Motion Picture Herald (Apr-Jun 1933)

18 MOTION PICTURE HERALD June 3, 1933 RADIO SPONSORS' "STAY HOME" PLEA WIDENS BREACH WITH EXHIBITORS Theatre Men Protest Commercial Advertisers' Appeal in Newspaper Ads and Broadcasts To Listen In at Home The competitive breach between radio and motion pictures as entertainment factors has been widened by a new radio campaign through which the sponsors of important programs appeal to the public to stay at home for their entertainment. For several months past the radio is said to have made severe inroads upon box-office receipts due to general business conditions, plus the fact that the networks have been employing the services of nationally-known stage and screen stars such as Eddie Cantor, Ed Wynn, Jack Pearl, Kate Smith, Bing Crosby and many others. Exhibitors have complained that persons who in normal times attend the motion picture theatre have stayed at home to listen in. The radio, therefore, built up new and vast audiences. Suggest Listeners Stay Home Now, sponsors of national programs are requesting radio listeners to stay at home on certain nights to listen to specified programs. The 17,000,000 homes in the United States possessing radio receiving sets are being told, both by newspaper advertising copy and in commercial broadcasts, to take their entertainment from the air. With such large commercial advertisers as the Gulf Refining Company, with its persuasive Will Rogers, asking the public to remain in their homes to listen to free music, free comedy and entertainment, the theatre man has a new problem to unravel. The Gulf company's advertisement is typical of many. Many exhibitors have been asked whether attendance fell off to any appreciable degree on nights when some particular screen or stage star was on the air and, with but few exceptions, the reply has been that while such a condition was distinctly noticeable they felt that any falling off would eventually be counteracted by playing a picture in which the star of the air appeared. This might apply to films in which Cantor, Kate Smith, Bing Crosby, Pearl, Wynn, Rudy Vallee, Stoopnagle & Budd, the Marx Brothers, Morton Downey, Paul Whiteman, and scores of others appear. Many theatre men, independent exhibitors and circuit heads alike, have expressed the opinion that the entire situation might be improved by an arrangement with broadcasting companies whereby such players as those mentioned would not "appear" between 6 and 10 p. m. To this, however, it was pointed out that the broadcasters are not likely to consent, as these hours mean as much to them and to the sponsors as they do to the theatre man. Another factor of which exhibitors have complained is the free admission of prospective theatre customers to broadcasting studios when the "big names" are on the air. Thousands cram the studios of both Columbia and National Broadcasting Company in New York, not only on Sundays, but every night. The same is true elsewhere. In a few sections exhibitors have at tempted to alleviate the situation by amplifying broadcasts, interrupting their regular program to give patrons the air performances which might otherwise cause the customers to remain at home. Theatres have advertised this extra attraction and, in some instances, the result has been gratifying. Theatre leaders in New York, however, do not believe this practice will completely solve the exhibitors' troubles. "Advertising which asks people to stay at home to listen to specified programs will raise havoc with theatre attendance," Sam Dembow, Jr., Publix executive, said this week. "It has been bad enough before this new departure, and under present conditions it is practically impossible to do anything about it. Competition with interests paying large sums of money to artists for fifteen or thirty minutes on the air is out of the question for us. Our only hope is to come to some definite understanding with the broadcasters whereby their stellar attractions will be kept off the air when we are trying to draw patrons into our theatres. This, however, is not likely." Mr. Dembow also said that while it is possible in some measure to combat the situation by prohibiting film artists under contract from accepting broadcasting engagements during those film contracts, the radio has built up a sufficiently powerful array of names who are radio stars in their own right to make such procedure almost meaningless. Franklin Doubts Wide Effect Harold B. Franklin, RKO theatre executive, said that while he believed the radio to a certain extent has kept patrons out of theatres, it has not had the devastating effects which the theatre man attributes to it. "Exhibitors should worry more about what daylight saving time and baseball are doing to theatre attendance at this time than they should about the radio," he said. "Cases in which the average broadcast hurt theatre attendance are very few and far between." Martin Beck, former RKO executive, said he was not sufficiently familiar with the situation to discuss it, and Monroe Greenthal, in charge of United Artists' exploitation, said the radio has been an asset rather than a liability. Mr. Greenthal pointed out that "plugging" of songs from films has been one of the greatest selling points for those pictures, but he agreed that this applied only to musical pictures which, to quote Mr. Franklin, "are very few and far between," nor are all exhibitors in a position to book pictures which will draw any benefit from such radio "plugging." Ten years ago the novelty of the radio made some inroads on theatre receipts, but after the novelty wore off there was little or no direct influence upon theatre grosses by broadcasting. Now the problem has rearisen in a new dress. Rudulph Brewers' Publicity Head Gerald K. Rudulph, director of advertising and publicity for RCA Photophone for the past three years, has resigned to become director of advertising and sales promotion for the Schreiber Brewing Co., Buffalo. Clark Fox Manager Towell Treasurer John D. Clark has been appointed general manager of l^ox distribution, and Sydney Towell has been made treasurer of Fox Film Corporation, according to an announcement made this week by Sidney R. Kent, president. Mr. Clark, who joined the company in December as personal representative of the president, recently was elected to the directorate. Starting his career in the film industry seventeen years ago as a salesman in Philadelphia, Mr. Clark successively was branch manager of the Philadelphia office of Famous Players-Lasky Corporation, and western divisional sales manager of Paramount Publix, which post he resigned to join Fox. Mr. Towell, who succeeds Charles E. Richardson, resigned, as treasurer, has been comptroller of the company for several years. RKO Operating 101 Houses; Decentralization Finished Radio-Keith-Orpheum is now operating a total of 101 theatres, according to a statement issued last week by Harold B. Franklin, RKO theatre head. Twenty-eight theatres have been dropped since the company went into receivership, January 27, at w'hich time it was operating 129 houses. According to Mr. Franklin, no further dropping of houses is planned. Of the remaining theatres, 70 per cent are in the metropolitan area. Before the Orpheum circuit bankruptcy and the RKO Theatres receivership there were 148 theatres in both circuits. Building Restriction Discussed Members of the Baltimore city council committee on buildings and building regudations were present at a public hearing to consider a resolution passed by the MPTO of Maryland, Inc., of which Frank A. Hornig is president, opposing construction of any additional theatres in Baltimore. On the council's third reading file is an ordinance for which consideration has been asked granting the Homeland Amusement Company permission to build a residential theatre. No one appeared at the hearing to represent the MPTO of Maryland. Nizer Toasts Meyer Louis Nizer was toastmaster at a luncheon on Thursday at the New York Motion Picture Club in honor of Phil E. Meyer. Among those attending were Jack Cohn, David Loew, Al Lichtman, Leon Rosenblatt, Jack Springer, Lee Ochs, Sidney Samuelson, Charles L. O'Reilly and Bert Sanford. Fred Hammel Dead Fred J. Hammel, manager of the Andalus, Cincinnati suburban house, was killed last week by an automobile.