Showmen's Trade Review (Jan-Mar 1947)

16 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, January 4, 1947 The Brass Tacks of Efficient Picture Theatre Management * THE BATTLE FOR THE BUCK IN 1947 By Jack Jackson Well fellas, here we are with a nice, new, spic and span New Year on our hands ! Three hundred and sixty-five precious packages of the world's most valued element — "Time" — was delivered, without charge of any kind, to each and every one of us just three days ago. No instructions, no restrictions, no strings of any nature accompanied these priceless gifts which, — for our further convenience and ease of division — consist of 365 days of twenty-four brightly polished gleaming hours each. These hours — all 8760 of them — are our very own to do with as we please. We can dissipate them as we have so many of the other hours that have been placed at our disposal before. Or we can profit from the experience that has been ours and perfect precision plans to guarantee that each shining new hour will be devoted to conscientious endeavor and honest accomplishment. Let's sit down right now and check over those old hours that brought us the greatest amount of happiness and satisfaction. I'm sure that most of us will agree that these hours were the ones spent in the sincere planning and selfless execution of some endeavor that resulted in honest worthwhile accomplishment for ourselves, our neighbors or our business. And, while we're about it, let's reflect on those hours we wasted wantonly in pursuit of questionable attainments. Examining these will help us to avoid the same pitfalls when we encounter them along the business or personal roads we will each travel as we chase Old Lady Success through the alleys and avenues, the bush paths and boulevards, the inclines and declines of 1947. Current Box-Office Reports o Hypo for 1947 We have to admit that during the past few years it has not been necessary for us to keep our noses as close to the grindstone as we were forced to in the early and mid '30's. But the most cursory examination of daily box-office reports over the past few months is enough to hypo the numbest of intellects into a realization that the party is over and that the 1947 babe is going to need careful watching to prevent his smearing red ink over the books. And, if that evidence is not sufficient just spend a few moments checking the prognostications of the many wise men who examine the trends and chart the course for the biggest of big business. In case you happened to miss it, permit me to quote from some recent nationally published findings of the business Solomon's : "A far more cautious attitude exists among retail and wholesale buyers than was the case a year ago. Less free money, high prices, a feeling of uncertainty and the return of many needed types of goods are explanations offered for the drop-off in non-essential spending. . . . Tips have dropped to pre-war level in night clubs and the customers who paid the exorbitant prices for luxurious items a year ago are examining price tags. . . . Liquor sales — one of the first signs of tightened purse-strings — are far below last year and — getting right down to a universal level for everyone, the stomach. . . . Paul Henkel of the Society of Restaurateurs said that business had dropped off at least 20 per cent in the past few months with every indication pointing to further decrease. . . . Week-end business in the nation's hostelries has declined according to Leonard Hicks of the American Hotel Association. . . . Night Club and hotel entertainment business is reported as being down 50 per cent, and — here's where you and I come in — theatre attendance is well below war peak." The statements made above are not conjectures but factual records of what already HAS happened. I haven't the articles before me but I — and you and you — can recall of no instance of reputable prediction that 1947 will be anything other than a rugged and tough year for all kinds of business. It is not being pes . *This series copyrighted and must not be produced in part or whole without written permission from Showmen's Trade Review, Inc. simistic to caution that the year ahead is going to demand far more in meticulous planning to keep that necessary "step ahead" of public entertainment wants so necessary to profitable theatre operation. Never has the competition for that particular slice of the public bankroll popularly known as the "amusement budget" been so keen. Every" new theatre — and there are many of them — bowling alley, sporting event, skating rink, road show, concert, little theatre play, penny arcade, yes, even the juke box locations are making aggressive bids for those dollars required to keep weekly theatre reports out of the "scarlet letter" class. Coupled with this is the sky-rocketing prices of practically everything that comes under the general heading of indispensable family needs and an epidemic of apprehension, unrest and uncertainty predominant in all stratas from rustic smoke house to society pent house. Must Learn New Punches If you have any idea that conditions such as these are conducive to smooth sailing in a limpid pool of profits you'd better get your head examined. According to my crystal ball — whose 1947 record is as clear as the driven snow — the battle for the buck (I mean the amusement buck ) promises to be a bitterly contested, knock-down, drag-out affair from start to finish and the quicker the theatremen go into training to learn some new punches and new defenses the better. But there's a shiny lining in the clouds for the hustler. The amusement competition will be following the roads to public favor that were originally hewed out by the theatremen and a smart showman, armed with a 24-karat hunk of shimmering; Cahalan Hosts Kiddies It has become a fixed habit with F. J. Cahalan, manager of the Magnet Theatre, Claremont, N. H., to provide entertainment for the town's children at the beginning of the Christmas festivities, and this year he again played host to 1,000 of them at the Magnet. As also is his custom, he led them in singing two verses from America, and then treated them to a showing of "Flaming Bullets," starring Tex Ritter and Dave O'Brien, followed by three cartoons. But that was not the end of Cahalan's efforts. Following the turkey dinner, Christmas tree and presentation of gifts by Santa Claus, given under the auspices of the American Legion Post 29 at its fourteenth annual children's Christmas party, Cahalan had the 160 children taken to the Magnet where, for the ninth successive year, he welcomed them, led them in singing stanzas from America, and showed them a program of cartoons and comedies.