Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1948)

SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, October 30, 1948 15 Jackson . . . (Continued from Page 14) cate for the work you do in the interest of their child's advancement and entertainment. This is a sure way to gain the accolade of "Good Citizen" in your community and have the school teachers and city officials out boosting your theatre. And, don't forget, that kid of today is your adult customer of tomorrow — or are you going to be in this business during the tomorrows ? Before getting away from the kid slump and how to combat it I'd like to suggest prime consideration to the important matter of kiddie admissions. To my way of thinking, 20 cents is more than the average kid can pay, and wherever possible theatres should drop to the 9-cent charge for kiddie show admission. The other penny of the dime could go into the party fund to make the kids appreciate it more. That's that for kid business. Now on to a couple of the important factors that are keeping the adults from attendance. Prize Radio Contests Probably the most important of "these is the big prize radio contests. At this writing I know of seven of these giveaways where people are offered everything from an atom smasher to a lifetime supply of X-Ray pictures for staying at home to await phone calls. If you believe for an instant that your community is immune from the bite of everything-for-nothing radio shows just pick up your phone and call 20 women at random. When it was tried for me in a small Kansas community I was surprised at the percentage of housewives admitting interest in one or more of the air prize shows and sticking close to the telephone in hopes of being hit by the once-in-a-million lightning. , Back in the old Bank Night days there were outfits that, for a small fee, insured registrants against loss of the prize money due to nonattendance at the theatre. Theatremen who have considered similar tactics to build business on the nights of the prize shows have quickly discarded the idea as being too much of a gamble. In addition there is the not so remote possibility that Uncle Sam would hop On their necks for being parties to a lottery. Why a "guess who" game with cash and merchandise as awards is approved for a channel of national communication and denied to local enterprise is something for sharper minds than mine to whittle on. Maybe if enough industry power was placed behind an intelligent protest to the Government— pointing out that 20 per cent of our every admission dollar is theirs and that what hurts our box-office likewise harms their tax statements— there'd be some changes made. We can thank ourselves and the fat that's gotten between our hips and ears during the flush war and boom years for another circumstance that is cutting our weekly gross by no small amount. In most communities, even the smaller ones, there has been a phenomenal growth of dramatic clubs, little theatre groups, etc. Where it was formerly difficult for one of these to survive and profit in even the larger cities, they can now be found in almost any size town and are thriving in numbers in mid-sized cities. We go to sleep at the switch during the period when these groups are forming. If we were to welcome them to the theatre with open arms and offer our premises for practice sessions during, before and after our regular performances we'd have their whole gang rootin' for us and flocking in whenever the group had a show to present. As it is, they develop a clientele that follows them loyally to whatever loca Habit Too Strong Occupational habit proved strong for "Mike," a member of the usher staff of the Balboa Theatre in San Francisco, during a busy peak hour. The telephone rang in Manager Edwin Scheeline's office but the manager was busy elsewhere so "Mike" was forced to leave the floor and rush to answer the call. Picking up the phone "Mike's" first breathless words into the receiver were: "How far down, please?" tion they are fortunate enough to secure as a place to exhibit their talents. A few names encountered ' on a recent trip will give you an idea. There is the Alley Theatre in a big city, The Old Barn in a 40,000 town, The Tent in a metropolis, The Shack in a little town of 10,000, and others of similar name and description. And, there are the 24-kt. little theatre groups, with some boasting bank rolls runninge well into the enviable six figure brackets. These have recourse to the better up-to-date plays, bring in real "names" and get top prices for seats. You may be able to shake off responsibility for the existence of these groups but you can't shake off the fact that, with the dollar margin between indispensables and dispensables continually shrinking, your box-office misses every dollar that goes into their cash tills. Closely allied with the above is the immense growth of the music-loving bodies in both small towns