Motion Picture Herald (Apr-Jun 1931)

April 4, 1931 MOTION PICTURE HERALD 77 MAINTENANCE OF THE THEATRE! MASTER SHOWMAN GIVES HIS VIEWS ON IMPORTANT TOPIC! I saw a shot in the news reel of the Leviathan — the giant ocean liner. She was in dry dock high out of the water having the barnacles scraped off her hull. The scene was dvnamic with activity ... an army of men climbing all over this great ship, scraping, painting repairing and doing a hundred and one things to put her in readiness for another season of transatlantic voyages. Apparently each man had his job to do and he was leaving nothing undone to make his job a success. The scene made me think how much alike is the care of that big ship and the care of our theatre, and how careless some of us are in keeping our theatre ship shape, by failing to attend to the little details as well as the major jobs around the theatre — especially so of our failure at times to attend to the things out of order below the water line, where we think it will escape the notice of the patron, but which we find out later to our regret affects the general operation of the theatre. LIKE THE FARMER When I see some theatre executives trying to reduce operating expenses by depriving patrons of the ordinary comforts and conveniences, to which they are entitled, I am reminded of the farmer carrying a heavy sack of grain to market some miles away. On being asked by a passerby why he carried the heavy sack, when he could have just as well hitched up his horse and wagon, replied, that he did not like to use the horse because the horse ate too much when he worked. There are a lot of us in this business like that farmer. . . . We fail to Hght our theatre properly because of the light bill ... we fail to put up the proper display because we do not want to buy accessories ... we fail to extend the proper treatment to our patrons because we will not pay a dollar or two more to secure the right type of house attaches and we fail to do many important things because we think we are gettmg by and the public will not notice. How foolish— how short sighted is the manager who thinks he can fool the public week after week. And when I stop to think of it, I do not recall one man in this business who ever made a lasting success operating on that policy. BY JACK O'CONNELL VITA-TEMPLE THEATRE TOLEDO. OHIO This latest article from Jack O'Connell once again proves his versatility in show shov^ business. Not only can he take a century old church building and turn it into a successful and famous movie temple; discuss the whys and wherefores of "De-Bunking The Ballyhoo"; pass along up-to-theminute slants on publicity and other showselling ideas; but, now he comes along and tells you something about the important phase of theatre operation dealing with the maintenance of the theatre's expensive and much-needed equipment and furnishings. Showbuslness needs men like Jack O'Connell because, through their ability to understand what they are doing, they can convey something of their knowledge to their brother showmen. "Knowledge Through Understanding" and especially through experience is the kind of knowledge necessary to the proper operation of a theatre. O'Connell qualifies for that classification. He knows what he is talking about because he has learned through actual experience. We have devoted much space on the Club pages to the maintenance angle and will continue to do so because, in our opinion, it represents one of the most important phases of a manager's job. We are, therefore, making a specific request at this time to our many members and readers to express themselves on this subject for the benefit of those who need a little enlightenment. How you keep YOUR theatre's equipment and furnishings in tip-top condition is what we are all anxious to know. The Club pages are open to all for this discussion. "Chick" LIKENS WELL-RUN THEATRE TO SEAWORTHY SHIP! . . . want to see your show, that's probably true to a certain extent. . . . Sarah Bernhardt, some years ago, appeared in a tent in her tour of the southwest and packed 'em in, but that does not mean that the same public would sit in a tent week after week and that you can play a Sarah Bernhardt every week. We must remember that at best there are very few big money making pictures in a season and we must operate our theatres with that in mind. It is our job to bring people back to our theatre week after week, or as many of them as we can sell on the idea that we are doing everything humanly possible to make their visits to our theatre comfortable and enjoyable. After all the patron is the big shot in the scheme of things, in this business, as well as in any other business — not a bad thought to keep in mind by the way. We are only as valuable as our patrons make us; we cannot succeed without their good will and their money. MASTER OF THE SHIP Some weeks when we have a big hit in the house we are apt to stand in front, throw our chest out and take credit for the crowds trying to get into the theatre. The next week we become very humble and meek when we play the dud and the crowds pass us by. . . . One week in the clouds the next in the depths of despondency. . . . That's show business. . . . The great leveler of ego is a few poor shows in a row. So let's remember during the good weeks when everything is going great and the goose hangs high that there might be something that we can do to add to the enjoyment and comfort of our patrons — to make our theatre a nice place to come to — to prove that our equipment and service is spic and span and that the little annoyances and inconveniences that might have cropped up have been anticipated by us in our careful daily inspection of the theatre and the immediate attention of the stafT, to correct what is found to be wrong. If we operate along those lines we will find that when that poor week comes along and we are down in the mouth we will find consolation in the thought that we have done our best for our patrons. . . . We have pleased them and that no matter how black the sky and how rough the water we are master of our ship. CuHing down the light bill by cutting down the lighting in the front of your theatre is rather poor economy if it takes away from that much-needed "flash" . . . Lighting attracts and adds to the appearance of your theatre; instead of trying to save money there you should be figuring out new ways of making that front even more attractive . . . Practice your economy by finding the "leaks" where money is being spent foolishly or carelessly, but not in making a morgue of your theatre. . . No patron ever went out of a theatre praising it after they tripped on a piece of worn out carpet, tore a stocking on a broken seat, found a piece of chewing gum on their dress or coat, or had to use a foul-smelling lavatory. . . . Figure it out for yourself. PATRON REACTION The only time a patron comes to the manager to complain is when complaint directly af¥ects that patron, seriously so, for instance — ripping a brand new pair of hose on a seat, falling down the stairs — getting chewing gum on the dress or many other of the more important complaints. But that same patron would not bother to look up the manager if he thought the house was mismanaged generally or there was nothing definite to complain about— the patron would leave the manager very much alone, in fact he would leave the theatre alone and go some where else for his entertainment. You will hear some of the boys say that the public will stand for sawdust on the floors and soap boxes to sit on if they really If the rental of your theatre amounted to ten or fifteen dollars a week more than you pay at present would you shut the house down as a bad Investment? ... we think not . . . then why hesitate and take six months to finally decide to buy some badly needed furnishings for your ladies' lounge or gentlemen's smoking room . . . or a new piece of carpet for that worn-out centre aisle ... or a new change of bulbs for the interior of the house ... or any little comforts which send the patron home with a kindly thought for you and your theatre. Totaled up over the period of a year would reveal that the ten or fifteen extra dollars a week, mentioned above, is a high estimate of what you owuld be spending. . . . Don't you believe it's worth it?