Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1930)

October 4 . 193 0 .1/ o I i o n P i C t u r , A 125 MANAGE!?!' POUND TABLE CLUC Capitalizing On Theatres' Equipment A Factor With Tucker Our ability to judge a man's work is confined to the material we receive from him and a general opinion that we try to form solely by reason of his correspondence from time to time with the Club's chairman. Taking this method as a standard for drawing any particular conclusions should put Stewart B. Tucker in a spot to be classed as a showman, not only well acquainted with every angle of showmanship, but possessed of the ability to put such knowledge to profitable use. Tucker's name is by no means a strange one on the Round Table Club pages. You must all recall at various times some of the interesting campaigns which he successfully engineered and many of you have commented in your letters to Club headquarters on his type of work. We have been laving some stress upon the one important phase of a manager's job dealing with the proper maintenance and selling of his equipment as a means of creating added interest toward the theatre. At this time we are grouping together four photographs, three showing various shops of his air-conditioning plant, and the fourth the front of the theatre, with a sign which, while not very clear due to the reduction in the size of the photograph, sets forth the fact that they are keeping their theatre cool and comfortable with manufactured weather, and we particularly like his emphasis on the fact that, while it is always cool, it is never cold. Another point about the photographs which creates a lot of admiration for this showman is the immaculate appearance of the rooms in the cellar where this machinery is located. You may recall that from time to time we have stressed the importance of not only cleaning up the spots where the patron never visits, but to keep them clean, and unless these photographs are lying, then Tucker once again warrants favorable mention. , Many showmen, and circuits as well, for that matter, have WALTER D. FLECK Says: "As I mentioned in previous letters, I look forward to Monday to receive the MOTION PICTURE NEWS and the invaluable information one may get from the MANAGERS' ROUND TABLE CLUB." Manager, The Island Theatre, Grand Island, Neb. BE SAFE— NOT SORRY The manager who watches his fire-fighting equipment shows that he is on the job and alive to the possibilities of trouble. Therefore he leaves no stone unturned to try and avoid it. Sometimes poor supervision of standpipe hose and fire extinguishers find such apparatus unfit for use when it is needed. Some managers even boast that they are keeping the overhead down by not recharging the extinguishers or replacing old, worn out hose. If that's economy then we'll have to try ditch-digging rather than recommend it to others. FIRE — the bane of every showman's existence — in just a remote thought if your house is always ready for such emergencies. Every panic-bolt on the exit doors should be in workable condition, equipment in perfect shape and the staff drilled to meet just such contingencies. Then, and only then, have you fulfilled the obligations and responsibilities which you undertook when you stepped into your job. It's better to be safe than sorry, and it's much easier on the mind, too. an impression that the installation of refrigeration or airconditioning equipment is too expensive to even consider. Well, from my point of view, and apparently this viewpoint is substantiated by many showmen the world over, you can capitalize on the equipment as well as making it an important factor in your theatre's operation. In addition to using his air-conditioning plant for advertising purposes, he has made a study of this part of the theatre as well as every other phase so that he is well acquainted with the mechanical end as well as the showman's angle. These are the important points we have been constantly trying to drive home to our many other members and readers. No doubt, among you other showmen who are taking the time to read this account of Mr. Tucker's showmanship, there are many who are likewise proud of the different equipment in their theatre and we urge them to take photographs and send them in to the chairman so that we can, in turn, set forth the story on these pages to encourage other members to do likewise. Maintenance and equipment constitute, as we have said before, a most important phase of your theatre operation activities and we would gladly devote all the space necessary to giving it the prominence it so well deserves. Let's hear from you fellows, and thank you, Tucker, for your prompt attention to our request. Dave Borland Had A Peppy Gag In His "Pep" Kid Show Those Canadian showmen are right on the go. Season after season finds them stepping out and showing the rest of the show world what they can do. And they certainly sell — — their shows. They don't have to have a special picture in order to make a big splash or pull a business getting stunt; they do it on anything they get a chance. When "Love Among the Millionaires" played the Metropolitan Theatre in Regina, Canada. Dave Borland, manager of the house, doped out a plan to pep up interest in his kiddie business. Through a tie-up with the manufacturer of a well known brand of cereal he was enabled to procure sample packages which were distributed to the children who attended a designated show. In his ad, Borland inserted the name of the breakfast food, and this also helped his good-will stock with the manufacturer as well as the local dealers in the product. The kids were well pleased with the special treat he arranged for them, and when they returned home they did a lot of talking about it. And it was talk that would result in good-will for the theatre. Borland is always on the look-out to pull angles of this sort, and we believe you will agree with us that they are certainly valuable.