Evening star., 1949-04-17
What They Mean
TOC Customers
Means a Lot
by Horold Heffernon
HOLLYWOOD.

=. HOLLYWOOD.
What constitutes a good title
for a picture long has been and
probably always will be major
problem in the film industry. But
this year. as result Of surveys.
all studios are giving more
thought than ever to the names
by which their product is sold.
Most significant of all was a
plan just inaugurated at Uni
versal- International whereby VIII
liam Gordon, a veteran Snowman.
was named to serve as title liaison
between the studio and its sales
department. As a virtual dictator.
lit will be Gordon's job to analyze
q story property, help select a
good name for it and, once de-
cided upon. thwart the tempta-
ton to make last-minute changes.
This drastic move vas initiated
after q look at the balance sheet
on last years feature pictures.
Many U-I sales executives believe
that the difference between profit
and loss on several Of their best
efforts could be summed up in the
difference between good and bad
titles.
U-I found, !, for instance. that
l"One Touch Of Venus" wfaop-
ping hit as a Broadway stage
play, did fairly well under its
sophisticated title in the larger
cities. but that the smaller-town
patrons stayed away in large
droves. It's fame as a Big Street
hit had not reached the hinter-
lands and customers were COM
pletely puzzled as to its content.
Taking the matter into their own
hands, the sales boys changed the
title to Department Store Ro-
nance" and business picked up
Immediately.
One of the first movies affected
after Dictator Gordon took over
his duties was THE Amboy
Dukes" His investigation re-
vealed that movie-goers thought
this was a story about British
royalty. so q shift was made to
"City Across the River" Another
best-seller problem was THE
Saxon Charm" when it was
brought to the screen. Fans had
it tabled as q tale about medieval
times, so q subsidiary title about
Broadway Heartbreak" was
added to the ad campaign.
Although "You Gotta Stay
Happy" created wide attention
when published in q national
magazine and "All My Sons" and
Another Part Of the Forest"
were successful Broadway plays,
these titles failed to draw film
goers in any part Of the country
Fact that the pictures We're we'll
cast with name players didn't
seem to matter, either.
They shudder. too. at this same
studio whenever the very lame
of Letter from an Unknown
Woman" is mentioned. Critics
did raves on this one and Joan
Fontaine gave what is considered
one of the very finest perform
ances of her career. Yet it was
completely lost in the shuttle OF
more attractively titled features.
1t is admitted now that the stodgy
title in newspaper ads. theater
marques and billing material was
at least a quarter Of million
dollar error.
Indecision on the part of nerve
racked Hollywood producers often
results in one picture bearing as
many as half a dozen titles be-
tween the time of the starting and
release dates. This is a time
wasting. costly habit that is still
pursued, in spite of desperate
efforts On the part OF harrassed
publicity chiefs to curb it.
A striking example Of uncer-
tainty and last-moment change
occurred recently when national
picture magazine picked Live To-
day for Tomorrow as its best pic
ture of the week. The publication