Exhibitors Herald (Sep-Dec 1918)

EXHIBITORS HERALD AND MOTOGRAPHY Distribution Plans Announced for Government's Liberty Loan Films Rules for Booking Prints Formulated by Committee from M. P. Industry — Cooperation of Exhibitors Desired Carefully formulated plans to obtain the 100% distribution desired by the Government for the Liberty Loan Films contributed by the various stars and producing organizations of the industry, are announced this week by the Liberty Loan Committee of the Motion Picture Industry. The co-operation of the exhibitors, who will be one of the most important units of the industry in assuring complete success for the committee's projected campaign is earnestly sought by the industry. Reports received from the field indicate that the showmen will not be found wanting and that they are preparing to extend the fullest possible co-operation to the Treasury Department and the Industry's committee. The following letter, which was drafted by the Liberty Loan Committee of the Motion Picture Industry, and which explains in detail the regulation for the distribution of the prints to be used in the campaign, has been sent by each of the distributing organizations co-operating in the movement to all of its exchanges: Rules for Distribution of Prints "Uniform rules and regulations for the handling of the Liberty Loan prints to be used in the Liberty Loan campaign are contained in the following letter, prepared by Al. Lichtman, manager of distribution for the Liberty Loan Committee of the National Association of the Motion Picture Industry, and which has been sent by the Home Office of each distributing organization to all of its exchanges : "The Motion Picture Industry, collectively and individually, gives way to no other industry or group of individuals in patriotism, and in practical substantial aid to the Government. As evidence of this fact, 37 of the various motion picture stars have made negatives in aid of the Fourth Liberty Loan. From each negative, the Government is furnishing 112 prints to be distributed by the branch offices of the several distributing organizations, as follows: Detailed Instructions 1. Each company will distribute, through all of its offices in the United States, the prints in which its own stars appear. 2. Booking's of the Liberty Loan prints shall be made to any exhibitor, whether or not he nuns our product. 3. Each branch office of each distributing' organization will be held strictly accountable, not only by its Home Office, but by the Treasury Department, for booking solid each print from the date of receipt of each print, up to and including the 19th day of October. Shipment of prints will begin on September 15. 4. No exhibitor shall be permitted to book one subject for more than one day; nor to book two subjects for the same day, whether such subjects are handled by this or another company. In other words, no exhibitor shall have more than one of the thirty-five subjects for any day; nor shall any exhibitor be permitted to obtain a repeat booking for any subject. 5. No charge shall be made directly or indirectly to any exhibitor for the exhibition of any Liberty Loan print. 6. Instead of shipment being made to exhibitors by express, all such shipments are to be made by post under a Government frank, especially issued for the purpose. This frank will be evidenced by a label. These labels will be sent to you along with the shipment of prints. It of course follows that no postage will be necessary. One label is to be enclosed in each shipment for the exhibitor's use in returning the print. A heavy penalty is attached to the use of such labels for any other purpose. 7. At the top of each booking sheet you will write the words, "Respectfully submitted to the Treasury Department of the United States Government." 8. On October 20, you shall forward to this office the original booking sheets, or duplicates thereof, showing the specific theatres and the days for which each print was on exhibition, as well as the dates tor which each print was in transit. Such information is not to be conveyed by signs or hieroglyphics, but on the contrary, is to be plainly written, so that the actual facts are perfectly apparent to a layman totally unacquainted with the booking sheets and booking methods of the motion picture industry. 9. For each day that each exhibitor books a Liberty Loan print, such exhibitor is to be impressed with the necessity of sending to you a record of the total amount of the Liberty Loan subscriptions taken at his theatre for that day. This record shall be carefully entered by you in a book kept solely for that purpose, and a transcript thereof daily sent to this office. Each page of such book shall be totalled, and the total carried over to the succeeding page, for it is quite probable that several times during the drive you will be asked to send by wire the total of the subscriptions obtained to date by the theatres booking the prints assigned to you. 10. The prints allotted to you are Government property. Accordingly, you are held personally responsible ror their safety. Immediately after the conclusion of the drive you will be asked to return all prints to the Government. Shipping instructions for such return will be forwarded to you at a later date. 11. This same letter of instructions is sent by the Home Office of each distributing organization to its respective offices. In other words, all exchanges handling the Liberty Loan prints are receiving a uniform letter of instructions prepared by the committee of the motion picture industry appointed by the Treasury Department. 12. No excuse or alibi will be entertained either by the Government or by this office for permitting any print to remain idle on the shelf. Exhibitors Patriotic "It is of course recognized both by the Treasury Department and by the Liberty Loan Committee of the Motion Picture Industry, that all of the exhibitors of the United States are more than anxious to perform their patriotic duty, by exhibiting a Liberty Loan subject every day of the drive, and that, therefore, each exhibitor will see to it that he possesses complete bookings for the entire period. "It is likewise recognized with equal force, that you, and each member of your organization, are just as anxious to do your bit in aid of the Liberty Loan, as the exhibitors are to do theirs, and that, therefore, you will see to it that each print is booked solid during the drive. TWO SCENES FROM "THE ROMANCE OF TARZAN" ELMO LINCOLN, AS THE TUNGLE KINO "TARZAN," AND ENID MARKEY AS THE DAUGHTER OF AN ARISTOCRATIC FAMILY FORM THE ODD COMBINATION AROUND WHICH THIS FIRST NATIONAL FEATURE PLOT IS WOVEN. 26