Harrison's Reports (1962)

32 HARRISON'S REPORTS March 3, 1962 Foreign Films . . . (Continued from Front Page) that pays off at the box office if they don't more than mislead some of the gullible. If European film promoters have a lot of one thing, its awards. The importers will overplay their hand at this souped-up nature of exploitation, and American moviegoers will come to consider even the limited few authoritative and respected overseas prizes as a gimmick not to be taken too seriously. There are times when it's prophetic to see how many foreign awards are tacked on to an import, and how little entertainment value this alleged prize-winning film seems to have for the viewer. To be sure, the promoters of these foreign films are under the apprehension that the American movie-goer will swallow anything. They'll find out that along such line of reasoning they can be mighty wrong. Too Many foreign Awards; Too MAttle Value While we ourselves, here, are not without our endless awards, accolades, prizes, especially from fan magazines, there are two salutes that have any serious impact on the movie-goer. The big deal, of course, is the Oscar (metal value $100) sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In New York the more serious accolade is given yearly by the Film Critics Circle. There are a few others that have their value, but these two, - the Oscar in Hollywood, and the award from the newspaper critics in New York, " symbolize tribunals whose choices are respected, valued and rightfully capitalized on. While a lot of costly hoopla results from the Oscar ceremonies, the New York critics hold their award down to a minimum of fanfare. To be sure, an award to a movie for its superior merits when compared to its competitors, is not set up only in the name of art. The award hopes to serve other purposes, coldly calculated materialistic ones. It is supposed to act as a stimulant to the box office. In the case of the imports where there's nothing much to make any noise about in the advertising layouts, no name players, etc., the award gimmick remains about the only hook upon which you can hang any kind of a worthwhile campaign. But, the boys from across the seas are coming up with too many award pictures most of which have proved to be plain duds at the box office. After all, it's the picture you project on the screen, not the award! It's not for us to say that this is a form of deception which the importers should not overwork. But, there is no need for an award committee to be set up over there every time a picture is ready to go into release over here. With all those award sessions going on you sometimes wonder when does anybody find time to do any work. To repeat, the award gimmick can serve some purpose. But, the promotional purpose could be stretched awfully thin and prove itself quite unavailing. Their better judgment should remind these promoters who cook up these endless and meaningless awards of the cardinal principle of smart, lucrative promotion: "Too much, can be much too much!" Exhib Congrats • • . (Continued from Front Page) over one of the biggest sales in movie-Tv history. Sixty of the company's post-'48 productions (many of outstanding stature) were picked up by a newspaper-owned Tv station. The price for showing these films on one local station was reported to be in excess of a million dollars. Included in this post-'48 package are some of M-G-M's biggest money-makers. That they will be seen for the first time by "the new generation of movie-goers" of which Hendel prophetically spoke in his sincerely expressed letter to M-G-M's Vogel, is easy to understand. Tv's Biy ss Oiler* lor Hints With Tv's major markets as badly in need of film product as are exhibitors, this nature of getting from Tv the kind of money it is willing to pay, will continue to repeat itself for all the hope exhibitors may have that reissuing these film&to theatres would surpass die potential income that may be derived from going over to Tv. Some of the major television stations throughout the country have built their fortunes out of die programming (almost exclusively) of Hollywood product. With the bars down on the post'48 films, it's this "new generation" that the Tv operators hope to reach out to to run up large audiences. That the exhibitors are almost humbly grateful for any considerate gesture shown them by the majors, is this circumstance: Several weeks ago, the Allied Motion Picture Theatre Owners of Maryland, through its executive secretary, James L. Whittle, also despatched letters of thanks to Vogel and Skouras, respectively, covering the matter of reissues. Maryland was grateful that its theatres would be able to play diese films. While Maryland didn't call the invader of its box offices by name (Tv), as did the Western Pennsylvania exhibitors, it was pretty obvious that that's what Maryland's showmen meant when they said to Vogel and Skouras, "We are confident that this method of re-distribution wdl far exceed the returns from any other outlet." Tv's Saturday Xiyht Built with Films Of course, it's a well-known, if not painful, story that without some of 20th Century-Fox's prime product the National Broadcastmg Company's onslaught on the box offices of the nation's theatres, on that big night of the week, Saturday, may not have been possible. In that deal, N. B. C. acquired about 50 films. For a while it was pathetic the way revenues dropped in so many theatres on that one night toward which the exhibitor keeps on looking all week long, Saturday. But, in most cases, by this time, the exhibitor who went out to fight his way through the Tv storm, by using showmanship and applying the better business-getting forces to the operation of his theatre, has battled his way through the Saturday night Tv invasion. Saturday nights are still far from what they should be. But, given a quality release, the exhibitor with staying power, comes out of it fairly well. But, it would be foolhardy to assume that the majors are going to by-pass the kind of money Tv will always be ready to pay for Hollywood product, - the bone and sinew of many a Tv station's financial strength.