Exhibitors Herald (Mar-Apr 1924)

26 EXHIBITORS HERALD March 29, 1924 Public Wants Special Acts, Not Prologues, Says Sonero Baltimore Exhibitor Declares Prologues Tend to Take the Interest of Audience from Feature Attraction (Special to Exhibitors Herald) BALTIMORE, MD., March 18. — Special acts are preferable to prologues for the motion picture theatre program because they are treated as such by the newspaper reviewers, and mentioned in the reviews ; because they stand on their own merits and are approved or disapproved by the audience and because they do not tend to take the interest from the feature picture just before it Hashes on the screen, according to Thomas D. Soriero, general manager of the Combined Whitehurst Interests, controlling the Century, l\ew, Parkway and Garden theatres here. kw"COR some time now," said Mr. Sori•T ero, "I have been experimenting with the audiences at the Century to see which they liked best and the wind blows strongly in favor of the special acts. "For a number of weeks I put on prologues in conjunction with the featured pictures. It either resulted in the newspaper critics ridiculing the act or not saying anything about it at all, which was worse. "Realizing that something was radically wrong, I then went about to find out what was the matter and discovered that as the prologue was given immediately before the feature picture, as a sort of introduction, it did not give the audience a chance to applaud or criticise the act. This in turn, I found has a great influence on the newspaper critic. * * * "When the critic watches the performance in a moving picture theatre, he instinctively absorbs the attitude of the audience whether it is favorable or otherwise and this in turn influences his criticism, I have found. "Realizing therefore that the audience did not have time to applaud the prologues loudly or damn them by faint applause, I conceived the idea that if the prologues were abandoned and changed into special acts, separate from the feature perhaps the audience would respond. "I found my supposition to be absolutely correct. After the first special act was put on every newspaper critic in Baltimore recognized it and commented upon it in connection with the show and in the advance notices, I found that I received added publicity because as most of them were musical, they were entitled to a special notice either on the music page or in the movie section about the special music act. "The audiences enjoyed them immensely. If they approved they were loud in their applause and asked for an encore, but of course, as all audiences are prone to be, if they were dissatisfied, they showed it. "Putting a special set on in a moving picture theatre cannot be handled in the same manner as the acts in a vaudeville and moving picture theatre combined. It must have a distinct flavor — an idealistic semblance that lifts it out of the vaudeville class. * * * "If one does not watch this very important point about putting a special act in the photoplay theatre, the tendency will be to cheapen the house rather than give it distinction. "Musical and dancing sets, or a combination of both, I have found, give the best results. There must be variety always and the more people one can get on the stage in the act, the bigger and better it will appear to the audiences. "If one watches the fine points of stageing and lighting and sees that there is nothing that can be construed as objectionable in the act, then one cannot go wrong in putting on the special acts in moving picture theatre in conjunction with the regular performances of films, and find they will be liked and applauded by the press and public alike." Cohen and True Battle With Opposing Distributing Units (Continued from page 25) edge or sanction of any of the other officers of the corporation. The resignations of Mr. True and Mr. Anderson from the directorate were received by President Cohen last Saturday, bearing the date of March 14. Stockholders Are Amazed The following statement was issued today by Harry Davis of Pittsburg, R. F. Woodhull of New Jersey, Glenn Harper of California, and Sydney S. Cohen of New York, all stockholders of Theatre Owners Distributing Corporation. "We were amazed to learn that Mr. W. A. True and Mr. Carl Anderson had formed the Theatre Owners Distributing Corporation organized under the laws of the State of New York in view of the fact that Theatre Owners Distributing Corporation, organized under the laws of the State of Delaware, has been in existence for over fifteen months. "The action is the more surprising when we learn that Mr. True and Mr. Anderson formed this new company unknown to the remaining stockholders and directors and officers of the Theatre Owners Distributing Corporation and while Mr. True and Mr. Anderson were both officers and directors of company. It is our purpose to use every means to protect the interest of the stockholders of the Theatre Distributing Corporation of Delaware and to see that the moneys due this company from the Anderson Pictures Corporation on account of distribution of the Theatre Owners Distribution Corporation picture, 'After the Ball,' is paid to the Theatre Owners Distributing Corporation of Delaware which has a contract with the Anderson Pictures Corporation regarding same. Used Without Knowledge "We have been advised by some of the theatre owners who were mentioned as members of the advisory board of the new company that Mr. True and Mr. Anderson have formed, that their names were used without a full knowledge of the facts surrounding the formation of this company by them and particularly that the remaining stockholders and officers of the Theatre Owners Distributing Corporation of Delaware were not apprised of the move nor were they in sympathy with it or included in same and they have requested that their names be withheld from further use in connection with the new company. "Irreconcilable differences arose in the management of the Theatre Owners Distributing Corporation, one of which was the desire of Mr. True and Mr. Anderson to amalgamate and consolidate the Anderson Pictures Corporation with the Theatre Owners Distributing Corporation, and one that would give the virtual control of that company to Mr. Anderson. It was our opinion that his record of accomplishment in the industry did not warrant a move of this kind nor did we feel it would augur to the advantage and benefit of the theatre owners of the country and the industry generally. "We feel it is manifestly unfair and an injustice to the present stockholders of the Theatre Owners Distributing Corporation of Delaware to permit the use of the name of this company by Mr. True and Mr. Anderson." Supplementing the statement Sydney S. Cohen said: "I have just returned from Washington where I have been during the week in behalf of the legislative interests of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America affecting the admission and seat taxes and music license matter, and my attention is called to the activities of the last week in the corporation by Mr. True and Mr. Anderson of a new theatre owners' distributing corporation organized under the laws of the State of New York. "This move on their part was made without knowledge to me and so far as I can learn, without the knowledge of our stockholders and directors. Wishes W. A. True Well "I personally wish that any business enterprise of Mr. True's turns out to be successful and I feel his purpose and ours and the industry would be better served if he and Mr. Anderson were to use some other name for their corporate business purposes than 'Theatre Owners Distributing Corporation.' As a matter of fact the name of the corporation does not mean so much by itself. It is the individualities associated with the company and the effort exerted by them that counts. "But in this case fifteen months of time and considerable moneys belonging to stockholders in different parts of the country have been used in advertising and exploiting the Theatre Owners Distributing Corporation and I am firmly of the opinion that this name belongs to these people who have advanced the moneys to defray the expenses incident to the maintenance of the company." Continues Through F, N. (Special to Exhibitors Herald) LOS ANGELES, Mar. 18. — Announcement has been made by Louis B. Mayer that John Stahl's pictures will again be released through First National. Nihlo Opens Pant ages (Special to Exhibitors Herald) LOS ANGELES, Mar. 19.— Fred Niblo and Enid Bennett were prominent among the celebrities attending the opening of the New Pantages theatres in San Diego.