Harrison's Reports (1949)

Entered as second-ciass matter January 4, 1921, at the post office at New York, New York, under the act of March 8, 18T9. Harrison's Reports 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 M v L. on w v Publisher Canada 16.50 Wew York zu» n T 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 .... 17.50 Us Editorial poUcy: 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, SEPTEMBER 10, 1949 No. 37 THE VICIOUS CIRCLE To save an estimated one-half billion dollars in Federal expenditures, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson has ordered the dismissal of 135,000 civilian employees of the Army and Navy. Assuming that no more than one-half billion dollars will be saved, we wonder how much real cash Secretary Johnson will have saved for the nation by this economy move. Out of the one-half billion received as wages, these 135,000 civilian defense employees would have paid to the U. S. Treasury a considerable sum in income taxes. The balance of their income would have been spent by them for rent, food, clothing, amusements and many other items. Through their expenditures, the landlords, farmers, clothiers, food markets, and many different manufacturers and their retail outlets would have not only maintained or increased their labor forces but would have also increased their profits and would have paid to the government, na' tional, state and local, more taxes. Most of the newspapers have hailed Secretary Johnson's economy move on the basis that that it will help bring about lowered income tax rates. But when one takes into consideration that the curtailed spending power of 135,000 people serves to reduce the demand for goods and services and, consequently, results in additional unemployment, decreased business profits, and less taxes paid by business, one wonders if this wholesale dismissal can be justly termed an "economy move.'" The same holds true for the motion picture industry in all its branches — production, distribution and exhibition — which, too, resorted to wholesale dismissals when theatre attendance started to decline from the war-time peak. It seems as though very few people realize that prosperity comes from spending and not from economizing. When people spend money, it means more steady employment, with everybody enjoying a more happy life as a result of eating better food, wearing better clothes, and living in better homes. Conversely, when everybody starts to economize, less money is put into circulation, the demand for goods and services drops, unemployment increases, and the vicious circle is completed with a decrease in the economizer's income. This paper hopes that, if a permanent all-industry public relations organization comes into being as a result of the Chicago Conference last week, it will give careful consideration also to the matter of economizing with a view to including in the industry's campaign for the public's good will a specific program aimed at employers in general to make them conscious of the benefits to be derived from giving men work instead of retrenching. The motion picture industry should be the bellwether in inducing the employers, both small and large, to give men more work, making them realize that full employment is the basis of the nation's well-being, and that it will result in a prosperity from which everybody will reap rich rewards, both morally and materially. And the motion picture industry should set the first example. Here is an opportunity for the industry to strike out on a new thought. If it should, Harrison's Reports is confident that the newspapers of the nation will devote many columns to a discussion of the movement and will, no doubt, endorse it. The public, in turn, will commend the leadership of the motion picture industry. ANOTHER GOOD-WILL BUILDER Jimmy Fidler, the famous nationally syndicated columnist and radio commentator, has awarded a diamond-studded watch and fifty dollar Savings Bond to D. D. Flippin, of Bragg City, Mo., whose splendid public relations idea of giving a pass to any child who attends Sunday School on four consecutive Sundays was reported in the July 16 issue of this paper. Mr. Flippin's public relations idea may be expanded to the benefit of every exhibitor who may adopt it. Suppose, for instance, that an exhibitor announced that he will give either a three-month or a six-month pass to the top student of each school class at the end of a semester. Since there are approximately eight classes in each grade school and four classes in each high school, the exhibitor who adopts this idea will be required to hand out twelve passes at the end of each semester. In large towns, of course, there may be several classes in each grade or high school year, in which case additional passes will be required. The pass for each grade school pupil should admit also his parents, whereas the pass for the high school student should admit the winner and one so that the student may take along his or her sweetheart. In addition to either a three-month or six-month pass to the top student, the exhibitor, in order to keep interest in the passes active, might make available also to each class, once a month, a pass for two, good for any single performance, to be awarded by the class teacher to the honor student of the month. Giving out these passes will not break an exhibitor, and the good-will that he will gain would be invaluable. And this good-will will be extended, not only to his theatre, but to the entire industry. (Continued on last page)