Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1945)

Permits program balance M. A. MOONEY: A picture with to 90 minutes of running time can be used cessfully in a single feature situation which ally runs a two-hour program by adding a good iety of short subjects, and in double feature iiations where the programs are usually held to te hours an 80 to 90-minute picture can be c to best advantage. I agree that certain stories 1 scripts must run longer than this in order to their story' but these cases are in the minority, i -Operative Theatres of Ohio, Inc., Cleveland. HUNTER PERRY: 90 minutes.— minion Theatres, Inc., Charlottesville, Va. E. C. RHODEN: I canvassed our jking department to see just what in their inion would be the most popular running time of feature film, and I find that the consensus runs 90 minutes. — Fox Midwest Amusement Corp., ansas City, Mo. M. A. NAIFY: Relative to the igth of feature attractions, from my wide experice operating theatres, I would say that 90 mines is about the ideal running time. Our theatres |e operating on a basis of part time single bill id part time double bill policies, and I say 90 inutes is ideal inasmuch as if the picture turns it to be an outstanding attraction and can be ayed on a single bill basis, it gives you an op>rtunity to round out a two-hour program with >me handpicked short subjects. — T. & D. Jr. nterprises, Inc., San Francisco. FRANK L. NEWMAN, SR. : I feel tat a picture should not ran more than 90 minutes, ill there is always the exception to any rule, id I cannot help but remember "Gone With the find." I believe that attraction ran nearly four )urs and I must admit that I was highly enterined and thrilled every second. — Evergreen heatres Corp., Seattle. R. J. O'DONNELL: I must agree ith you and Hollywood's opinion that some stories :quire more film in telling than others. However, the case of fine high grade top bracket "A" ctures of a comedy nature, in my opinion, the eal length would be 75 minutes. This would give le exhibitor an opportunity to amplify his program i the extent that it could be a help to the feature dure instead of a hindrance. — Interstate Circuit, ic, Dallas. LOUIS W. SCHINE: It has been y opinion that a feature should not exceed two )urs at any time, and that most advantageous hedule can be made up on features running from ) to 105 minutes. — S chine Circuit, Inc., Glover slle, N. Y. ALEX SCHRIEBER: I would like suggest anywhere from 90 to 100 minutes. — ssociated Theatres, Inc., Detroit. M. E: SHIVELY : The writer prefers ature length at about 90 minutes. — Mid-State heatres, Inc., Clearfield, Pa. EDWIN SILVERMAN: First of 1, you have to take as much time as is absolutely :cessary to tell your story concisely. If 90 minutes necessary, that's the answer, but if you can tell iur story, and do it well, in 60 minutes, the latter me would be preferable. — Essaness Theatres orp., Chicago. CHARLES P. SKOURAS : Generalspeaking, my opinion is that the less important "eductions should run from 75 minutes to 90 inutes and the more costly and impressive picires should run from 90 minutes to 110 minutes. — ational Theatres Amusement Co., Los Angeles. N. A. TAYLOR : There is no question that, on hit pictures, millions of dollars are being lost on turnover at the box office because of overlong pictures. My conclusion is that an "A" picture should run for about 75 minutes at most. — Twine x Century Theatres, Toronto. J. F. VOGEL: A picture 90 minutes long is ideal. If it is a good picture, weekend business improves when the show is not too long, especially in double-feature houses. — Loew's, Inc., New York. FRED WEHRENBERG : The length of features, I would say, should be about 80 to 90 minutes. I rather think that any story can be told in that length of time. I have contacted quite a number of theatre owners, and we have discussed the curtailment of footage by the Government at our association meetings and the above length was the consensus. — South Side Amusement Co., St. Louis. FORREST WHITE: From my experience with both the movie-going public and the exhibitor I find the most desirable length for any picture is from 85 to 90 minutes. — Ind-Ex Booking Service, Dallas. K. LEE WILLIAMS: Our opinion for length of a feature of this type to use on our circuit would be 90 minutes. — K. Lee Williams Theatres, Inc., De Queen, Ark. MARC J. WOLF: In our circuit, with few exceptions, we are entirely single feature. We find that features running between 70 and 80 minutes work out to the best advantage. — Y & W Management Corp., Indianapolis. O'Connell, Loop Owner, Protests WMC "Delay" Jack O'Connell, owner of the Loop theatre, Toledo, late last week protested to Paul V. McNutt, director of the War Manpower Commission, against the "delay" in rendering a decision on his appeal against the closing of his house by pressures, in obedience to the