Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Aug 1936)

* July 2 5, 19 3 6 MANAGERS' ROUND TABLE 79 Omaha Suburban Managers Hold Monthly Meetings Co-operative Car Giveaways Arranged and Theatre Problems Discussed in Harmony by MARTIN J. CHICOINE from Omaha The chamber of commerce, in collaboration with the two daily newspapers, the three leading radio stations and an outdoor advertising firm, distributed a new ballyhoo bulletin recently for what they termed "Nebriowa." Omaha was cited as the capital of this new "state." Nebriowa is the junction of western Iowa and eastern Nebraska and it is from this combined territory that Omaha does all of its major business. Living within a onehour automobile ride of Omaha are 469,525 Nebriowans. Those citizens have between them 118,286 automobiles. And when they get to Omaha, they have the somewhat meager choice of three firstrun theatres in which to obtain their entertainment. The three houses, two owned by the A. H. Blank circuit, and the third by the Mort H. Singer group, have been grinding out double features year in and year out, since the idea first bloomed in fact. With competition reduced to its lowest possible minimum, the three houses can point to almost consistent records of boxoffice statements written in black ink. When a house slips near the red ink line, it's news. The combined seating capacity of the first runs touches 6,300. In Omaha alone there is an estimated population of 225,000 ; in its smaller twin city across the river in Iowa, Council Bluffs, are 45,000 more persons. The same tram system connects the two cities. That leaves 6,300 seats to be divided weekly between 270,000 city dwellers alone, leaving 200,000 more in small towns and in rural areas who are only an hour away by auto. Omaha Is Accessible City Because of the consistent double feature policy, short subjects, outside of cartoons and color reels, are practically unheard of in this town. A generation is growing up not knowing that hundreds of short subjects are manufactured annually in Hollywood and New York and quite generally shown on the screens of neighboring cities. Independent product is also 'neglected, with only a rare few features seeing the light of local screens. As a city, Omaha is noted for its stockyards ; for its railroads, it being fourth in the nation with 10 trunk lines feeding it. However, its real business strength is derived from agriculture, though the chamber of commerce and other advertising channels are drumming up figures to show Nebriowa is strong as a manufacturing center. Owing to outlandish freight rate schedules factories have been uprooting and moving on to other cities where they may obtain the benefit of river-barge rates in competition with rail rates. If for no other reason, Omaha stands unique as one of the few spots in this country where opposition theatremen get together regularly to "sweep out and keep their houses in order." That theatre business is generally good in the 'Nebraska metropolis is no doubt sufficient cause for a desire to keep it so by these monthly convenings — all of which is gone into in this stop in the Showman's Travelogue series of your Kound Table. A-MIKE VOGEL Omaha is the originating point for the great Union Pacific system and its numerous subsidiaries, and has the western division offices of the Burlington and Northwestern lines. Likewise, the only coast-to-coast hard-surfaced highway passes through Omaha. Found here, also, is the home office of the Interstate Transit Lines, the largest single motor bus system in the world. And work is progressing on the Missouri river, thus soon to give Omaha a waterways outlet to the Gulf of Mexico as well as to Chicago and the Great Lakes. In other words, Omaha is one of the most accessible cities in the United States. It is a fairly wealthy town, ranking 17th in bank clearings, even though the city ranks 31st in population. Interesting about its popula "Have You Contributed Lately}" HOOVER SAYS. Featured in the Lloyd Dearth Jack Gross campaign on "Parole" at the Pantages-Hollywood and Los AngelesHillstreet was poster with statement on parole conditions by J. Edgar Hoover. tion is the fact it is a home-owning populace, nearly 60 per cent of the houses being owned by the dwellers. Taxes are fairly reasonable despite a bungling and stupid county governmental system ; state taxes are sane and the state government is in the finest financial shape of any commonwealth in North America, bar none. Nebraska is not only debt-free, but has millions stowed away in the bank and in sound government bonds. Omaha, being the only metropolitan city in Nebraska, has the largest percentage of population of foreign extraction and Negro blood of any city in the state. Nearly onefifth, or 38,788 persons, are foreign born or of foreign extraction, and there are 11,123 Negroes here. In the remainder of the state there are scarcely more than 3,000 Negroes. Of the 93,308 gainfully employed persons according to U. S. figures in 1930, about 27,000 were engaged in manufacturing and mechanical industries ; 14,000 in transportation ; 24,000 in trade, banking and insurance ; 8,000 in professional service, and the remainder scattered through steel and iron, printing, auto factories and repair shops, building industries, domestic and personal service, and agriculture. Theatre Situation Harmonious The house managers attend to such exploitation angles as lobby displays, local window displays and each have small budgets to augment the advertising service as given by Schlaifer's office. The system is rather effective in that few angles are missed. The Singer theatre, the Brandeis, is given considerable leeway in its operation since Will Singer, local manager, is a brother of Mort H. Singer, head of the circuit. With a Hearst newspaper on the scene, both circuits vie in accumulating generous space in the Bee-News. The more dignified World-Herald holds down film space to a degree, but can be induced to join in cooperative pages and in mutual promotions. The Bee-News is a favorite with both circuits when it comes to staging contests which have become a heavily worked but effective means of attracting attention. It is estimated A. H. Blank spends beyond $75,000 annually advertising in the "World-Herald" alone, and probably the same in the "Bee-News," though some skeptics regard the figures as high. As it was stated before, the theatre situation, as far as exhibitor fraternizing is concerned, is probably one of the most pleasant and unique in the country. All of the suburban managers meet monthly on the mezzanine in the Omaha (A. H. Blank) and arrange a co-operative car give-away and generally take the occasion to discuss their problems in harmonious fashion. The co-operative auto give-away was adopted right after the demise of the NRA in order to forestall two-for-ones, china nights and other artificial b. o. stimulants. Not a single serious (Continued on following page)