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THE NATIONAL FILM WEEKLY
PUBLISHED IN NINE SECTIONAL EDITIONS
BEN SHLYEN
Editor-in-Chief and Publisher
JAMES M. JERAULD Editor
NATHAN COHEN Associate Editor
JESSE SHLYEN Managing Editor
IVAN SPEAR Western Editor
FLOYD M. MIX Equipment Editor
RAYMOND LEVY General Manager
Published Every Saturday by
ASSOCIATED PUBLICATIONS
Editorial Oiiices: 9 Rockeieller Plaza, New York 20,
N. Y. Raymond Levy, General Manager; James M.
Jerauld, Editor; Chester Friedman, Editor Showmandiser
Section; A. J. Stocker, Eastern Representative.
Telephone Columbus 5-6370, 5-6371, 5-6372. Cable
address: "BOXOFriCE, New York."
Central Oiiices: 1327 South Wabash Ave., Chicago
5, 111. Jonas Perlberg, Manager; Donald Maggart,
Central Representative. Telephone WEBster 4745.
Western Cilices: 6404 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
22, Calif. Ivan Spear, Manager. Telephone GLadslone
1186.
Washington Oiiices: 302-303 International Bldg., 1319
r St., N. W. Lee L. Garling, Manager. Telephone
NAtional 3482. Filmrow: 932 New Jersey, N. W. Sara
Young.
London Oiiices: 136 Wardour St., John Sullivan, Manager.
Telephone Gerrard 3934-5-6.
Publication OlUces: 825 Van Brunt Blvd., Kansas City
1, Mo. Nathan Cohen, Associate Editor; Jesse Shlyen,
Managing Editor; Morris Schlozman, Business Manager.
J Herbert Roush, Manager Advertising Sales
and Service. Telephone CHestnut 7777-78.
Other Publications: BOXOFFICE BAROMETER,
published in November as a section ot BOXOFFICE;
THE MODERN THEATRE, published monthly as a
section ol BOXOFFICE.
ALBANY—21-23 Walter Ave., M. Berringan.
ATLANTA— 163 Walton, N. W., P. H. Savin.
BIRMINGHAM—The News, Eddie Badger.
BOSTON—Frances W. Harding, Lib. 9814.
BUFFALO— 157 Audubon Drive, Snyder, Jim Schroder.
CHARLOTTE—216 W. 4lh, Pauline Griffith.
CINCINNATI— 1634 Central Parkway, Lillian Seltzer.
CLEVELAND—Elsie Loeb, Fairmount 0046.
DALLAS-^525 Hollard, V. W. Crisp, I8-97SO.
DENVER— 1645 Lafayette, Jack Rose, TA 8517.
DES MOINES— Register & Tribune Bldg., Russ Schoch.
DETROIT— 1009 Fox Theatre Bldg., H. F. Reves.
Telephones: RA 1100; Night, UN-4-02I9.
HARTFORD— 109 Westborne, Allen Widem.
HARRISBURG, PA.—Mechanicsburg, Lois Fegan.
INDIANAPOLIS—Rt. 8, Box 770, Howard M. Rudeaux.
MIAMI— 66 S. Hibiscus Island, Mrs. Monton E. Harwood.
2952 Merrick Rd., Elizabeth Sudlow.
MEMPHIS—707 Spring St., Null Adorns, Tel. 48-5462.
MILWAUKEE—529 N. I3th, J. R. Gahagan, MA-a297.
MINNEAPOLIS—29 Washington Ave. So., Les Rees
NEW HAVEN—42 Church St., Gertrude Lander.
NEWARK, N. J.—207 Sumner, Sara Carleton.
NEW ORLEANS— Mrs. Jack Auslet, 3137 Elysian Fields
Avenue.
OKLAHOMA CITY—216 Terminal Bldg., Polly Trindle.
OMAHA—Omaha World-Herald Bldg., Lou Gerdes
PHILADELPHIA^901 Spruce St., J. M. Makler
PITTSBURGH—86 Van Braam St., R. F. Klingensmith
PORTLAND, ORE.—David C. Kahn, BR, II8I, ext. 156
RICHMOND—Grand Theatre, Sam PuUiam
ST. LOUIS—5149 Rosa, David Barrett, FL-3727.
SALT LAKE CITY—Deseret News, Howard Pearson
SAN ANTONIO—333 Blum St., L. J. B. Kelner.
SAN FRANCISCO—25 Taylor St., Gail Upman,
ORdway 3-4812.
SEATTLE—928 N. 84th St., Willard Elsey.
TOLEDO-4330 Willys Pkwy., Anna Kline.
IN CANADA
CALGARY—The Albertan, Wm. Campbell.
MONTREAL—4330 Wilson Ave., N. D. G., Roy Carmichael.
Walnut 5519.
ST. JOHN— 116 Prince Edward St., Wm. J. McNulty.
TORONTO—242 Milwood, Milton Galbraith.
VANCOUVER—411 Lyric Theatre Bldg., Jack Droy.
VICTORIA—938 Island Highway, Alec Morriman.
WINNIPEG—The Tribune, Ben Lepkin.
Member Audit Bureau or Circulations
Entered as Second Class matter at Post Office. Kansas City, Mo.
Sectional Edition, $3.00 per year; National Edition, $7.50
I
OXOFFICE
FOUL PLAY!
.Implementation of the industry's
public relations program on the local level is commencing to
take hold. According to the Theatre Owners of America, the
work has been started in 3,000 cities, towns and villages. As
a result newspapers with an aggregate of about 8 million
circulation, numerous radio announcements, speakers before
theatre audiences and other groups have carried "favorable"
stories about motion pictures and the industry to the public.
That's a good start. And it's as it should be. But the ball
has got to be kept rolling, for a lot of the "wrong stuff" has
been getting into print and on the air for too long a time. It
isn't going to be overcome overnight.
There are still soreheads on the fringe—outsiders who go
out of their way to take a crack at "the movies." One such
instance came into evidence in last Sunday's Kansas City Star,
when a feature writer, who generally writes about real estate
and small-talk personality stuff, struck the industry a nasty
blow below the belt. And all because five years ago he had
to wait in the lobby of a neighborhood theatre, which, because
of a help shortage, had closed off its balcony, and he didn't
get to see the picture. Boom! That kept him away from motion
pictures these five years. But he hadn't forgotten the
incident and around it he vented his spleen at motion pictures
in general.
It seems to be a popular sport these days for people to
pick on pictures. It's bad enough that some seasoned critics
have taken on jaded views from seeing so many films they
have become hard to please. At least it is within their province
to criticize pictures for their entertainment's worth or lack of it.
But when just anybody who conducts a newspaper column
can dig back five years to air a peeve and rap a whole industry
and all of its product, because he didn't think constructively
enough to register his complaint with the manager at
the time of the "unfortunate" incident, we've just got to get
up on our hind legs and holler back at the newspaper that
allows such a policy.
Speaking of sport reminds that this same newspaper daily
devotes (morning and evening) from one to two pages for
sports news. Even when the local ball team is a dud (as it
currently happens to be), they are in there rooting. To a real
sports fan it might appear as sacrilege to say that more people
are interested in motion pictures, derive more pleasure and
at a pittance of the cost than from baseball, football, hockey
or what have you. But how many daily newspapers give
even an average of a daily column to news of motion pictures?
And when the ball team is a flop, we don't see them
berating the entire baseball league; or telling the public to stay
away because the bleachers were roped off.
11
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Vol. 53
MAY 2 2,
No. 4
19 4 8