Boxoffice-12.1953

'
IE
I ., Thatcher,
. Telephone
,.
NATIONAL FILM WEEKLY
ublished in Nine Sectiinal Editions
BEN
iditor-in-Chi
SHL YEN
and Publisher
igALD M. .MERSEREAU. MEF
.Associate
] Publisher & General Manoger
,ME5 M. JERAl JERAULD
Editor
Athan COHEN. .Executive Editor
.JSE SHLYEN Managing Editor
SPEAR Western Editor
THATCHER. .Equipment Editor
rfRRI ffRRIS 5CHL0ZMAN. Business Mgr.
lilication Offices: 825 Van Bnint Blvd..
Ksas aty 24, Mo. Nathan Cohen, Execu-
1 Editor: Jesse Shlyen, Managing Edl-
I Morris Schlozman, Business Manager.
Editor The Modern Theatre
SJon. Telephone CHestnut 7777.
Eorial Offices: 9 Rockcreller Plaza. New
V; 20, N.Y. Donald M. Mersereau,
.^iiclate Puhllsher & General Manager;
,:,i!s M. Jerauld, Editor: A. J. Stocker,
Blpnient Advertising. Telephone COlumhij
6-6370.
Ciral Offices; Editorial—920 No. Mlchl-
: Ave., Chicago 11, HI., Frances B.
superior 7-3972. Adverig—35
Bast Wacker Drive, Chicago 1,
M Bwlng Hutchison and E. E. Yeck,
T'ihone ANdover 3-3042.
W ern Offices: Editorial and Film Adverli;—6404
Hollywood Blvd., HollyKood
-) Calif. Ivan Spear, manager. Tele-
Pi e Hollywood 6-1186. Equipment and
N Film Advertising—672 S. UFayette
I'; Place, Los Angeles, Calif. Bob Wettsl|.
manager. Telephone DUnklrk 8-2286.
Wlinglon Office: Al Goldsinlth, 1366
NAnal Press BIdg. Phone Metropolitan
8-pi. Sara Young, 415 Third St., N.W.
TO MODERN THEATRE Section is Incli;d
in the fir.st Issue of each month.
TlT PROMOTION Section Is Included In
h hlrd Issue of each month.
.Uiy: 21-23 Walter Ave., J. S. Connera.
Bilngham: The News, Eddie Badger.
B4n: Frances W. Harding. Lib 2-9305.
Cbbtte: 300 W. 3rd St., Richard E.
feon.
Clrtmatl: 4029 Reading, Lillian Lazarus.
Clijand: Elsie Loeb, Falrmount 1-0046.
Dil!; 2008A Jackson, Frank Bradley.
Btir: 1645 Lafayette, Jack Rose,
i 8517.
DeSIolnes: Register -Tribune, Russ Schoch.
Dejlt: Pos Theatre Bldg., H. P. Reves.
Indiapolls: Route 8, Box 770, Howard
IlKudeaui, GA 3339.
Mejhis; 797 Spring St., Null Adams.
Mliapoiis: 2123 Fremont, So., Les Rees.
NBHaven: New Haven Register. Walter
^lar.
Net^lrleans: Frances Jordan, N.O. States
Okl aty: 821 NE 23rd, Polly Trlndle.
0»i: 911 61st St.,
Irving Baker.
JJljelphla: 6363 Berks, Norman Shlgon.
Hljurgh: R. F. KUngensmith, 616 Jean-
T(e, WllUnsburg, ChurchlU 1-2899.
" ' Arnold Marks. Oregon
5149 Rosa, David Barrett.
City: Deseret News, H. Pearjon.
ntonlo: 326 San Pedro. B3-9280,
Kctner, S. Texas editor.
'ranclsco: Gall Llpman, 287-28th
Skyline 1-4355. Advertising: Jen-y
Nell, Howard Bldg., 209 Post St.,
. Ylon 6-2522.
*»tj:1303Campi Pkwy., Dave Ballard.
In
The Herald.
Canada
Myron Laka.
: 300 Leraoyne St.. Room 2. Roy
JJjn: 116 Prince Edward. W. McNulty.
•Wji: 1675 Bayvlew _.
»5 Mills, ent.. W. Gladlsh.
ij>5'er: vVIM^: Lyric Theatre Bldg.. Jack Droy.
282 Rupertsland. Ben Sommers.
MiW Audit Bureau of Circulations
««l as Second Class matter at Post
"TOiKansas City. Mo. Sectional Edition,
M.oijer year: National Edition, $7.50.
OEembER 12, 1953
^»U No. 7
5,
HERE'S
•"^wiiif; ill altitude beginning
to permeate this industry which everybody,
including the public, will be glad to note.
The business is beginning to sound more like
showbusiness and to do those things for which
it was noted and which, as much as the product
it offered, made it the world's greatest entertainment
factor. In other words, the industry is
back on its feet, telling about and selling the
worth of its wares, such as it did before fear,
apathy and lethargy set in.
There's an air of confidence, newly acquired
but solidly founded, penetrating exhibition,
ON THE UPSWING
production
and distribution. There's an abandonment
of the fears over television or other competition.
Time and reason have overcome these,
not to mention improvement in product that
helped measurably to restore that lost confidence.
And, of course, the business improvement
that has resulted from the combination of better
pictures, better presentations—whether with or
without the new techniques—and better promotional
efforts.
This is not a case of whistling in the dark.
That point has been passed and people in all
branches of the industry know once more that
they have a product and a medium that can and
still does attract more of the paying public than
any other entertainment form. It knows now
what it has to do—and how to do it—to keep
up the pace of its patronage climb. There'll be
setbacks, to be sure, but they'll not occur as
often or prove as severe as in the recent past.
This is not to say that all is just peaches and
cream, sugared to just the right taste. But the
road that leads UP has been found again and, if
it doesn't know anything else, this industry knows
how to play a winner.
There's an upbeat note in the fine talk, delivered
by Robert J. O'Donnell at the Theatre
Owners of Oklahoma convention this week. He
sees great progress ahead in a continuing of
showmanship effort such as the Movietime campaign,
which the Texas COMPO unit initiated
a couple of years ago; in the still better attentions
by exhibitors to good housekeeping; to
progressive exhibition policies; through just the
natural rise of the audience potential to come
from the big population increase (24.000,000t
since 1946. And he envisages great savings to
production and distribution resulting from the
new method of recording pictures and sound on
metallic tape. To be specific, Mr. O'Donnell
sees this development affording the industry
savings of about $165,000,000 annually which, he
says, should be shared properly with exhibitors.
In his operation of the big Interstate Circuit
of Texas theatres, he ha- ever b