Harrison's Reports

Harrison’s Reports was a New York City-based motion picture trade journal published weekly from 1919 to 1962. The typical issue was four letter-size pages sent to subscribers under a second-class mail permit. Its founder, editor and publisher was P. S. Harrison (1880-1966), who previously had been a reviewer for Motion Picture News, in which his column was titled "Harrison’s Exhibitor Reviews".

The first issue, dated 5 July 1919, stated that film advertising would not be accepted. A year’s subscription cost $10. For more than a year, the type was set by a typewriter. The issue of 4 December 1920 and all subsequent issues were professionally typeset. The masthead of 1 January 1921 proclaimed itself

In later years, that slogan was changed to

Since most movie theaters in the United States prior to the 1940s were owned and operated by movie studios as outlets for the exhibition of those studios’ movies, independently owned theaters were the principal subscription base of Harrison’s Reports and the publication’s editorials consequently addressed the interests of independent theaters.

During its 44 calendar years of operation, more than 2,200 issues of Harrison’s Reports were published. Approximately 17,000 feature films were reviewed; shorts were not reviewed, although their titles were listed in the indexes published several times a year.

Prior to the 1940s, most movie theaters in the United States were owned and operated by movie studios as outlets for the exhibition of those studios’ movies. Since the management of those theaters had little choice as to what movies they played, they had little or no use for Harrison’s Reports. Independently owned theaters were consequently the principal subscription base of Harrison’s Reports and the publication’s editorials addressed the interests of independent theaters. In 1937 there were approximately 3,000 subscribers at $15 per year.

From its review of The Garage (1920) to its last year of publication, Harrison’s Reports unyieldingly opposed product placement in movies. Other films criticized for brand name products appearing on screen include

The issue of 11 August 1962 was the last to carry editorials and reviews.

The last issue was a two-page sheet dated 1 September 1962. It was headlined "MAYBE, IT'S NOT YET "30"." It lamented the financial woes of exhibitors in general. It also expressed hope that funding could be found to continue Harrison’s Reports.

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