Harrison's Reports (1950)

Entered as second-class mailt r January 4, 1U21, at the post office at New York, New York, under the act of March 3, 18?3. 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 , M v Publisher Canada 16.50 Wew Tork zo» 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 Ug Editorial Po]icy: 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. XXXII SATURDAY, MARCH 18, 1950 No. 11 20TH CENTURY-FOX POINTS THE WAY! it ever a film company deserved a pat on the back it is 20th Century-Fox, not only because ot its awareness in rec ognizing the need tor a return to aggressive showmanship to stimulate theatre attendance, but also because it is doing something about the problem by sponsoring a showmanship drive at tremendous expense to itself. The company has a right to be proud in the knowledge that it is doing the entire industry a great service. The showmanship meeting sponsored by the company in Chicago on March 8 and 9 was highly successful in every sense of the word, and great credit is due Spyros P. Skouras, Al Lichtman, Andy Smith, Jr., Charles Einfeld and all the other top company executives for the masterly way in which they handled the meeting. Their sincerity of purpose was quickly recognized by the more than 350 exhibitors who attended the conference, and throughout the two-day sessions all were fired with genuine enthusiasm as they listened to an outline of the showmanship program laid down by the company and to the flood of ideas and suggestions offered by the numerous speakers. Every one departed from the meeting inspired with a determination to roll up his sleeves and recapture the old order of spirited merchandising by which to sell the motion picture and the theatres to the public. The meeting was so inspirational that prominent circuit heads, such as Sam Pinanski, president of TOA, Bob O'Donnell, of Interstate Theatres, Louis Schine, of the Schine Circuit, Si Fabian, of Fabian Theatres, Leonard Goldenson, of United Paramount Theatres, Charles Skouras, head of National Theatres, Oscar Doob, of Loew's Theatres, and a host of others took the rostrum and openly declared to the assemblage that they were going back to their offices to make an all-out effort to rekindle the spark of showmanship in their personnel. Because of the unbridled enthusiasm shown by all the exhibitors who attended the Chicago meeting, Mr. Skouras, at the close of the meeting, announced that his company will sponsor in every exchange area during the period March 21-23 similar one-day showmanship conferences, to which all exhibitors in the area are invited. Division and branch managers will preside at the regional meetings, with the agenda following that of the two-day meeting held in Chicago. Arrangements have been made for prominent exhibitors, a local motion picture critic, and TOA and Allied leaders to address each meeting, which will be attended also by Home Office representatives and field exploiteers, who will present the 20th Century-Fox showmanship plan, which was the basis of discussion at the Chicago conference. The afternoon sessions of the meetings will be devoted to open forum discussions. Thus far regional showmanship meetings have been set in 29 of the company's exchange centers, on the following dates : Dallas, March 23; Pittsburgh, March 23; St. Louis, March 21; Washington, March 21; New Haven, March 23; Kansas City, March 22; Charlotte, March 23; Cleveland, March 21; Des Moines, March 21; Indianapolis, March 21; Memphis, March 21; Minneapolis, March 23; Philadelphia, March 21; Milwaukee, March 23; Oklahoma City, March 22; New Orleans, March 23; Omaha, March 23; Detroit, March 21; Los Angeles, March 21; Denver, March 23; New York, March 23; Salt Lake City, March 23; Albany, March 21; Atlanta, March 21; Boston, March 23; Buffalo, March 21; Cincinnati, March 23; Portland, March 23; and San Francisco, March 23. Harrison's Reports cannot urge too strongly that every exhibitor who can possibly do so should make it his business to attend the showmanship meeting in his territory. A revival of the old showmanship spirit is needed more than ever this year because of the serious drop in theatre attendance, and the 20th Century-Fox showmanship plan offers ideas and suggestions that can be utilized to advantage by every theatre, regardless of the size or type, and regardless of which company's pictures are played. Moreover, the different speakers, fresh from the meeting in Chicago, will convey to you opinions on such matters as special television trailers, proper methods of pre-selling pictures, institutional advertising, showmanship methods employed in small towns, and a wealth of other pertinent information. As Charles Skouras observed in his talk before the Chicago assemblage: "This is just like going to college; we've had an education here today." It should not be necessary to urge any exhibitor to attend these forthcoming showmanship meetings, for those who fail to attend will be doing themselves a great disservice. The 20th Century-Fox slogan, "1950 Business Will Be Good For Those Who Make It Good," will come true for those who are willing to roll up their sleeves and go to work. The money and the customers are there, but, to quote Charlie Einfeld, "You must go after them!" ASCAP CONSENT DECREE TOTAL VICTORY FOR EXHIBITION In an amended consent decree between the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and the Department of Justice, entered in the U. S. District Court in New York this week, the decision won by the exhibitors over ASCAP in 1948 was not only upheld in its entirety but made even more complete by the fact that ASCAP and its members are enjoined from suing any exhibitor for performance rights to music in any motion picture produced since Judge Vincent L. Liebell handed down his decision in 1948. Since then, exhibitors have refused to pay any tax to ASCAP on the ground that such payments are illegal exactions, but there has been some uncertainty as to whether or not they were leaving themselves open to a lawsuit. The new judgment clearly frees the exhibitors from any liability. The amended consent decree steins from the anti-trust suit brought against ASCAP by 164 exhibitor members of the Independent Theatre Owners' Association, which suit resulted in the 1948 decision by which ASCAP was judged to be a monopoly in restraint ot trade and enjoined from collecting a music tax from theatres for pertormance rights to music recorded on film. Mr. Milton C. Weisman. the prominent New York attorney who successfully conducted the suit for the ITOA, had this to say in a statement issued lollowing the entry of the decree : (Continued on bac\ page)