Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1948)

EOlTOfi Vol. 16. No. 16 August 2. 1948 Page Seven THmK IT OVER Ciphers JN this life iie get nothing save by effort: far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the great twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat. — Teddy Roosevelt, BULLETIN FILM BULLETIN— An Independent Motion PIcturs Trada Paper published every other Monday by Film Bulletin Company. Mo Wax. Editor and Publisher. BUSINESS OFFICE: Suite 622, Manufacturers Trust BIdg., 1819 Broadway. New York 23; Circle 6-9159. David A. Bader, Business Manager. Dave Abrams, Editorial Representative. PUBLICATION-EDITORIAL OFFICES: 1239 Vine St., Phila. 7, Pa., RIttenhouse 6-7424; Barney Sttin, Managing Editor; Jack Taylor, Publication Manager; Robert Heath, Circulation Manager. HOLLYWOOD OFFICE: 9126 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood 46. Calif., CRestvlew 5-6489; Sara Salzer, Hollywood Representative. Subscription Rate: ONE YEAR, $3.00 in the United States; Canada, $4.00; Europe. $5.00. TWO YEARS: $5.00 in the United States; Canada, $7.50: Europe, $9.00. WHAT TO EXPECT DF THE STUDIOS The current lioxoffice sickness cannot be attril)uted to any one cause: it is complicated hy a variety of contributing factors from both within and without our industry. We do not have the remedy for the sky-high cost of living that consumes so much of the entertainment money, nor can we halt the advances of competitive deterrents like night baseball and television. But we do knowthat one of the principal causes of the slump has been the dearth of topflight product. W hat we need to ward off boxoffice prostration is a strong dose of good pictures. Where are they coming from? While some of the studios seem unaljle to lift themselves from the rut of the "easy money" era just past, others, happily, arc giving positive indications of coming to life. Let's take a peek into the crystal ball to see what exhiliitors might expect from Hollywood's foremost film plants. Columbia: As our film coast correspondent reports in Studio Size-ups this issue (page 19), there will be small pickin's from this studio. The ratio is about one "A"' picture in twelve releases. Eagle-Lion: This up-and-coming outfit is turning out a money-making brand of melodrama. Stuff like "Raw Deal." "Ruthless" and "Canon City" is playing a merry tune on thousands of boxoffice tills. And look for improvement in quality and name values in the coming months. M-G-M : Like a huge lion that had been slumbering on a full stomach and awoke to find its domain challenged, Leo is shaking ofT the sleep and roaring its might once again. The product these past two months has shown marked improvement. Under the stimulus of the Schary genius, we expect Metro reasserting its leadership of the pack before this year is out. Monogram : The Allied Artists unit is beginning to demonstrate some of its promise. "The Babe Ruth Story" looks like a big money picture; "Panhandle" did a surprising business, and "The Dude Goes West" is really something different in westerns. Paramount: This company has broken out in a rash of good-looking product. Although we do not believe that "The Emperor Waltz" will live up to its first-run grosses in the subsequents, "A Foreign Affair" should, and the lineup of coming releases is impressive. Watch for "Sorry, Wrong Number" to be one of the big clicks of the season. Republic: The most valuable backlog of product in this company's histoiy lays in its vaults. Meanwhile, it goes along turning out the best in westerns and good programmers. RKO Radio: Put a big question mark here. Some of the product Schary left behind, like "Rachel and the Stranger," looks first-rate, but it is impossible to tell what the new Hughes regime will turn out. 20th Century-Fox: For the first half of this year, 20th-Fox was the most consistent of the studios. It furnished a versatile and generally profitable product. The prospects for the balance of 1948 are equally as good. United Artists: Now that the Enterprise product has been taken away from this company, things look darker than ever. The old emphasis on quality no longer prevails here. "Red River" is one bright spot in a welter of inferior stuff. Universal-International: The rumors that U-I is facing financial difficulties is tracea1)lc directly to the studio's tendency for experimenting with so-called "class" product. The sales staff undoubtedly would much prefer some "money" pictures for the masses. "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" will probably out-gross the classy "Mr, Peabody and The Mermaid." Maybe a change in studio management is in order! W arner Bros. : Why W arners ever deserted the policy of making the kind of strong, two-fisted action fare that carried the company to the top is beyond understanding. Now, after a full year's drought, it looks as if they have a real money-maker in "Key Largo," If this can be taken as a cue, look for some improvement here.