Variety (Dec 1941)

Wedneedajr, December 10, 1941 55 Alerts Boff Biz On Both Coasts jConttniicd from pace 1; Japan, the disturbed state ol the public mind, overworking o£ radl03, watching the newspapers, etc. Just bow' long ' this will last and what it will do to the boxoftlce at a time when Christmas shopping Is hurting anyway. Is a moot question although exhibition masterminding is that after the heat, of the war news cools oft, people will seek amuse- ment and come back to the theatres. When that occurs, and it is hoped it will m two or three weeks so that holiday business will not be much below normal, it at all, it is believed the demand tor light entertainment will be accentuated. An operating theory also Is that there may be a tendency to loosen the hold on the purse-strings among folks who have any money to spend. Two extremes are a possibility, it is pointed out. In the one case heavy taxation will probably restrict the poorer classes with definite adverse b.o. effect, especially when they start paying the income tax, while those who have money may now feel that they might as well spend it. The life of man and his money becomes very problematical now, it is noted, and this no doubt will show in film thea- tre receipts. 5-15% Sunday Drop Business on the whole Sunday (7) averaged, a little bett .- than for the first Sunday in December last year .but in view of the fact grosses have been running well ahead of the 'fall of 1940, this means a probable dam- age on the day of anywhere from 5 to 15% as compared with a week ego. Theatres usually sell the. most tickets on Sundays for matinee per- formances, with result a lot of people were in the houses before knowing of the Japanese attack. However, the evening went off sharply everywhere, according to ob- tainable figures. M-50% Dip Monday Good mats helped offset that to tome extent but not enough, since evening prices usually are higher than tor mats. On Monday (8) at- tendance went away off, with the average placed as high as a prob- ablie" "40-50%. ~ " Where theatres open early and were In operation when President Roosevelt delivered his message to Congress at 12:30 Monday (8), they were virtually empty at midday. In some cases the speech was broad- cast into the theatres, however. Among other things, theatres Im- mediately lost the patronage of serv- ice men when Japan attacked and it is doubtful if there will be any holiday furloughs. Meantime, rela- tives and friends of boys in uniform are so concerned that they are prob- ably going to be lost to the radio and newspapers for some time to come. On Sunday (7) when the news of war against us broke, theatres every where interrupted shows, including In the middle of pictures, to ask any service men present in the audience to immediately report to nearest headquarters. In the vast majority of cases cops or other local officials got word to theatres and other places where soldiers or sailors might be found to spread the alarm. Frisco Calm; Market St. Lit Up Despite Blackout San Francisco, Dec. 9. Scream of air-raid sirens as Jap- anese planes reportedly swooped within 20 miles of San Francisco last night (Monday) spun theatre biz to. almost zero. Conflicting stories nAde people along the entire Coast here unsure whether It was a real raid or whether it was practice. What they were sure of was that they didn't want to be in a theatre when It came. Many film houses had barkers out- side during the two-and-one-half- hour blackout, when' most marquees naturally Miere dark, to Inform pros- pective patrons that the houses were open. There were few takers, how- . ever. First alarm came at 6:20 p.m.. with the insufficient sirens and other warnings being supplemented by police In cars Informinc Son Fran- ciscans. Cops came along Market street, the town's principal thoroueh- fare, and ordered all theatres to douse the mazda. Alarm went off at 7:.'i0 p.m., but that was a mistake and it shortly went on again. Biz Sunday night was relatively okay. Warfleld, with Tlise. and Shine,' was above normal, although others were 'off. Grosses dropoed anywhere from S to 20%. N^bes were worst hit. Monday matinees were also below standard. Biaekoot Incomplete Blackout was very incomplete, as S. F. had never even had a practice session at it. People were calm, however, and conditions were almost normal except for the darkness. Sur- prise of the blackout need was rea- son for its incompleteness, but Mayor Rossi promised that quickly would be changed. He declare'd: This emergency convinces me of the necessity for immediate and more thorough control of neon lights, billboard Illumination,' theatre mar- quees and kindred illumination. Steps will be taken, tomorrow to remedy.this situation.' Hollywood 4a-50% Off Hollywood, Dec. 0. Picture houses were beginning to feel effects of war in the Pacific Monday when trade slumped off from 40 to 50%. Dropoff noticeable around 5 p.m. in first