Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1947)

SEVEN MAJORS RELEASING 29 REISSUES THIS SEASON The Season's Reissues Following is a list of the 29 pictures that are being reissued this season on a national basis. The date of Motion Picture Herald's original review and the date of reissue follows the names of the principal players. Reduced Product Flow and Shorter Runs Leave Room for Revivals The reissue boom is on and the present indications are that it will continue for some time. Seven of the 11 producer-distributor companies have reached into their vaults, dusted off a total of 29 hit pictures of previous seasons and are reissuing' them on a national basis complete with full sales, advertising and promotional campaigns. The reasons for this unprecedented splurge are varied depending upon whether those expressing the views are on the exhibition or distribution side of the fence. But both sides agree that a good reissue makes money. Cite Varied Reasons for Current Reissue Wave Exhibitors claim the reissue splurge has been brought about because current releases can no longer demand the extended playing time accorded product during the war years ; that there is insufficient good product; that audiences prefer to see an old but good picture rather than a new poor one, and, finally, the producer-distributor organizations are not releasing the quantity of product they had in the pre-war years. Representatives of sales and distribution and exploitation chiefs express somewhat different views on the subject. They lay claim more to the public's demand for the product ; the new audiences that have come up since the pictures were originally released, and the quality of the pictures which will always draw customers to the box office. These same executives also point out that there is still a lot of income left in the old big pictures since the pictures did not receive the full benefit of their playing time when originally released and thus many people w ho were sold on seeing the picture did not get the opportunity to do so. Executives Claim Profit For All in Old Films Further, they say, that if an exhibitor is in need of product they can play the reissues with a profit to themselves and to the •companies. One executive indicated that the trend towards reissues has been brought about by the excessively high production costs which have practically doubled since 1941 and said that the margin of profit from a reissue is sometimes even greater than that received from a new picture. He estimated the number of prints made for one reissue runs from 100 to 250 depending upon the number of bookings expected. METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER Captains Courageous — Freddie Bartholomew, Spencer Tracy, Lionel Barrymore. Reviewed April 3, 1937. Reissued August 21, 1946. Rage in Heaven — Robert Montgomery, Ingrid Bergman. Reviewed March 8, 1941. Reissued October, 1946. Gone With the Wind — Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia De Havilland. Reviewed December 16, 1939. Reissue date not set. Boomtown — Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Claudette Colbert. Reviewed August 10, 1940. Reissued February 1947. The Great Waltz — Louise Rainer, Fernand Gravet. Reviewed November 5, 1938. Reissued May, 1947. PARAMOUNT The Jungle Princess — Dorothy Lamour, Ray Milland, Akim Tamiroff, Lynn Overman. Reviewed November 28, 1936. Reissued September 1, 1946. The Plainsman — Gary Cooper, Jean Arthur. Reviewed November 28, 1936. Reissued September 1, 1946. PRODUCERS RELEASING CORP. Kit CarsO'N — Jon Hall, Lynn Bari, Dana Andrews. Reviewed August 31, 1940. Reissued May 22, 1947. ( Originally distributed through United Artists.) The Last of the Mohicans — Randolph Scott, Binnie Barnes. Reviewed August 15, 1936. Reissued March 22, 1947. (Originally distributed through United Artists.) Corsican Brothers — Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Ruth Warrick. Reviewed December 27, 1941. Reissued May 24, 1947. (Originally distributed through LTnited Artists.) International Lady— George Brent, Ilona Massey. Reviewed October 18, 1941. Reissued May 24, 1947. (Originally distributed through United Artists.) RKO RADIO Fantasia — A Walt Disney feature-length musical cartoon. Reviewed November 16, 1940. Reissued September 28, 1946. TWENTIETH CENTURYFOX Sun Valley Serenade — Sonja Henie. John A fairly accurate print cost, however, he estimated at $25,000. The sum spent for new accessories runs about $5,000, while the distribution costs run about 20 per cent. Thus, for every $1,000,000 of gross rental for a reissue, there is about $750,000 net profit, since the production cost was originally written off when the picture was first released. The estimated number of playdates possible with a good reissue is around Payne, Glenn Miller. Reviewed August 2, 1941. Reissued September 1946. The Bowery — Wallace Beery, Jackie Cooper, George Raft. Reviewed October 7, 1933. Reissued October, 1946. Les Miserables — Fredric March, Charles Laughton. Reviewed April 6, 1935. Reissued January, 1947. Stanley -and Livingstone — Spencer Tracy, Nancy Kelly, Richard Greene. Reviewed August 5, 1939. Reissued January, 1947. Alexander's Ragtime Bani> — Tyrone Power, Alice Faye, Don Ameche, Ethel Merman. Reviewed May 28, 1938. Reissued April, 1947. UNIVERSAL Destry Rides Again — Marlene Dietrich, James Stewart. Reviewed December 2, 1939. Reissued March, 1947. When the Dalton's Rode — Randolph Scott, Kay Francis, Brian Donlevy. Reviewed August 3, 1940. Reissued March, 1947. You Can't Cheat an Honest Man — W. C. Fields, Edgar Bergen. Reviewed February 18, 1939. Reissued April, 1947. I Stole a Million — George Raft, Claire Trevor. Reviewed July 22, 1939. Reissued April, . 1947. Magnificent Obsession — Irene Dunn, Robert Taylor. Reviewed January 11, 1936. Reissue date not set. One Hundred Men and a Girl — Deanna Durbin, Adolphe Menjou. Reviewed September 11, 1937. Reissue date not set. Dracula — Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler. Reviewed January 3, 1931. Reissue date not set. Frankenstein — Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, Boris Karloff. Reviewed November 14, 1931. Reissue date not set. WARNER BROTHERS King's Row — Ann Sheridan, Robert Cummings. Reviewed December 27, 1941. Reissued December 7, 1946. Wild Bill Hickok Rides — Bruce Cabot, Constance Bennett. Reviewed December 27, 1941. Reissued December 7, 1946. .The Sea Wolf — Edward G. Robinson, John Garfield, Ida Lupino. Reviewed July 27, ' 1940. Reissued April 26, 1947. The Sea Hawk — Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall. Reviewed March 29, 1941. Reissued April 26, 1947. 10,000 or more with the net rental possibilities running as high as $1,000,000. Warner Brothers for the past several seasons has followed a policy of reissuing a limited number of former hits — usually four each season. All have met with excellent success, and some, such as the current combination bill, ''The Sea Wolf" and "The Sea Hawk," have done an even bigger busi (Cntinued on page 14) 12 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, APRIL 26, 1947