Variety (January 1951)

Wednesday, Januaty 3, 1951 Forty^fifth Anniversary PICTIJBES Let’s Not Predictions About the Future, Say Iiidustry’s Toppers, But Gear Now to Work Harder Turning Out Better Pix apd Recapturing That Lost Audience President of Paramount Pleased to Note That Good Product Always Does Good Business By BARNEY BALABAN Any one who reads the newspapers these days should hesitate before venturing a categorical opinion about the pihspects for the New Year, There are too niany explosive iactors on the world scene which could easily affect our business, one way orthe other. In view of this, it would be more constructive to forego the luxury of crystal-gazing into the future and, instead, take stock of the trend of recent events affecting us today. The healthiest development that has occurred during the past year in our industry has been a recognition of the fact that it is now doing business under drastically changed conditions, and that all of us must adjust our sights to this new economic basis. We Barney Balaban have recently gone through peri^ when all our thinking was tied to the good old “lush’' days--when we interpreted any change in business only in relation to the most prosperous years in pur history. Fortunately, this dangerous inclination to look backwards has been pretty much overcome. It took Us a jittle longer than it might have to shift our perspective from the high peak of prosperity behind us to the realities ahead of us, but I believe we made the grade before the economic facts of life caught up with us. Today, we are learning to live within the potentialities of our current market and to anticipate the kind of niarket that may exist at the time when our product is released. I was highly encouraged a Couple of weeks ago when I saw three pictures in one day. Two of them were produced by studios Other than our own. They were pictures that were well made, with strong boxoff ice appeal— and at the right price. They were the kind of pictures that could reasonably be expected to show a profit in our present . market. The third was based upon characterizations which had previously been identified with competing media. I was proud to note how favorably this motion picture compared with the other media. The picture has broad appeal and is bound to do well in this market. All three pictures fill the prescription for what ails us in our contracted market. If they are typical of what is to come, then there is real cause for encouragement. Although boxoffice receipts have shrunk substantially from peak levels, it is a fact that a great deal of money is still coming in at boxoffices throughout the world, Our . problem is to adjust our productivity to this new market and gear ourselves to its realities. If every one does his job iiitelligently^and that includes studio executives, creative people, exhibitors, distributors, in fact, every one in our industry— we have every reason to face the future with confidence. I am convinced that it is within our power to assure a healthy motion picture industry, strong enough to meet any challenge. I say this notwithstanding some of the fears that have been expressed about television. Let there be no doubt ahout .it, television presents a new and potent factor in our considerations. It would be dangerous to ignore it, and we might as woll understand its great potential impact. Yeti I am confident that the motion picture industry can make money despite television, if we approach our jobs realistically. That means producing and distributing quality pictures at the right cost ;.nd better merchandising of pictures by both distributors and exhibitors. Whether we find ourseles In the “red" or the “black" depends entirely upon us. ' L TV Novelty Wears Off Too Although we have no definitive data on the question, we believe that once the novelty of a new television set has vorn off, there is a tendency for a more critical comparison of the entertainment furnished by television with that of motion pictures. During the last half of 1950 many excellent motion pictures Were released. The results from these pictures indicated clearly that good pictures will hold their own against competition from this new medium simply because they offer better entertainment. It is true that the public has become much more selective about the pictures that it patronizes. But that is merely a challenge to us to make them better. On the other hand, we can anticipate that the same selective attitude will inevitably apply to television. Ultimately, when the novelty of television has been dissipated, the puMic will exercise its .selection of entertainment among all media. When that time comes, we can rely on fiirst-rate motion pictures to stand on their own merits against^ all competition. It is certainly significant that the continuously declining boxoffice during the past couple.of years has leveled off in the last half of . this year, despite the continuous increase in the number of television sets. , Kecognizmg the conditions now confronting us, pur studio is planning to spend ah overall amount of doilars for production in 1951 that is no less than the sum spent in each of the last two years. But we expect to produce a number of pictures more than wp did last year for substantially the same money. Needless to say, we shall try to do this while improving the quality of pur productions. In other Words, whatever savings we are able to effect in the overall cost of our product, we expect to plow back into the business, into more product for our customers and more and better pictures to attract the public into motion PipLure theatres. In this way Paramount plans to meet its ^^^‘'Ponsibility to its exhibitor customers and the public. We believe we can do this because of the greater awareness ti’oin top to bottom in our studio that talent, ingenuity mid hard work make for better pictures than the mere J’>^pcnditure of dollars. I believe this attitude to be the key to the future security of our business. 