Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1947)

EDITORIAL (Continued from Page 7) -Skelton (Icscivcs belter, -poor treafiiK'Ht. -host of tlic B's. "The Showofl" "Underou rrent" "Undereover Maisie' Musicals : "Holiday in Mexico" — swell cast, trite story. "It Happened in Brooklyn" — a costly flop. "Liviiifj in a Big Way" — poor story. "No Leave, No Love" — good story, disappointing results. On the credit .siV/e: "Lady in the Lake" — good story, good Irealmeiit. "Till the Clouds Roll By"— ditto. "The Yearling" — good story, fair treatment, a disappointment. "The Hucksters"~shades of the old M(;M. It seems to me that MGIM has lost the knack of making good pictures from heginning to end. Whether it's in the story department, writing, dire«tion, or front-office supervision, I don't know, hut there is certainly a vast amount of room for improvement. What with 2()th Century-P'ox on or near the top, RKO showing real progress, Lniversal-International making fine headway, Warners and i'aranu)unt at an even keel — there remains United Artists helow par and, finally, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as the hig flop of the current year. Perhaps an editorial will wake uj) this potentially unsurpassed company to its position. The entire industry suflers when VK^M (lops, and flopping it is, and a pity it is, too. With unlimited resources, excellent star values, a fine selling organization, there is no reason why this company should not l»e right at the very top of the list. I hope you realize that the comments herein are meant to be constructive criticism. Very truly yours, AN OHIO EXHIBITOR. Perhaps if our correspondent reads the reviews on srvcral netv M(,M pictures in this issue he uill find hope that the company is coming out of the woods. The EurroK. MR. WOOD DISSENTS July 29, 1947 My Dear Mo: After rca«ling your Paramount — "Dear Ruth" editorial of July 21sl, I am eonvince<l that you must smoke the same brand of cigarettes as Charlie Reagan. I can verv well appreciate that by spending an extra $2()(),()()() for advertising you will bring more jjeopic to the boxoffic<', but when you go completely overboard with Charlie by backing him up in his statement that it will mean six or eight million dollars in extra business, and that it will be among the y<'ar*s best 10 to LS grossers, there is som<'tbing wrong in (ilocca Morra. It would be enlightening to your readers if in an early issue you would supplement this editorial by another one showing the 1.5 pictures which you believe will even gross six million dollars during the current season. Then if to this we add your lowest estimate, a six million dollar increase. \\v have "D«'ar Ruth" collecting to the extent of twelve million dollars, minimum. And don't forget, send me a package of those cigarettes — quick! Cordiallv vours, P. J. WOOD. Secretary, ITO of Ohio. Apparently you mis-read part of the editorial, T*ete. Mr. Reagan said that Paramount expected a gross of only "a couple of millions" on "Dear Ruth" before they put on the extra publicity campaign. The statistics icere all Mr. Reagan s; we merely quoted them to illustrate the main point that "^/le easiest and, yet, the cheapest way to lick the slump is by using this industry's talent for aggressive shoivmanship" . The Editor. SHORT SUBJECTS (Continued from Page 9) McCreery's, Fifth Avenue department store, the day before the NY opening. Displays will be set up in every store window, every aisle, every elevator. Mort Blumenstock's ballyboys are doing it up brov/n as part of the pre-release publicity inundating the Metropolitan area .. .Allied Artists is blanketing areas where its "Black Gold" is due to open with programs and spots on the airwaves. TICKER TAPPINGS: It is understood that the advertising advisory council, composed of ad-publicity heads of the distributors, is plaiming a nationwide publicity campaign bidding for public good will ... Eagle-Lion's Latin-American branch offices finally got the green light now that a product backlog is insured and Sam L. Seidelman, foreign sales topper, is off to Mexico City on the first leg of his tour to set up the distribution organization down below. The MC office opens Aug. 25, to be followed by exchanges in Cuba, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Colombia, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Panama ... Burt ("Killers") Lancaster is now an independent producer. U-I will release his first inde production and the title certainly keeps the gory baU rolling. It's based on Gerald Butler's novel, "Kiss the Blood Off My Hands" . . . Paramount has set the Dietrich-Milland starrer, "Golden Earrings," for an August 25th tradeshow. . .Mary Pickford has named Sam Dembow, Jr., as worldwide rep for her forthcoming Triangle Productions release through UA, "Sleep My Love." -jir it THE TRAVELERS: Harold Mirisch, v.p. of Allied Artists, returned to Hollywood over the week-end, following prexy Steve SMITH PLAN NATIONWIDE? Since the 20th-P'ox sales plan to help low-grossing and "problem" theatres has worked out satisfactorily in the New Haven testing ground, it is expected that Andy Smith momentarily will announce its adoption on a nationwide basis. The program provides for rentals as low as 15 per cent of the gross in such theatre-,. PREDICTION The on-again-off-again United Artists situation is still in a state of flux, although Joseph Schenck presumably has been chosen as mediator between the Pickford-Chapl;n forces ( if Chaplin agrees ) with autboritty to name a new president for the company. FILM BULLETIN makes this prediction: Tom J. Connors, recently resigned from 20th Century-Fox, will be named president of United Artists within the next two weeks. We said it and we're glad! Broidy's sailing for England last Friday (1st). Broidy is accompanied on his two-month tour of European countries by Norton V. Ritchey, AA International chief... John B. Nathan, Para Int'i division mgr. for Continental Europe, North Africa and Middle East, left for France last Thursday (31) aboard the S. S. Mauretania . .James A. Mulvey, president or Samuel Goldwyn Prods, is back at his NY office after a week's huddle with the Big Boss in TAPS William B. Clemence, 66, veteran newspaper man 'and publicity writer for Columbia, died at his home Tuesday, July 29. Emanuel Steinberg, veteran industryite, most recently a PRC sales representative, was stricken July 29 in Pittsburgh. William H. Wheat, Jr., W. Pa. theatre operator, owner of the Sewickley Theatre, died in Pittsburgh July 30 after a heart attack a year ago from which he never recovered. Ernest MoUison, 52, veteran Texas Showman, in Corpus Christi Hospital, Brownwood, Texas. Sta.nley Chambers, 58, manager of the Essaness Ardmore Theatre, Chicago. Funeral services were held last Thursday (31) at Wichita, Kans. Hollywood. . .Ben Washer, Paramount publicity head, planed to the West Coast last week for studio confabs. A. W. Schwalberg, Eagle-Lion sales chief, returned to the NY home office last Wednesday (30th) .. .Henry A. (Hank) Linet, U-I Eastern Ad manager, is back at his desk after a flyer to Cincinnati .. .John Balaban, president of Balaban & Katz, and chairman of the Chicago Jewish Welfare Fund Drive, emplaned for Palestine last week. 10 FILM BULLETIN