fourwalling
v.— «The example of “Billy Jack” is being studied by everyone in the industry. Tom Laughlin, the producer, director and star of the 1971 film, was dissatisfied with Warners’ distribution of the film, so he went out and dealt directly with the exhibitors. Under his careful strategy, the film was recently re-released by Warners to astonishing business.…John Rubel, vice president of Billy Jack Productions, explains Laughlin’s “four-walling” scheme that proved so successful on re-release: “Instead of the usual percentage deal, we rent the theater for a week so that we become in effect the exhibitor of the film.”» —“So You Make a Movie—Will the Public Ever See It?” by Stephen Farber in Los Angeles New York Times Feb. 24, 1974. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
The word filibuster has a long and colorful history, going back to the days when pirates roamed the high seas. Today it refers to hijacking a piece of legislation. Plus, the language of yoga teachers: When doing a guided meditation, you may hear...
After our conversation about towns with extremely short names, many listeners wrote to tell us about Why, Arizona. Others pointed out that there are towns called Ely in Iowa, Minnesota, and Nevada. Other super-short appellations include Rye, New...