Boxoffice-March.24.1956

—
J
LETTERS
Case of Great Courage and Confidence
Once in a while a man can get a jolt that
starts him to doing a powerful lot of wondering.
The past few weeks have forced me into
that category.
Culminated by my theatre catching fire in
the roof and ending up in a pile of charred
debris at 3 o'clock in the afternoon of Nov. 18,
1955, with the "big" sum of $4,700 insurance
on a $35,000 investment, yours truly was in a
"mell of a hess."
Perhaps had I roamed Filmrow and felt
the pulse of Show Biz I would have said "Good
riddance to bad rubbish," and set myself up
a popcorn vendor on some street corner.
However, when a fellow has thought of little
else for more than a decade excepting exploitation
of motion pictures, his brain must have
hardened into a film sprocket.
NEW THEATRE ERECTED
To make a long story short, I have a new
theatre setting on the old lot and am back
at the 6 a.m. 'til 12:01 a.m. grind! Opened
February 1 with everyone far and near lined
at the boxoffice in a heavy downpour. Theatre
looked mighty nice with its gleaming
newness and the flower arrangements sent by
local merchants whose fingers were stained
with the red ink they had been using since
the theatre closed.
Inasmuch as I was giving the first two
nights gross to the Volunteer Fire department
who had risked their lives to try to save me
from disaster, I was a dreamer in believing
Filmrow would service gratis a feature for
the opening. After four gracious but emphatic
"no's," I quit dreaming (Fox and
Paramount did provide cartoons). This is
told for the benefit of some showman who
might have notions of asking for a free show
to donate to the "Ladies Aid."
Anyway, after a surge of blood, sweat and
tears, I am in operation and using every
scheme that I used during the depression
days to lure my patrons back.
It's harder now
and the old Barnum and Bailey ballyhoo must
be gilded, but all the same it has its potential
weight.
MERCHANTS COOPERATE
Often I hear exhibitors say, "I can get no
cooperation from home-town merchants."
This town is listed as 750 pop. (shrinkage).
It's a small place in the road but 57 business
firms paid me $1 each for sponsoring an
Easter parade of girls in their Easter frocks
(across the theatre stage). Their $57 bought
prizes. Have a show window at a busy
corner decorated in pink satin and net
ruching, pink posters, animated rabbits and
the gift prizes (girley, girley, but attracting
much attention). Will gross sufficiently that
one night to cover the loss of band festival,
Mrs. Jones sewing bee, and May Fete nights.
Been doing all this ranting without listing
a single wondering (subject, remember?).
Well, here I go: I wonder if there are many
darn fools who have my blind optimism about
show business? These thoughts come when I
look at gloomy faces on Filmrow. If distribution
is scared, then a "bigger bear"—Production—must
have frightened them! It's been
weeks since I have seen a salesman or booker
who did not also look as if he were "wondering,"
too. (Perchance, where he could apply
for work?) After an interlude of seeing those
uncertain faces, I read and re-read the
optimistic articles in the trade magazines.
(Heaven bless that source of light!)
Back to my wonderings: How the heck does
a small-town exhibitor successfully compete
with nearby big towns showing triple bills:
every night is teen-time night (your date
free) ; all children free; whole family for 40c
et cetera. Their dates on triple bills may
be the three singles I have dated for next
month. Yet, if one tries to get an early date,
one hears: "Sorry, but we must reserve the
print for double weekends, five-day playing
time," "Sorry, but we have too few prints,"
"Sorry, but the prints are scheduled for sub
runs." (Weeks ahead!)
I'm not so dumb to believe anyone is
ganging up against small towns. Distributors
have to reserve prints for the fellow who is
able to pay substantial rental.
Once upon a time there were enough prints
to go around, but that was prior to this
period of exhibitor giving away movies and
immortalizing the greasy hot dogs.
That was
the epoch when traditions became forged out
of the recognition that movies, carefully projected
on motion picture screens, would always
stand at the top in the entertainment world.
TV is good and getting better. However, the
TV fans who can't be enticed from their sets
are those who never, or rarely, went to a
movie. Many of our would-be patrons have
plunked down an IOU long-term for TV sets
that are absorbing their entertainment dollars.
