Harrison's Reports (1962)

Entered as second-class matter January 4, 1921, at the post office at New York, New York, under the act of March 3, 1879. Harrison's Reports Yearly Subscription Kates: Published Weekly by United States $17.00 Harrison's Reports, Inc., U. S. Insular Possessions... 19.00 Canada «,d Mexico 19.00 A MotJon p,cture Reviewing Servlce 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 KrtmMUhed July I, 1919 Martin Starr, Editor A REVIEWING SERVICE FREE FROM THE INFLUENCE OF FILM ADVERTISING Vol. XLIV SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 1962 No. 13 Oscar Night, B.O. Might However relentless the swing of time's pendulum in other industries, a decade in the motion picture business is several life'times. It will be ten years, next Monday (April 9) since the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences began bringing the big night of the annual Oscar awards into the homes of the television set-owners. The creative (Hollywood) end of the business didn't seem too concerned with the probable loss (in millions) that the theatres of the nation would suffer that night. Each exhibitor, however, knew his individual loss. The Hollywood soothsayers developed a philosophy that in the end, the "stay-away" from the movie theatre on Oscar night would pay off at the very place where the economic pinch proved the most painful, - the box office. Like a soothing syrup, it was spread thin, and was easy to swallow From the start, there were, as there still are but in even greater number, theatre operators who refused to go along with Hollywood's philosophy. Yet, this year, almost all branches of the film industry seem bent on making as many people stay away from the movie theatre, on Oscar night, as hard and long campaigning can make possible. Exhibitors Exploit "Stay Home" Campaign Proof that the exhibitor has been won over to this unproven economic philosophy that a dollar lost on Oscar night brings two on the morrow, is the way some of the theatre men of the nation pitched in to make the 1962 Oscar-cast the biggest ever in the number of people tuned in. About 2,000 independent exhibitors shelled out $3 each for an exploitation kit that went to work on the stay-awayfrom-thetheatre campaign. True, while many theatre men re' belled on paying money to lose money, the reports from the Motion Picture Association of America sang with joy at the way the kits sold and the exhibitors cooperated. There is a pattern of ironies woven into this year's Oscar-cast that can only happen in the film industry. Riding high when the Tv bidding began two years ago, was the American Broadcasting Company, the electronic arm of American BroadcastingParamount Theatres. It outbid the powerful National Broadcasting Company which played economic godfather to the Oscar proceedings for many years. Today, ABC finds itself back in the number three position, " low man on Tv's totem pole. But, spokesmen for the network are sure that 1962 will see more sets tuned in than ever before. Last year, ABC said, it garnered an audience of 80,000,000 listeners. Didn't Freedom of Screen Wins Victories for the motion picture industry, in the legislative halls of the state capitols, are not easy to come by. When gains are made they are hard-fought for, for inalienable rights that some of the lawmakers want to strip the films of. The latest victory for the theatre operators of New York State is the motion picture classification bill. The measure was defeated by the vigilant leadership of the New York Senate assisted by an aroused industry," said Eric Johnston, president of the Motion Picture Association of America. The passage of the bill to classify motion pictures would have interfered with the freedom of the motion picture screen. Respect was paid (by Johnston) to the leaders of the New York Senate. "It shows that they cannot be stampeded into passing an ill-conceived bill backed only by those who seek to censor and control," said the film generalissimo. (Continued on Bac\ Page) Hartford Speeding Fee-Tv Try-Out Hartford, Conn., Is a busy town these days. A new phase of television entertainment is on its way. The sponsors, Zenith-R.K.O. General Phonevision, lost not a moment following the green light given them, just recently, by the United States Circuit Court of Appeals to launch its 3-year pay-Tv experiment ... So much costly preliminary work has already been done by Phonevision that the signal will be able to go over the air (WHCT-Tv, Channel 18) in Hartford before the summer sets in. In the meantime, in about 50 to 75 homes in the Hartford area test shows are already being received. Most of these run-through hook-ups are in the homes of employees of the Tv station . . . However, the eyes of the nation's exhibitors will be focused on this experiment even though they won't be able to see what's going over the air and being unscrambled in the homes of the recipients. Especially will Hartford theatre men watch the course of this operation very carefully. In the balance hangs a dangerous threat to local theatre attendance, if only during the times when the experimental programs (3-years) ride ihe megacycles to get their feet wet in the new currents that may carry show business to prophetically strange destinies. (Continued on Bac\ Page)