1 Iicre is much cause to be encouraged by recent develop ments in our industry. 1951 should be a challenging year for all of us; If We are guided by practical reasoning, it may well turn out to be a good year— the beginning of a new, healthy era in our history. More Work and Less Prophecy, Urges I J Prexy, Who Reprises the ‘Committee of One’ Credo By N, J. BLUMBERG I wonder if prophecy at this point is not just a little out of order,. ; . It seems to me that we should not try to outguess Conditions and if we are to be realists we should not make too many predictioris about anything. I would like, to draw the distinction between predictions and planning. . The matter of planning for the future at least bears some relation to systematic thinking based upon whatever data we can collect. The business of making predictions is a specialization .that is frequently based upon impulses and prejudices. Therefore, believing more in planning than in prophecy, I can only talk about those things that I have tried to think through to the best of my vat* Riumher? ability, together with the best think ^ Biumoerg ing of my associates. We in the motion picture business must above all think about making motion pictures. There is no point to think too much about the competitive entertainment media because unless we have entertaining pictures we will suffer accordingly. I do. not mean to say that we shouldn't be aware 'of all bur competition, including television, sports and. all those other enterprises which . tend to deflect people from the theatres. But WG should keep uppermost in our minds the simple fact that good entertainment on the screens is always a Competitor to the things we consider a competitor. The question then is what can be done to provide the best in entertainment. Certainly it has no relation to how much a picture costs. The most important factor is what the picture is about; Whether it has those elements vvhich will excite the public and whether it is susceptible to promotion, advertising and publicity. I presume this comes down to the idea of boxoffice slants and angles: The trouble is that too many people in our business write the picture off before it has even played In the theatre. It is my contention that every picture is a boxoffice picture until it is proved otherwise and therefore every exhibitor has the obligation to support any picture until the public indicates its opinion. I don’t think the public is apathetic about films. I think most of the apathy, exists in our own business. To correct this apathy one must cheer GOMPO in its efforts to create a new point of view in our business so that aU of us will work together to improve boxoffice and public relations. COMPO is certainly on the right track and deserves the support of everyone in this business. All 6f the things we have been talking about for a number of years have been crystallized' in the COMPO program. The time has come when we must realize that the way to attack Industry problems is by Industry thinking. Practically everything that our Industry is bemoaning has come before COMPO. This includes the necessity for developing new personalities, the effort to launch Industry advertising, and the effort to conduct systematic surveys so we will know what is going on rather than guess what will happen. It was nearly two years ago that I enunciated an idea to the effect that everyone who makes a living in this business should become a Committee, of ^ One to get on the public relations bandwagon. ' Let’s keep our opinions channelled through COMPO and let’s stop parading our worries before the public. This is a good resolution to adopt for 1951. RKO Prez Iteniizes Some of the Plus Factors ^hich Can Help Recapture the Lost Pix Audience The recapture of the motion picture audience is obviously the first objective of the entire industry. This is a job requiring the full efforts of every segment of our business. / . . ^ ^ « It is . certainly true that in spite of j ^ ' iiiiT-ni-iijn • very good business for a number of the top attractions this past year, the general average of attendance has been far below what the industry ^ 1 should expect in consideration of the ‘ i exceptionally high quality of product ’ I ^ offered. This buying lethargy or I 'If ; apathy on the part of the public is not \ i too mysterious. We took a terrible llP I beating for a cotiple of years. It jr seemed that all forces of public opin itetec ! ion were arrayed against us. The press, in a wild orgy of condemnation, Ned Depmet world that OUr pictures were bad. The critics had a love feast with the foreign sirens, unfortunately, as an industry, we were not organized to combat the attacks so the public read and believed, listened to the radio, and took the word of the ether pundits as gospel. So, today we are fighting a defensive war, trying to regain the ground lost. It’s a slow and tedious journey but not a hopeless one. . ^ ^ • i. . Good work has been done by industry organizations, both on the national and local levels, to create a better i 1 Ned Depinet understanding of our indiistry and lienee iiiore