The story of the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation (1919)

DISTRIBUTION OEVENTY-FIVE per cent of the 17,130 motion picture theaters in the United States, as listed by the Internal Revenue Department, show Paramount-Artcraft pictures at least a part of the time. A steadily growing proportion prospers by exhibiting Paramount-Artcraft pictures exclusively, which calls to mind the interesting fact that no theater anywhere exhibits any other brand of pictures exclusively. This is at once a tribute to the quality and quantity of the output released by the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation under these trade-marks and an indication that somebody has to work hard to accomplish such notable results. The truth of the matter is that the operation of the Department of Distribution involves infinite toil and painstaking. Persons seeking a soft snap should sedulously avoid the Department of Distribution. The Department of Distribution includes a field force of 1241 persons apportioned to twenty- six branch exchanges throughout the United States so located that few motion-picture theaters are distant more than twenty-four hours by express shipment from an exchange. Each exchange has film storage vaults as required by the underwriters, personnel and all equipment necessary to take care of exhibitors in its territory. This field force is supported by a staff of 300 at the home office in New York. At the head of the department is Walter E. Greene, vice-president and managing director of distribution, whose position is analogous to that of the vice-president in charge of traffic on a railroad. The vice-president formulates plans for carrying into effect policies laid down by the executive committee or president, and decides questions bearing on their interpretation. Next in rank comes Al. Lichtman, general manager of distribution, the executive in direct charge of operation. Other executives include Frederic Gage, secretary to Mr. Greene, Charles C. Burr, assistant general manager; Sidney R. Kent, sales manager; H. H. Buxbaum, J. W. Allen, and M. H. Lewis, special representatives; Harry Asher, W. E. Smith, C. E. Holcomb, Louis Marcus and Herman Wobber, district managers; and Robert E. Mclntyre, Arthur C. Wilson, Robert A. Kreier, Thomas A. Kilfoyle, Samuel Handel, Saul Berman, Emanuel R. Barnet and Fred A. Leroy, auditors. For convenience of distribution the United States is divided into nine districts, in charge of district managers or, in some instances, of special representatives, and finally, the local managers of the twenty-six branch exchanges. A personal connecting link between the home office and the field force is provided by the three special representatives, who are on the road most of the time, checking up work and straightening out snarls. The staff of eight traveling auditors keeps watch and ward over finances. Like every other successful business enter- prise the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation finds that the way to get results is to provide for careful supervision plus more supervision, to which is added supervision. The foundation upon which the scientific system of supervision has been built involved a prodigious amount of labor possible only to a corporation directed by wise foresight and backed by ample resources. First, the United States was divided into nine districts in each of which are from two to four branch exchanges under local managers, arranged according to distances and density of popula- tion so that each district could be thoroughly supervised by its manager, and so that each theater in the district can be reached by an express shipment from an exchange within twenty-four hours, except in the Western districts where distances are great. The next step was to collect, classify and digest, district by district, data about each and every community, large and small, such as its population and resources, type and seating capacity [ *7 ]