medical Association is right or wrong in imposing penalties upon members who break the association's rulings; it is merely a statement of facts.) Because the American Medical Association is hostile to any public health program whereby a citizen, by the payment of a certain amount of money each year, may have medical care without any other charge, it has lost a great deal of public good will, and for this reason it has taken radio time, first, to convince the American public that the health insurance program is not going to prove beneficial to the people, and secondly, to regain the lost good will. Every Sunday a medical association speaker broadcasts seemingly convincing arguments. In business, there is no greater monopoly than Steel, by reason of the fact that, no matter how the average citizen feels, the Steel Industry can raise the price of steel without considering the hardships that may be imposed upon him. The arbitrary attitude of the steel industry has naturally alienated the public good will. Does the steel trust sit back and make no effort to counteract such a feeling? No! It has taken radio time and, by employing well known commentators, it attempts to offset the public's hostility by recounting its accomplishments. Every one of us is aware of the fact that the motion picture industry has lost much good will, either because of the poor quality of most pictures or because of bad publicity, and yet we do nothing to counteract that hostility. We have folded our arms and are waiting — for what? Are our old timers among the producers so tired that they have neither the strength nor the willingness to bring the public back to the theatres? No other industry is as well qualified to capture the public's good will as is the motion picture industry. And yet nothing is done to utilize this advantage. To offset the reduced box-office take, our outstanding producers have curtailed their advertising and exploitation budgets, discharged valuable field exploitation men, and have told the exhibitor that it is up to him to go after the business. And what does the exhibitor do? He folds his hands and justifiably says: "If the owner of this super-production does not care whether it takes in thousands of dimes instead of thousands of dollars, why should I go after the business and thus give the distributor an opportunity to hike my brackets?" Millions of dollars a year are now lost by the distributors' short-sighted policy. During the war and a couple of years after it, business was lush. No one had to work hard to bring in the public; the public would break down the theatre's doors to get in. And yet the producers were spending great sums to advertise and exploit their top pictures when they well knew that much of the money thus spent was a waste. Now, when it is necessary for them to spend money to bring the public back into the theatres, they cut their advertising appropriations to the bone. Gentlemen of the major companies! The time to expand your advertising appropriations is, not when people rush to the theatres without their being attracted to them by sensational advertising, but when business is slow. By all accounts the people still have money for entertainment. One news medium reports that bank savings are increasing at an alarming rate. By advertising and exploiting pictures of merit — and no industry knows how to do it better — we can bring the public back to the theatres. Gentlemen of the major companies! Advertise! Advertise! Advertise! Advertise in trade papers, newspapers, national magazines, posters, radio and in every other medium that reaches the public. Do not reduce your advertising appropriations at a time when you should expand them! TREADING ON EXPLOSIVES An important step forward in the fight against unfair treatment of American pictures abroad was taken last weekend by Eric Johnston, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, and Ellis Arnall, president of the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers, who, after a two-hour conference in Washington, reached an agreement whereby both their organizations will "work closely together in all areas and in all situations where American motion pictures are treated unfairly or are discriminated against by foreign governments." In a joint statement, both said that "it is the responsibility of the State Department to intercede in (Continued on last page)