You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
Ex-Michigan Allied Head Urges Change<br />
In Thinking About First Run Theatres<br />
The Present Concept, Says Judge J.<br />
P. Uvick, Evolved<br />
When There Were Few, If Any, Top Suburban Houses<br />
DETROIT—A challenge to the traditional<br />
concept of the downtown first run theatre<br />
was issued here by Judge Joseph P. Uvick,<br />
former president of<br />
Allied Theatres of<br />
Michigan. It is his<br />
contention that the<br />
plan works like a<br />
boomerang to harm<br />
the very theatres it<br />
was designed to protect,<br />
plus other adverse<br />
effects.<br />
Uvick asked "why<br />
do distributors insist<br />
upon a system originating<br />
with suburban<br />
streetcar mass transportation<br />
Joseph P. Uvick<br />
when there were few or no good<br />
theatres in the suburban areas, a system that<br />
is over 30 years old?"<br />
He noted that the trend is contrary to that<br />
of other businesses— "Merchants and department<br />
stores have hundreds of millions invested<br />
downtown, but are decentralizing into<br />
populated areas, and have spent additional<br />
millions in doing so. But our distributors<br />
hang on to an illusory protection-sale-revenue<br />
in spite of the obvious advantage they<br />
have, for they can move their sales outlets<br />
without spending a dollar. We exhibitors<br />
already have selective outlets in well-established<br />
neighborhoods.<br />
"The present up-to-date neighborhood the-<br />
atre, because of its very size and construction<br />
for the specific purpose of exhibiting motion<br />
pictures, shows as good and in most cases a<br />
better picture than is possible in most downtown<br />
theatres. Added to parking lot facilities<br />
or walking distance, it amounts to going<br />
to the public with a picture, instead of trying<br />
to force the public to come downtown."<br />
Uvick paid tribute to the recently expressed<br />
views of Boston's Sam Pinanski urging<br />
distributors to "make important pictures<br />
accessible where the patron is more likely<br />
to see them because of far greater convenience,"<br />
going on to contend that:<br />
"Any factor that prevents or even only retards<br />
the purchase of an item—or an admission<br />
ticket—for a time should be considered<br />
harmful to good showmanship. Yet we have<br />
distributors laboring under the impression<br />
that they profit by selling protection and<br />
clearance instead of the feature itself. In<br />
effect the presumption is that part of the<br />
first run revenue to the distributor is for not<br />
permitting the feature to be played during<br />
its best sales period. Tliis deprives a feature<br />
of first run atmosphere throughout a seating<br />
capacity 20 or 30 times as large, by self-imposed<br />
restriction and isolation.<br />
"Now that the connecting link of joint<br />
ownership of producers and exhibitors has<br />
been legally cut by divorcement, the distributors<br />
should feel free of any necessity to favor<br />
the old outlets."<br />
Suitable protective conditions for such a<br />
COLUMBIA PICTURES ANNOUNCES THAT PRINTS OF THE FOLLOWING<br />
PICTURES ARE NOW AVAILABLE IN<br />
OUR EXCHANGES FOR SCREENING<br />
Randolph SCOTT<br />
nAII ' JAY C. rllPPlN Friak Firlei • Je»ene Nolan soren pi>, b) PfTER PACKER<br />
« SCOn-BROWN Production • Proowrf b, HARRY JOE BROWN . d..«i«i t, JOSEPH H LEWIS<br />
PAUL DOUGLAS • EVA BARTOK<br />
ScTHnpUy by nHN cum; Kid X)HN COSSME • DirittM by JOHN GILLINC - Produced by JOHN GOSSACC<br />
TOM CONWAy • ELIZABETH SEIURS • EUNICE GAYSON -FREDA JACKSON<br />
tcnmtitt \ri IVO« MONTAGU t MM THai . Proluced by JOHN COSSAOt • Dir»cle
Change language