I'm wondering if the gloomy atmosphere
Good Suggestion for Drive-ins
Ever so often I am amazed by
acquaintances telling me they have
never been to a drive-in. If I were an
exhibitor instead of just a film fan, I'd
make a special effort to reach this portion
of the public. I would have at least
one special evening designated as "First
Nighters' Night" with a section of reserved
ramps, something to add prestige
and help dispel the notion that
drive-ins were invented for the teenage
crowd. I'd give out First Nighter cards
for windshields, not as passes but to
indicate to the ticket booth that special
courtesy and, perhaps, a giveaway
were due.
And I'd offer a "park-your-car-onthe-ramp"
service for those to whom
the drive-in procedure was new. (Have
you ever seen someone at a drive-in for
the first time go bungling along from
one ramp on to another like a boat
bucking choppy waves?) Why not interest
some of those couples who no
longer go to the city deluxers (don't
want to fight traffic) and have given
up going to the nearby small movie
house (seats too hard and children too
noisy) but who get out for Sunday drives
and with a little inducement might pick
up the drive-in habit?
The First Nighter cards could be sent
out in advance through a telephone
survey or perhaps given out by filling
station attendants to their regular customers
after some careful coaching in
how to hand-pick the recipients.
Liberty,
Mo.
A DRIVE-IN FAN
of our industry isn't a thing we have slowly
passed one to another from the top rung of
the ladder. It wasn't a flash fire that started
the conflagration.
I remember asking an opinion of one of
the "Moguls" on Filmrow when Cinemascope
was conceived, "If you had a small-town theatre,
would you consider it advisable to install
Cinemascope along with the larger situations?"
His answer came quickly, "If I had
a small-town theatre, and could find a buyer,
I would sell it today!"
The uncertainty was strong then and has
smoldered so thoroughly that it is undermining
the whole structure.
I'm wondering if the debris can be cleared
away and a new building of optimism be
erected that will attract a clamoring horde
to the nation's boxoffices with anticipation
of enjoying the fruits of our labors.
It's certain I am a dead duck, financially
speaking, if we don't re-instate show business
in its worthy place at the top of the list in
entertainment. Of course, no one would ever
know I fell,
for so many bigger ducks would be
falling that I would be at the very bottom
of the grave, well-hidden by their broken
wings.
Wakea Theatre,
Waskom, Tex.
C
'
'
OTTS
P.S. by wife: Part about thinking nothing
but Show Biz is hardly true. Charlie is serving
as director of Chamber of Commerce he
helped organize. He recently withdrew as
director of local bank he was strongly instrumental
in organizing (Had to use his
stock to rebuild the theatre) , works in Legion,
Masonic order, is an official board member
of his church and aids in every civic project.
True, his predominating interest is theatre,
but he isn't selfish with his town responsibilities.
On Sale of Films to TV
In one of his recent syndicated columns,
Erskine Johnson commented on the sale of
huge backlogs of pictures to television thusly:
"Movies are better than ever—on television."
He concluded with:
"The wrath of exhibitors over the closer
union between Hollywood and TV no longer
seems to worry the film industry, which is
using the TV money for bigger and more spectacular
theatre movies.
"But exhibitors, believe me, are worried and
for good reason. Free movies at home don't
help sell tickets—or popcorn."
With folks looking at the Fox, Warner,
MGM trademarks, etc., right at home and
with most programs coming out with that
"D.rect from Hollywood" line, don't you think
this gives the average TV fan the big idea
that TV has taken over the joint lock, stock
and barrel?
More and more stabs in the back of theatre
business in letting out more and more
theatrical films to the TV stations.
The theatre business put Hollywood and
producers where they are. Are we going to
let them, in return, put us out of business?
Why don't the exhibitors get together and put
a stop to the crazy idea of showing theatre
films in the home for free, then expect to
sell tickets. Sure, the TV viewers look at the
coming trailers of films to be seen at the
local theatre soon. But the first thing that
pops into their minds is, "Oh, boy, we will
see them here on our TV set; why go to the
theatre?"
JOSEPH RATTEE
Exeter, N. H.
20 BOXOFFICE March 24. 1956