runs with neighborhoods hard hit both Sunday and Monday. Lines that generally form before the night scale goes into effect were missing at all deluxers and Only a handful at.the boxoffices. All locations felt the pinch and prospect isn't any too promising with most workers, having missed the daytime newscasts, hugging their sets at home up to retiring time. Theatre men have real mad-on with radio which are broadcasting trequont announcements to remain at home and keep the highways clear, as the police are needed at other points. Broadcasters say they were requested to issue these state- ments by the police chief. Paramount theatre (downtown I>. A.) manager, tor Instance, said the announcement made a difference of $1,000 In Sunday's receipts. First runs, strangely enough, weren't hard hit Sunday although the outlying houses reported severe slump. Some managers are Inclined to be- lieve the situation will improve in week or two after people get their fill of war news and seek entertain- ment to get out of their.doldrums. trlbutors to offer better terms on features to exhibitors who buy other product in the total absence of any standard or list prices in our busi- ness and the abuse is too elusive for effective arbitration regulation, in the opinion of many thoughtful ex- hibitors.' That few exhibs have enough con- fidence in the practical value of ar- bitration to submit their grievances under its complex legalistic proce- dure is reflected in the small num- ber of complaints filed to date, Kuy- kendall declares in attacking this feature of the decree. In the first 10 months of arbitra- tion, at an expense to distributors of over .{300,000, only 129 complaints have been brought. The average cost per case to dlstribs has been $2,325, the average expense to ex- hibs (filing tees, cost of arbitrator, etc.), $87.87, exclusive of attorney fees, traveling expenses and the like. Further figures would indicate that the average time in obtaining an award on 51 cases decided, was 86 days, while on cases brought up to the Appeals Board the average time has l>een 176 days. Another point raised is that a fair comprehensive zoning plan is im- possible to establish through arbi- tration. The majority of exhib com- plaints have dealt with clearance and run. Hartford's Sharp Drop Hartford, Conn., Dec. 9. Hartford theatres Sunday night (7) reported one of the worst night businesses as people remained close to their radios for late news reports. Business during the day was good, with a steady dropping off noted as yrord of the situation got around. Decree a 'Mess' ^^Contlnued from pai* the theatre owner than he had be- fore under the meager and highly conditional cancellation clauses plus his ability to trade out pictures on a season's contract, it is claimed. With' the cancellation rights entirely wiped out by the decree, so-called community selection is tossed out the window, Kuykendall notes. Moreover, he points out, the theory that quality and boxofflce value would be Improved by the decree, allowing exhibitors to refuse to buy and reject the poor quality pictures, has been proved false be- cause 'if you refuse to buy a poor picture you don'L get the good one.' Attention is also called to the fact that buying and selling film has gone up to l>oth exhibitor and dis- tributor but just how much addi- tional expense is involved nobody knows, not even the distributor. The extra costs are a dead expense, how- ever. In Kuykcndall's opinion. Dated Fix Also, the new system 'delays the booking of new pictures which in- evitably reduces the boxoffice pos- sibilities of the pictures that are held up awaiting the completion of product deals. The boxoffice value of a picture seldom improves with age. Subsequent run theatres are encountering plenty of trouble booking pictures. This has become acute and critical in many places.' The MFTOA believes that the solution is an honest option to can- cel a reasonable minimum number of films under any .contract and that a 20% rejection privilege would not mean a loss of 20% in revenue to the distributor since cancellation would not be restricted to any specific pictures nor would the op- tion be fully exercised by most ex- hibs. While the decree prohibits the forcing of shorts, it is simple arith- metic to the MPTOA for dis- 'Selling Away' ;Contlnaed from page 5 entered the situation and Ibat day met with Neil F. Agnew, Par vice- president over distribution, with a view to trying to break the dead- lock. Result was consummation of a deal Monday morning (8) covering Par's first two blocks. Reported that Loew's finally yielded, agreeing to a contract at Par's terms which are higher under the decree and has many buyers yelling. Par actually broke off relations with National Theatres, embracing over 500 theatres, and was ready to sell away, but in that ease Spyros Skouras made overtures igainit siicb a move and, following a conference with Barney