Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1956)

NEEDED! — Top Presentation at Inviting Theatres . . . this was the theme of the speech by J. F. O'BRIEN which keynoted the Forum of the TOA-Tesma-Teda-PCA convention and trade show in New York last month. Below is the major portion of that address. Mr. O'Brien is manager of the theatre and industrial marketing division of RCA. 1 HERE HAS BEEN an upswing in box office receipts. The figures show that the motion picture industry in recent years has been recapturing a more healthy share of the entertainment dollar. Various factors are involved in this return to improved business. Motion pictures look, sound, and are better than ever. More and more people are re-discovering the enjoyment of out-of-home entertainment. Family groups, in increasing numbers, are responding to the economy and informality of drive-in movie entertainment. And important above all, the entertainment-conscious public is becoming more and more aware that the talent, experience, know-how and facilities of the broad motion picture industry produce a particular form of entertainment which is available only in the indoor or drive-in theatre. Of course, when we speak of increased box office receipts, we refer to the national average. The individual exhibitor, understandably, is considerably less interested in national averages than he is in the volume of people purchasing tickets at his box office. The importance of national figures to the individual exhibitor lies in the picture they paint of business potential. It remains for the individual exhibitor to do what is necessary in his neighborhood and with his particular theatre to assure that he is capturing his share of the national motion picture volume. Unfortunately, there are too many exhibitors who expect the picture to do all the work in attracting patrons. They read in trade journals that such and such a picture has broken records, or is doing high volume business in this city and that. Encouraged by these reports, they book the picture and sit back, waiting for capacity crowds. If they don’t attract high volume business with the picture, as other exhibitors have done, they will very likely claim that trade reports were out of line, that business was milked dry before the picture became available to them, or that it wasn’t the type of picture for their audiences. There is the possibility, of course, that any one, or combination, of these factors might apply in some degree for a given picture at a given theatre. However, when an exhibitor fails to do good business consistently with pictures that have established audience appeal, he must look to other causes. One prime factor may be that the theatre is not as attractive as the picture. Today, as a result of recent technical advances, exhibitors can offer patrons motion pictures which look, sound and are better than ever. New scope has been added to the width and depth of motion pictures. Stereophonic sound has added new dimensions to the audio enjoyment of pictures. In recent years, too, there has been a parade of advances in theatre furnishings designed to make the given theatre a more comfortable, attractive and relaxing place in which to enjoy these technical advances. 1 he difference between good business and fair may very well be correlated to the exhibitor’s use of advances in both the technical and furnishing categories. Most exhibitors, of course, recognize the importance of equipping their theatres with the latest in screen, sound and projection improvements. However, it is the showmen who appreciate that the latest and best in theatre furnishings represent sales promotional tools which are as important as wide-screen and other technical advances in attracting patrons to a given theatre. All of us believe in spending money where it will do us the most good. However, the trick is to view the situation objectively, to avoid the fallacy of false economy. For example, it is an easy matter for an exhibitor to convince himself that he can get one more year out of his worn carpets or patched seats. Sure he can. However, it takes an exhibitor with business understanding to recognize that a delay in needed refurnishing will undoubtedly mean an even lower business volume and a much longer period for liquidating his investment when he finally gets around to installing new carpets and chairs. Today patrons will not tolerate inconvenience and lack of comfort in any entertainment medium. They don’t have to. There are too many places in which to spend the entertainment dollar. The alert exhibitor realizes that it behooves him and all exhibitors to re-encourage the movie habit by offering patrons good pictures in bright, modern, comfortable surroundings. To do that, the exhibitor must be alert to latest developments in technical equipment and furnishing which make his theatre inviting to the public. carbon burning, Mr. Matheson said that this “awaits further research and development to bring it within the cost limits and booth conditions under which it must perform without special attention and concern of the theatre projection stalF’ The Eureka “carbon extender,” as it is called, consists in a metal shaft of the same diameter as the carbon, into the end of which is drilled a hole s^-inch deep into which fits an expandable stem. The latter fits into the shaft, loosely to dissipate heat, it is pointed out, and also to make the shaft and carbon self-aligning in the course of travel. EXHIBITS HIGH-FIDELITY UNITS A complete line of high-fidelity equipment was presented by the Altec-Lansing Corporation at the recent High Fidelity Show in New York. The line includes the got record reproducer, the 700B Melodist speaker system, the 306 \M-FM and the 305 AM tuner, as well as a series of high-fidelity speakers, consisting of the 824A Iconic, the 826A Iconic, the 820C corner enclosure speaker system, and the A-y, which is a smaller version of the Altec-Lansing Yoiccol-tlieTheatre system widely used in small theatres. 22 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, OCTOBER 13, 1956