Boxoffice-March.06.1948

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or local tax to pay in addition to the federal
admissions levy. In addition to the 10 peicent
lug in Philadelphia. Cleveland and Chicago
have a 3 per cent admissions tax; Qallas
exhibitors pay one cent for each 10 cents
over 50 cents; in Richmond it is 5 per cent
of all admissions over 20 cents; Baltimore
theatres pay a gross receipts tax of one-half
of one per cent; and the two Kansas Citys,
New Haven, Tulsa and Birmingham have a
2 per cent sales tax.
Children's prices vary considerably. Except
for Texas, where the price has been
standarized at 9 cents, day or night, the old
10-cent admission for children is no longer
the universal practice except in isolated
neighborhood situations. In Chicago, first
runs get 30 cents for matinees and 50 cents
for evenings. A 35-cent scale prevails in
Boston, Detroit and Baltimore. Cincinnati
runs get 30 cents, as does Newark where
first
the weekend and holiday scale boosts the
cost to youngsters to 35 cents.
MEET TEEN-AGE PROBLEM
In Fall River, Mass., the theatres have no
evening scale for children posted. The law
does not permit children in theatres at night,
unless accompanied by their parents. Then
they pay the regular adult admission cost.
The adult price for children also prevails on
Sundays and holidays—even at the neighborhoods.
This is probably as tough a
situation for children as there is in the
country—as there is close supervision by
authorities, in cooperation with exhibitors,
over juvenile theatre attendance. This is
particularly true in watching attendance
during school hours.
The survey also reveals that exhibitors in
some sections are making an effort to meet
the problem of the teen-ager, who, in a
number of instances, have protested having
to pay adult prices. In Wichita, a student
price of 50 cents prevails—a 25-cent discount
on the evening scale—and tickets are sold
through the schools. A teen-age scale is in
effect in Duluth, following a movement instituted
by the Minnesota Amusement Co. to
recognize the special needs of the 12 to 18-
year olds. The price is 35 cents, a 15-cent
cut under the adult scale. In Houston, neighborhoods,
in many instances, offer a teenage
price of 20 cents on Wednesdays and
Thursdays.
It is also revealed that some cities follow
the practice of offering balcony seats at
bargain rates. It is not too prevalent, but
the practice does show up. The Malco circuit
in Memphis sells its first-run balcony
seats for 50 cents, which is 10 cents below
scale. Neighborhoods in Birmingham have
a 25-cent balcony charge. RKO Proctor's
in Newark has this arrangement, with the
upper tiers selling at 15 cents under the
regular 85-cent rate, and Warners in Baltimore
makes its balcony seats available at
60 cents, 10 cents under the evening scale.
NEIGHBORHOOD PRICES VARY
As for prices charged by neighborhoods and
subsequent runs, no pattern of admissions
is evident in the study. They vary city by
city. Chicago neighborhoods get 72 cents
Cleveland, sixth largest city, with a
nearing the million mark, sells
neighborhood films at an average of 45
cents. Top neighborhood price reported was
cents, for a Sunday performance at the
newly remodeled Locust in PhUadelphia.
Do^^-n in San Antonio, a number of subsequents
are listing 17 cents as the evening
^ admission price. That's the low in 32 cities.
iefs Streamline Trailers,
Exhibitor Group Suggests
NEW YORK—Recommendations for improving
trailers as an advertising medium
have been sent to leading affiliated and independent
circuits and major distributors by
Leonard Goldenson, president of Paramount
Theatres Service Corp. The 15-point program
for trailers was worked out by an industry
trailer committee at a recent meeting
in New York.
The conunitte comprises officials of Paramount
affiliates, representing about 2,460
houses, and heads of several circuits in metropolitan
New York, representing about 350
houses.
Here are the recommendations:
1. Trailers should be shorter.
2. A special short trailer is needed for multiple
change houses.
3. Trailers should arouse immediate interest.
4. Trailers should minimize superlatives.
5. Trailers should minimize stereotyped material.
the
6. Music in trailers should set a mood.
7. Trailers should not reveal too much of
plot.
8. They should not use critics' comments.
9. They should omit company advertising
and not tie
in more than one picture.
10. Trailers should not publicize directors of
films.
11. Use of costumes should be avoided
wherever po.ssible.
12. Trailers for Briti.sh films should use an
American commentator.
13. Trailers on controversial films should
emphasize the entertainment, not the preachment.
14. The manager's endorsement of the film
should not be used too freely.
15. Trailers should be a custom buUt ticket
selling medium.
The committee working on the recommendations
included Edward H, Hyman, chairman;
Earl Hudson, United Detroit Theatres;
Charles Winchell, Minne.sota Amusement Co.;
Dick Kennedy, Wilby-Kincey; BUI Hollander,
Balaban & Katz; Leon Netter, Robert Weltman,
Paramount, plus representatives of the
Fabian, Rinzler, Century and Rugoff and
Becker circuits in New York,
Goldenson said the suggestions were compiled
because exhibitors feel trailer producers
"have gotten too far away from the theatre
boxoffice and have lost track of the basic
function of a trailer and the type of content
necessary."
New Ascap Rate Forms Being Printed,
Exhibitors to Get Them March 15
NEW YORK — Ascap application forms
containing the new licensing fee schedule
for a revised rate schedule, effective March
15. At a meeting held here March 1, the
members expressed their disappointment over
are now in the hands of the printers, and
are expected to be mailed to theatre owners the postponement of congressional hearings
before March 15. That is the date the new on the Lewis bill which would amend the
rates will
copyright law by making the producers, instead
go into effect.
Ascap officials do not think that any of
of the exhibitors, pay the public per-
forming rights fees of music on sound
the society's theatre customers will refuse
The hearing has been postponed from
to sign the new applications. In the event tracks.
the applications fail to reach the theatres March 1 to 22.
by March 15, contracts wiU be made retroactive
to that date.
Members of the New Jersey unit had hoped
from to receive guidance these hearings as
The new schedule, which was agreed upon what action they should take on the new
to
contracts. after long negotiations between representa-
Meanwhile the members voted
tives of the TOA and Ascap, covers a tenyear
period and provides for increases for
theatres over 500 seats only. These increases
range from 2'2 cents per seat for theatres up
to 799 seats, to increases up to 5 cents per
seat for theatres with more than 1,599 seats.
The TOA has advised its members to accept
the new agreement, and many regional
organizations and individual members have
already indicated that they will.
The executive board of Allied voted to
make a more thorough study of the new rates
dui'ing its recent session in WasJiington.
N. J. Allied in No Hurry
To Sign Ascap Pacts
NEW YORK—Members of the Allied Theatre
Owners of New Jersey are in no rush
to sign the new Ascap contracts providing
to back the proposal. The National Allied
board of directors had already come out in
favor of the
Three Quarterly Dividends
Are Declared by 20th-Fox
NEW YORK—Tire board of dii'ectors of
20th-Fox Film Corp. has declared a quarterly
dividend of 50 cents per share on outstanding
common stock of the corporation
and a dividend of 37'- cents per share on
outstanding convertible preferred stock. Both
dividends are payable March 31, 1948 to
stockholders of record March 10.
The board also declared a quarterly dividend
of $1.12 '2 a share on outstanding prior
preferred stock. This is payable March 15,
1948, to stockholders of record March 10.
BOXOFnCE :: March 6, 1948