Showmen's Trade Review (1939)

My 1, 1939 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW Page 3 to via tp a a e CURRENT OBSERVATIONS Judging by the volume of letters from exhibitors, our attitude as expressed in last week's editorial has met with complete approval. Thus far, not a single word of censure or disagreement has reached us. On the contrary. Every letter definitely approves of what we said and how we said it. AAA Looking back into the past recalls that it wasn't so many years ago when a statement was made at an Allied convention that the organisation was practically dedicated to a policy of legislation and litigation. In fact, if memory serves, there was also some sort of a slogan which sounded like, "A hundred lawsuits on a hundred different fronts." AAA Of all the people who may wake up some day to find they have been fooled into supporting the wrong group, Pete Harrison may be the most surprised. His fanatical faith in everything the masterminds of Allied are doing points to a very definite conclusion that Pete is determined to devote himself and his paper to an attitude similar to that of certain others and which may best be described as supporting anything that hurts the distributors regardless of whether it may be hurting exhibitors, too. AAA It is to be expected that the trade reform Code and Arbitration will be offered to all exhibitors who want to take advantage of it regardless of organisation action. Which is the only sensible thing to do. Why stand on further ceremony? The Code and a method of arbitration have been worked out. Maybe it isn't enough at the moment, but there is nothing to stop exhibitors from trying to gain further concessions. But in the meantime why not take advantage of what is offered and benefit therefrom? AAA Sidney Kent's statement, when he returned from his recent trip, sounded very good to us. Said Kent: "I would rather take my chances with Thurman Arnold than with Abram Myers, because Arnold has a job to do according to the law and he is doing it. But you can't tell what is in Myer's mind; I don't think it is peace." Which seems to be exactly the way we viewed it for many months. Only we didn't confine it to Myers. We included all of the Allied steering group. And if we ever harbored any doubts they were entirely dispelled in Minneapolis. Few will argue our opinion that Allied is determined to plunge the industry into legislative regulation regardless of what the outcome will be. We heartily concur with Variety s John Flinn in the statement that the trade press provides the all-important link between distributor and exhibitor. Unfortunately, too many in the home offices take an attitude of indifference on the subject and persist in the argument that salesman-contact and direct mail contacts are their best means of accomplishing the same purpose. They must eventually find they are wrong. There is a vast difference between a trade journal discussing a company and its product and the company blowing its own horn. In the latter instance the arguments carry little or no weight because it is to be expected that the company will think well of its product and itself. The arguments lose the essential third-party opinion that goes with the former. A A A Most of the trade papers serve a very definite purpose and occupy a very important position in the industry's general scheme. They furnish the exhibitor with vital, timely and important information about pictures from the time they are first mentioned, through the production period and right down to their general release. They provide the exhibitor with ideas and suggestions. They discuss topics of the industry affecting the exhibitor. They keep him informed on the latest trends in equipment and physical operation methods. They furnish necessary reference data for his product contract records. And a hundred other services without which any and every exhibitor would be seriously crippled. Some of the trade papers emphasise certain phases of the industry. Others specialise in particular services. But all of them, regardless of the argument that there are too many of them, further the progress of the industry. A A A Notwithstanding the current box office depression, much of which is seasonal and a regular occurance around this time of the year, a careful inspection of the picture possibilities for the coming season, to which we can safely add some strong product to wind up the current season, is most encouraging. While several companies stood out from the others a year ago we find a much happier and healthier condition at this time because of the terrific strides made by those companies whose product was noticably weak last year. At any rate there appears to be a very definite indication that the better product will be spread over the majority of the companies which in simple language means: You can expect a substantial volume of profitable pictures from your buys this year. —"CHICK" LEWIS