Word: box
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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...article in TIME, Dec. 22, concerning me in connection with Forever Amber and the Legion of Decency, cannot possibly be classed as factual reporting. You gave the mischievous impression that I slyly maneuvered the Legion into placing that film in the "C" or condemned classification for the sake of box-office stimulation, when you said that I "guessed, correctly, that Legion disapproval would whet public pruriency and boost attendance." Your guess as to my guess was completely wrong as to the facts. Let me state these facts...
Throughout the unbroken series of discussions, the Legion itself indicated no concern that its own action might add to the box-office appeal of the picture, and at no time complained that matters were being delayed. At my request, Judge Stephen Jackson, who is assistant to Joseph Breen, director of the Motion Picture Code Authority, came on from Hollywood to act as an impartial negotiator. I also had Otto Preminger, director of the picture, fly on from California as soon as I received word of the Legion's action, and he participated in discussions on possible changes...
...panic had various causes: the new British tax (TIME, Aug. 18), a big "Boo!" from Congressman J. Parnell Thomas-Red-hunting committee-and a 15% drop in box office. One reason so few pictures were being made was because Hollywood was not sure of the kind of pictures to make, except that they had to be cheaper. And with the box-office drop-which cut down the long wartime runs of pictures-there had to be more of them, probably...
...foreign receipts. . . ." The decline, said Warner, was shown in the first quarter (which ended in November) of Warners' current fiscal year. Earnings were estimated at less than half of what they were in the preceding year. This was because of the cut in British receipts and the box-office drop...
...moviemakers had their troubles last year. First, Britain's 75% tax on all U.S. movies promised to cut Hollywood's income by about 25%. Then came the bad publicity from two congressional investigations (of Howard Hughes and of Hollywood Reds). Finally the national box office took a couple of slumps...