Harrison's Reports (1949)

212 HARRISON'S REPORTS December 31, 1949 show business and accept it as such. To fight outdoor theatres is a sad mistake, he said, for the indoor exhibi' tor will be the loser most of the time because of the weapons with which an outdoor exhibitor can fight back. Mr. Braunagel advised exhibitors in towns of 10,000 or fewer inhabitants that they still have a chance not to make the same mistake made by exhibitors in larger towns, for they can still build a drive'in in their own situation and thus save them' selves the costly competition that a bad outdoor operator might cause. He cautioned them to get their heads "out of the sand" and realise that there will be an outdoor theatre in every town of 5,000 or more population by 1951, and that they must decide whether it will be owned by the brick-and'mortar man or by an outsider. Having seen many drive-in theatres in all parts of the country, Mr. Braunagel told his listeners that some of the most common errors he noticed were the following: 1. Estimated costs of building a drive-in theatre are too low, resulting in the outdoor operator opening with a structure that is poorly constructed and not showmanlike. Costs should be figured at not less than $150 per car, exclusive of the cost of the land. Where heavy grading jobs are required, the cost will be greater. 2. Drive-ins in smaller towns are being built to accommodate too many cars. If the town is big enough to support another theatre of 1200 seats, the drive-in should be built to accommodate 300 or more cars. If not, stay under a 300-car capacity. It costs very little to enlarge a drive-in if space is left to do so. Dollars that go into a drive-in that is too big cannot be retrieved. Operators of 500-car drive-ins in towns of under 50,000 population play to capacity no more than four or five times a year, and the investment that has gone into building space for 100 cars extra is not worth it. Besides, an outdoor operator might not lose business on the filled nights if he leaves extra parking space at the rear with a blast speaker to take care of the overflow. 3. Potential outdoor operators do not look at enough drive-in theatres before they build one themselves. They should get out of their own territory and make an intensive study of what others are doing that is different. Drive-ins built only two years ago are already obsolete as far as being suitable for the most efficient operation of concessions, filling and spilling. 4. Many who contemplate building drive-ins are misled by rumors of fabulous profits. An outdoor theatre will not write off any faster — if as fast — as a regular theatre today. The early drive-ins, with no competition and reasonable construction costs, did get back their costs quickly, but those days are now gone. Mr. Braunagel has told me that he has two messages that he would like to get over to the exhibitors. First, build drive-ins right and operate them in a high class manner. Second, those who are already in the business and who have not yet joined an exhibitor organisation should do so at once in order to be ready to combat adverse legislation, and to trade ideas with other showmen, both indoor and outdoor. "Girls' School" with Joyce Reynolds and Ross Ford (Columbia, no rel. date set; time, 62 min.) This harmless program picture should suffice for the lower half of a double bill. It will not create any sensation, but it at least does not offend one's morals. Many of the situations are arbitrary and the logic faulty. The acting is adequate, and the direction is of the kind that puts things together in a way that will get the picture finished quickly so as to meet the requirements of a low budget. The photography is the only feature that one may praise unreservedly. Columbia produced a somewhat similar story, under the same title, in 1938: — Joyce Reynolds runs away from Chicago for some mysterious reason and travels to an exclusive Southern finishing school that is in financial straits. Lacking references, her plea for admission is granted by the kind elderly owners, Thurston Hall and Julia Dean, brother and sister. Because of Joyce's inability to furnish references, Laura Elliot, a snobbish student, takes a dislike to her. Laura, recalling that Joyce said she came from Ohio, becomes curious when she sees a Chicago address on Joyce's luggage. She opens the luggage while Joyce is out of the room and discovers a bankroll of thirty thousand dollars. She immediately reports the matter to Hall, only to be reprimanded by him for prying into the affairs of another student. Hall talks to Joyce and persuades her to put the money in his safe deposit box at the bank. When Joyce learns that the school is in financial difficulties, she offers to pay up its debts in return for a partnership. Hall accepts her offer. Meanwhile Laura writes to the address she had noticed on Joyce's luggage. This brings to the school Wilton Graf, from whom Joyce had run away at the suggestion of her father before his death. He demands half the money and Joyce agrees to give it to him if he will leave her alone thereafter. But Hall, to whom Joyce had confessed that her father had been a professional gambler and an associate of Graf's, learns that the money had been won in a questionable card game. He threatens to notify the police, causing Graf to depart in a hurry. To make Joyce's happiness complete, Hall patches up a romance between her and Ross Ford, a young man who owned a gas station nearby. It was produced by Wallace MacDonald and directed by Lew Landers from a screen play by Brenda Weisberg, based on a story by Jack Henley. The cast includes Louise Beavers, Sam McDaniel and others. There are no objectionable situations. ORDER YOUR MISSING COPIES OF HARRISON'S REPORTS Because of the Holiday rush, one or two of your copies of Harrison's Reports may have been lost in the mails. Look into your files and if you find the copy of any issue missing, write to this office and it will be supplied to you free of charge. A sufficient number of copies of many back issues is kept in stock for just such a purpose.