Harrison's Reports (1949)

100 HARRISON'S REPORTS June 18, 1949 tical business men, and the hope was expressed that the producers will find it expedient one day to engage a well known, practical business figure to guide their association and thus straighten out its muddled affairs. Since that editorial was written the MPAA leaders, specifically Mr. Johnston and Mr. Harmon, have dem' onstrated, not once, but twice, their ineptitude in dealing with at least one important problem — that of uniting the exhibitors and producer-distributors in an industrywide program for better public relations, as well as intra-industry relations. The first "boner" was pulled on June 8, when Har' mon, in his first move as new head of the association's trade relations department, invited Gael Sullivan, Ted Gamble, and Robert W. Coyne, top leaders of the Theatre Owners of America, the membership of which is composed mainly of affiliated theatres, to meet with him and Mr. Johnston in Washington for what was termed as an "exploratory" discussion on closer liaison between the different branches of the industry on trade problems, and on public relations. According to trade paper reports, Harmon hoped to keep the meeting as quiet as possible, but the TOA leaders saw no need for secrecy, and before long the news leaked out and was published. Some of the trade paper stories stated that the Allied leaders were displeased because no invitation had been extended to them, while another report, in weekly Variety, stated that the Allied leaders had been invited but were peeved because it was a last-minute invitation that seemed to them to be an afterthought. The second "boner" was pulled this week, when another meeting with TOA leaders was held in New York, with no formal announcement from the MPAA that such a meeting was to be held. It was another hush-hush affair, and again it was a case of the news leaking out. As a result, trade paper stories of the pending meeting, which was held on Wednesday, played up the fact that the Allied leaders had again been overlooked. Any one reading these trade paper accounts could not help but be left with the impression that the policy of secrecy adopted by the MPAA in connection with these meetings, as well as the fact that the discussions were being held exclusively with the TOA, smacked of a deliberate snub to representa' tives of the independent exhibitors, even though no complaint had been voiced by them. The trade papers, of course, were reporting the news as they saw it. The fact is, however, that no snub to the independent exhibitor leaders was intended or committed, according to a clear-cut statement issued by Ned E. Depinet, president of RKO and chairman of the MPAA's Exhibitor-Community Relations Committee, who presided at the New York meeting. Mr. Depinet made it clear that the discussion with the TOA leaders was the first in a series of meetings to be held with representatives of all branches of the industry, including all exhibitor organisations, for the purpose of weighing "the wisdom of an early effort to unite all industry segments to the consideration of common problems in the field of general industry business, intra-industry affairs and public relations." No definite program had been decided on other than to probe the attitudes of other industry groups with a view to engendering their participation, stated Mr. Depinet. He pointed out that invitations for other such meetings had been extended to National Allied, PCCITO, ITO of New York, Metropolitan MPT A, Hollywood groups and the trade press. Harrison's Reports is indeed gratified that Mr. Depinet has cleared up a situation which, because of inept handling by Messrs. Johnston and Harmon, gave many independent exhibitors the impression that the TOA was being favored over other industry groups. The idea of uniting all branches of the industry for the betterment of intra-industry and public relations is a commendable one, and to be successful it will require the full support and cooperation of every segment in the business. Mr. Depinet, a practical businessman, should see to it that the plan is no longer endangered by the blundering tactics demonstrated by the Messrs. Johnston and Harmon in connection with the exploratory discussions held with the TOA. "SOME OF THE BEST" In commemoration of its twenty-fifth birthday, Metro-Goldwyn-Maycr has compiled a Silver Anniversary subject, composed of scenes from MGM's important pictures during the past twenty-five years, including clips from current and forthcoming product. The subject has a running time of forty minutes and will be distributed without charge to all theatres. It is a highly entertaining film, one worth exploiting, for it should draw many customers who will want to sec their favorite stars, past and present, in roles they made famous. As a matter of fact, the subject can easily take the place of a second feature in double-billing situations, and at the same time give the customers much more satisfaction. Lionel Barrymore introduces and comments upon the different sequences, which include the following: "The Big Parade" (1924), with John Gilbert and Renee Adoree; "The Merry Widow" (1925), with John Gilbert and Mae Murray; "Flesh and the Devil" (1926), with Greta Garbo and John Gilbert; "Ben Hur" (1927), with Ramon Novarro and Francis X. Bushman; "Tell It To the Marines" (1928), with Lon Chaney, William Haines and Eleanor Boardman; "Broadway Melody" (1929), with Charles King, Bessie Love and Anita Paige; "Min and Bill" (1930), with Marie Dressier and Wallace Beery ; Trader Horn" ( 193 1) , with Harry Carey, Edwina Booth and Duncan Renaldo; "Grand Hotel" (1932), with Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Wallace Beery and Joan Crawford; "Tugboat Annie" (1933), with Marie Dressier and Wallace Beery; "Dinner At Eight" (1934), with Jean Harlow, Marie Dressier and other stars; "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1935), with Clark Gable and Charles Laughton; "San Francisco" (1936), with Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy and Jeanette MacDonald; "The Good Earth" (1937), with Paul Muni and Luise Rainer; "Boys Town" (1938), with Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney; "The Wizard of Oz" (1939), with Judy Garland, Ray Bolger and Jack Haley; "Boom Town" (1940), with Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy; "The Philadelphia Story" (1941), with Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn; "Mrs. Miniver" (1942), with Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon; "Random Harvest" (1943), with Greer Garson and Ronald Colman; "National Velvet" (1944), with Mickey Rooney and Elisabeth Taylor; "Meet Me in St. Louis" (1945), with Judy Garland and Margaret O'Brien; "The Green Years" (1946), with Charles Coburn and Dean Stockwell; "The Yearling" (1947), with Claude Jarman, Jr.; and "Easter Parade" (1948), with Judy Garland and Fred Astaire. These are followed by brief excerpts from current and forthcoming pictures, as well as close-ups of MGM's entire roster of stars in attendance at the studio's Silver Anniversary luncheon.