DECEMBER

I
!
Spyros Skouras Visits in Australia;
Says TV Will Hurt Theatres There
By WILLIAM BEECHAM
BOXOFFICE Australian Bureau
PERTH, W. A.—Spyros Skouras,
president
of 20tli Century-Fox. after visiting New Zealand
and returning to Sydney, recently left
for Darwin and Singapore, continuing his
world tour. In welcoming Skouras to New
Zealand, governing Director M. J. Moodave
of Amalgamated Theatres said: "Spyros P.
Skouras is the greatest movie mogul ever
to yisit New Zealand. In the history of the
motion picture industry in New Zealand
and I am considered the father of that industry—never
have we had the privilege of
welcoming a world film executive of the cali-
Der of Skouras." At a reception given by
20th-Fox and Amalgamated Theatres, guests
included leaders of all sections of the community.
"Television, which still is making progress.
will come to Australia and its effect here,
as in America, will be extremely serious,"
Skouras said at a luncheon given in his honor
at the Sydney Trocadero. Speaking of the
film industry in general, he said: "Tlie studios
of America, which are constantly striving
to produce top-quality pictures, are in
fact making the best product in the world.
Hollywood recognizes that the main ingredient
in any picture must be its subject matter.
The story is of even more importance than
the star values."
Managing Director Ernest TurnbuU of
Hoyts Theatres told his executives recently
that there must be no relaxation of effort
. . .
if business was to be maintained at a satisfactory
level.
"Trade is so sensitive to outside influences
and so dependent on a continued flow of
high quality product," he said, "that pa;_t
results cannot be accepted complacently."
Turnbull was holding a conference to mark
the occasion of the visit of Spyros Skouras
to Australia.
"Radical changes have taken place in the
economic scene during the past year," he said,
"and this has resulted in buyer resistance.
While prices of con.sumer goods remain high,
and dearer, food, clothing and transport have
to be met out of a reduced pur.se, we must
expect keener shopping for entertainment
Except for the trend in wages, which
is still upward, the suddenness of the downward
trend in Australia's economy is the
mo t outstanding feature. It is sufficient
joy CET
pAsreR S€Rvw£!
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sPEcm
TRHILERS
FROM
125 HYDE ST. SAN FRANCISCO (2), CALIF.
Gerold L Karski...; President
to shock us into some very hard thinking
. . . We cannot tread the easy path we
have followed in recent years if we are to
take our place in the world, either as a
nation or an industry. We must show that
we have the necessary self-discipline and
strength to deserve the rewards which are
there. They are there to be taken—but they
will not just come to us."
* * *
When Norman B. Rydge of Greater Union
recently distributed prizes and bonuses to
theatre managers who had been successful
as "champion salesmen" on city and suburban
circuits, he announced that each member
of the staffs of winning cinemas would receive
an extra week's wages.
"This is a recognition th^t every theatre,
while being a separate unit, operated by a
team headed by its manager, is dependent
upon full teamwork from projectionist down
to the lowliest member," he said. "Everybody
in the theatre can be a salesman in the
way he or she cooperates in winning new
patrons. Greater Union aims to weld its
2,138 employes into a strong, skilful fighting
sales force to sell more empty seats."
* * *
Joseph A. MoConville, president of Columbia
International, will arrive in Sydney this
month to attend the Australian Columbia
sales conference. More and more top U.S.
executives are visiting Australia of late, and
it is apparent that they see in this country
some immense possibilities.
* * *
A New Zealand newspaper is asking:
"What penalty is provided against under-age
persons who attend a cinema to see a film
from which the censor's certificate has excluded
them?"
Actually the newspaper is pointing out the
unfairness of a law which makes the theatre
exhibitor or manager responsible for keeping
restricted persons out, with the liability of
a fine of £50. Many managers feel that the
general public regards the censor's certificate
as a formality, and it is doubtful indeed
if many persons are actually conscious of it
at all. Actually the onus should be, the
industry feels, as it is in Australia—on the
parents. They can read the classifications
and allow or disallow their children to
attend.
* * *
Melbourne cinemas have been up against
some exceptionally .strong counter attractions
of late and business has suffered in consequence.
"South Pacific" is a mighty strong
theatrical attraction, with a Tommy Ti'inder
'how and a leading circus as other magnets.
* *
Western Australian open-air cinema.s are
again bidding for business, but here again
competition from nonfilm shows is keen.
Motor speedway, night trotting and the like
draw very big business, and .showmen in the
film industry need to be on their toes at
all times to combat such attractions.
* * *
Gordon D. Ellis, general manager of British
Dominions Films, has been hospitalized of
late but, we are glad to leai-n, is now on
the mend.
* * «
Only three features have been screened
for more than one week at the Ambassador
Theatre in Perth, latest (the third) being
20th-Fox's "The Desert Fox." A special preview
of this was held, guests being highranking
officers who were prominent in the
western desert campaign.
.
« * «
William Melniker, in charge of theatre operations
of Loew's International Corp., is
visiting Australia. On his arrival at Mascot
airfield, Sydney, he was met by MGM Managing
Director N. B. Freeman, General Sales
Manager D. Lake, Theatre Superviser A. Gillespie
and Publicity Director R. Gurr.
* * *
The South Coast town council at Brisbane
recently had on its agenda a proposal that
all permits for Sunday night entertainments
be canceled. When the motion came before
the chair, one alderman said that it would
be nothing but a retrograde step to close
theatres and other forms of amusement on
Sunday nights in a holiday re-ort. The proposal
was defeated by the vote of the mayor
and an amendment was carried accepting an
offer of £150 a year permit fee from the
Capitol Theatre, Coolangatta, for Sunday
night screenings, pending amendment of the
present bylaw relating to Sunday entertainments.
* * *
Bob Skene, personal representative of Walt
Disney and who recently returned to the
U.S. from an Australian visit, took with him
a Victorian naturalist's 800-foot film covering
the lite of the IjTebird. It is understood
that Skene will recommend that a special
film unit be sent to Australia to make a
nature film for the Disney studio.
* « *
Hoyts Theatres reports a record net profit
of £253.088 for the financial year ending
June 30, 1952, an increase of £2,703 on the
previous year's figure.
* *
It is reported that a leading Sydney dance
studio is issuing invitations to special Sunday
night screenings of 16mm films. More
and more social clubs, business organizations
and what-have-yous are making hay with
16mm these days, and so fai' commercial exhibitors
seem to have been able to do little
about this menace to business.
* • *
"Once Upon a Time" is a heading in a
recent issue of the Australasian Exhibitor,
and it gives us pleasure to quote from the
feature following it. "Once upon a time," this
says, "there lived a virile, dynamic force
called show business. This spartan was imbued
with personality, plenty of ideas. Initiative
and imagination, sure in the knowledge
that publicity, glamor and ballyhoo were
the heartbeat of his business. He earnestly
applied his craft to win and influence countless
millions to his matcliless entertainment
on the screen. It was the nature of show
business that many times did he spend much
money to make a great deal more money.
The crowds kept on coming, and he prospered
greatly.
"But alas! one day along came some crepehangers
in the guise of economy experts.
They proceeded to chloroform and devitalize
the unwilling patient to a degree that the
show part of his business was almost entirely
removed, followed by an alarming
falling-away of the latter."
". . . When show business, as true showmen
knew it, is restored in fact, not in theory,
and recovers again that unchallenged place
T-f
68 BOXOFFICE December 13, 1952