r

BETWEEN THE
Television's Impact
THE impact of U-levislon competition to
Uicatres struck home recently. But
to put over our point we'll have to go
back a couple ol weeks. At a dinner
party we sal next to a novelist who also
has had some success In writing humorous
verse and stories. He told us that motion
pictures were his one and only form of relaxation
and that he didn't even own a
television set. When we kiddingly told him
that theatres were in a dangerous situation
(that part w-asn't k.ddingi and that all
theatres may close up within a year, he
really was startled; in fact, he was stunned.
"1 don't know what Id do if there
"I hope
weren't picture theatres," he said.
you're joking."
After dinner, the party withdrew to the
living room and our friend asked the host
and hostess if they minded if he excused
himself. He said he wanted to go to the
movies. And he meant it. Not even a congenial
party could keep him away. After
he had gone, we remarked that we wished
there were more people like our friend.
The chap lives in the same apartment
building in which the dinner party had
been given. The next weekend he practically
lived in his neighbor's apartment.
Why? Because on the television screen
Saturday night was "Red River." Sunday
night there were "High Noon" and "The
Man Who Came to Dinner. " Three blockbusters.
Two of the pictures he had seen
before; one he had missed when first released.
He told us that almost reluctantly
he had stayed in to see "Red River," but
it was so good that he wanted to see the
other two which had been advertised in
the newspapers in bigger display space
than had been accorded to pictures on local
theatre screens.
But that's not all. He said that he wa.s
committed to deliver the manu.script of a
novel to his agent within the next few days
and then, he said, "I'm buying a television
set."
His neighborhood theatre probably has
lost a good customer. Now. multiply that
one fellow by perhaps millions of others
who are finding newer pictures available
on their screens and you will get a general
Idea of what we are drivinx at.
The hue and cry to keep the post- 1948
pictures off the TV market Ls fully Justified!
•
Places Blame
^PROPOS of the above, the following
letter, written by a Brooklynlto who
signed his name Tony Cro.stu, appeared
recently in the letlers-to-lhe-edltor column
of the New 'York Daily News
"HollywiK)d movie moKUls are .shoddliu;
tears bemu-se boxofflrc attenchiiice has
dropixd (iff coasldeiiihly. Well what can
you «xp