Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Sep 1956)

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MOTION PICTURE HERALD MARTIN QUIGLEY, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher V ol. 204, No. MARTIN QUIGLEY, JR., Editor July 7, 1956 The House of Warner IN this season of surprising news developments one of the most surprising was the announcement two months ago that the three Warner Bros, were selling their controlling stock to a financial group headed by the financier, Serge Semenenko. It was quickly made known that it was the intention of the new group to have Si Fabian as president of the company. Complications arose concerning the Department of Justice’s interpretations of the consent decrees barring Warners and the Stanley Warner circuit from having common management. One of the other mysteries was how all the Warner Brothers would be disposed to sever themselves from responsible posts in the company they had built to such a force in the industry. This week comes the good news that Jack L. Warner has decided not only to keep his stock but to add to his holdings. He is now slated to succeed his brother Harry as president when the Semenenko group completes its deal. There is genuine regret, in all branches of the industry, that Mr. Fabian has not been able to resolve the complex legal problems involved. But there is very good news in the fact that Jack Warner, who is also so eminently qualified by ability and experience, will head the company. ■ ■ ■ The Full Measure THE greatest single problem the industry faces is to overcome the inertia that keeps many potential patrons from attending shows that would provide them excellent entertainment. While every facet of increasing attendance should be explored, more results can be obtained quicker by making a small but significant increase in mass appeal than, for example, by making more “off-beat” pictures intended to appeal to particular tastes. The motion picture business as it exists is fundamentally a mass entertainment business. Fortunately each year there are a number of films made in Hollywood and in film-making capitals overseas that strike out in unfamiliar ground. These efforts should be encouraged. On the other hand those who assert that the “mass appeal” type of film should be subordinated ignore basic economic facts. Multimillion dollar productions, made either by the major studios or by independent companies, cannot be financial successes unless they can be played off in thousands of theatres before millions of patrons. While the “intelligentsia,” “egg-heads” and “long-hairs” may deplore this state of affairs, it is likely to endure. Although an increasingly high percentage of our population completes high school education, there are no signs that the American public has absorbed enough “culture,” in the sense Europeans use the term, to want “artistic” pictures. On the other hand, the nonsense about the average mental age of a movie-goer being 12 should be dismissed. That probably never was true; it certainly is not true today. On account of the competitions of television and other factors it is admittedly difficult to get all the potential patrons who would like a particular film to see it while it is playing at a local theatre. The tragedy is that so often a person is heard to say, “I missed it” or “I wanted to see that movie but. . . .” Grosses of themselves are sometimes misleading. A film might break a house record and still not play to all the persons in a community that should see it. Even small theatres should consider introducing more flexibility into their booking policies. It is not good business for the exhibitor or producer to have pulled out a picture that is doing well. All branches of the industry should aim at achieving “the full measure” of potential attendance for every worthwhile attraction. ■ ■ ■ €| Circuit operators throughout the country will be watching closely the results of the new Managers Participation Plan started this week by the Schine Circuit. Instead of a small group of managers winning prizes, every Schine manager will get five per cent of the net increase in cash balance of his theatre over a fixed charge between now and the end of the year. This puts a premium not only on building grosses in admissions and refreshment sales but also in keeping expenses under control. Zone managers also will receive two per cent of the net cash balances increase in their territory less any deductions for theatres which fail to sustain the present level of operation. J. Myer and Louis Schine are to be complimented on the inauguration of this plan which should be a strong stimulus to energetic showmanship. CjJ Next week, the week of July 16-22, is the time for the audience collections for the industry’s own Will Rogers Memorial Hospital. Last year cooperating exhibitors found that not only was there no unfavorable public reaction to the collection but on the contrary many patrons commented on the excellent charity and their pleasure in contributing to it. Every one has a stake in the success of research to stamp out tuberculosis, still one of the most serious diseases. Circuits and independent exhibitors throughout the country will cooperate by showing the special trailer and taking up the collections at least through one complete program change. — Martin Quigley, Jr.