The Exhibitor (1960)

manager is confident that he will eventually end up with $40,000. 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. The following exchange of correspondence is made public with Mr. Rembusch’s permis¬ sion to show the possibilities in local branch autonomy. From FRANKLIN, IND. Have read your editorial "LOCAL AUTON¬ OMY IS PAYING OFF” in the issue of Feb. 17, I960. In the piece you state that 129 engagements of SOUTH PACIFIC properly paced so that a few theatres, etc. delivered about the same gross as 500 engagements of PEYTON PLACE. Did the 129 engagements include 70mm. engagements? If so, is this a fair comparison? If your statement was based on 35mm. engagements of SOUTH PACIEIC against 35mm. engagement of PEYTON PLACE — I don’t believe it. I don’t believe it for I have knowledge of what spoilage did to SOUTH PACIEIC’S old age 35mm. en¬ gagements in this territory and several other territories. If it did happen I can assure you that it was no criterion for the rest of the country. Additionally, how can you speak of local autonomy in the same breath with SOUTH PACIFIC? I have numerous letters on my desk right now and from personal experi¬ ence Fox’s branch managers’ local autonomy stops when Magna productions are involved. TRUEMAN T. REMBUSCH Based on considerable research and the co¬ operation of Fox personnel, we replied as follows: The territory we have in mind is naturally the one about which we know best, our own Philadelphia one. As a re¬ sult, today I personally inspected the records in the local Fox branch and found we were wrong to the tune of only 126 engagements on South Pacific, showing total billings of $532,350.44, of which only $10,141 of current bill¬ ings stand unpaid. I am assured that this does not include the returns from the two 10mm. engagements in this terri¬ tory, namely at the Midtown in Philaphia and the Virginia in Atlantic City. By comparison a total of 547 en¬ gagements on "PEYTON PLACE” showed total billings of $519,968.47, but included the first runs in Philadelphia and Atlantic City and, in fact, all first runs in the territory. There doesn’t seem to be much question about the clear lead referred to in our editorial. I also checked the "local autonomy” possessed by the local branch manager in regard to "SOUTH PACIEIC” deals and theatres and he tells me that he has yet to have even one deal rejected by Magna or by his home office. At the -inception of this play-off he cleared the manner of play-off with his superiors, tvho in turn cleared it with Magna and it was approved with their ivholehearted support. Now we don’t claim that all Fox branch managers have handled them¬ selves in the same way or have been equally successful with the application of "local autonomy.” We do knotv that some have. It is quite possible that Philadelphia is developing something that has not yet spread to the rest of the country. While checking the above I asked to see other figures and was favored with them. "WOMAN OBSESSED,” starring the Academy Award winner and star of "BEN HUR,” played 342 bookings for gross billings of $37,468. "HOLIDAY EOR LOVERS,” with Clifton Webb and some pretty strong star strength, played 288 bookings for total billings of $32,596. By contrast, "FIVE GATES TO HELL,” a little picture with nobody in it but handled tvith a local saturation hooking, heavily advertised, through TV, radio and newspapers, from a bud¬ get split betiveen Fox and its theatre dates in 251 hookings to date, has hadgross billings of $41,279. Following the same pattern of heavily advertised saturation, "THE ROOKIE” in the first 56 situations only a week ago developed gross billings of $24,000 and the branch From HOLLYWOOD. CAL. I want to thank yoT’ for the wonderful edition you put out on my picture “WAKE ME WHEN IT’S OVER.” It is things like this that will make our industry greater and greater. I consider that you have been the back¬ bone of the industry for many years, and I congratulate you on a job well done. I also want to thank you from the bot¬ tom of my heart for the beautiful scrap¬ book you sent me containing the original letters from the exhibitors. I really appre¬ ciate all of this. MERVYN LEROY Mervyn LeRoy Productions, Inc. Mervyn Le Roy receives handsome scrap-book of exhibitor comments from MPE's Paul Man¬ ning. Seen in the background are some of the Laurel Awards won by the famous pro¬ ducer-director. Our answer brought the following note from Mr. Rembusch: The information you relayed concerning the Philadelphia results on "SOUTH PACI¬ FIC” as compared to "PEYTON PLACE” are amazing, and to the best of my knowledge are unusual. Thank you for going to the trouble of gathering this information and forwarding it to me. My statements concerning ' the breakdown of "local autonomy” as pertains to Magna Productions are based on widespread in¬ formation reaching this desk. It does not con¬ cern the initial terms demanded, it ^does con¬ cern the local Eox branch managers’ in¬ ability to secure firmly indicated adjustment on SOUTH PACIEIC engagements. In such instance the Fox branch manager and top sales echelon of Fox assert that they have no jurisdiction, hence in this instance "local autonomy” is nullified. TRUEMAN T. REMBUSCH EDITOR’S NOTE: It seems to us that there is no reason why the Philadelphia story can’t be repeated elsewhere with the same aggressive showmanship. From ORWICSBURC, PA. Quite recently I read a review or an opinion that really rubbed my fur the wrong way! The picture in question is a block-buster and the person writing the article said it gave rise to "fitting profanity.” We all know that profanity stems from a shallow vocabulary. When we hear it from the screen it places one in the grog-shop class where profanity runs rampant. Is it not enough that kids and decent adults must hear ; it on the street corners? It seems we now must i pay to hear it from motion pictures! So we now read about "fitting profanity” | in pictures. It’s just too bad we have sunk to such a low level pushing us faster into the ® inevitable gutter! A. H. EDWARDS Orpheum Theatre From BROOKLYN, N. Y. Merci beaucoup for your kind note and your publication’s generous and gracious ges¬ ture in welcoming baby Patrick Aumont to the American film fold. When I showed your letters and the clipping to Jean Pierre Aumont, his spontaneous comment was "How sweet.” Like any other proud parent, our Parisian honorary was delighted that his son should be honored so soon by a clipping from the trade press. Since this should surely be a scrap¬ book item for not only JPA but for his father who lives in N.Y., as well as for our club, is there any way in which we might purchase several more copies? It’s an item worth keep¬ ing from our sentimental viewpoint. The American press has always been most cordial to M. Aumont, and he has been ap¬ preciative. We, too, are most grateful for your display of good will toward our Gallic favor¬ ite, and to fan clubdom. The next club convention is due in October, in Detroit, and for the record, so is Aumont’s new play, only in March much to the Con¬ vention’s disappointment. CAY McGOWAN ' Jean Pierre Aumont Fan Club EDITOR’S NOTE: Pasdequoi!