Harrison's Reports (1962)

116 HARRISON'S REPORTS July 28, 1962 Theatr e Closings . . . (Continued from Front Page) played the local movie theatre. But, that's part of the game, and deceptivity, no matter how practiced, is considered good business especially in a field so com' petitive as ours. Where is the Solution to Closings? Just where the solution is to halt the steady closing of theatres would take a modern Solomon to answer. Even sages are not economic wizards. If business is bad and bills can't be met, the end cannot be too far away. But, somewhere this tragic problem may find its solution. Somewhere some method of re-financing may be devised whereby borderline cases can be kept going, instead of resorting to the present way out, " closing. As we face the new season that's upon us, (the closing theatre tragedy, " beyond the control of the unfortunate exhibitor himself --) the hope of solution may become the responsibility of both the distributor and the exhibitor associations working together. Not that the exhibitor body, in many sections of the country, isn't trying to do everything possible to stave off the moment when a theatre operator must put up the "Out of business" sign. Problem Requires Sympathetic Thought But, more sympathetic and deeply concentrated thought must be given this problem by all of us. If we can help one theatre out of ten from actually calling it "quits" by giving it a shot-in-the-arm and otherwise help get it on its feet again and continue going, we will have served the film industry well, indeed. Importantly, we will have rendered the exhibitor not only a life-saving service, but we will have prevented the foundation of our business (exhibition) from losing some of its ever-lessening strength. These days we need every ounce of muscle available. A surviving theatre is added sinew to this business of ours no matter in which end of it we may be earning our living. Ailied-COMPO Does Big in Pitts The COMPO Merchandising Plan continues with its impact at the box office wherever the areas are properly exploited. The latest territory to come through with "excellent box office grosses" is Pittsburgh according to a tally by Harry Hendel, Allied-COMPO Coordinator for the area . . . Said Hendel: "Sixty theatres participated. They all enjoyed excellent box office grosses." He explained that it was a real, all-out hard-hitting showmanship campaign. "It included highly exploitable ticketselling accessories, radio, newspapers, etc." . . . The pictures responsible for the grosses in the Pittsburgh Exchange area are, "Lad: A Dog," and "Adventures of the Road Runner." Of the various contests launched to "bring 'em in" was the offer of three pedigreed collie pups. Television helped out on this. "More than 4,000 entries responded," said Hendel. "It was the highlight of our overall promotion." UA9s ""Showcase" .. (Continued from Front Page) It comes at a time when its second attraction "Bird Man of Alcatraz" has ensconsed itself in 1 1 of the 13 theatres. "We almost doubled the first day's box office receipts of 'The Road to Hong Kong' with the second feature's ("Bird Man --") opening day returns," said Arnold M. Picker, UA executive vice president. That "Premiere Showcase" is a success there can be no doubt as results tally up now. That the followup film "Bird Man--" has its box office wallop there can also be no doubt. We rated the Burt Lancaster starrer as very high in entertainment qualities. There were some exhibitors in the "Premiere--" setup who would have liked to see the idea launched with "Bird Man--." ''Premiere—9' Gets Broadway First Run This time the "--Showcase" film begot itself a recognized Broadway first run, the Astor Theatre. There were some theatre operators who didn't look favorably on the designation of the Beacon Theatre as the Broadway first run when "The Road to Hong Kong" got going. The Astor, UA reported, scored a near-record gross with its opening day of "Bird Man-." In the meantime, the industry, - especially the exhibition end of it, - is wondering where UA will move next with its "Premiere Showcase" and its simultaneous first runs in various localities of a greater metropolitan area. The rumor persists, that Chicago is the next objective. But our official UA informant denied that. When we asked him whether his company is going to be content with letting what they termed "a huge success" limit itself to only one territory, - greater New York, - he said that for the time being, that's the way it's going to be. Circuits Disclaim Damage by 'Premiere In the meantime, none of the other chains found reason to complain about the invasion of "Premiere--" on the neighborhood theatre-going pattern. "We haven't noticed any great change at our box offices," said Harry Mandel, president of RKO Theatres, Inc. "We're pushing a little harder, and if there's any business to be got, we'll surely get our share of it." Ernest Emerling, vice president and in charge of advertising and publicity for Loew's Theatres, said that the UA idea hasn't shown up yet adversely in any of their theatres where there's a neighborhood "-Showcase" participant. "We're getting the pictures and we're doing the business," he said. The "Premiere--" simultaneous first-runners are now getting the product in some neighborhoods, that would have ordinarily gone to Loew's. It is expected that when "Judgment at Nuremberg" goes into neighborhood release, the huge circuit may have a change of heart if the "Premiere--" pattern would allow for such an about-turn. The Luxor (Bronx, N. Y.) Theatre went overboard in its praise of the big returns it's getting on "Bird Man of Alcatraz." "We could go 'way beyond our guaranteed three weeks on this one if UA would allow," said the theatre spokesman. "In one Saturday, we did as much as any five week days totaled together," he said.