The Exhibitor (1959)

in the years ahead greater concentration of advertising through this medium will take place. It is very possible that what we have in the past considered our arch economic enemy will eventually turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Accomplishment And Opportunity JACK L. WARNER, president, Warner Bros. The year 1959 has been one of gratifying progress for the motion picture industry, and speaking for Warner Bros., I am con¬ fident that progress will continue through 1960 and the years ahead. Accomplishment and opportunity are the two words which in my mind sum up the review of the past and the outlook for the future. Especially noteworthy during 1959 was the emergence of bright new personalities who show promise of becoming stars of the future. Many of those young players will, I am con¬ fident, be real boxoffice attractions in 1960. The record of the past speaks for itself, however. And while it is pleasing to look back upon progress, it is more rewarding to look ahead to new opportunities. Our Warner Bros, policy is to keep our sights and our enthusiasm directed to the future. In our program for 1960 and beyond we find exciting stimulus for the upbeat spirit which prevails throughout the world-wide Warner Bros, organization. The story is and always has been the foundation of any successful motion picture, and at no time in our past have we had so many great story properties completed and ready for release, in production or in various stages of preparation. All of these productions will be brought to the screen by players of top stature including a significant number of the talented newcomers who earned their star status in 1959. It is on the strength of this program and not upon wishful thinking that we base our confidence in a continuing bright future for motion pictures in the days to come. Financial, Artistic Renaissance STANLEY KRAMER, independent producer After a number of false starts since the end of the war, the motion picture industry is finally undergoing a financial and artistic renaissance. Exhibitors tell me that 1959 has been the best year in a long time— and that they look forward to 1960 with new optimism. This feeling of optimism also prevails in Hollywood. But it would be a mistake to face the new year with optimism as our only arrow. We must also be armed with a determination to continue the pace we have set and even to surpass it. The film resurgence of this past year has been based on outstanding product. Now, more than ever before, it can be truly said that “movies are better than ever.” I don’t think anyone can quarrel with the belief that 1959’s quota of memorable pictures far exceeds that of any other year in Hollywood’s history. We have made tremendous strides in this year— so tremendous that it is pointless to list individually the great films that have come out of Hollywood. And with this production record behind us, we are moving on to new heights in the cinematic art and business. As great as 1959 has been, 1960 will be greater. One has only to look at the pictures awaiting release and the pictures now in pro¬ duction to realize that Hollywood will achieve new greatness in the year ahead. It has been customary in previous years to indulge in glorious prophecies of better times ahead. Everyone knew, in the last few years, that this was a form of self-delusion. This is no longer true. The year 1959 will probably be the best in Hollywood’s his¬ tory. On the basis of the evidence now assembled, 1960 will be even better. Selective Mass Entertainment CHARLES BRACKETT, producer-writer 1959 has been a year of renewed promise for the motion picture industry. It was the year, I feel sure, that saw the turning point —when the public, at long last, began to accept movies anew as the finest of all selective mass entertainment media, and started to resume the habit of looking to the big screen for the best and most varied of divertissements. The tangible reasons for the public’s renascence of interest in motion pictures are not hard to find. The big studios— and many independent companies as well— embarked on a de¬ termined program of quality for their product; distributors loosened the purse strings on budgets for advertising and pro¬ motion; and the exhibitor has displayed a return of confi¬ dence and enthusiasm by undertaking programs of theater renovation, and installation of the latest and best in projec¬ tion and sound equipment. Of the intangible reasons, perhaps television (please pardon the expression) has been an unwitting ally of our industry. It is not hard to believe that a surfeit of westerns, privateeyes, “specials” which are far less than special by movie standards, and dire commercial exhortations for patented unguents, balms and nostrums, has at last awakened the public to the advantages of selecting their entertainment for an evening and sticking with it instead of accepting the fare that is arbitrarily heaped upon them by the electronic tube. In any event, the results have been most heartening. During the past six months the number of paid admissions per week at the nation’s boxoffices has risen by several millions— the first sustained rise in many years. Since success traditionally breeds success, and since every studio and production company has prodigious plans for top quality product during the next 12 months, I must predict that 1960 will be the industry’s best year in more than a decade and that the rising trend will continue into many of the years to follow. More Than A Cog In A Wheel OTTO PREMINGER, independent producer-director Prognosticating the future always car¬ ries certain risks, but it is probably safe to predict that 1960 will be a good year for the film business. The attendance curve seems to point upwards; the quality of the pictures scheduled for release is impres¬ sive and, certainly, there has been an up¬ surge of industry enthusiasm which in turn has been reflected in the merchandising activity of the distributors. But the success of an individual picture, or of the entire business, for that matter, rests on the concept of teamwork and of active collaboration among all branches of the industry. A picture has to be well made, it has to be efficiently distrib ( Continued on page 62) December 23, 1959 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 59