The Exhibitor (1959)

41 Years of Service to the Theatre Industry Founded in 1918. Published weekly by Jay Emanuel Publications, Incorporated. Publishing office: 248-248 North Clarion Street, Philadelphia 7, Pennsylvania. New York field office: 8 East 52nd Street, New York 22. West Coast field office: Paul Manning, 8141 Blackburn Avenue, Los Angeles 48, Calif. London Bureau: Jock MacGregor, 16 Leinster Mews, London, W. 2, England. Jay Emanuel, publisher; Paul J. Greenhalgh, general manager; Albert Erlick, editor; M. R. (Mrs. "Chick") Lewis, associate editor; George Frees Nonamaker, feature editor; Mel Konecoff, New York editor; Tom Werner, Physical Theatre and Extra Profits departmental editor; Albert J. Martin, advertising manager; Max Cades, business manager. Subscriptions: S2 per year (50 issues); and outside of the United States, Canada, and Pan-American countries, $5 per year (50 issues). Special rates for two and three years on application. Second class postage paid at Phila¬ delphia, Pennsylvania. Address all official communications to the Philadelphia publishing office. VOLUME 62 • NO. 11 JULY 22, 1959 A WAGE-HOUR LAW COULD BE THE CAMEL S STRAW Anyone who is in even limited contact with small-town theatres, and with neighborhood and subsequent-run theatres in larger cities and towns, knows pretty positively that many continue to fold, while many more are hanging on by the proverbial tooth skin, and hoping for some kind of a “break/ Enlightened chambers of commerce and fellow businessmen on Main Street are buying out Saturday matinees, and doing many other things to keep their small-town theatres alive. Small-town newspapers are editorializing, and are asking their readers to go to a movie regularly as a civic-minded duty. But few such theatres are making a fair profit. Neighborhood and subsequent-run theatres in larger cities and towns get no such intimate help. Some are experimenting with so-called art policies, or intervals of foreign pictures. Others are open only on week-ends, in order to match over¬ head to minimum income. But few if any of these are making a fair profit. Into such a business condition, applying to at least half of the theatre structures in the nation, should current proposals of a $1.25 per hour minimum wage, and overtime bonuses, be applied to theatres, it would precipitate mass closings, or the wholesale firing of ushers, doormen, cleaners, and cashiers. The added burden of such salary increases would be the final straw. The theatres that did not close would be forced to curtail their services in order to stay alive. Thousands of schoolboys and schoolgirls, happy with the minor compensa¬ tion that accompanies little work and the opportunity to see all the “shows ', would be legislated into no income, and the need to pay for their movie tickets. Thousands of doormen would be forced to become cleaners, too, or else. And thou¬ sands of theatres, of the small-town and subsequent-run vari¬ ety, would be operating with the minimum staff of an opera¬ tor, a manager, and a cashier, and nothing more. This is the irreparable harm that the currently proposed wage-hour law could do to theatres, and to the minor person¬ nel that small theatres employ. No actual gain to labor or to the nation’s economy would result. And you ought to tell that to your Senator and to your Congressman. THE 20TH-FOX MERCHANDISING OF "BLUE DENIM" Individually itemized on 13 pages of this issue are 13 indi¬ vidual merchandising aids that the advertising— publicityexploitation men of 20th Century-Fox have put behind that company’s current feature, BLUE DENIM. Most are depar¬ tures from the usual show business thinking, and verge on the psychological. The public’s mind, whether adult or teen¬ age, and whether laborer or professionally trained, is being conditioned to be interested in and to accept a theme that is as daring as it is perfectly tuned to modern living. The merchandising is equally daring. We like the interviews and the study groups. We like the use of radio and TV commentators. And we can recognize the possibilities inherent in a new and particularly lovely young star. But most particularly we like the courage and honesty reflected in their effort to sell a picture on its merits and on its story line, rather than to hide behind some sensa¬ tional catch-phrase or startling situation. No doubt both were there for the grabbing by a less able and less energetic mer¬ chandising crew. With the other pictures on the 20th Centurv-Fox summer schedule, like HOLIDAY FOR LOVERS, BLUE ANGEL, A PRIVATE’S AFFAIR, and OREGON TRAIL, being readied for market at the same time, the off-beat character of this BLUE DENIM approach is a tribute to the versatility and ability of Charlie Einfeld s merchandising team. Congratulations, one and all! TO "PULL" WITH PROFIT, OR TO "HOLD" WITH LOSS In checking over the weekly grosses on 90-some theatres in 10 metropolitan areas during the past six months, some interesting facts turned up. Wherever the theatre had enough product to “pull” a weak grossing picture after an average or a slightly above average week, its term average remained high. The following week, it might have nothing better to book than some horror double bill, or some reissue, but the resultant gross would still be higher than if it had “held” the weak grossing picture for a second week. The fellows who seemed to be suffering were those who got the average or the slightly above average first week and then “held on” in the apparent hope that the pictures would continue at the same level, or build. They never did! NOT FIT TO EXPORT When George V. Allen, director of the U. S. Information Agency was forced by House Appropriations Chairman Rooney recently to divulge the titles of the 82 films that had been rejected as “inappropriate” for showing abroad, he listed a bunch of “B pictures that most theatremen would even agree were inappropriate for showing in their theatres at home. Looking down the list, there were few really firstrate films, and many that angled for violence, sex and cheap sensationalism. Maybe we ought to get Mr. Allen and his staff to “reject ’ much of the junk that is offered to U.S. theatres. Although we can’t understand how MGM’s “SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME” or Warners’ “STORY OF MANKIND” could be considered not worthy “exemplars” of American life and character. As that King of Siam used to say: “ Is a puzzlement!"