Cinema: Decline of the Bs

In the good old days before television, low-budget "B" pictures were the opium of the people, and a producer's only problem was to keep grinding out enough of them to fill exhibitors' schedules. But now, says one movie man who ought to know, a producer will have to put quality above quantity if he wants to lure people away from their TV sets.

Producer Robert Lippert, who developed a flair for turning out quickies that cost $100,000 and grossed $1,000,000 (Rocketship XM, The Steel Helmet), announced that he was through with the Bs for good....

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