Billboard advertising (Jan 1918)

T-h e B1111> oar d A NEW YEAR APPEAL Direct to the Heart arid Intelligence of Every Motion Picture Exiiibitor in America From % fonri tearful letter of a ladr eililbltor (a widow past sixty years of tige, wblcll' came inio the hanfla of the Secretary of the Alllea LeglBlatlve Committee) thla la an excerpt: -■Dear Sirs: "Mv last dollar was put Into my little theatre, the onlr house In a toirii at 1,600. Uy ONL.Y lon-iDaiiagaa It wall, but ha vent to War in AuKuat. Film eervlce was hlBl>> then the ftflmlwlnn Trr laMened my recelpla. I waa maklDg seven to ten doUaia a waek profit whnk the Film company added t*-SO a Mek roal Tax to v'IUh bQI» ' Since then I lost jDoney every day and now I . ol B— aSb Ac Omfm nIm won't your Committee act quick and help met I ■ up port two BMSddiUdrcn. I n-aot to keep them nlth me." Many more each letters are comliiK In every day. Honeea running two days where they ran a week a year ago. Twenty-four theatres out The aaall Theatre ^nnot live and the small Theatre li t^e backbone of the Industry. Uoat of tbem never made any money. Of'.cn tliclr lliulre'la a Mlda Iib*. Oftn it ta ran beew ia s thagr love pietnmi tha::!- ■elvai and want to-«lM> tiM amail aomBUpUy tfca Opporlanlty a^J benefit of pictures..n»tar.*MaKta pMiirwet*".aBd iM.lba Une Thca- Vlbtiirca In the xHa* of Warv M—rtn»st iar, •Anaatloa and ci ilAee of lAt ua aak'ourselves, Exnihltora and Produeera. each one inOivldn- ally, are-we so «elf.c^iiered, sreedy and sborttisbted not to respond to this appeal from'.so msnyT la there not a HOark of fraternal feellne bstwee'u w« who aro maklns the "silent thousht" our life's work? Shall tbli old ladyof thrae-ecore'yeara, whoae aon la "aomawbere in France," ' 'sIMw.perbapa hlallfa to aave onr own hope and flrailda and the pre- ■'dOMliatUan of liberty, so unaldeAT la there n«<way to aid«r beip her? ■baU tb* MUl U|thta of civilisation In the amsOl town so ontT WBOB'TOBI^AMBt There la bat one anawer, THB BXHIBITOR WHO Wm- NOT ORQANIZa WITH.HI8 FEUA>W BXHl^TOIt. cqaliablo TBI I^vr, tor the Advanra Depoalt ^atoae, Uw Wgb^alBrlaa siar, the small theaue wobtf om of hnalnBai andkall the Ula of the In- duilry. I<et us see It It la tru« bj vtewlnr oar proMiit MORDmlo con- ditions by another concreta- esampl* on an antlraly dlftaiant anx<a. Let every BshlbUor maka Ida own dedustlon from tho folloirinK actual ■taumau of ud ibw rMnM Vh Mtamtat If all tha sxbibiton WSfTeSvitlMr In m vatt-lrannvttr tun wobM not tiapva. w-ma vHvSmN t» intanlaw aaw^ tin* PVttdtieera about ■B, aaons iAms ww n Mis* PMooar whom I batiovc ha.a ma. wsBla to ptey 4ha same eo that both n Uva, who Mtr waata to make a decent , k I aaid to htoit «Tou do not ondtrctn-id (■MbttOr. m St.tUf daak IB^W Twk and dictate ImpoeaTbto uuaaa iO n.'BrUMh. Hnnanr. Ton raallr pay tbla UanaEer a percenl- SSkOBAow nanr-Aropa « blood and P9un<b of flaab yen can take off of the BBhlbltor and (hat's all dead wronff, bacaoad there ihould be fair ' and equitable co-operation between the Ezhlhltor.aDd Frodacer aa be- itwaen any lesttlmate buyer and Beller." This Producer turned on me with Are In hia voice and said: "The Exhibitor forces us to take the last dollar for flim service. Ton make ' or us crooks beeauBe you prefer to deal with tba unfair Producer. Tod want to h« humbussed. The Exhibitor Ilea whan ba aays-tbat our Com-- paay dnaa ^not tvaat to eo-nparata. . How can w* whan tha. Bihlbltor encov ■—- - ■ *- —— 'natb m^St tMdst ' Iiot ma dnnr in alTJttiMla^oC dlwntrtnUa and rulnoss la flv* yon B0f$iV-(n«U. nraa nata aco w« tll.SM.OO'ta prodneai-aur'laatlas Star w-h '-nt JSlm t- tha-BKhl^tbr.a paid t7S.H'a'WMh andwa rented that_ rsasonablo Mto and we and the Exhlbltara both. mnae a iuch loi m. mons^ out of the plelure. Alone comes one Oready Produelns Company that BOw wanta^to hop It all. They are trylne to get all of the blS Blars. they expect-to control tha entire fltm buBloesB and ere eveii buylns op thsatrea also. LJstan. Wa and the Eixhtbltor Dopularlied .th1e"Blar. We raised her ealary. from Utna to time tintll she was.rettlns 11,000.00 a week. Now comaa the GRBEDT PRODOCEB and oTara this, ojir beet. Star St.OOO.OD a week. We are