Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1941)

■ ^ The Old^Order Changeth The following letter reached our desk recently and we liked it, — liked it so well that we're passing it along because we know every theatreman will get a kick out of reading it. Yes, we know the guy who wrote it and that is why we feel he is reflecting the thoughts of many of his brother showmen. Read it and perhaps you'd like to express a thought or two of your own on the subject: Dear "Chick": "I'm scared too! I'm an average theatre operator, one of those guys whose business is off 'twenty to thirty per cent.' I, however, believe my product is as good if not better than last year. I know my town is way up in payroll. The merchants' business is booming. What's the matter with us? "I don't believe people are tired of shows. I feel that we have committed a grave error. We, the purveyors of entertainment; the impresarios of music; the authority on rhythm, have lost the TEMPO. "We used to be smart. We were the first industry to realize there was a depression. (Remember it, Chick?) We had the rhythm then. We realized people were marking time — retarded time. So we arranged to let them kill three and one half to four hours of the day in a theatre. We gave them the Double feature. We were in the 'groove' then! It was the answer to the salesman's lament, 'What'll I do with my afternoons? I can't make sales if I do call on my customers anyhow.' (Remember those salesmen's portfolios stacked up in our cloakrooms during the matinees, Chick?) It was the answer to the maiden's boy friend's prayer — how to spend a lot of time entertaining his girl for a little money. Gone were our hopes of six or seven capacities daily. We geared ourselves to a gross that could be done in three shows a day. We LIKED the double feature. 'It dressed' our theatre and even if we weren't busy our house was full, wasn't it? "Then there was a CRASH of cymbals struck by the mighty arm of Mars. A crash and a reverberation that was heard from Greenland to Africa, from China to Washington. — But not by the theatre managers. I was busy at the time calling names for 'hanker Night' — Pete, down the street was spinning a wheel for 'maybe you win.' Mike was calling numbers for 'Bunko.' Sol was unpacking china and Bill was laying out his ad, trying to decide whether B-a or B-b should be the top feature. We didn't hear the Maestro's one, two, three which called for the upbeat and a new tempo in a world of busy, energetic, worried people. The showman, who never before in history had failed to change with the times from Tent Show to Road Show, from Magic Lantern to Talkies and Technicolor is still marking retarded time. "Chick, could it be that the people want their theatre to be a theatre again; not a gambling house, a crockery counter or an endurance marathon, but just a theatre to give them good, enjoyable entertainment, properly presented, to add a crescendo to their everyday life? "How about it 'Chick'?" Joe Theatre-Manager. // Dumb o For sheer joy and entertainment, "Dumbo" probably reaches a peak that will be hard to top for a long time to come. It has a clever story, superb animation, lovable characters and breath-taking Technicolor. For Disney, it means top honors for the best thing he has done in popular screen fare since "Snow White," and this is no reflection on "Fantasia" because that is in a class by itself. For us, well, it was the first time in many a moon of picture seeing that we felt keen regret when the finish approached. Honestly, we wanted it to go on for a while longer. T T T // // How Green Was My Valley This is the season when politicians are working, for the good of the party, to "get out the vote." The industry, and particularly theatremen, should emulate the politicians and, for the industry's own good, get out the patrons for such pictures as "How Green Was My Valley." What this industry needs is a more widespread appreciation of the fact that the motion picture (in addition to offering the thrills of the mystery yarn, the adventure of action plays, the gaiety of musicals and light comedy, the romance of love stories) can throbbingly portray inspiring character; noble heroism; wholesome, chuckling humor; and heart-tugging pathos, such as will reward all those who see one of the screen's most impressive creations — the beautifully produced, superbly directed, grandly acted "How Green Was My Valley." P.S. Joe Theatre-Manager, we think, is on the right track, and pictures like "Dumbo" and "How Green Was My Valley" serve as grand reminders that the screen can "add a crescendo" to the public's everyday life. —"CHICK" LEWIS