Boxoffice-October.27.1951

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y CA5E STUDY NO. I: 88 Carloads Here's a photographic equipment manufacturer with a systematic metal-salvage program. No more scrap, they said. Yet, after more careful study, they found 88 carloads of heavy iron and steel scrap in a 30-day period! CASE STUDY NO. 2 Metalworking Plant Surprised! This big fabricator reported all scrap being turned in. When told needed scrap includes old equipment, not just "production" scrap, they uncovered extra tons or iron and steef. your for more Steel! You, too, may have iron and steel scrap you don't know about. Almost any plant has. That scrap is badly needed to aid defense. Steel mills may have to let furnaces grow cold unless they get more scrap to meet the needs of greatly expanded capacity. Remember—we need 3000 carloads NON-FERROUS SCRAP IS of scrap a day for steel mills and foundries— much more than we are getting now. Every pound counts. Start joar scrap salvage program tot/ay by writing for your copy of "Top Management: Your Program For Emergency Scrap Recovery", to Advertising Council, 2 5 W. 45 St., New York 19,N. Y. NEEDED, TOO! This advertisement is a contribution, in the national interest, by CASE STUDY NO. 3: Paper Converter Delivers! This plant replaced 3000 obsolete machines with new ones. Held old ones for occasional spare parts. Changed mind, scrapped 2800, reduced inventory. SWAPFY SAYS TOMORROW B O X O F F I C E 62 BOXOrnCE : : October 27, 1951
i by I other I down I I tion I i JACKSONVILLE—Declaring JNDUSTRY ARBITRATION URGED AS CHECK TO RACKETEERING' Distribution, Film Costs Too High, Nat Williams Tells Florida TOA By HARRY HART the time has come to "call names and facts about industry practices that are working hardships on exhibitors," Nat M. Williams of Thomasville. Ga., regional vice-president of the Theatre Owners of America, charged at the annual Motion Picture Exhibitors of Florida convenhere Monday (22), that distribution charges were far too high. "It is time some questions are asked by exhibitors," he asserted. "They are getting tired of paying large prices for poor pictures . . . pictures that sliould never have been made in the first place." He cited the 40 per cent asked for "Show Boat" as a fair rate for a picture "as good as this is," but that "there was nothing fair about being asked to pay 70 per cent for "David and Bathsheba." PRAISES ONE COMPANY Williams praised one company which he said "has fired men who have been guilty of malpractices against exhibitors," but declared "other companies have delighted in hiring such men to harass exhibitors and cause them to pay out the profits made on good pictures to keep their doors open by buying sorry films at exorbitant rates." Williams contended that voluntary arbitration of industry disputes is needed to "stop racketeering in the industry." Mitchell Wolfson, head of the Wometco circuit of Miami, who recently was elected president of the TOA, also said he would like to see a system of arbitration put into effect. He emphasized the urgent need for overall unity in the film industry, first because the industry is vulnerable to the attacks of every politician and tax-seeker and adverse legislation that can be imagined, and second because unity will bring about voluntary arbitration. "Arbitration should solve 90 per cent of the industry's lawsuits and injustices," he said, "despite the fact that some chiselers still would use the courts for selfish purposes. Lawsuits camiot solve our problems, but amicable compromise worked out through a system of voluntary arbitration can." CITES ADVISORY SYSTEM Wolfson cited the regional advisory system set up by TOA for the southeast, headed E. D. Martin, and other capable men in areas. He asserted this system should reach the grassroots, from the large exhibitor to the smallest because the man with one theatre can make use of it as easily as the largest. "It is time to stop talking about big and little men since no big man is big enough to do the job alone," he said. "Unity is the only answer . . . The industry must pull together and work together and not waste its energy on lawsuits. Wolfson quoted from an article written by Morton G. Thalhimer, head of Neighborhood J. L. Cartwright Nat Williams Theatres of Richmond, Va., in which he pointed out that there is now one theatre seat for every ten persons in the U.S. following an increase of 38 per cent in the nation's seating capacity in the last few years, but that motion picture attendance had declined 20 per cent. The TOA president reiterated his contention that the motion picture exhibitor whose job it is to provide visual entertainment and who is familiar with local problems and public tastes, is better qualified than any other group to provide television entertainment. "Theatre television will become a reality in most every theatre in the country sooner or later," he said. "Prices of TV equipment will come down the same as sound installations dropped after an introductory period. He asserted that exhibitors, through TOA, do not want to take anything away from operators of television stations in their request to the FCC for six TV channels. THEATRE FILMS NOT FOR TV "Through these channels the theatres can bring many events to the public that otherwise would have no opportunity of receiving general telecasting," he explained. He also contended that films made for theatre exhibition are not suitable for telecasting over present video stations to small home receivers, and these should use films specially made for home sets. The TOA leader urged all exhibitors to give public service to their communities and always be on the alert to aid any worthy cause. John Alsop, regarded as Florida's oldest exhibitor, asserted the true showman always places service to his community above service to himself. Alsop opened the Grand Theatre 40 years ago in Jacksonville, and served as mayor there for 18 years. He recounted that he and