Harrison's Reports (1962)

Entered as second-class matter January 4, 1921, at the post office at New York, New York, under the act oX March 3, 1879. Harrison's Reports Yearly 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 Motlon picture Reviewing Service VT 160,°, Broadway Other Countries 19.50 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, JUNE 9, 1962 N0T22 Tv's Film Framdulenee No trade organ, in our business, has dealt more often and with greater concern about the uses to which the television interests will put their costly buys of post '48 product, than Harrison's Reports. Maybe it's so, because we can't think of a trade pillar which is edited by men with wider, more practical experiences in the medium (television-radio) than we who get out your favorite weekly. With this self 'sponsored commercial delivered, let us tune in to the goings-on right now between John H. Stembler, the sleeves-rolled-up fighting president of the Theatre Owners of America and the television interests, - the National Association of Broadcasters and the networks. It was a losing fight right from the salutation of Stembler 's first letter to the NAB, because the TO A head asked for the surrender of "hard sell" gimcracks with their blue sky promises, without which Tv would lose most of its audience. It's by clever deception that the little screen can inveigle the movie-goer into staying away from the big one. Theatre Loses Week-End Nights to Tv The very choice of the week-ends (NBC on Saturday night and ABC on Sunday night) should have showed the exhibitors that these post '48's weren't going to pre-empt some little, meaningless game of Tv tiddlywinks. This was of the solid, preferred time on the selling schedule, because of its big listener potential. and, the film would do the trick of making the costly buys from the distributors accomplish its objective two ways. Get the inveterate movie audience to stay away from its favorite theatre on week-end nights. Also, get the kind of ratings that can beget the kind of time rates that these shows bring in on a participating basis. In some instances the film story is broken into no less than 1 5 times per hour (meaning one-minute spots, 20-seconders and so-called station breaks) . The film fare is pretty well chopped up into endless commercials with shreds of the story thrown in piece-meal. Harrison's Reports has pointed out that the nature of the massive Tv advertisements themselves could be compelling forces to which millions of movie-goers throughout the nation will respond. In these manylineaged ads (some full pages) there was the lure of seeing films that sounded as if they had never played the neighborhood theatres before. In their layout, the advertisements dealt with "premieres" "firsts" and other clever "come-on" copy. Now that the open ad campaigns have been used over and over again, the Tv forces are playing up something that it can't deliver that's so important to the theatre goer, -CinemaScope, stereophonic sound, etc. The Tv-ers (Continued on Bac\ Page) Salute to a Stalwart, U-I It was a Rooseveltian kind of philosophy that reminded those bemoaning the ever-present now, that what may have made the old days great was the fact that the men who lived in them (the old days) had mighty qualities. No matter to what great heights our major motion picture companies rise these days, the Old Guard thinks that they are not to be compared to the old days, that these days are like little valleys trying to ascend the peaks that lie 'way beyond their reach, " the old days. It is not so when you think of Universal Pictures Company, Inc. This, above all days of this year, is the day when a new milestone is measured against the relentless swing of time's pendulum. It is June 8th, (strange that it should be our press day) . A half -century ago this chick was hatched in what was really a barnyard. Down through the years, the decades, the thunderous, threatening cleavage of time this motion picture company grew little by little. Today, whatever its comparative financial strength and industrial power, it can make the proud statement that no other motion picture company can lay claim to, the first of the industry's producing majors that has reached the half-century mark. It's a goal that is venerated by time itself and revered by man (especially by those in our business) because 50 -years in the motion picture industry is a dozen life times in any other calling. From that unforgettable June 8, 1912, the thought of ever-onward progress never stopped at Universal. For all of the reverence and sentimentality of the glorious past, those in whose hands rested the destinies, with each passing and controlling regime there was the dedication that makes for progress, strength, success: Good business operation demands that you can't take time out to depend on "one of these days." In our business we may well find that it will turn out to be "none of these days." but, this is one of these days, the happiness, the high hopes, the heartfelt congratulations of which could have come in none of those 18,262 days gone by as on this one, June 8, 1962. Who more than all of you at Universal deserve so much the good wishes that are upon you who continue to guide the company's destinies today not forgetting the heritage, the tradition of all those yesterdays with their human sacrifices to be able to meet the unborn tomorrow. It is not only we of Harrison's Reports who wish you the very best on this almost sacred day, June 8. We like to feel that our exhibitor-subscribers of the nation also give echo to the spiritually sincere "mazeltov" being tendered you in warm handclasp via these lines.