Word: blocking
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Dates: during 1940-1940
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HARVARD '44 YALE '44 Aldrich or Teal, l.e. r.e., Hoopes or McTernan Mallett (C), l.t. r.t., Constantin DeCoster, l.g. r.g., Ruebel Mason, e. e., Overlock Lawrence, r.g. l.g., Block Parson, r.t. l.t., Stack Cummings, r.e. l.e., Dent Blanchard, q.b. q.b., Ferguson (C) Johnson, l.h.b. r.h.b., Taylor O'Donnell, r.h.b. l.h.b., Mahoney Anderson or Cowen, f.b. f.b., Burke...
...real pig's ear or two, a few guaranteed bristles: "three Gables, four Rooneys, two Mervyn LeRoy specials," etc. To get these, an exhibitor must buy a full schedule of unknowns, many of which will prove to be not pigs but turkeys. This is the system known as block booking and blind selling...
...years exhibitors-especially independents-have objected. In 1927 Iowa's Smith Wildman Brookhart introduced the Senate's first anti-block booking bill. Last of 17 successors-none of which passed-was the third Neely Bill. Movie lobbyists kept it at bay until 1939, when the Senate jammed it through in two days. Hollywood lobbyists quaked when Sam Rayburn, Democratic House leader, objected to Frank Capra's biting Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, blurted, "It won't do the movies any good." Nevertheless they stopped the Neely Bill in the House...
Last week the storm passed. Five of the Big Eight signed with Arnold a consent decree effective Sept. 1, 1941 for three years. (Columbia, Universal and United Artists, who own no theatres, refused to sign.) The decree has three main provisions: 1) one-shot block booking is out; producers must sell in units of five or less; 2) blind buying will be replaced by trade showing held every few weeks in each...
Question in many an independent exhibitor's mind was why Arnold had proved so lenient, failed to insist on his threatened divorce. Official explanation: the divorce threat was merely a means to a lesser end-the end of block booking. The Big Five, who have ducked an expensive legal battle and still have their theatres, are not complaining. But their costs will rise for three reasons: 1) salesmen must make the rounds once every few weeks instead of annually; 2) there must be more good pictures, fewer "turkeys," or sales will flop; 3) the new arbitration setup will cost...