The Exhibitor (1966)

The Trade Paper Read by Choice— Not by Chance Founded in 1918. Published weekly except first issue in January and first issue in September by Jay Emanuel Publications, Incorporated. General offices at 317 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107. Publishing office at 10 McGovern Ave., Lancaster, Pa. 17604. New York field office: 1600 Broadway, Suite 604, New York 10019, West Coast field office: William M. Schary, 818 S. Curson Ave., Los Angeles, Calif., 90036, London Bureau: Jock MacGregor, 16 Leinster Mews, London, W. 2, England. Jay Emanuel, publisher and gen. mgr.: Albert Erlick, editor; George Frees Nonamaker, feature editor; Mel Konecoff, New York editor; Albert J. Martin, advertising manager; Max Cades, business manager. Subscriptions: $2 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. Single copy 25f. Second class postage paid at Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Ad¬ dress all official communications to the Philadelphia offices. Telephone: Area Code 215, WAInut 2-1860. CHANGING ADDRESS? Please send old and new address. If possible include address portion of old mailing wrapper. Volume 76 • No. 5 September 14, 1966 Our 48th Year A WISH ON ALADDIN’S LAMP Every youngster would love to trade places with Aladdin. Remember those childhood dreams of a wishing ring or a magic lamp and the genie who would grant every wish? You never found the magic lamp, and all too soon you were an adult. You're a little more cynical and you have learned to take promises with a grain of salt. Think back to when product was plentiful. How many times did a salesman call peddling his film wares only to be met with “no sale.” Finally, to help the salesman keep his job, the exhibitor relented and bought from him. The pledges of gratitude and the promises of future favors were enough to melt the hardest heart. Then came the product shortage— and how things have changed. Mr. Exhibitor is lucky now if he gets an occasional phone call offering a picture at a price he can’t afford for terms that are as realistic as Aladdin’s lamp. The salesman who used to cry the blues now considers himself a business genius. One film company (who shall remain nameless for obvious reasons) recently had the “chutz-pah” (that means gall) to offer a reissue at top terms for a two week booking. If it didn’t come at a time when product was practically non-existent, it would be funny. As a matter of fact, when the film was originally released, it was sold to the film company’s own theatre department (before divorcement) for a week’s show¬ ing at terms that any exhibitor would go for. Those were great deals in those days. Often, if the film was held over, it A PLACE he shady profession of espionage has always fascinated a large audience. The incredible success of James Bond and his many followers and imitators is proof of that. Each age and each civilization had its spies, from Biblical days to the present. Nations and leaders have always considered espionage a potent weapon and spies a necessary instrument of warfare or diplomacy. Some spies hide under the guise of gentlemen. The presence of spies breeds counterspies, and sometimes it’s impossible to ascertain who is spying on whom. Spies and spying, therefore, are accepted as part of life — a fascinating and shadowy world of intrigue. Some spies are glorified by their fellow men and by history, but on occasion it is a dirty rather than a glamorous game. When it takes place among friends or in business, it ceases to be entertaining, amusing, or commendable. The motion picture industry, unfortunately, suffers from an overdose of business espionage. When one exhibitor sits in a meeting with his fellow theatremen and agrees to certain practices designed to benefit all, and then betrays his “friends” would be “gratis” for subsequent weeks. This same film company ran into corporate difficulties some time back and appealed for exhibitor aid and support. Theatremen rallied to the cause, but today the cry is “What have you done for me lately?” This isn’t an isolated case. It’s happening all the time. We recall helping to sponsor a going-away banquet for a branch manager who was not too popular with his customers. He had a habit of telling competing theatremen about each other’s bids to drive the price of film higher and higher. It couldn’t happen in any other industry, but it’s common practice in the motion picture industry with some people. Tricky sales policies and unfair practices seem to be con¬ tagious. They sweep from one film company to another. Es¬ tablished patterns of run and clearance are dirty words today. Mr. Distributor, would you like to operate a threatre today in this jungle? Recently, we carried a detailed account of film buying and selling policies in England as explained by MPE London editor to publisher Jay Emanuel. One thing it proved is that these problems are not necessarily world-wide in scope. The jungle seems to be an American invention exclusively. Else¬ where, there appears to be a measure of mutual respect. If American exhibitors could rub Aladdin’s magic lamp and make a wish, they wouldn’t ask for a miracle. What they want and need most is a return to business sanity and ethical behavior, and they shouldn’t need magic for that. FOR SPIES for a quick buck, he is worthy of nothing but contempt. How many times have you attended a meeting supposedly “off the record” or “confidential,” only to discover that the news has been leaked before you got back to your office. Only recently, a group of theatremen met and agreed on certain matters pertaining to the advertising of a forthcoming film. Before the dust had cleared, two members of the group walked out on the agreement they had endorsed. In the movies, spies are often intelligent and unselfish. In real life, they may well act stupidly and for selfish reasons only. Fortunately, most such “espionage” experts are exposed and seldom given a chance to sting their “friends” again, but the atmosphere of suspicion and distrust which they help to create lingers after them. A man without ethics is a man without moral principles. A wise teacher once said, “ Show me a liar and I’ll show you a thief.” Spying in the motion picture industry results in sus¬ picion among friends and sets competitors at each other’s throats. Spying is great fun on the screen. Let’s leave it there.