tolerance bn the part of editors, opinion makers, legislators and influential groups throughoiTt the country. But tolerance. Or even generosity, bn the part Of the public and its opinion makers cannot ever be regarded as a permanent state. Good will, friendship and tolerance are delicate plants that require constant cultivation and nurturing. Respect must be earned— -it cannot be bought or bribed. We must be ever alert to correct our own faults and militant in defense of our virtues. But “public relations” is more than national or interriational issues. Rublic relations is also the gentlemanly " usher who courteously offers his arm and escorts an elderly lady to her seat; who politely: helps a patron with his topcoat and thus makes a friend for the theatre. Public relations ;is also the cashier who takes a patron’s money with a smile and starts the chain of enjoyment at the boxoffice window Public relations is. also the wellgroomed house staff and the spic and span theatre. . Public relations is also the theatre manager who knows the editor, the mayor, the priest, minister and rabbi, the Chamber of Commerce secretary, the heads of the PTA, woman’s club and the school principal. Being a business of excitenaent, flamboyance and makeV believe, which is our natural stock in trade, we are prone to forget that the crowd is made lip of single units, human beings each with a distinct ego and a temperament as^ sensitive and volatile as that of any Hollywood star. This’^ ‘ is our public, our composite customer, who makes us or breaks us, who must be interpreted and catered to. TV Can Be An Ally ] : It would be foolish to deny the existence of new and formidable competition, not only in the television areas, but also in other amusements, including the automobile. Every man in this business knows what he is up. against. He can take it lying down or stand up and fight for his rightful share of the amusement dollar. Television is here — it can be an enemy or an ally: I think we should use it. TV has its ov/n distinct kind of entertainment to sell but we have ours. • We are in competition for the public’s leisure time, but we are not selling M;he same merchandise. There will be great, good, poor and indifferent television shows and They will attract audiences according to their respective merits. Television is show business too. I feel confident that the whole industry will, during 1951, continue to release the extremely high percentage of top product that marked the past year. Certainly 1950 ranks very high as a year of exceptionally fine pictures How long the industry can continue to produce so lavishly will of necessity depend upon public response and exhibitor efforts in making them profitable investments. The producing end of oUr business has gone through the economy wringer. Costs were cut but grosses fell to offset the savings. The public’s taste improves each day. Yesterday’s masterpiece becomes tomorrow’s mediocrity. Picy tures can never retreat and hold their audience. Ingenuity in achieving production effects rather than drastic slicing of costs seems preferable. Our business must ever remain youthful not only in our thinking and actions, but also in the merchandise we sell. New personalities friust be developed year in and year out. These new people must find a place on the nation’s screens. We are not a dead or dying industry. We don’t need digitalis to keep our heart beating. Instead we can work up a sweat and unlimber our muscles and overcome most of our aches and pains. I refuse to be a pallbearer at my own funeral. ' ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Loew’s Prexy Realislicaily Feels the Nat’l Economy Most Directly Affects Filmj^oin^ Habits By NICHOLAS M. SCHENCK At the end of each year, executives of motion picture companies are asked a great many questions by the trade which these executives cannot definitely answer. I have never believed in haphazard opinions or uriwarranted predictions, but as a matter of friendly compliance and because there may be something to be gained in talking things over, I shall go into a discussion of the points brought up. I am asked to give a perspective on the year ahead. This is impos ; slble and can , be as wrong as the , weather bureau, Which turned but to be Completely ignorant of the big . breeze that started to blow on Nov, 25 last, and turned into a hurricane wjthL out any warning. Nicholas M. schenck Obviously a great deal depends Upon worlo: conditions. These conditions at the moment are none too good, and the disruption of our economy is threatened by mahy forces. Peaceful conditions throughout the world will .naturally allow' the individual to: his normal activities and then: all businesses that are essential to our happiness ^ have an, excellent chance for prosperity The motion pic ‘ ture has proved itself to. be an essential to our way of life, and its prosperity dep 'fid.s on the degree to which v We are allowed to pursue our way of life. No one can possibly say more than this without running the risk, of . being cohsidered an idle talker, . As for the production of pictures, our com,jany has done rather well in the past year, which was not considered a good year by the industry in general. We have turned out a great many successful attractions, and we have reduced our production expenditures as much as was ■possible. My views on television have not changed radically. 1 still believe that a great many people will always seek their amusement by “going out.’! But I do not ignore the (Continued on Next Page)