Motion Picture Herald (Apr-Jun 1931)

June" 13, 1931 MOTION PICTURE HERALD 17 NEW SELLING SEASON IS WEDGE ON PROTECTION AND RELEASE JAM Patron Good Will and Friendship Paramount in Effective Exploitation FROM FOX'S THE LAST WORD EXPLOITATION stunts that outwardly smack of good showmanship, and that apparently achieve their primary object in the way of arousing patron interest and curiosity, may ofttimes do the theatre more harm than good. If a stunt pulled in connection with any picture leaves a bad taste In the mouths of those whom it affects, that bit of exploitation has failed in Its purpose despite the amount of attention It focuses on the picture. The theatre manager who strews "dead man dummies" about his lobby to advertise the "X marks the spot" theme of his current ganster picture fails to take Into consideration the finer sensibilities of his women patrons. Likewise, a negative value is often achieved in the use of letter writing to patrons comnr>only resorted to by managers In calling attention to current and coming attractions. In exploiting pictures centered around the theme of domestic triangles, there have been instances where managers have sent "teaser" letters to husbands or to wives, supposedly written and signed by some unknown paramour, and vaguely referring In the body of the love missile to the picture. In the majority of Instances, this reference to the picture has been so vague as to foster suspicions and III feelings in families where the letters have appeared. When the stunt was unclothed, the reactions of patrons In many instances have not been the best in the way of sponsoring good will and friendly feeling toward the manager and the theatre. These are but two of innumerable instances where the manager may unintentionally offend his patrons by such hoaxes. In every Instance, the good showman carefully weighs In his mind each proposed stunt, and Its effects, and only carries It out after he is definitely decided that it conforms to the paramount consideration of patron good will and friendship. Ufa to Sponsor Only Key Houses To Exhibit 20 German Versions Own Circuit of 200 Theatres Denied — Expansion Plans Await Fall With 20 Features Available Reports that Ufa-Film will build up a circuit of between 200 and 300 theatres in the United States are unfounded. The American branch of the German company will, however, sponsor a string of "show" houses in each of the principal key cities, where all-German versions will be screened, similar to the initial experiment at the Ufa-Cosmopolitan in New York. No expansion plans will be considered until Fall, after which Ufa's headquarters in Germany will make available for the American circuit 20 of its oroposed 40 features for 1931-32 series. There will be few, if any, simultaneous showings because of cost of extra prints. Showing in the company's own circuit here will mark the end of American distribution for the German group of 20, although for next season Ufa will have in addition a minimum of eight English versions for {Continued on page 27 ) Report Gaumont Is Planinng Radical Organization Shift Gaumont-P. C. T. is believed contemplating a radical rearrangement of the present theatre control system. The company owns approximately 200 houses in England. It is expected that A. F. Moss, no.w London inspector, will control the London and Southwest houses ; E. H. Lundy, present controller, will handle the Midlands and North ; and Scotland will be under G. Luxton, at present in the statistical department. Ad Federation In Session; Sponsored Reel Talks Out The Advertising Federation of America will meet in New York, beginning Sunday, in annual convention. Because of the recent decision of major companies, including Paramount, Fox and Warners, to refrain from further use of ad films in company theatres, it is believed unlikely that the sponsored reel will come in for as much discussion as at first planned. Exhibitors Hope to End Special Privileges Chicago Exhibitors Ask Advance for Subsequent Runs When B & K Waives Loop Protection Controversies over protection and release which have raged in Chicago all spring are slated to be ironed out by exchanges and exhibitors as the selling of new product gets under way this summer. Situations of a particularly controversial nature, which have been an irritation to distributors for weeks and are due for settlement when new contracts are written up, involve the Pantheon, Vogue and Sheridan on the central north side ; the Howard, Norshore and Ridge on the far north, and the Symphony and West End on the west. Other situations involving less obstinate claims than the foregoing are also due for settlement before the new playing season opens. Objection to the Balaban & Katz practice of waiving Loop protection in favor of its own pre-release houses, and thereby permitting those theatres to play two to four weeks earlier without corresponding benefit to subsequent run houses, is also expected to bring about the cessation of that policy in the near future. Both local exhibitor associations are demanding that subsequent run houses be advanced a corresponding period whenever Balaban & Katz waives Loop protection and plays pictures in its "A" houses immediately after the Loop. B & K is unwilling to advance release schedules ; consequently, the supposition is that the circuit will abandon the practice rather than chance being forced to submit to earlier releases for the subsequent runs if the policy is persisted in. Objections also have been voiced to Balaban & Katz juggling of double feature release dates so that pictures double featured at the Granada and Marbro immediately after the Loop were not made available for simultaneous double featuring in subsequent houses. The maneuvering is accomplished by the circuit demanding of exchanges different release dates for whatever two pictures played the same program at either the Granada or Marbro. Thus two pictures double featured at the Granada or Marbro would not be available in the same week for double featuring by subsequent houses, and a comparable duplication of Granada and Marbro programs was made impossible. Abolishing of double featuring on a citywide scale by August 1, as now seems almost a certainty, will obviously eliminate this grievance. Turnstile Houses for H-F Hughes-Franklin has announced plans for a new automat theatre in Hollywood, with four others in prospect.