shocked!'' Wa have been making- flltn a good many yearn and we know we can't pay It, and that-tha Bichlbltar can't pay the advance in film service neceeeary.'tb pay the salary. We hat-p been selllnK ihe Star In resular proernm. We'ivautd llke' to keep the Star.' ao we ask you Bzhlbltora to pay US MORfl.for the pictures In which thiB star appears, and yau call us robbers. Neverthelesa you R-on'i poy UB, but you will another Company, so we lot the Star go to this one GBESDY Producer, and what happens? He pnta this Star uDder a new brana with much publicity noise. Clever-tonsned sal ea- rn en tell you that greater pictures, super de luxe snpere, sie oomlns- Ha asks you Exhibitors for a big Advance Deposit and you also a oontract mat moans you are going to lose raooey. Wo did not ask you for a deposit when we had the Star and you could quit us any time. Thla «T.—.rv^- — —j_ c before he would give you . „— . . _ . . icauSB he gold bricked you with a lot of nice hot air. When the picture came out It was not half a« good as the pictures we were making with that Star. Is Uiat co- operation?. We want to co-operate, but how can we? We are not afraid of tha orgnnlMd BzMhltor, we know that ha will traat na rl^L Wa want you to orxaniia asslwat tua.iwfalr meiluMI of bnalaaa^ bnt we cant help jtn nriinnlaa. if poti ■ rtlM t on sna^ inaiiiiif iiiMiayian getber and pnttaet yenr o«n iMitMn wa«a iBib^ua Oiii'bdBMir k . ,— and' nr. OfMW SSHtet ym |tt aa nU ■ IB had the Star and GREEDY Producer made you finai that Star and guarantee his market for ttie picture than _;DBt prosper If ths producer prospeis, bnt they are helpleJ, thei r han'da are tied because of only one thtn^ TBS DfSORQANIZSD BXHIBITOK. Asatn we, the Onanized Eixhibitor, call upon yon, tha Disorxauiiaa Exhibitor, to Join ui. A great Ccnvantlon was hatd IB. Wa^Mngton. . December 11 and 12 of all Allied Exhibitor^ Otsanln^on*.. 'We have an Allied Legislative Committee ready to work for you, and adc Congress . to relieve us from the ruinous Teiatlon that is upon na. We have an Amalgamation Committee that wants to bring the best thODSht and best methods of business Into a new fraternity of Bxbnutora.'. Tlla pait'ls gone> and forgotten. Exhibitors hava pladnd to atpnd bif aaOh other. . We know that the Exhibitor must brlns tu Industry cAt aC thla 'Chtoa . of dlBtrust and siitnslinina liiiT iri tiimr i ffJT an »IH innilin. jraniiT . have a blf- majority. For years aoma nf'.'na Mia'praanfian lha .Ooapel of Organisation to tha and.that thla InMtcr'WiS* ba imijiinMII atandardiied and oonunarethUnd. Va hara baan fWtt,' WoBv UM only bop* now. Id on* day tba. Bicbtbltoia of tlila sonntry ooold ollmtnato all Uw abusH from within and withadtthalndaatzy by united aotlOB. ^4 raUaC will come in ainy Other way except thru the EhthlblUnai Oo totha m«itbvs>. cill maEtlnss, araaalia, talca tha Inlttatlva: Inataad of letting K gr*«dr and unfair Producer take a thouaaad dollars away from yoD In Advance l^cpo^lt put a nve. ten cr a flfty Into your Btata and National Organlsa- Greater force and work taster with y must make the QREiBDY Producer c< he shall not take a Star away from dollar pictures for us to Day for and pick oot tlio t. . fair I^duc We n THE SAII.ROAB3 OF THIS COUNTPT WEKB PUT OK A WAR ■BA3I«-I'4-TWE>TT>T-FeUR -HO»RS. , LET'S PUT THE MOTIOK PIC- TDBE BUSINESS ON A WAR BASIS. IjETB DO IT KOW.- I>otft «C— - pact the Producer to do It- He can'L Ha Is dlaorsanlMd mora than. «• ' FFS. Katther can a few Exhibitors. We are now togMhar In one body. We want all to make It greater. We need.::inuDadIala'aetlan. 't detft ' care, how Kg an Eihlbiior you are. how buay yon ara or how nraeh money you are making or how much you era loalng, you owe to the ■ -whole Tnduatry to nend in your nnmo and let us know thai you are will- - iklnK for any honors; there are nana: at our bualnass. which, wa are entitled force of Oraahlsatlon. Onr weaknau -ganlEed large enough. Ijet our New L of all Ezblbltors. and (bwa there will Hat Is the Exhlblton^ and tb the Pro- fs help the little Theatre, let's help the ■a and help oursehrea and then anybody Year's Resolution b WHO IS the; FIRST ONE TO ANSWER TO THE AMERICAN EXHIBITORS' ASSOCIATION