Balaban, dealing 'was resumed, and a contract finally closed. Metro sold some.accounts Jnu:omn petition with McNeil & Naify, which have 80 theatres in northern Cali- fornia and Nevada, but since see- ing Metro meant business, negotia- tions are on again with McNeil & Naify. Bill Rodgers, v.p. over sales tor Metro, stated before he left for Chicago Sunday night (7), that he had not yet been informed that a deal with Mc&N had been reached, assumption being it was still in the negotiating stage In the west. Saengcr Ti. Goldwyn Paramount-Richards (Saenger) in the south, which frequently over the years has turned dlstribs away when unable to agree on terms, has flatly refused to play 'Little Foxes' under the rentals demanded by Sam Gold- wyn and RKO. As a result the pic- ture is being sold to opposition ac- counts in the Saenger territory, em- bracing close to 100 houses in Louisi- ana, Mississippi and Alabama. Cir- cuit has taken other RKO product this year, however. The Sparks circuit of around 75 houses in Florida has been unable to get together with RKO on 'Foxes' and picture may be sold away in that territory also. RKO at first sought deals throughout the country on 'Foxes' at ^% with reversion down to 35% and up to 50%, but since has accepted a straight 35% from some accounts. Warners broke with Sparks two years, but recently made peace. Universal continues doing business away from Saenger with which it broke two years ago. The prior year Warner Bros, sold away from Saenger, while the year before that it was (Columbia. These have since made up with Saenger. Two high percentage films, both sold singly, that Saenger didn't play were 'Great Dictator' and 'Snow White.' Metro had trouble with Kincey-Wilby this season but it was finally straight- ened out, reportedly by Nick Schenck and Balaban. Although theatres are being forced to make deals in order to keep open, in scores of instances they are still holding out to the bitter end and trying to get along as best they can rather than bend to the terms de- manded by the distributor.'. On the other hand, when deals such as Par- Loew are held up as long as this one was,' Independents playing be- hind Loew's' In the Greater N. Y. area are in a spot since they hav.en't been able to make buys until the situatlor,.with Loe.w's wa.<!,seltle(i,._ Aussie-Far East ^ontloDCd from page 3; combined represents only about 18% of all foreign revenue, and few for- eign, officials believe this total will be more than slightly dented by the war. Japan Was Profitable American distributors, of course, immediately lost the previously profitable Japan market. However, the dlstribs have been unable to take An Old Jap Custom Foreign managers in New York are not exactly unhappy about getting out of Japan now that the U. S. is at war with Nippon because Japanese exhib- itors always have been regarded as tough babies to handle on sales pacts. It's fairly well known in foreign department circles that of all foreign ex- hibitors with which American companies have had dealings, the squeeze to exact cheap terms was worse from the Japanese. In the past, several U. S. film company reps at Tokyo outlined their difficulties in obtaining dis- tribution contracts, claiming they were tougher to deal with than the most obstinate N. Y. independent exhib. Routine with Japanese exhibs works like this: After weeks of bickering and the deal appar- ently is all set, the exhibitor stalls further by saying he must take it up with another execu- tive. After additional weeks'of dickering with this new official and an agreement appears set, the American distributor learns that the contract must go to an- other higher-up for approval. When it Is finally settled, the originally agreed on terms gen- erally have been whittled down by 20 to 30%. turned to San Francisco over the weekend. Doyle, who is on his way to the homeoffice for a new assignment, las* was heard from in the Philip- pines. No word has been received frorh him siniie the war outbreak nor from Dan Ledermanj manager of 20th-Fox Philippine office. Also no report has been received from Jo- seph Mcllhenny, supervisor tor Singapore and Batavia, last heard from in the former city. Mayer for- merly managed Batavia. 