Building theatre patronage : management and merchandising (1927)

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The Motion Picture Theatre 11 old time showman might have had an assistant or two, but he preferred to sell the ticket, collect it at the entrance, drop the nickel into the player piano and then hurry up to help the projectionist crank the machine — he and the assistant were the theatre staff. Fifteen years ago, stiff, straight-back chairs added no comfort to the patron's theatre hour. Today, the attention given to perfecting the smallest detail of the comfortable theatre chair, equals that given to the entire equipment of the old nickelodeon. Fifteen years ago, the foul air that was cold in winter and hot in summer, regulated by a few fans which only churned the sour air, justified the attacks against the unsanitary condition of the nickelodeon. Today, great heating and cooling and ventilating systems make the air-conditioned atmosphere of the theatre unequalled. Fifteen years ago, the average exhibitor was either a florid-faced ex-circus showman or one of a hundred untrained tradesmen attracted by the possibility of quick revenue on small investments. Today, theatre management is a specialized profession whose technical details can be mastered only through careful study by a fine type of man power which is devoting itself to what is recognized as a dignified career of helpful service. Fifteen years ago, a visit to the "motion picture theatre" was characterized as a "stride on the downward path." Today, our leading citizens, from the President down, pay tribute to the moralizing influence of the motion picture theatre. The contrast of financing is even more startling. Today, a theatre chair in the modern theatre costs as much as the week's film rental in the old days. The cost of electric signs, marquees and display boards alone, equal what would have bought complete a small chain of pioneer "store-shows." There was a time when complete equipment cost less than $1500, while today the cost of such equipment for the larger sized houses averages about $150,000. Patrons. The leading motion picture theatres now rank with the most imposing structures in every community. All the arts — painting, music, sculpture and architecture — combine to complete