The Exhibitor (1959)

February 25, 1959 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 7 UNSOLICITED • The letters from readers which appear on this page are not solicited. MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR does not suggest questions to readers in order to provide a flow of letters. From LONDON, ENGLAND I think the efforts of MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR to encourage exploitation are most praiseworthy indeed, and it has given me great satisfaction to observe the interest our Managers are taking in the possibility of obtaining recognition for their campaigns in your feature "EXPLOITATION” section. D. J. GOODLATTE, Manager-Director, Associated British Cinemas, Ltd. EDITOR'S NOTE : While more than 100 important theatre circuit executives are now busy judging the FIVE BEST exploitation campaigns for 1958, a brand new 1959 contest is being recorded with each every-second-week edition of the separate EXPLOITATION supplement. Each of these contests will have its own $1000 in prizes — plus a handsome ACHIEVEMENT CITATION for the office wall of each manager who has a campaign published. From SPRINGHILL, NOVA SCOTIA, CAN. I am particularly interested in the recent accomplishment of the reported merger of the various exhibitor associations in the U S. A. into the one strong American Congress of Exhibitors (A.C.E. ), for the mutual benefit of all. As president of the Maritime Motion Pic¬ ture Exhibitors Association of the Maritime Provinces: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland; and also as an executive officer of the Motion Picture Industry Council of Canada, I would like very much to be placed on the mailing list of your C.O.M.P.O., and on that of your A.C.E., so that I may receive copies of all bulletins, reports of annual meetings, etc. Won’t you carry this request to the atten¬ tion of the proper authorities. A. J. MASON, President, Maritime M.P. Exhibitors Assn. EDITOR'S NOTE : Done! And such an exchange of information between friendly neighbors should be helpful to all. From BROOKLYN, N. Y. During my recent illness, the pink RE¬ VIEWS sections from MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR were brought to me at the hospital, and somehow or other I seem to have lost pages 4541 to 4544 from the issue of Dec. 10, 1958. Could you please duplicate this section so that my file will remain complete? I have every copy since April, 1955, when I took over this theatre, and I find them an inval¬ uable reference. Thanks for a swell job! AL KLEIN, Eth-Lee Amusements, Inc. Rogers Theatre EDITOR S NOTE: The particular sec¬ tion has been forwarded. We’re happy you are again back on the job. From STAYTON, ORE. As a faithful weekly reader of MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR, I would like to add my bit on how to get this business back on its feet. Enclosed find the Feb. 5 issue of our local newspaper, THE STAYTON MAIL, the feature front-page story in which is my having been chosen as Senior Citizen of the Year. This is our answer to the best way to promote the local theatre, and it brings lots of good publicity and good will to the theatre. We work hard at all civic and church functions, and our people reciprocate by staying with us in a social as well as in a business way. We definite.1'/' are here to stay, TV or no TV, if we have good clean pictures, good clean theatres, coupled with good friendly public relations. I just thought I’d let your trade paper know how Stayton was doing. M. VAN DRIESCHE, Owner Star Theatre EDTLOR'S NOTE: To use the news¬ paper's words: " The letter of endorse¬ ment mentions (MR. VAN DRIESCHE’ s) activity in the various civic organiza¬ tions and the fact that he has taken an active part in the Lions Club, the Chamber of Commerce, fire department, etc., and has worked continually for civic betterment.’’ To have your local townsmen and theatre customers regard you so highly is an accomplishment indeed. Congratulations to a first-string showman. separate, saveable, pink REVIEWS part in this Issue. You'll find MORE reviews . . . and MORE FACTUAL reviews . . . than in any other paper. \ 448 Features in 1958. / Other papers had only I 372, 377, and 317 each. \ SEE FOR YOURSELF! From PHILADELPHIA, PA. I think you may be interested in this little incident reported in one of our church papers regarding a pastor’s embarrassment. It is clipped from the Rev. Fred B. Ackley’s PAR¬ ISH PAPER, published by Woodbury Union Church, Presby., Conimicut, R. I. Here it is: " The parson owes the congregation an explanation, which, somewhat red-faced, he makes. The moving-picture 'MARK OF THE HAWK' teas a marvelous picture, and almost everything I said about it was true. The one thing that was not true was that it would be around for awhile. The very day after l made an impassioned plea for people to see the picture it was replaced with another, so that people who trotted down to see ’MARK OF THE HAWK' found instead Brigitte Bardot in ’AND GOD CREATED WOMAN.' Our ever optimistic secretary said brightly the next day, ’Maybe they didn't remember the name of the picure you mentioned and, with a title like that, thought you were recommending the latter.’ ” Pax Vobiscum! JOHN CHARLES WYNN, Presbyterian Life, A Journal of Protestant Christianity. EDITOR'S NOTE: Just another exam¬ ple that "virtue is its own reward,” but often it is not very rewarding at the boxoffice. It is our feeling that the local theatreman wasn't alert to the help he was getting from the neighborhood pulpit; or, as a businessman, be would have held "HAWK” another day. From MOREHEAD CITY, N. C. Do you have, or can you suggest where 1 may obtain, some really worthwhile informa¬ tion and data that could be used as news¬ paper editorials, newspaper stories of public interest, or other material that the general public would like to read about motion pic¬ tures, motion picture stars, the motion picture industry, etc? I have been writing a column for our local newspaper and I am running out of material to write about. Any information you can give me will be appreciated. ODIS J. MORROW, Manager Morehead City Theatres EDITOR'S NOTE: With an exception or two, the publicity departments of all eight national distributors, plus such in¬ dividual companies as Disney, Goldwyn, N.T.A., Rank, D. C.A., etc., still service the newspaper columnists, feature edi¬ tors, radio and TV columnists, etc., ivith current topical "hand-outs.” You’ll need to use your own judgment on what is, and what is not, of interest to your local readershi p; but such " hand-outs ” will certainly provide plenty of source material. Want a list of names and ad¬ dresses to write to? From VALDOSTA, GA. God grant me the serenity to accept those things I cannot change, the ability to change those that I can, and the wisdom to differ¬ entiate the two. J. D. BROWN, Owner Sky-Way Drive In Theatre EDITOR'S NOTE: Hm-m-m! The way we heard it, it was credited to Alcoholics Anonymous and went: "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change those l can, and the uisdorn to know the difference.” From WHEATON, MINN. Please keep pounding away at the plight of the small town theatre. I like your trade journal fine. Especially the condensed reviews. JAMES P. GOGGIN, Owner Gopher Theatre