curfew. Mr. O'Connell was forced to close when the projectionists' union refused him an operator. Previously he had withstood official remonstrances, and sanctions employed by distributing companies withholding product. He had defied the curfew edict, maintaining it illegal and unnecessary. The appeal, he said, was "on the definite question of the authority of the area director to order me to close my theatre." He wrote Mr. McNutt that "while your stooges are kicking this question around, my theatre remains closed. We are simple and somewhat gullible folks out here in Ohio and Indiana, but we have heard of the 'runaround'." "Enchanted Cottage" Opening At New York Astor April 27 RKO Radio's "The Enchanted Cottage" will begin an extended run engagement April 27, at the Astor theatre, New York. Robert Young. Dorothy McGuire and Herbert Marshall are costarred. John Cromwell directed and Harriet Parsons produced. The film follows the threemonth ran of Samuel Goldwyn's Technicolor feature, "The Princess and the Pirate" at the Astor. Paramount Transfers Managers Paramount has transferred Harry Haas, exchange manager, from Denver to Charlotte, S. C, and Chet Bell, from Los Angeles to Denver. Mr. Haas succeeds Scott Lett, who has resigned. The announcement was made in New York last week by Charles Reagan, vice-president in charge of distribution. Grant Argentina Raw Stock; New Parley June 7 Coming out of quarantine for the home stretch of the war in Europe, Argentina's request for film raw stock arrived after allocations for the second quarter of 1945 had been established and as War Production Board officials and distributor representatives were approaching companies for the third period. The new adherent to the cause of the United Nations is henceforth to get her proportionate share of United States exports on a par with Brazil and other Latin American companies. Although shipment of film raw stock will be resumed to Argentina in the near future, it was pointed out in Washington this week that the country could not begin to receive its full allotment until the third quarter because the supply for the second period had been assigned. The War Production Board appeared loath to reduce exports to any other foreign country to increase shipments to the new convert. The ban was lifted on instructions from the State Department to the Foreign Economic Administration to accord Argentina equal treatment with all other nations. It appeared meanwhile that the WPB would retain full control of the supply and distribution of raw stock in this country. Replies were coming in on the WPB query to industry executives asking their views on reduction or relinquishment of the reins and permitting the distributors and producers to scramble for the available stock. Although they had not been officially tabulated, enough responses were believed to have been opposed to relaxation to convince Stanley B. Adams, director of the Consumers Durable Goods Division, that controls should be retained for the present. The next meeting of the industry advisory committee on raw stock with WPB representatives has been scheduled for June 7 in Washington, at which time information on third quarter allocations is expected to be available. It was reported in New York that several distributors had notified their exchanges to keep prints in circulation for 30 months where they could be held together that long. The general practice in the past has been to retire prints from service at the end of 18 months. Distributor spokesmen declined to confirm the report. If it could be made to work, it was believed the extension of print life would effect considerable saving of raw stock, permitting the companies to order fewer prints on smaller pictures. Distributors are being held to account for their use of raw stock in the first quarter of 1945. The WPB is asking full reports on footage and the manner in which this was used. When the allocations for that period were being set, it was discovered that several companies were some distance above their quota and they were ordered to make up the shortage from the new allotments. See Present Theatres Not Affected by N. Y. Code New York State's building code, affecting film theatres, will remain unchanged in application to existing structures, it is hoped by members of the film industry's advisory committee to the state Labor Department. They are in agreement on the point, after several times considering the present code. In approximately two more meetings, they will complete their study, and forward recommendations to the department. The committee also agreed that theatres above or below street levels should have fire-retarding stairways within two years of the effective date of a new code. The committee will study the matters of projection booths, new constructions, theatre curtains and open fire escapes. OTION PICTURE HERALD, APRIL 21, 1945 17