Harrison's Reports (1962)

Bntered as second-class matter January 4, 1921, at the post office at Xcw York, New York, under the act of March 3, 1879. Harrison's Reports Yeartjr Subscription Rates: Published Weekly by United States $17.00 Harrison's Reports, Inc., U. S. Insular Possessions... 19.00 Canada and Mexico 19.00 A Motion picture Reviewing Service 1600 Broadway Other Countries 19.S0 New York 19, N. Y. 45c a Copy Devoted Chiefly to the Interests of the Exhibitors COlumbus 5-4434 Established July 1, 1919 Martin Starr, Editor A REVIEWING SERVICE FREE FROM THE INFLUENCE OF FILM ADVERTISING Vol. XLIV SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1962 No. 5 Broadway, Meeea in Decay 1961-62 Release Recap Our new offices are located on Broadway. The move from that city within a city, Rockefeller Center, where Harrison's Reports spent more than a quarter' of-a-century, was only one avenue block. But, what a difference that short distance can make as we apply the yardstick of showbusiness. From our windows we can see the one-time celebrated Big Street at day time. When dusk sets in the neon lights take over and bathe the sleazy Main Street like a huge set where the rise and fall of an empire is being filmed by the cameras of an ironic reality. To the film industry, Broadway still remains the barometer of its product. This premiere-run is still the springboard for the national "sell." Admit that this last bastion of a proud showbusiness that once was, in cold matter-of-factness is no more, and you've re' moved a prop the power of which once supported a strong segment of the overall structure of film presentation. So, whatever the ever-weakening condition of Broadway, you must support this prop. Theatres Must Beckon the Transient There remain only a dozen first-runs doing business at the old stand. Most theatres look clean and beckoning on the outside, but inside not all of them are the inviting symbols of that dream-drenched world into which people retreat to seek escape from that harsh one of everyday life full of its turmoil and tumult. While we of the trade press trek this unkempt beat nearly every day, as part of our job, it's when you're voitexed into it for most of your working day that you find yourself riding its restless currents. When you tenant it, you're a cohesive part of it. You wonder what's happened to Broadway, that alluring former prima donna with its many moods, its shimmering tinsel, its alluring attractiveness. Not so long ago, this was the Big Street which seldom found reason to rest; whose melodic, almost mad cacophony orchestrated itself like a throbbing, thrilling overture piercing its way skyward. This was the Street of which so many syndicated columnists wrote with such intense fervor and unflagging interest. Like some sleek greyhound this was the Show Street running through every new day at a more exciting pace than the day before. Nor was night, when it descended on the scene, a time for rest. Today, as we look down upon this Old Lady, as she lays sprawled in her tattered garments (from her hem at the double-crossroads of the world, 42nd Street, - to her worn cleavage of the 50's,) she is no longer the haughty, fashion-trimmed prima donna. She is more like a lost derelict with the looks of a gin-soaked, help{Continued on Bac\ Page) As '61 was rounding its last bend, the United States Department of Commerce told us to expect between 185-190 features from our American producers for 1961-62. As we reach the half-way mark of the distribution year it is a good time to tally up the release schedule to see how the films that have already reached the screens of the nation's theatres square (in number) with the Washington blueprint of things to come. At the rate the releases have been coming out of the studios, this may well be one year when predictions of things to come (based on authentic surveys, probing and carefully documented data) may play itself out as facts well established by time itself. At this half-way mark some 86 films, of Hollywood make either in America, or abroad, have made their way to the theatres. As to quality, profit potential, and the chances to make a dollar for the exhibitor, the picture looks good as we draw the line of summary. Hard Ticket Blockbusters Stand Up Of course, the powerful, blockbuster hard-ticket entries making their bid for big money, these past six months, remain stable stalwarts in their various stands. We mean, "West Side Story," "King of Kings," "Judgment at Nuremberg," and "El Cid." Strong (Continued on Bac\ Page) Balaban's Optimistic Predictions Speaking from Paramount's Hollywood studios the other day, president Barney Balaban, was looking ahead high in hope, firm in optimism for the remainder of the season (1961'62) ... In long range planning, that tomorrow we were looking forward to yesterday is here, today, before we know it. As we evaluate the box office results since the new season got under way, there doesn't seem to be much reason to do any shouting from the rooftops . . . Of a dozen Par releases since September, as we see it, only two seem to be in the big money class: "Summer and Smoke" and "Breakfast at Tiffany's" The Elvis Presley release was a disappointment, according to report. So was Jerry Lewis, usually a stalwart at the turnstiles . . . We found eight of Par's pics no better than FAIR. Much of the product was lacking in the kind of entertainment quality that guarantees a good box office. Let us hope that the remainder of the season lives up to the genuinely optimistic predictions of Barney Balaban.