Harrison's Reports

Harrison's Reports
Title	Harrison's Reports
Editor	P. S. Harrison
Frequency	Weekly
Publisher	Harrison's Reports, Inc.
Firstdate	1919
Finaldate	1962
Country	United States
Language	English

Harrison's Reports was an American weekly trade journal devoted to motion picture exhibition and film criticism that operated from 1919 to 1962. Founded and edited by P. S. Harrison, it addressed theater owners, producers, and distributors while championing independent exhibition against studio control. The journal became known for its independent reviews, campaign against block booking, and advocacy on antitrust matters affecting the film industry.

History

P. S. Harrison launched the journal after service in World War I and work with publications linked to New York City exhibition circuits, positioning it amid debates involving Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Bros., RKO Radio Pictures, and 20th Century Fox. During the Great Depression (1929) and the Golden Age of Hollywood, the paper covered legal and commercial struggles including the United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. case and antitrust scrutiny that implicated studios such as Columbia Pictures and figures like Louis B. Mayer and Harry Cohn. As the industry shifted through the Studio system era and responded to challenges from RCA, Television, and postwar trends exemplified by Paramount Consent Decrees, the journal documented changes affecting chains like Loew's Inc. and independents such as owners aligned with John C. Fremont-era exhibitors. The periodical reported on festival circuits (e.g., Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival) and technological transitions including Technicolor, Cinerama, and widescreen formats promoted by studios and companies like CinemaScope proponents.

Publication Format and Content

The weekly broadsheet combined box-office reports, advertising analyses, trade advertisements, and signed reviews of features, shorts, and documentaries released by distributors including United Artists and Samuel Goldwyn Productions. Regular columns assessed booking practices involving theater chains like United Artists Theatres and distributors linked to executives such as Adolph Zukor and Jack Warner. Coverage included exhibition technology tests referencing companies such as Eastman Kodak and manufacturers associated with Dolby Laboratories-era predecessors. Special issues previewed seasons that involved films by auteurs like Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, John Ford, Billy Wilder, Frank Capra, Howard Hawks, and Akira Kurosawa. Market intelligence noted premieres in urban centers such as Los Angeles and New York City and provincial circuits influenced by booking exchanges and local chains like Pantages Theatre operators.

Editorial Policy and Film Review Methodology

Harrison's Reports adhered to an editorial policy emphasizing independence from studio advertising and distributor influence, drawing contrasts with trade rivals such as Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. The journal published capsule reviews that evaluated distribution suitability for exhibitors, assessing titles by creators including Ernst Lubitsch, Federico Fellini, Ingmar Bergman, Stanley Kubrick, and Satyajit Ray. Reviews referenced censorship contexts such as decisions by boards like the Hays Office and reactions in municipalities including Chicago and Philadelphia. Methodology prioritized concise summaries, exhibition advisability, and moral-suitability ratings relevant to circuits run by chains like Wometco and independent operators influenced by regional film exchanges established in cities including Cincinnati and St. Louis.

Influence and Reception

The journal influenced booking decisions among exhibitors working with circuits such as Publix Theatres and independents sympathetic to exhibitors represented by trade associations including the National Association of Theatre Owners. Its advocacy for fairer practices contributed to public discourse surrounding antitrust actions that culminated in rulings affecting majors like Paramount Pictures and RKO. Filmmakers and critics such as Bosley Crowther and industry figures attending gatherings at venues like Radio City Music Hall noted the paper's distinct voice. Academic and archival interest later drew scholarship connecting Harrison's Reports to studies of exhibition practices alongside analyses of studio correspondence preserved in collections related to Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and repositories like the Library of Congress.

Notable Contributors

Besides P. S. Harrison, contributors and correspondents included columnists and reviewers with ties to cities and institutions such as New York University, Columbia University, and regional press outlets. The journal ran pieces by writers engaged with festival reportage on works by Federico Fellini, Akira Kurosawa, Jean Renoir, Robert Bresson, and Ingmar Bergman, and commentators who tracked industrial shifts involving executives like Darryl F. Zanuck, Samuel Goldwyn, Harry Cohn, and Louis B. Mayer. Trade insiders who supplied box-office intelligence had connections to chains like Loew's Inc., booking offices in Chicago and Los Angeles, and legal observers monitoring cases at the Supreme Court of the United States and federal district courts.

Decline and Legacy

Harrison's Reports ceased publication in 1962 amid consolidation in the exhibition sector, the rise of television and television network programming involving companies like NBC and CBS, and evolving trade coverage from rivals such as Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. Its archives remain a resource for historians examining the decline of the studio system, antitrust battles exemplified by the United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. decision, and exhibition practices affecting independent exhibitors and chains. The publication's insistence on ad-free editorial content influenced later debates over media independence and trade press ethics explored in scholarship at institutions like University of Southern California and American Film Institute.

Category:Film magazines published in the United States Category:Defunct magazines of the United States