Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (Sep 1936 - Dec 1937)

9>tdepettdertf EXHIBITORS FILM BULLETIN N. J. ALLIED CONVENES Opens Today . . . The outstanding annual business and social event of the season for Allied of New Jersey gets under way in Atlantic City today (Wed.), where approximately two hundred exhibitors are expected to gather at the Traymore Hotel. The convention, their 17th, extends through Friday. The officers: Lee Newbury, president; Louis Levin, vice-president; Simon Myers, vice-president; David Snaper, treasurer; Jacob Unger, secretary, and assistant treasurers Edward Lachman and Maurice |. Miller. The Board of Directors: Mark Block, Frank P. Gravatt, Harry K. Hecht, Helen B. Hildinger, W. C. Hum. 1. A. Roth, Louis Rovner, Sidney Samuelson ami Ralph D. Wilkins. The Program . . . WEDNESDAY — September 9 Eastern Regional Directors Meeting Marine Grill, Hotel Traymore, 10.30 A.M. Adjourn for luncheon Meeting resumes at 3.00 P.M. Registration of All Delegates Lower Lobby, Hotel Traymore, 1.3 0 P.M. Bicycle Parade of Bathing Beauties Along the Boardwalk, 2.3 0 P.M. Trade Show Inspection of Exhibits, Marine Grill Foyer Hotel Traymore, 4.00 P.M. Allied Cocktail Party Marine Grill, Hotel Traymore, 6.3 0 to 7.00 P.M. Preliminary Talent Contest, Shou men's Jubilee Steel Pier, 8.3 0 P.M. THURSDAY — September 10 Registration of Delegates, continued Lower Lobby, Hotel Traymore, 10.30 A.M. Open Business Meeting for All Delegates Marine Grill, Hotel Traymore, 2.00 to 5.00 P.M. Ladies'1 Afternoon Boardwalk tour, shopping, and the beach View A.A.U. six-mile ocean swim Annual Banquet Marine Grill, Hotel Traymore, 7.00 P.M. American Beauty Ball Main Ballroom, Steel Pier, 9.3 0 P.M. FRIDAY — September 1 1 Committee Meetings Marine Grill, Hotel Traymore, 10.00 A.M. Open Business Meeting for All Delegates Marine Grill, Hotel Traymore, 11.00 A.M. New Jersey Election of Officers Marine Grill, Hotel Traymore, 2.00 P.M. Boardwalk float Parade 3.15 P.M. An internationally famous event held annually in Atlantic City National Fashion Show Convention Theatre of the Atlantic City Auditorium, 9.00 P.M. A choice seat free to each registered delegate in the reserved Allied section End of the Seventeenth Annual Convention N. Y/s PRICE TILT FAILS 'Early Birds' Stay . . . Several weeks ago a group ot representatives from New York's affiliated and independent circuits met ami agreed to make two minor revisions in their admission price schedule. "Early Bird" matinees were to he eliminated .wnl evening prices to become effective at J. 00 P. M., instead of 6 or 7 o'clock. The plan was to become effective list Friday. I i ul, iv dawned anil crept on to the theatres' opening hour. finding practically all ot the major-operated central city houses 'mi nuiing the same "early bird" prices as had prevailed previously. In a number of cases independents arc known to have kept their part of the bargain and hiked up their opening scales to the regular matinee price. The usual accusation that independents scotched the scheme can not be hurled by the majors this time. Their refusal to cooperate in the future will be justified in view of this failure bv the affiliates to abide by the agreement. Among the houses which did not eliminate the "early bird" price are Loew's State, Capitol, and Mayfair. This company was the leading factor in the drive to revise the city's admission scales. DISHES DOWN, GAMES UP Worked Out . . . For some months now there has been evident in the theatre premium field a trend away from the popularity of dish giveaways and toward games. Even some of the premium dealers, who were formerly reluctant to admit anything but a steady and rapid increase in the number of dishes being dispensed in the nation's theatres, now admit that the volume of this business has passed its peak. Theie are several important factors responsible for this new bent in the public favor. Principal of these is the huge number of d.shes that have been handed to the women patrons over a span of years; more dishes than they bave room to store them. Secondly, whereas the practice originally was intended to bolster the weakest night's gross, or, at the most, two nights', in the past year or two many theatres extended their dish nights to three, four, and even five. Thus, the recipients were glutted with a miscellany of chinaware, crockery, bakeware, glassware, silverware. etc. The scheme was worked out, overdone. Exhibitors at Fault . . . Chief blame for the decline in the value of this potent method of stimulating box-office receipts rests on the shoulders of the very exhibitors who gained most by it. In addition to overworking the idea, many of them disappointed the women by starting a deal and discontinuing it after several weeks, if it did not draw up to expectations. This resulted in a loss of confidence that kept many women from following subsequent deals. Further playing against the dish premium idea was the tendency of some exhibitors to deliberately order less pieces than they required, as a protection against being stuck with overages, and depend on shortage coupons to satisfy the excess. However, this placed the burden on the patron of returning at some later indefinite date to receive the item. Public Likes Chance Element . . . The widespread use and growth in popularity ot the theatre chance games can be attributed to the natural gambling instinct of the general public. While not regarded by law generally as a lottery, the games such as Bank Night. Bango, Lucky, Movie, Screeno, etc., require no skill and depend strictly on the element oi chance. That is what the public likes. The "lotto" games in themselves provide a certain degree ot amusement tor those participating and even those not fortunate enough to win a prize are entertained by them. In addition, there is the tact that every patron, man, woman or child is eligible tor participation, as contrasted to the giveaways "to ladies only." Exhibitors have found that the success ot the games in their theatres varied proportionately with the value ot the prizes. In some cases, between two competing bouses in the same neighborhood, one has made a game eminent!) successful while in the other it has tailed.