Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1934)

Tuesday, March 20, 1934 MOTION PICTURE DAILY Pillories Circuit Operation By Remote Control fromN. Y. (Continued we began to question the soundness of our circuit operations as it was becoming apparent to us that "the tail was wagging the dog" and that it was only a question oi time when this method of operating theatres must definitely be changed. Many theories were advanced for changing this situation, and some acted upon, but without any results. Constructive correction, however, was in progress when we entered into the last and worst phase of the depression and what has subsequently happened is well-known. With all this experience in operating a big circuit from New York, and with a full realization as to its unsoundness, I went into the held to personally operate, independently, a few theatres. I have spent nearly eight months now at this, including visiting theatres, meeting exhibitors, seeing circuit theatres operated in the field and I have discovered some very startling facts — things I never even i believed to be true when I was in New York. Many I shall not mention, but summed up the answer is unsoundness. N. Y. Decisions Held Important Of major importance are the decisions made in New York regarding theatre operation. Conservatively, I can say New York is wrong 70 percent of the time. In New York you will hear, as I have heard time and time again, "our men in the field are operating the theatres" but I know now that is not so. The home offices of circuits still labor under the delusion that they are allowing the boys in the field to make their own decisions as it fits their particular community. Yes, this is true in every instance except where the decision is important, and then New York decides. Only those decisions which are unimportant and keep a lot of detail from coming into the home office, are made by the boys in the field. The funny thing about this is that I have never heard anyone admit a mistake was made. Only a circuit-owned theatre can withstand or has up to this point apparently withstood the tremendous losses due to mistakes that have been made and are being made. By this I do not mean the original mistake of impossible rentals or fixed charges, but the errors in judgment of operating policy. Sees Common Interest Lacking Another thing that strikes me very :orcibly is that the circuit-operated :heatre or theatres in a town are en:irely out of step with any other theare in the same town. There is no ommunity of interests with other :heatres, there is no spirit of helpfulless ; it is more or less an aloofness »f a would-be superior being who runs lis business alone. He knows nothng about his competitor's business and nerely guesses at his grosses. The lome office is more or less responsible or this condition. Even if the manager had a desire for constructive cooperation, he is in no position to carjy it out. This is harmful not alone o the theatre business in that town ' Jut it definitely hinders getting the greatest results at the box-office. ' Nhat a vast difference a little friend'y cooperation would make in our industry if there existed the same spirit |>f helpfulness and cooperation as from page 1) exists in other industries in the satne town t Who are the greatest offenders in admission price-cutting? bitting in New lork, 1, together with all other circuit operators, were ot the firm opinion tnat the independent exhibitor was guilty ot the most flagrant cuts in admission prices and we all heaped plenty ot abuse upon him tor everything m connection therewith. But when you get close to the tacts in the held it is amazing to hnd how far Irom the truth this is. First-run circuit operator is undoubtedly the most ruthless as it pertains to the cutting and changing ot admission prices, this is one oi the decisions that New lork rarely permits the boys to make, all statements to the contrary notwithstanding. Without regard tor any other tneatre in town, witnout any consideration tor existing conditions, witnout any thought in any direction, prices are changed over night. 1 Know ot instances where the boys in the held have lought as hard as they dared with the home ornce to avoid a price change, but to no avail, and then a few weeks later the prices were changed back to meet the recommendations ot the boys in the field. New iork never will understand that it knows nothing about local conditions and is in no position to quickly make decisions of this kind. This is indeed a most deplorable situation. No longer do 1 wonder at the extremes to which the small, independent theatre operator resorts as it pertains to admission prices when he sees the big circuit house ruthlessly cutting prices as a child would do with a toy just to see what makes it run. Finds Attitude Wrong Another thing is the handling of pictures in circuit houses. Anything short of a "knockout" is not deserving of much effort. This comes about through having the choice of so many good pictures that after a time the manager cannot possibly see anything worthwhile except the smash attraction. In this connection the independent operator is unquestionably the better showman. Distributors in New York from whom I have purchased pictures for years have repeatedly told me this, but I always disagreed with them. However, getting close to the situation has proven it to me most conclusively. The independent operator looks at motion pictures with altogether different eyes. To him each picture has something good about it to sell. When he gets a good picture he generally does a better business than the circuit theatre would do with it because to him it is a great picture ; he believes it and is able to sell the idea to his patrons. It is a well-known fact that circuit theatres' own pictures receive special care and attention over and above other distributor's product that they use, but I did not know to what extent this was true until I came close to it in the field. It is a pity that all of the product used by circuit operators is not given equal attention. The manner of advertising pictures by circuit houses is poor. New York originates a lot of copy and broadcasts it through its theatres. It is supposed to apply to all of the towns regardless of what the likes and dis N. 0. Boards Inactive New Orleans, March 19 — Code boards are doing nothing here until they receive official notice of appointment. So far all the members know about it is the news they have read in trade papers. likes of that community might be in relation to the picture itself or its stars and very seldom do the boys in the field change any of the New York ads, especially on big pictures. Of course, this is true also of mats and press-books which are sent everywhere to be used by every exhibitor. That is why you see the same stereotyped advertising from one end of the country to the other on any given picture. It happens quite often that a picture is ruined nationally by the wrong kind of advertising which every exhibitor makes use of. I honestly believe we would have much finer advertising as well as better business if no mats of any kind were furnished exhibitors and they were forced to be original and said the things they would like to say about the picture and omitted a number of things that for the good of the business should be omitted. Calls for Changes There are a number of other observations regarding circuit operation that I do not wish to go into, but its present method of functioning can never be successful. The entire structure will have to be changed so as to be entirely divorced from New York before any progress can be made in this connection. Each group of theatres in a given territory will have to be organized as a separate and distinct company with a real business man at the head of it as president and general manager, together with a regular set of officers, to be a separate and distinct corporation with such officers owning a substantial interest in the business. This local corporation must have the sole right to manage its business, including the purchasing of pictures other than the company's own pictures for which they will no doubt have a long-term franchise. New York will then only furnish such service as the local corporation will from time to time request. It must be a locally owned and operated business where every bit of enthusiasm is put into the job and every local problem worked out to the belt interests of everyone concerned. Only in this manner will it be possible to get the most out of each and every attraction. The procedure as outlined above is, in my opinion, not only essential to the industry as a whole, but the only manner in which the present circuits can put their business on a sound basis that will in time give them a regular return on their investment. "Scandals" Phila. Grind Philadelphia, March 19. — George White's "Scandals," which is to reopen the Locust Street Theatre on March 20, will play on a grind policy, it was stated today by A. R. Boyd, local Fox manager, who is also handling the Locust. Mrs. Rosenblatt on Coast Hollywood, March 19. — Division Administrator Sol A. Rosenblatt's mother is visiting her daughter, Ann Ronnell, here. Miss Ronnell is under contract to the Radio studio music department. ] So great has been the public de , mand, many theatres are playing J j return engagements of CLARK | . GABLE and CLAUDETTE ' J COLBERT in Frank Capra's "It | I Happened One Night," already . ' hailed as one of 1934's ten best! 1 1 The Skin," with Frank Morgan I and Joseph Schildkraut, is nearing » completion. Great cast, great story j and great entertainment. Directed by David Burton.