Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Sep 1933)

10 MOTION PICTURE HERALD August 5, 1933 BETTER FILMS COUNCILS BOOSTING THEATRE INTAKE THROUGH PUBLICITY Percentage of Endorsed Films Since Formation of Council Raised in St. Louis; Grosses Show Consistent Increase Exhibitors of St. Louis, cooperating to the fullest extent with civic reviewing organizations, have found their grosses showing a consistent increase week by week for two and one-half years. Organized free publicity from Better Films Councils throughout the country, through their listings of recommended pictures, are pointed to as a factor in such a development as that at St. Louis, where the latest annual report of the local Better Films Council shows that out of 284 features reviewed by five separate committees, 92 were recommended for the entire family, 139 for adults, 52 for young adults and 1 for children. In the autumn of 1929, the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America selected 20 key cities and listed the percentage of pictures in those cities which had been recommended by previewing groups. Most of these cities were selected on the basis of complaints from women's clubs as to the quality of motion picture entertainment they had been receiving. It was discovered in this survey that there was a wide variation of percentage of endorsed films, running all the way from 98 per cent in Beloit, Wis., to 40 per cent in St. Louis. The population of Beloit is 23,611, St. Louis 821,960. Recommendations Increase Today the percentage of recommended films shown in St. Louis first and subsequent run houses is nearly as high as it was in Beloit two years ago. Early in February of this year, Motion Picture Herald published an analysis of the Box Office Champions department which showed that unsophisticated films are as big money-makers as any other type and that 80 per cent of the Champions of 1932 had been endorsed by national previewing groups. At that time, Carl E. Milliken, secretary of the MPPDA, said: "It's all a matter of getting the exhibitor to cooperate with the civic groups to battle their way out of the depression and put the motion picture on the high level where it belongs. What is more important, through the medium of these (endorsed) lists, the largest potential audience in history be built from the ranks of juveniles." The St. Louis experiment has tended to reflect realization of Mr. Milliken's prophecy, and is backed by an imposing array of detailed reports for each of the six firstrun theatres in the Missouri city. In framing the work of the St. Louis Better Films Council when it was organized two and a half years ago, two courses of action were open to the group, said the annual report. That of negative criticism and force was vetoed in favor of persuasion and a constructive program, with a policy of preserving complete independence. Pic tures were selected and endorsed in the interests of Better Films constituencies. The working method adopted by each committee involved the reviewing of each picture before its showing and the posting of reports in various civic and private organizations. A committee was appointed for each first run theatre. The reports were broadcast over radio station KMOX each Saturday morning, and they were printed in club magazines or bulletins ; given out at meetings of member organizations ; posted on 11 bulletin boards of libraries, YMCA, and clubs. These reports classified each picture for "Adult," "Adult and Young Adult," "Family" audiences, and each was rated "Excellent," "Very Good," "Good," "Fair," or "Poor." This information was made available to all theatre owners and was used to help in building programs for Friday Family Nights. Of the 284 features reviewed, 13 were rated "Excellent"; 48, "Very Good"; 163, "Good"; 48, "Fair"; 5, "Poor," and 7 were not recommended. Neighborhoods Cooperate Forty-eight neighborhood theatres have been cooperating with the St. Louis Better Films Council to present suitable family programs on Fridays, and an average of 21,202 children have attended the Friday night shows in the last year. All forms of theatre advertising carefully were scrutinized, especially newspaper, and only 10 protests were received during the year. Four protests were made on stage shows. Out of the 10 advertising protests, seven were made on the basis that the copy was misleading. According to the report, surveys proved that few children attend pictures early in the week and for that reason it was considered necessary to adopt some form of special "entertainment time" for them. The success of this plan was borne out in the 21,202 children's admissions on Friday nights. Mrs. Arretus Franklyn Burt, president of the council, reported that she was a guest speaker at 15 large group meetings and made short talks to a number of smaller groups. Mrs. Burt made 27 broadcasts and held 44 conferences with industry leaders, including Fred Wehrenberg, president of the MPTO of St. Louis, Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois, who has been largely instrumental in the success of the Council. With all theatres in St. Louis, outside of the first runs, using double feature programs, and with 92, or about one-third of the product, approved for Family showing, it was necessary for theatres to draw on the pictures recommended for adult audiences or adult and young adult audiences, in order to complete Friday Family Night shows. The Council requested theatres not to show certain adult features either for Family Night or during the week ends. These requests were granted whenever possible. In other cases, at the suggestion of the Council, many scenes were taken out of feature pictures before they were shown in neighborhood houses. The chief benefit to the exhibitor was 48 Neighborhood Houses Cooperate; 2 1 ,202 Is Average Child Attendance on Family Nights With Selected Films noted in the large amount of free and unsolicited publicity he received when pictures were approved by the committees. The Council has followed a conservative line of action, publicizing matters considered necessary but not drawing attention to the actual functioning of the Board, and not emphasizing the activities of any individuals. Said the Speaker's Bureau, under the supervision of Mrs. Jasper Blackburn : "Perhaps our greatest weapon is publicity. To be effective we must give publicity to and increase the patronage of worthwhile pictures. For after all, the box-office finally determines what shall be shown in the theatre. The 'movie magnates' can no more go along producing and showing pictures at a loss than can the manufacturer or the merchant face a continual loss in their business." "St. Louis is the first big city which has demonstrated that cooperation with civic groups can be as successful as it has been in the small towns," said Mr. Milliken this week. Organization members of the Better Films Council of St. Louis include the Board of Religious Organizations ; the Child Conservation Conference ; College Club of St. Louis ; Conference of Jewish Women ; Delphian Council ; International Council of Catholic Alumnae ; Joint Council of Women's Auxiliaries ; 8th District Missouri Federation of Women's Clubs ; Parent-Teachers of Hosmer Hall ; St. Louis Council of Parent-Teachers, and the County Council ; St. Louis Tercentenary Shakespeare Society ; War Mothers ; Wednesday Club of St. Louis ; Women's Auxiliary Twelfth Engineers ; Women's Chamber of Commerce of St. Louis, and the Women's Christian Temperance Union. Cooperating with these organizations are the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Patrons Alliance. Universal Club Outing Scheduled for August 8 The Universal Club will hold its annual mid-summer outing on August 8, with a boat ride and dinner scheduled for Roton Point Park, Conn. The home office employees' organization will be entertained en route by the John G. Thomas Orchestra. Sign Deal to Operate 70 Paschall Theatres Contracts have been signed between Publix trustees and R. J. O'Donnell and Karl Hoblitzelle for operation by the latter of approximately 70 theatres formerly handled by E. W. Paschall in Texas. With the deal becoming effective immediately, a new corooration will be formed to operate the houses. /