Harrison's Reports (1956)

Entered as second-class matter January 4, 1S21, at the post office at New York, New York, under the act of March 3, 187!). s Reports Yearly Subscription Rates: 1270 SIXTH AVENUE Published Weekly by United States $15.00 „ v I, »n N v Harrison's Reports, Inc.. U. S. Insular Possessions. 16.50 NeW Y°rk 2°' N' Y' Pub.isher Ca"ada 16.50 A Motion Picture Reviewing Service * . Sp^f !f°N' EdU°r Mexico, Cuba, Spain 16.50 Devoted Chiefly to the Interests of the Exhibitors ™it0r Great Britain 17.60 Managing Editor Australia New Zealand, Established July 1. 1919 India, Europe, Asia 17.60 its Editorial Policy: No Problem Too Big for Its Editorial 35c a Copy Columns, if It is to Benefit the Exhibitor. Circle 7-4622 A REVIEWING SERVICE FREE FROM THE INFLUENCE OF FILM ADVERTISING Vol. XXXVIII SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1956 No. 47 NEEDED: COMPLIANCE ... not "Truth Squads" In the current issue of Advertising Age, Clyde Bedell, a consultant in creative advertising and advertising training, takes a strong blast at film advertising and has this to say, in part: "Movie advertising is the slippery eel and corner-cutter of top rank in advertising. "I have never seen movie ads created. But I think, mostly, it goes something like this: "They shut an ad writer (?) up in a cubicle of some kind with a bottle of absinthe and a bag of colored crayons and a stack of 'feelthy pictures' from Paris. He has of course seen the movie he is about to advertise. "The ad (?) creator drinks absinthe and looks at the feelthy pictures, until he becomes emotionally upset and unstable. "He then seizes some colored pencils and begins to sketch suggestive pictures, somewhat akin to something in the movie — but hopped up. It apparently wouldn't occur to him to be just plain honest. If his nails have not been clipped recently by some restraining outfit, maybe he writes a few suggestive words, too." Quoting the above paragraphs and taking exception, our colleague, Chester B. Bahn, editor of The Film Daily, states that it "constitutes a gross libel upon the motion picture advertising profession," and expresses the fear that publi' cation of the Bedell canard in a respected trade paper like Advertising Age "may well cause many outside to give it unwarranted weight." To prevent the industry's detractors from "freely employing" Bedell's "unhappy generalization," Bahn suggests the creation by the motion picture industry of "truth squads," such as were used by the Republicans in the recent Presidential campaign to combat immediately charges made against their party by the Democrats. We'll go along with Chester Bahn on the importance of the industry creating "truth squads" to challenge and combat its detractors, but we cannot agree that they should be used to answer the current attacks against film adver> tising, for there can be no question that the industry, or to pinpoint it more accurately, the film companies, are guilty as charged — too many of the ads designed by their advertising departments during the past year have been lurid, suggestive and downright misleading. Mr. Bedell, of course, waxed facetious to make his point, and no one will be silly enough to take seriously what he said, but behind his facetiousness is a justifiable condemnation of the deceptiveness and luridness resorted to in movie ads, frequently on pictures that are in themselves without objection. The antagonism against movie advertising is steadily gaining momentum, and the intensity of the attacks are bound to increase as long as the producer-distributors continue to flaunt and ignore the principles and regulations of the Advertising Code, which they themselves voluntarily adopted and to which they have pledged compliance "with' out reservation." But as pointed out in these columns many times, these rules are violated consistently in ads that have been approved by the Advertising Code Administration of the Motion Picture Association of America. The MPAA cannot disclaim responsibility for approving ads that violate the high principles of its own Advertising Code, and until it takes a firm stand and rejects ads that are not in strict accordance with the Code, "truth squads" will be of no value in combatting those who attack our advertising, for those who condemn it will be on solid ground. ALLIED AND THE CLINICAL METHOD In a contribution to the program of National Allied's annual convention, which will be held in Dallas on November 27-28^29, Abram F. Myers, the organization's board chairman and general counsel, had this to say on the manner in which Allied conducts its conventions so that those attending may have ample opportunity to fully discuss subjects that are of particular interest to them and at the same time obtain the views of other exhibitors on these same subjects: "Formerly at Allied's National Conventions all topics were scheduled for open discussion at the regular business sessions. Sometimes there was a closed session 'for exhibitors only' but these included all delegates of all classes. This method resulted in a great deal of talk from the platform and very little from the floor. The reasons are plain. There was no preliminary 'warm up' and many persons were reluctant to be the first to speak. Many exhibitors were unaccustomed to speaking formally in large gatherings. Others were naturally shy. Yet without hearing the complaints, experiences and suggestions of the assembled exhibitors, the main benefits to be derived from a convention were lost. "At the Pittsburgh Convention in 1950 it was decided to divide the delegates according to size of their towns (using the Caravan classification as the base) and have them meet separately for informal discussions of their particular problems. It was an instantaneous hit. Those who planned the Convention were criticized because too many items were included in the program for the regular business sessions and not enough time was allowed for the group meetings. Allied has been happy in its choice of names and slogans and when someone came up with the word 'clinic,' it was promptly adopted for these informal meetings. It is one of the most used words in the business today and the clinics are featured at all Allied regional and naa tional conventions. "Of course, the word was not used in a strict medical sense but rather to denote an institution 'in which concrete cases or problems of a special type are studied and expert advice is given.' Later, as the business declined, there was a tendency to stress the medical connotations of the word but Allied leaders refused to recognize the motion picture business as a bedridden patient. Actually, the film clinics, while paying strict attention to business, are cheerful, confident gatherings of capable, experienced men seeking ways and means for making this a better business for themselves and for all who are engaged in or dependent upon it for a livelihood. "Film continues to be the exhibitors' main problem and it is inevitable that the meetings should become known as 'film clinics.' Until the shortage is eased and terms become more bearable, this restrictive name doubtless will be used. Nevertheless, the clinics must not be limited in scope to any one subject. Operational problems of all kinds and showmanship with all the details which that word comprehends should be dealt with in the clinics. If any exhibitor has hit upon a device for making his theatre more attractive and comfortable, or has found a way for improving the presentation of his pictures, or has learned a trick or two about holding juvenile roughnecks in check, or has any new ideas for stimulating theatrr attendance, let him share it with his fellow exhibitors. The example he sets will inspire others to share their ideas and discoveries and all will profit from the exchange. "The regular business sessions are programmed in advance and usually run smoothly. But here again there ia real need for widespread audience participation. This year (Continued on bac\ page)