The Exhibitor (1959)

August 12, 1959 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 9 Local Autonomy Wows ' Fox's "Diary" Outgrosses "Peyton" In Sub-Runs As Special Campaign Proves Branch Head Knows Best By AL ERLICK PHILADELPHIA — Local autonomy was little more than a nice phrase some months ago as 20th-Fox announced that they were taking home office shackles off their branch managers. Exhibitors had long complained that much of the hard feeling between them and distribution resulted from all decisions coming from New York, and problems of a local nature being mishandled at the home office level. So Alex Harrison of Fox asserted a belief in the concept of local autonomy, gave man¬ agers the power to make important decisions involving their own territories, and settled back to watch developments. It seems that they unleashed a potent force. Just how potent was dramatically illustrated last week as Diary of Anne Frank,’’ a fine pioduction but with a spotty commercial background, limped into 27 sub-run Phila¬ delphia situations, and emerged less than 48 hours later as a boxoffice giant of amazing proportions. Why did this picture, loaded with real quality but a disappointment in situation after situation all over the country, suddenly “crock the people” in Philadelphia? The magic lies in those same two words, “local auton¬ omy.” Sam Diamond represents 20th-Fox in Philadelphia, and the entire territory agrees that no branch manager ever knew his area better. This knowledge of his customers and his public, coupled with the insight that comes only from experience, convinced him that there was real appeal in “Diary” if properly sold. Having booked the film simultaneously in¬ to 27 sub-run houses, Diamond convinced the exhibitors involved to contribute to a special advertising campaign the unheard of sum of $100 each (unheard of for sub-runs, at least). This $2,700 was matched by Dia¬ mond, creating an advertising kitty of $5,400. Of this sum, $4,500 was earmarked for speci¬ ally prepared newspaper ads prior to playdate and during the run, and the remaining $900 was spent on the teen-agers’ favorite radio station in Philly, WIBG. The newspaper ads concentrated on the tender love story and strong human elements in the drama, on suspense and laughter, as much a part of the story as tragedy and heartbreak. The radio station devoted as much free time to plugging the film as it did prepared ad copy, and the huge newspaper campaign carried the “Diary” message to the entire family, based on material created by Fox ad boss Charles Einfeld and his department. Diamond and ad manager Hal Marshall had done all they could. The rest was up to the public. They responded handsomely, and the box office score accompanying this article proves it. In theatre after theatre, grosses were reported that set local industryites on their respective ears. “Diary” was outgrossing the record-shattering ‘“Peyton Place,” and by wide margins. Such is the power of local autonomy, no longer an industry question mark. A branch manager with faith in his picture and ex¬ hibitors with faith in a local executive who "DIARY" BOX SCORE Comparison of grosses where available for first and second days of Philadel phia sub-run engagements of “ Diary of Anne Frank” and “Peyton Place” Theatre "Diary" "Peyton" Airport D-I 499 409 518 340 Anthony Wayne 546 420 414 267 Bandbox 379 270 263 266 Benson 368 472 205 450 Bucks Co. D-I 233 258 City Line 1261 1017 1390 831 College-Southern 453 168 Ellis 577 447 370 341 Esquire 1141 322 813 457 Iris 400 519 Keswick 790 498 600 427 Media 400 235 243 220 Regal 467 344 321 279 69th St. 652 310 517 306 Ardmore 725 562 600 403 Waverly 627 376 443 359 knew them and their problems, as well as their possibilities, had performed a miracle. But like most miracles, it came as a result of hard work, experience, and mutual re¬ spect. The whole story reads like fiction, but the cold figures in the box score are fact. If the motion picture industry could turn all the energies expended in bickering, mutual suspicion, and petty tirades into similar di¬ rections, such facts could be the rule instead of the shining exception. It kinda makes one wonder. Md. Allied Unit Protests Formation of TOA Group BALTIMORE, MD.— The Allied Theatre Owners of Maryland last fortnight pro¬ tested to George Kerasotes, president, Theatre Owners of America, over the licensing of a Maryland unit of TOA. Meyer Leventhal, president, ATOM, said, “A maximum dis-service to the in¬ dustry in general has been done by TOA setting up a competitive organization in Maryland . . . and adding a second voice and opinion to the now unified voice and opinion of Maryland exhibitors on a local and state-wide civic and judicial basis.” He asked that TOA review the situation without delay with a view of eliminating “this unnecessary additional organization.” Em In Philly ' Paper War Renewed Between Allied, TOA WASHINGTON — Evidently motivated by the alleged invansion of its territory by the formation of a TOA unit in the Maryland area, Allied States Association of Motion Pic¬ ture Exhibitors last week issued a bulletin attacking the alleged “extravagant” claims of Theatre Owners of America on practically every industry issue of the day. Allied takes issues with TOA for claiming to be exhibition’s “most potent mouthpiece.” Allied, likewise, take umbrage to TOA’s claims that it has “militantly opposed toll-tv in all its forms,” claiming that it was Allied who was first to see the danger of toll -TV and that it was in response to an invitation sent by it to the other exhibitor organiza¬ tions that the Joint Committee on Toll-TV was organized in 1954. Issue is also taken by Allied on TOA’s claims to be acting “to revise the consent decrees to eliminate the restrictive laws which are preventing us from helping our¬ selves”; that TOA “secured from all major distributors a pledge of more orderly release of films to end the holiday glut and rest-ofthe-year famine”; and TOA’s claims that by joining it an exhibitor can contribute to the “fight” to prevent the film companies from releasing post-’48 films to TV. Allied further argues with three other TOA claims: that “exhibitors join TOA to help carry through on the all-industry adver¬ tising campaign to insure that it benefits the grass -root operator as well as the key city theatres”; that TOA will “push” for an all¬ industry arbitration system; and that “TOA plans to maintain constant liaison with Wash¬ ington,” retorting that it is Allied who leads in these issues. Thus the uneasy peace that has existed in recent months between the two leading ex¬ hibitor organizations comes to an end, and the “paper” war of claims and charges, counter-claims and counter-charges, enters a new phase. Berger, Niles At Allied Meet CINCINNATI — Rube Shor, chairman, Allied Ohio Valley indoor and outdoor the¬ atre convention, announced that two well known Allied leaders are coming out of re¬ tirement to appear and speak at the Allied Ohio Valley meeting Sept. 15-16, at the Sheraton-Gibson Hotel here. Benjamin Berger, North Central Allied, and Charles Niles, Allied of Iowa-Nebraska, will be attending their first convention since their respective retirements because they feel that the present industry conditions are so bad that the future of the independent motion picture exhibitor is in grave danger. Shor also announced that Ted Lewis will be the featured entertainer at the banquet. AB-PT Sets Dividend NEW YORK — Leonard H. Goldenson, presi¬ dent of American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres, Inc., announced last week that the board of directors declared the third quart¬ erly dividend of 25 cents per share on the outstanding common stock and 25 cents per share on the outstanding preferred stock of the corporation, payable Sept. 15 to holders of record on Aug. 21.