Flick-Outs

Past experience shows that one of the best ways for a student organization to make money is to show films. Last week, three College groups made an agreement that will assure them of a profit this year, but a gain at the expense of any other groups that may wish to exhibit pictures.

The three, Ivy Films, HLU, and the UN Council, decided to combine their film-showing ventures to avoid the cut throat competition of last spring. Not only were they each showing at an average rate of one picture per week, but the Brattle Theatre opened and attracted a large audience away from the New Lecture Hall filmings. Organizations which though films would be a sure panacea for their deficits found themselves showing to empty houses.

At the request of Dean Watson, the Student Council called the three groups to a meeting last Thursday. None of the many other organizations that showed films last year was invited, nor even informed that a meeting would be held. The three groups agreed to show, jointly, one picture per week and split the revenues. A few weeks in each semester were left open for other student exhibitors, but it was not stated that these would occur during periods of the term when demand for entertainment is slight. Other organizations could exhibit during the desirable weeks, but such competition would probably prove too much of financial risk.

The Student Council will vote on the plan this evening; if approved, it would grant to three groups a virtual monopoly. The obvious solution is to call a new meeting to which all groups interested in showing films would be invited. By drawing lots for exhibiting dates, this profitable source of income would not be monopolized by a few.