the late Will Rogers inaugurated the Community Chest 26 years ago and Jacksonville oversubscribed the quota for the first and only time in the city's history. Alsop added, "It takes showmanship to do anything." Jack Jackson declared exhibitors who spend most of their time bemoaning the lack of business would enjoy increased patronage if they spent the same time trying to get customers. He mentioned that the Coca-Cola company solved the problem of higher costs by increasing its volume of busine.ss, and the motion picture industry could do the same. Jack.son complained that the juvenile audience between 6 and 10 years old and the grayhaired group above 55 are being neglected by theatremen despite the fact that census figures show great gains in these segments of the population. Gael Sullivan, executive director of TOA, assured that the TOA organization is 100 per cent behind President Wolfson's plan to set i.p six regional committees to enable TOA to provide service right down to the grassroots level. Howard Bryant of Winder, Ga., will take over as coordinator of this .service October 29. Sullivan said problems referred to the regional committees can be passed on quickly to the national office where proper presentation can be made to producers and distributors to bring results. MUST INCREASE PRODUCTION Hollywood must increase its production more than the 200 features now being made yearly, Sullivan said, if the smaller exhibitor is to survive. He also made these points: Theatre television has proved its worth. TOA is compiling a national portfolio on theatre tax problems. Spending for entertainment should increase as a result of the expansion of the national income from 144 billion to 152 billion dollars in the next few months. J. L. Cartwright, Florida Movietime chairman, commended Richard Beck who assisted in the campaign. He commented that the Hollywood representative tours achieved marvelous results in beneficial public relations, and that if the motion picture story had been carried to the country similarly in times past, the industry would not now be carrying the highest tax burden of any group in the world. There were some faults in the planning, he admitted, but the star groups covered 56 communities in the five days they were in Florida. UP TO EXHIBITORS "The star tours constitute only one phase of the campaign before us," he said, "and it now is up to the exhibitors to keep the ball rolling. Each exhibitor will benefit by Movietime if he will get behind it and push. Unity, however, must come from the heart, not by lip service alone. "All Movietime activities will be worthless unless they are accepted and made use of by the individual exhibitor." He appealed to exhibitors not to permit Movietime to die but to put forth every effort to bring its message to every town. To Open Next Month STARKE, FLA.—The new Starke Drive-In, barring delays caused by adverse weather, will be completed early in November by the Martin circuit. I. G. Harris, manager of the Florida Theatre here, will manage the airer. D. Lawrence Buzbee Named DADEVILLE, ALA.—D. Lawrence Buzbee, owner of the Ritz Theatre here, has been appointed to serve on the committee on achievement reports of Kiwanis International. The appointment was made by the Kiwanis club president, Claude B. Hellmann, of Baltimore. lHî BOXOFFICE : : October 27, 1951 SE 63
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- MAJOR FILM MERCHANDISING CAMPAIGN
Page 11 and 12: Boxoffice Article Used To Sell MPAA
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Page 15 and 16: Rllil h dahq.it^ I V / \ / otttsirf
Page 17 and 18: THE CROWDS ARE i BACK THANKS TO 20t
Page 19 and 20: LETTERS A Plan for Studio Visitors
Page 21 and 22: j0> Millions Hear Bob's NBC Plugs F
Page 23: k theatre on the field, but they li
Page 26 and 27: . . The . . Jack *fôU
Page 28 and 29: Republic Will Appeal Roy Rogers TV
Page 30 and 31: BOXOFFICE BAROMETE This chart recor
Page 32 and 33: At the SMPTE Convention: Three-Dime
Page 34 and 35: ' Merchant Co-Op Page For 'Annie' U
Page 36 and 37: Front Given Frenchy Atmosphere For
Page 38 and 39: Lucky Star Night Is Cued to Birth D
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Page 44 and 45: . . Edward . . : ALBANY TXTarner Th
Page 46 and 47: 1 Macy Executive Reviews Advertisin
Page 48 and 49: ' ' ' a ' STUDIO PERSONNEUTIES Clef
Page 50 and 51: ' sôndoft êfiont Q,EORGE MINTER s
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Page 54 and 55: Montana ITO Session At Butie Nov. 1
Page 56 and 57: . . . The . . . . The Around the Mi
Page 58 and 59: KANSAS CITY 13ube Melcher, head of
Page 60 and 61: . . . Frank . . Dod . . Doris —
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Page 66 and 67: ; ! Despite Movietime Postponement
Page 68 and 69: g HART D. MARTIN said Martin Theatr
Page 70 and 71: . CHAP :''i ,.j»-^-- a.*««" ,jfi
Page 72 and 73: Patrons Request Year-Round Airer MA
Page 74 and 75: . . Volney . . Max ' '• OKLAHOMA
Page 76 and 77: . . . Milton . . . . "Tembo," . . R
Page 78 and 79: : How Can America Produce 4f/ the S
Page 80 and 81: . . Word . . Children ST . LOUIS Ty
Page 82 and 83: - staff under the late George "Dad"
Page 84 and 85: . . Mrs. . . The PITTSBURGH ^XTilli
Page 86 and 87: . . Variety . . . Serge . . Sherwin
Page 88 and 89: ' Leo Jones Tests Public Sincerity
Page 90 and 91: — . . Broderick .1 CLEVELAND "The
Page 92 and 93: BOSTON Caul Simons, salesman at Col
Page 94 and 95: . . . Maureen . . . United . . Madg
Page 96 and 97: . . 20th-Fox . . Support I MONTREAL
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Page 100 and 101: | The EXHIBITOR HAS HIS SAY (Contin
Page 102 and 103: REVIEW DIGEST ++ Very Good; + Good;
Page 104 and 105: W. I Fingerprints I Savage I Bandit
Page 106 and 107: D. FEATURE UNITED ARTISTS CHART rr]
Page 108 and 109: .10-13-51 . ..Jean SHORTS CHART 630
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Boxoffice-October.27.1951

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