12 USD Shows sContlnncd from pace any money out of Japanese territory for nearly three years. They still are getting the coin impoxmded in the Yokohama Specie Bank in San Francisco under the three-year •agreement,—which- paid -off starting this tall. U. S. major film companies had about $950,000 in- this fund, and all but about $237,000 actually has heen paid to American distribs. Final payment is not due imtil next Feb- ruary but major company officials feci there is little doubt but that it would be paid in full since the coin has rested in the Frisco bank for al>out three years. This sum represented all the major company distribution coin collected in Japan over a period of more than two years, agreement having been entered into because Japan needed product end U. S. companies wanted the coin out of that country. Third payment was due last Saturday (6), with collections going through for most of the film companies. Numerous film companies admit having heard from their Manila of- fices, but the fate of various man- agers last reported in Toyko remains in doubt. Metro had the least to worry about because its representa- tive in the Jap capital is James Johnson, a Sane, who naturally would not be held. $1,800,000 Tied Tip In Nippon Estimated that the eight American major distributors presently have about $1,800,000 tied up in Japan, figured at the recent basis of ex- change. However, the value of the Jap yen has slumped so drastically in recent days that it is dubious if the film companies would be able to get the usual official rate of ex- change, this making the 7,-8,000,000 yen held in Japan worth 'consider- ably less than $1,800,000 estimate. Warner Bros.' manager in Japan, N. Shathln. is believed to be in Tokyo, only recently having been to Shanghai, also now in Japanese con- trol. Harold Dunn, Far Eastern man- ager, also was last heard from in Japan's capital, but he may have gone to Manila where he was due soon. . Because much of cable service has been taken over by government au thorities, it likely will be later this week before N. Y. hears froni many managers in the Orient Charles Mayer, recently named by 20th-Fox to supplant Arthur G. Doyle as Far East supervisor, had sailed for Singapore on Dec. 5 from San Francisco but was reported safely back in Frisco Sunday t7). He was on President Polk but had licen notified to turn back because of threatening situation, and ..he r.c- the '160 Circuit' followed huddle of the advisory committee with Ezra Stone last Thursday (4). Stone, now a private in the morale division at Camp Upton, L. I., staged 'Brother Rat' there with an all-soldier cast and is now propping other shows. 'Rat' was so successful In its Upton run that the top-ranking general of the 2d Corps Area ordered it toured through all the camps under his command. Most of them had the handkerchiet-size stages which some sources had claimed were too small for legit shows, but Stone pointed the way. The tour was a tremen- dous hit. Two Bowes tmits, opening Jan. 4, will be the 'All-Girl Revue' and the 'All-Star Revue.' They each run about 50 minutes. Bowes is taking no commish and CSI has acquired them tor about half of what they get on the one-nighters which they have been playing. 'All-Girl 'show (which isn't strict- ly that) includes Cyril Smith, Doro- thy Zane, Wanda Gibson, Jean Clark, Marie Smith & Co. (2), Burns Sis- ters and one act to be added. 'All- Star' Includes Youman Bros. (3), Frances Gibby, Jerl Donahue, Mil- dred Maye, Windy Jack Sc Co., Joan & Gene, and one act to l>e added. Hazile Dusle' In St, Loo SL Louis, Dec. 9. First of the road shows sponsored by the USO-Camp Shows, Inc., hit this neck of the woods last week and played a. two-night stand at Jefferson Barracks, a selectee train- ing camp just south of the city lim- its.' Mora, than 6,000 soldiers were on deck tor the varied show tagged 'Razzle Dazzle.' Cast was made up of Milton Doug- las, m.c; Bob. Ripa, juggler; June Lorraine, mimic; Fayne and Forster, bellringers; Lucille Johnson, song- bird, and Willie Solar, comedian. Gay Foster gals (12) constituted the line. Music was supplied by' the soldier orch. Troupe, managed by Max AUen- tuck, started out for Brownsville, Tex., after local stand. Griffin Probe :CoDtlnaed from pace 41; though the talent union has not been witboilt a crisis, usually because bf internal dissension, since It replaced the disenfranchised American Fed- eration of Actors two and a halt years ago. Griffin, presumably strictly on a trip to Cleveland, carried on exten- sive lobbying In his own behalf among mid western members of AGVA's national board. He Is re- ported to have visited Chicago and Cincinnati, along' with - Cleveland, where he sought to rally support to himself in the pending hearing. Plus the personal lobbying. Griffin has issued a long statement in de- 'fense of himself and in excoriation of those who are now attacking him. Strangely enough, Griffin, In a foot- note, says the statement was written last July. The Dorsey party did not take place until September and It's not known, that Griffin was under any attack prior to that In the statement. Griffin traces his geneology back to his grandparents. Hirst Gets A. C. House . Atlantic City, Dec. 9. Garden Pier theatre, this resort's only le.iit house, has been leased for entire summer of 1942 by Izzy Hirst, Philadelphia burlesque producer. Hirst operated Globe theatre on iBoardwalk for past eight summers and plans for bigger burley shows out over the ocean. 'Ben Jacobson and Rube Bernstein operated theatre last summer. About 12 traveling Broadway shows were prQ.'^cn'fd. . „ ,.■.'.•