Harrison's Reports (1950)

12 HARRISON'S REPORTS January 21, 1950 patron exerts to see a picture under such a seating arrangement, all he has to do is take a seat as a regular patron; his neck will be ready for a plaster cast by the time the picture is over. Staggering the seats means taking one seat out of every other row of seats and moving the entire row half-way towards the space thus created so that each seat in the row behind may be placed between two front seats. This method cannot help but preserve the peace of mind of the picture patron and induce him to attend the theatre more often, secure in the knowledge that he can see a picture without getting a crick in the neck. Another method of making the patron more com' fortable is to widen the space between the rows of seats so that the incoming patron may not step on the feet of the seated patron. Such an innovation will, of course, reduce the number of seats, but the reduction will be worth the sacrifice if the exhibitor should have the comfort of his patrons in mind. Besides, his theatre will then be more attractive and it will serve as an additional reason why patrons who visit the theatre only once each week may be induced to patronize it more frequently. Still another aid to a patron's comfort is the lighting in the theatre. Many theatre managers believe that, unless the house is pitch-dark, the patrons do not feel that the projection is good. Such a theory is mistaken : the theatre may be illuminated enough to enable a patron to find a seat without the aid of an usher. The light required will not affect the brightness of the picture, provided, of course, that the lighting is indirect. Having the theatre lighted enough to enable a patron to find his seat is absolutely necessary, particularly in the day-time, and even more so when the sun is shining. On a sunny day, the pupils of a person's eyes are dilated, and when he enters a pitch dark room he cannot see anything. In such a case there is danger in that he will poke his fingers into a seated patron's face, and even his eyes, while trying to find an empty seat by feeling around. An usher with a flashlight is not always present to help him out. Television, though still young, is proving itself as a competitor to the motion picture theatre in many metropolitan areas, and the competition will become even more formidable as time goes on, for the public is gobbling up the television sets as fast as they are produced. Within a few years there undoubtedly will be national television networks, and most every city, town and hamlet in the country will be within the range of a television station. It follows, therefore, that, with an audience of many millions of viewers available, the sponsors of television shows will increase budgets to improve their programs, thus offering to the people a variety of fine entertainment — all free of charge — in the comfort of their own homes. And that is tough competition for any exhibitor. The exhibitor, to overcome this competition as best as he can, will have to depend on two factors: (1) a far greater number of meritorious pictures than are available to him today; and (2) a theatre that will enable a patron to see a picture show free from discomforts. Such a combination will help considerably to draw people out of their homes and away from their television sets. Primarily, however, the only way to combat television competition is through better pictures. And, unless the producers wake up to this fact, the sliding theatre attendance is going to become worse and the picture industry may find itself on the brink of disaster. A DESERVING TRIBUTE January 15 to 22 is being observed by all the National Allied units as PETE WOOD WEEK, in tribute to the erstwhile Secretary of the Independent Theatre Owners of Ohio, whose unswerving devotion to the cause of the independent exhibitor for more than twenty-five years has made him one of the foremost exhibitor leaders in the country. As part of the observance, each of the Allied units has issued its organizational bulletin this week on a special form, on which is printed the following tribute, penned by Abram F. Myers, National Allied's General Counsel and Chairman of the Board : 'To PETE WOOD, Allied stalwart, mellow philosopher, brilliant bulletineer, and master of the mimeograph, this bulletin is affectionately dedicated. "Like the pamphleteers of Colonial days he has exerted great influence by the written word and by precept and example has taught us that criticism can be constructive, that while the truth may hurt it cannot be smothered or ignored, and that while satire may singe its victims it should never sear. "From him stems the great Allied bulletin service which is distinguished by the best talent in all the units and carries to the members accurate information on all important developments together with interpretations and comment which reflect the independent exhibitors' interest and point of view. "For the foregoing and many additional reasons Allied members everywhere are taking time out to salute PHILIP (PETE) J. WOOD." Pete Wood richly deserves this tribute, for throughout the years he has been a good servant to the independent exhibitors, working hard and accomplishing much. BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER Republic Pictures, which has made great progress under the guidance of Herbert J. Yates, can justifiably look forward to an even brighter future as the result of the long-term deal concluded last week for the exclusive services of producer Merian C. Cooper and director John Ford, a three-time Academy Award winner. Argosy Productions, the unit headed by Cooper and Ford, was organized several years ago and has thus far produced "Fort Apache," "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon," "Mighty Joe Young" and "Wagon Master" for release through RKO, as well as "3 Godfathers," which was released through MGM. The advancement of the smaller companies has always been of special interest to Harrison's Reports, and we are indeed gratified over the sound and steady progress Republic has made under Mr. Yates' expert leadership. Incidentally, "The Sands of Iwo Jima," which is the most expensive picture ever produced by Republic, is doing a smash business, breaking records in almost every one of its engagements. SUPPORT BROTHERHOOD WEEK— FEBRUARY 19 to 26-FOR PEACE AND FREEDOM