Building theatre patronage : management and merchandising (1927)

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34 Building Theatre Patronage work. Because the product that he sells is constantly changing, he must increase his knowledge of that product just as constantly from the many sources of information that are available. , Knowledge of people demands that life itself be his textbook. He is studying life through the spectacles of the showman, noticing in it those changing fads and fancies just as well as the basic, unchanging qualities of human nature that have a bearing on his work. The capable theatre manager must have a many-sided nature. He should never feel satisfied that there is nothing more to learn. He should never slip into a rut with the expression "Let well enough alone." There is nothing that requires more hard thinking and more hard work for success. Efforts must be constantly renewed. It is not a case of intensively building something which when once built will stand without further effort. The best established theatre business will slip away when the efforts which built it up cease. When the theatre manager becomes just a janitor or just a house-cleaner with the feeling that business builds itself, more active showmanship by a competitor will take away patrons. If there is no theatre competition, other amusements will attract the public. There is no substitute for the hard-working, hard-thinking showman. Representative Citizen. The motion picture theatre manager should be a representative citizen. He should be a showman. He should be a keen business man. As a representative citizen, personality rather than technical skill is important. It is the manager's personality that gives a theatre its personality. Every detail of operation reflects the character of the manager responsible for it. His ranking as a representative citizen wins respect from the community for his institution. Its opinion of the manager shapes its opinion of his theatre. The theatre manager is no longer a business outcast. He takes his place shoulder to shoulder with other business men of the community. He can approach them with confidence