Boxoffice-11.11.1950

i
BOXOFFICE
FAIR TRADE PRACTICES CODE
FOR DRIVE-INS IS DEMANDED
Arkansas ITO Asks an End
To Carload Rates, Free
Children Admissions
UTTLE ROCK, ARK—The Independent
Theatre Owners of Arkansas has asked
Theatre Owners of America to take drastic
action to halt free admissions to children,
car and truckloads of patrons at 50 cents
to a dollar a load and other "abnormal and
unbusinesslike means of attracting attention."
These techniques, the ITO charged,
are having a damaging and detrimental effect
on the normal operations of their
conventional and outdoor competitors.
Criticizing such practices as busloads and
carloads of persons at per car prices of 50
cents to $1, and free admissions to children,
the ITO executive board has asked TOA to
survey the "extraordinary and destructive
methods" and draft a plan of action to halt
the harmful practices.
WARN OF 'CHEAPE^fING
INFLUENCE'
Unless this is done, the Arkansas exhibitors
warned, the practices will "bring about a
dangerous cheapening of the operating standards
of the industry among the American
public" and serve to destroy normal and fair
competition in the business.
In the Memphis exchange territory, some
drive-in operators are abusing the per car
admission price regulations by admitting
buses and trucks to enter the theatres with
as many as 40 persons at a single per car
price. TOA is asked to cite such practices to
the Treasury department and make an effort
to obtain "a new and more reasonable ruling"
that would be applicable under fair trade
practices and would eliminate "this entirely
dangerous and destructive technique."
The Arkansas group also says free admissions
to children under 12 should be eliminated
because the practice "serves only one
purpose, namely, to create the impression
that motion pictures are free and convenient
rather than important entertainment that
should be appreciated and bought."
PROPOSE TOA SANCTIONS
Drafting of a code of fair trade practices
for its membership is recommended—for both
Indoor and outdoor exhibitors — and that
violators be denied TOA membership.
The resolution, signed by Sam Kirby, president,
and Jack Bomar, secretary-treasurer,
asked that the protested practices be brought
to the attention of distributors.
List 2,472 Drive-ins
HOUSTON—Andy Smith jr., general
sales manager for 20th-Pox, reported at
the TOA convention last week that the
company's latest census of drive-in theatres
shows 2,472 in operation, or equal
in number to 12.8 per cent of the 21,783
indoor theatres the company found open
in the U.S.
AT THE TOA CONVENTION
Outdoor Exhibitors See Need
For Some Type of Arbitration
Houston
The drive-in committee of Theatre
Owners of America has recommended
that some type of an arbitration board
be established to settle differences between
outdoor exhibitors, particularly in
the problem of establishing product
availability. Arbitration should be on a
local level, it was voted in committee
meeting.
The outdoor exhibitors also want some
type of clearance to be established and
that distributors work out a system to determine
which exhibitor gets first run
drive-in dates—preferably on a basis of
gross business.
The overall resolution, proposed by
H. A. Daniel of Seguin, Tex., also recommended
that drive-in exhibitors play as
great a variety of pictures on the same
days as possible. The idea is to make as
many pictures available each day as possible.
Among outdoor exhibitors present, it
was generally agreed that children up to
six years old should be admitted free and
that children from six to 12 should pay
a 9-cent admission.
Claude Ezell, veteran Texan who heads
TOA's drive-in theatre committee, said
outdoor owners in his state recently met
in Dallas to settle some of their controversial
problems. The Texans agreed,
he said, to raise prices, to issue no passes,
to eliminate "Buck" nights and each "give
a little" so that all drive-ins may benefit
from a healthy operating condition.
Jack Braunagel of the Commonwealth
circuit. Kansas City, stressed the advisability
of playing 56-day spots—a practice
of all six drive-in theatres in the Kansas
City area. No one plays on a 28-day
availability schedule, and no one has
found a need to do so, he said. Sometimes,
he said, his circuit holds a picture
for a year. All films are bought in March
—approximately 90 for the season—and
are used when the managers deem it most
advisable.
"It makes little difference at the drivein
how soon a picture is played," he said.
"One of the top musicals of the summer
season did not draw any better than a
year old 'standard' when shown at the
same time at two of our theatres. If a
picture 'has it' and is shown on the right
days it wiU make money without any consideration
as to its availability.
"Play what your customers like best.
Don't try to knife your competitors
ignore them. Have clean rest rooms, good
snack bars," he advised.
By-the-Busload, Boxtop Operators
Not to Get Top MGM Availability
HOUSTON—The first distributor to establish
a policy of denying product to drive-in cases such an operation may very well be
handling of such type of operations. In some
theatre operators who promote business along considered as substantial competition with
lines which are considered injurious to the the conventional theatre, whereas in others
industry is Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. W. F. it might not be so considered.
Rodgers, vice-president and general sales "We do believe, however, that the operating
policies of some drive-in operations can
manager, outlined the new policy at the Theatre
Owners of America convention here last be very well classed under the heading of
week.
unfair competition and I refer here to those
Following is the text of Rodgers' statement types of operations who have free admissions;
those that accept boxtops in exchange
on drive-ins:
"Another form of dissatisfaction in some for admission; those who advertise and invite
quarters seems to be our treatment of the
availabilities of our product to drive-in theatres.
Although I can find no specific reference
in the rulings of the federal courts
to drive-in theatres, we believe that we have
no alternative but to treat the drive-in theatre
generally as we do the conventional
theatre, if it operates as conventional theatres
operate. Each theatre and each picture
must be considered independently.
"We do not have any formula for the
busloads of patrons to attend the drive-in
theatres at a specified price for the entire
busload, and others who subordinate the attractions
and level their sights on the development
of their business on concessions.
All of these we consider to be a deterrent to
the development of our business. We do not
believe that these offenders are entitled to
the same availability on our product as those
drive-in theatres that operate on a legitimate
basis."
:: November 11. 1950