Harrison's Reports (1962)

92 HARRISON'S REPORTS June 16, 1962 w S It © it? ease" issue... (Continued from Front Page) oiF the product. Now along comes this idea. At first it looks innocent and full of the good will of a distributor who may want to stimulate business at a time when we can all use more of it." "lA't the Exhibitor* Hrtcare" "But, let the participating exhibitors beware," cautioned the young executive. "Some of the theatres will have to raise their weekend admission prices to $1.75. This isn't going to be all gravy for the 13 theatres. They're going to pay plenty, in different, hidden ways for this UA experiment. and, no matter how you l(H)k at it, underneath the red carpet, in back of the kleig lights lie the dark, menacing shadows of that she-debbil that can ruin the New York exhibitor, the strengthening and building of the bidding situation," said Levine. He pointed out that only two months ago, the Independent Theatre Owners Association of New York held a stormy meeting with the results that several hotly-worded resolutions were unanimously carried against the practices of the distributors wherein competitive bidding is encouraged. Also under attack at the ITOA meeting were the special releasing patterns which create extra runs by means of which member theatres are deprived of their normal and regular availabilities. Considering that Harry Brandt has been president of the ITOA for 30-years, the present state of affairs and the probable bidding "trap" into which exhibitors may fall with UA's baiting, stacks itself up as an ironic paradox, Levine mused. Summertime issue... (Continued from Front Page) encouraging summer where the theatre should be a pleasant retreat for both young and old. Summer Kelvun vh Haiti Hln I'romine Box officeward the season at hand should not be a bad one for theatres properly equipped and adequately dressed for our own kind of Cinematic Summer Festival. That's because,--to repeat,--the product ready to be released won't wilt at the box office. To be sure, the bigger they are (releases) the more work will they require to put them over so that they can extract the biggest kind of response. The enterprising exhibitor knows this. Oh, yes! As we drink a toast to the best of all good summers in the theatres of the nation, remember to keep your drink-dispensing machines fully packed. We've found too many of the boxes, on warm nights, sending back the coins instead of the cooling refresher ot the customer's choice. "Harold Lloyd's World of Comedy" (Continental, Current; 94 mins.) FAIR. This will bring back memories of those "good old days" to the senior citizens who may remember the original feature length comedies from which the highlights were clipped to make up this residual. To the younger movie-goer Lloyd's is a new name with little of the badly-needed powerful press agentry preceding the release in the hope that some sort of image may be moulded for that audience to respond to. To a goodly percentage of this new interest some of the frenzied, breathless comicalities may play themselves out as just so much old-fashioned corn. The bigger deal here will be to get the older folks into the theatre. Some may still remember the famous clock-dangling scene from "Safety Last," or "The Freshman." In fact, the sequences are taken from eight of Lloyd's self-evaluated "best." In addition to the above two there are "Feet First," "Why Worry," "Professor Beware," "Girl Shy," "Movie Crazy," "Hot Water." These releases covered the years 1923-39. There is a thin line of so-called story structure with the implement being Lloyd's own voice doing the narration. If it's the older folk who may respond to this offering, then there is the hazard that they may also recall Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, the late W. C. Fields who, as, comedians also plied their trade in the same Lloyd days. Outside of Keaton, Lloyd will suffer by comparison to the other two greats. For the family trade. "Boys' Night Out" (Continued from Preceding Page) his mother (Jessie Royce Landis) who thought that that big, handsome ladies'-proof son of hers would never be lassoed by one of them with only one thing in mind, " marriage. Produced by Martin Ransohoff ; directed by Michael Gordon; screenplay by Ira Wallach based on a story by Marvin Worth and Arne Sultan. Adults and young adults. Levine on Both Ends of Circuit These past few days found Joseph E. Levine, president of Embassy Pictures, on both ends of the luncheon-testimonial circuit. He welcomed Dr. Lionello Santi, president of Galatea Films of Rome, with a luncheon at which announcement was made of arrangements entered into between Galatea and Embassy for the co-production of three pictures annually for an unspecified number of years. ... A few days later, the "mighty marvel of the movies" as Levine was referred to by toastmaster Robert Preston Tisch on the occasion of the testimonial luncheon tendered by the Associated Motion Picture Advertisers, he found himself on the receiving end. Levine received the plaudits of AMPA because he will come out of 1962 as "the outstanding showman." He highlighted the fact that as an exhibitor (Tisch is chairman of the executive committee of Loew's Theatres) exhibition was proud to salute the productional strides Embassy had made. . . Tisch relayed Levine's assurances to the circuit heads in attendance the welcome news that Embassy right now has 15 features "--in the can and ready for distribution". . . . Levine paid tribute to AMPA's glorious past. He took issue with his competitors v/ho are conducting "--moth-eaten advertising campaigns." He not only spoke of his successful releases, but didn't forget some of the good sized flops that came out of Embassy.