Exhibitor's Trade Review (Nov 1924 - Feb 1925)

Page 18 Exhibitors Trade Review Pictures, Radio, Books and Motors IT IS human nature, of course, probably one of the traits we have inherited from our arborea ancestors — the feeling that any newcomer who competes with us is an upstart. But it certainly isn't altogether logical, since most of the progress of the human race has been directly due to "upstarts" and to new kinds of competition. This being apropos of some remarks by Maj. George H. Putnam, of the distinguished publishing house of G. P. Putnam's Sons, before the Women's Press Club of New York last week. "Three things keep people from reading books these days," said Major Putnam, "automobiles, movies and radio. People used to take the money they would have spent for books to pay for the upkeep of automobiles to go to the movies in. Now they put in the time when they ought to be reading listening in." We in the motion picture field have moments when we fear that radio may be a serious competitor. But how much better off are we than Major Putnam and his friends who make books! He has three kinds of upstart competition to worry about where we have but one. The other two preceded us. These worries, however, are based largely on prejudice, very slightly, if at all, on fact. If Major Putnam would take the trouble to study the statistics of book publishing in this country he would be able to satisfy himself that people read as they never did before. In fact, it is one of the wonders of the age that a hundred and some millions of people are able to absorb the veritable deluge of literature the presses are turning out in this country <eve^5^ year. Fiction by the ton, biography and «.utobiography covering a multitude of people nobody ever heard about until lately, science, "travel, religion, poetry, drama and so on endlessly — and the American people buy it all. Is Major Putnam growling about what they do with it after i;hey pay for it ? It is true that radio may, for a time, constitute competition. In this business we may find it necesssary to meet it and treat it as competition. But in the long run radio, by adding to the sum of human intelligence and receptiveness, Avill benefit our business. For, after all, our profits come out of the growing intelligence of the people — not out of their ignorance. As far as books are concerned, the motion picture has stimulated reading on a tremendous scale. There is every reason why we should co-operate with the makers of good books, since those who read will always provide the audience for our finer pictures. If there were any real evidence that the public is turning away from good reading, we should have quite as much to worry about as Major Putnam. But that isn't going to happen. * * « Watch This Experiment PETER PAN," playing simultaneously in 250 or more theatres this week, ought to throw some new light on advertising and releasing methods. It was advertised in the Saturday Eve. ning Post of December 27 to the extent of a double-page, which included an alphabetical list by towns giving the names of the theatres, and a cover page of Liberty for the same date referred readers to the list appearing in the Post. Thus the public had its attention called to the picture in smashing advertisements and was told exactly where to look for it the very next week. Obviously Famous Players-Lasky is engaging in an experiment which may have far-reaching effects. The picture, it must be admitted, is one of unusual wide public appeal. Barrie and Maude Adams provide a backgi'ound that should carrj" it far on the road to box-office success and it is beingexploited in a variety of ways unusual. The test would be of greater interest with a picture of less brilliant antecedents, but the important question is: Will this method of releasing, which presupposes enormous resources and widespread control of theatres, enable a distributor to harness effectively the power of national advertising as applied to a particular picture ? Again, will the time come, perhaps shortly, when play-dates will be predicated largely on the national advertising schedule for a picture? If a plan of this sort works out profitably, it will place a substantially larger measure of control in the hands of the few distributing organizations that are large enough and strong enough to handle their business on so elaborate a basis. But it can be expected to work only with pictures of exceptional merit and popular appeal.