and metropolitan centers. We of the motion picture theatre, with every facility to present the finest and best of musical programs, seem to persist in missing the boat entirely when it comes to catering to these groups. There is an array of operatic and classical musical shorts available on film. The list of names of folks in your community who pay their good Belle Starr's Daughter (Continued from Page 13) remains with the murderer, not knowing that he has slain her mother. She finds the truth from a dying outlaw's lips. The marshal finally slays the murderer in a relentless chase, and Belle's daughter goes away with him, having fallen in love. Comment: This better-than-average Western drama has enough action to please the fans, although it has a tendency to bog down in the middle, and more judicious cuttingmight have pepped up proceedings. George Montgomery is okay as the upright marshal and Rod Cameron adequate as the villain. Ruth Roman shows promise as the feminine lead, and Charles Kemper gets some laughs as Montgomery's aide. Wallace Ford and young William Phipps are both well cast for their weakling roles. William Sickner's photography captures some very fine outdoor scenes. The film will be okay for double bills, and might well be the top film in certain situations. Smuggler's Cove Monogram Comedy 66 mins. AUDIENCE SLANT: (Family) This Bowery Boys comedy will have average patrons laughing from beginning to end. Oldfashioned hokum, but the fans will eat it up. BOX-OFFICE SLANT: The Bowery money for this kind of entertainment is available. Why not set up a mid-week or Sunday short subject show that will give them what they want and get their dollars? Missing Profit Bet Let me quote some figures from a national periodical to convince you that you're missing a big profit bet in failing to cater to this element of amusement seekers. "29,466,000 admissions were paid to musical presentations during 1947. Almost 10,000,000 more than attended big league baseball games. Between 1930 and 1947, the sale of classical recordings jumped 3700 per cent. In 1930 more than half the recordings of classical music were sold in New York, Philadelphia, Boston and San Francisco ; today only one-fifth of such sales are made in the big cities. The Metropolitan Opera Building Fund was increased more than a million dollars in dimes and quarters from everywhere in response to a radio plea for help. Oklahoma City raised $125,000 in two months from people in all walks of life sending dimes, quarters and substantial checks. Dallas, Texas boasts a concert hall seating 3,800. The Boston Symphony drew more than 100,000 attendance during an engagement in the Berkshire Hills last year." Over 10,000 recitals were given by classical artists whose attendance figures are not included in the above quotations. Mr. Exhibitor, that's a heap of people and a heap of money and some of it can be channeled into your bank account if you put your thinking cap on and go after it. The amusement industry has taken immense strides and there is plenty of business, but the motion picture theatre, equipped through the medium of its screen -to reproduce every possible kind of entertainment, is not taking full advantage of the wide scope of its patron potential and permitting less competent competitors to garner the attendance that is theirs for the asking — or, I should say, pursuing. Boys are old stand-bys now, and generally mean added returns. This release is right up to par. Cast: Leo Gorcey. Huntz Hall, Gabriel Dell, Billy Benedict, David Gorcey, Benny Bartlett, Martin Kosleck, Paul Harvey, Amelita Ward, Jacqueline Dalya, Eddie Gribbon, Gene Stutenroth. Credits: Producer, Jan Grippo. Director, William Beaudine. Screenplay, Edmond Seward and Tim Ryan. Original story, Talbert Josselyn. Photography, Marcel LePicard. Plot: Leo Gorcey inherits a beautiful estate on Long Island, but actually the estate has been inherited by another man. In this comedy of errors, Gorcey and his gang are nearly killed by a group of crooks who are smuggling in aliens and diamonds. With the help of a reporter friend, the Boys eventually capture the crooks and the real owner of the estate turns it over to them. Comment: This Bowery Boys comedy will have average patrons laughing from beginning to end. True, it's old-fashioned hokum, but the fans will eat it up. When caught at a top Hollywood theatre, the Saturday matinee crowd roared as loudly at the malaprops of Leo Gorcey and slapstick antics of the Boys as any big league comedy. Gorcey is a master at getting his words twisted; his Brooklynese delivery is down to a "t." Huntz Hall makes an excellent foil for Gorcey's mannerisms. Martin Kosleck turns in a neat job as the "menace" and Jacqueline Dalya is mighty fetching in a brief spot. The Bower}' Boys are old stand-bys now at many theatres, and generally mean added returns. This release is right up to par. BOX-OFFICE SLANTS