Exhibitors Herald and Moving Picture World (Oct-Dec 1928)

Dctober 27. 1928 EXHIBITORS HERALD and MOVING PICTURE WORLD 33 What We May Expect From ELECTRICALS and IMAGINATION 1AIM only in this article to present a digest of the more familiar term "Mechanicals," as to the past, present and future possibilities of this means of ''amplified sound entertainment" in our theatres in comparison with that offered in the flesh by the artists of the drama, the musicale and terpsichore. Just why the electrical methods of amplified sound reproducing devices employed in the theatre today should be dubbed "Mechanical" can only be clearly defined by a modern super man Raymond Q. D.lton £rom our neighbor ing plant, Mars, or, coming nearer to home, the ever popular ancient and modern cross-word puzzle may be of some assistance in this particular instance on account of so many cross-words (or should it be cuss-words) which are being hurled at this inoffensive, mild-mannered and well-meaning new device. * * * Musicians, actors, dancers, comedians, stage employes, and even stage doormen, one and all, now stand together in one ■perfect harmonious accord, and regardless of the wave of controversy which is certain to occupy editorial space in the leading scientific journals as to whether the term "Mechanicals" or "Electricals" might be properly applied to designate or incriminate this ingenious amusement device, the actors, musicians, et al., are firm and positive in their condemnation of these entertainment canning and uncanning machines, little knowing or caring either for that matter, whether this electrical demon be called mechanical or electrical. However, let us not at once become unduly panic-like, and compare the effect of these reproducing sound devices to that of a ripple on the sea that goes on and on in ever expanding circles to cease only on the shore of a boundless eternity. To the contrary, these reproducing sound devices— taken as a whole, in my opinion, have limits, which it is the purpose of this article to point out. Going back a year or so, during which time I did considerable experimenting with my own sound reproducing devices in connection with "organ-scrim" and "scrim-aphone" presentations in association with Albert F. Brown, Marks Brothers featured organist, I had proceeded with these devices with one purpose in view, and that was to keep this form of presentation entertainment from becoming common. Do you realize what "becoming common" means? It means that should you meet with this particular style of entertainment in most every place of amusement you visited, then it would become common and thereby lose its value as a feature attraction of the performance. By RAYMOND Q. D ALTON Radio Engineer and Stage Production Director It was with the idea of restricting the. use of this particular means of scrim-solo or scrim-a-phone idea to one or two theatres to the city, that patents were sought on the method with the one single purpose in view, to keep it from becoming common, and in illustration to that point, I wish to call your attention to the reviews and editorials which appeared in the Exhibitors Hr.RALD, during the time I was connected with the Marks Brothers organization, which, week after week and month after month, over a year and a half in all, attracted countrywide interest and comment during the entire period, and just as much so at the end of that time as at the beginning, did the organ-scrim and scrim-a-phonc presentations of Albert F. Brown "click." * * * Again, I want to emphasize that word 'common," for if one wishes a particular form of entertainment to "click" indefinitely, then its use must be restricted to a few places of amusement and not exhibited in every other theatre in town, or else, like the invasion of the stage bands in one theatre after another, it becomes common, and the poorly equipped, poorly managed, and poorly staged third rate motion picture house immediately jumps into the first rank and stands on an equal footing in all respects to our modern, expensive, wellmanaged and well-directed playhouse. And why? Because the third rate house can ofler the same type of entertainment in all respects to the electrical-mechanical synchronized picture entertainment as can the socalled super-deluxe picture palace, and do it with a great deal less overhead expense. And so, once again a form of entertainment becomes common. But now you ask, "Why did not the plain unsynchronized motion picture idea become common?" Hasn't that one idea spread all over the land, and hasn't the plan grown and grown for years and years with ever increasing popularity though "apparently" losing some favor, but only apparently, because the town is over-seated to an unnecessary extent? I believe I can answer that to your entire satisfaction, when I say "motion pictures unaccompanied by sound reproducing devices" and sound accompanied motion piclures are as different and foreign to one another as a Chinaman is to an Englishman, and I mean that. * * * To illustrate, first consider the plain honcst-to-goodness every-day motion picture. This type of entertainment deals with and depends largely on its success to what — " Imagination." Imagination is the image forming power of the mind, or the power of the mind which modifies the conceptions, to its own understanding and thereby to its own satisfaction. That is the answer to your question of why did not plain every-day motion pictures become too common and lose favor during all these years. Take, for example, an average motion picture audience. You will admit a well filled picture theatre presents a tremendous variety of imaginative minds in the makeup of the audience, no two being exactly alike, and no two appreciating the same expressions in the same manner. That is why motion pictures of the ordinary kind succeed. They appeal to the imagination, each patron interprets the plot of action of the photoplay according to the extent of his or her imagination, and so to their own individual satisfaction. What does that mean? A satisfied audience. Take the so-called "motion pictures with amplified sound synchronization," the very foundations upon which the motion picture succeed, Imagination, is removed, I maintain. You no longer have to imagine what the characters in the play are confiding to each other in the sweet low tone of love's sweet dreams; you do not have to imagine with what thunderous and blood-stirring tones the film hero is denouncing the film villain, to the evident wide-eyed awe and admiration of the film heroine. You don't have to imagine anything — just watch the 'picture and listen to the sound reproducing device which explains all to all in one distinct and in one perfect manner satisfactory to the imagination of one person, the film director, who produced it. * * * But how about the million and one separate and distinct degrees of imagination in the persons of the after all necessary cash paying theatre patrons? However, let us not draw the curtains closed, hang out the crepe and write "finis" to the amplified sound picture industry and exhibition. They, too,, have their uses, and very good ones at that. Just as the straight motion picture, as the highest example of the photographer's art, in no way replaced the spoken drama, nor was it intended to do so, so will the amplified sound pictures have their place in the amusement field particularly with the short subjects, weeklies and the like. Personally I have seen (and heard) many delightful amplified short subjects and news features, and accordingly as I have tried to show in the beginning of this article, the amplified sound picture will not run the straight unamplified picture off the screen any more than the straight picture did to the spoken drama and musicales on the stage, but instead will find its place in the amusement field, after some opposition, you may be sure. The three types of entertainment will roll along in triple harness, each having its own particular merit and appreciation, each striving to pull the hardest until such time as a fourth horse enters the field. Then the three horsemen will become united in a common cause against this new intruder. The present amplified sound picture by that time will have been accepted into the fold and, given its place in the sun, will become one of the oldtimers and, side by side with the straight picture and the spoken drama, will present an united front to further invasion.