Exhibitors Herald (Dec 1921 - Mar 1922)

EXHIBITORS HERALD January 14, 1922 Ad vertismgf for a Free Screen Moving Pictures Needed on Sunday as Well as Other Days The fool nt now i blue law that vll prohibit Sunday i its is onr of the most dangerous that can he imagined. It strikes at the very root of public welfare and does this in the most dead ly way — that is by appealing to conscientious, well-meaning and unselfish people. There is no need to impugn the motive of the Sunday closers. It may be ronrtpoualy granted that Ibey are sin rere and eveu heroic in following their conscience. That ia precisely why their success would be bo fatal. Here are tbe plain facts : (1) The majority of the people in Tie V oiled States are in the habit of quitting work and attending church, or diverting themselves on Sunday. Hence, a law protecting them agauist disturbance on that day is just. The movies <lo not disturb the peace or interfere in any way with the enjoyment of those who do not attend them. (2) The government is expressly forbidden to medlle in religion. The people, in their own way and by their own voluntary organirations, attend to ibis themselves. The state can support n» church. If churches cannot get alonp by themselves, the state ia not permitted to help them. The movies are not to blame if people do not go to church any more than the country. Hip parks or the seashore are to hi a mo, if people enjoy them The religious instinct is one of the oldest in the race, and is today one of the most powerful. Not all the picture shows in Christendom could keep people from warshipping God. cultivating their moral nature and teaching their children to be good. * Those who believe this have no fear of Sunday doubt it that ar lights the fagot those who sr ligion is God's t It ifraid. "The half-faith always • erely believe tbeir reth amile indulgently %\ any proposed substitute What has lived thousands of years and stUt is strong, each as tbe religious feeling, has no fear of something that was discov cred yesterday. t$) Somebody said that most reforms seem directed toward depriving the poor •<f their pleasures The movie is the poor roan's amuse merit. There be can get diversion ami no little instruction at a price he can afford. To deprive him of th>« joy be cause some think it may injure his mor .alt, is impudent interference and intol erable (4) One cannot go to church all diy, and what better than an interesting pic tare play has ever been prepared for the hours of relaxation on Sunday tfternoon and evening! . (5) If there were no ftundav movies it would he wise to invent them. They are needed What people need is enter tainment. There is no hostility between true religion nnd amusement (6) If the a* the people pie w.-uld not are decent, know it enjov them the neo ia them The people the movie producers (7) All there ia to i anvwav, Is that it is a noving picture, is a new wav of com In some places the shrewder church n*or>te see this and are using movie* i" the church Ronday eveninrs. Whv Mil Is ail idea immoral because we «»e it ntl a screen a* a picture snd do not hear it from the lip* of s spesker* (8) The whole trouble ia that there ia a considerable ■■Willi of people who hWV that m«r«l« stand or fall with eon ventloei and tradition. This is not Iraki Morals are imbedded in human nature They «re the product >>f sn inextinguishable instinct They operate in front of ■ screen just as truly 4% heforr s person Why not tni«l human nature* Why forever he stretching out the haod to take something away from ptssjlii A rrsj solicitude for public moral* wmdd organire for better movies, not to oh. bit thei Iks the nrrrrtE hhowh oi H.'RINOMr'.l I) Waterloo Exhibitors Defeat Reformers by Conducting a Conservative Ad Campaign in tbe Columns of Daily Press Advertising as a medium of sales promotion stands supreme. Appreciation of this fact is evidenced by the millions of dollars appropriated annually by merchants of this and other countries to advertise their product and readily effect a turnover in stock. Theatre owners and managers who have been successful in building up a large clientele know that advertising has been a prime factor in popularizing their houses and elevating them to the level of all other civic institutions. Advertising affords the merchant a medium of direct appeal to his customers. Whether directing the attention to a specific commodity or whether editorializing on a certain class of merchandise, advertisements are followed eagerly by a public educated to shop through the advertising columns of the newspaper and the magazine. The public's interest in advertisements should be capitalized more frequently by exhibitors in silencing the reform agitation. Advertising space devoted wholly to exploiting pictures brings an immediate gain but it does not always encourage the good will of the public which is so necessary to the defeat of the reformer. Reproduced on this page are two excellent editorial advertisements inserted in the daily papers at Waterloo, Ia., and Springfield, Mo., prior to referendums on the Sunday closing question. The effectiveness of this form of advertising is apparent in the results of the special elections. Waterloo residents voted overwhelmingly for Sunday opening despite the presence in the city of imported reformers. Although the Springfield exhibitors lost in their fight for Sunday opening, their defeat was not so decisive as it might have been had not their conservative advertising campaign been conducted. Frequent insertion as advertisements of brief editorials bearing upon subjects akin to the motion picture and the theatre will protect the exhibitor from promiscuous attacks by persons who seek only personal gain but whose activities arc dangerous if permitted to continue. The merchant who advertises is the one who stands highest in the mind of the consumer. Advertising means influence and without influence the industry's fight must necessarily be a weak one. Advertisements of a general nature such as are reproduced on this page will prove of inestimable value in supplementing the PUHLIC RIGHTS LEAGUE slide campaign. Exhibitor^ can not do too much of this advertising. NO! The queakwn to b* voted on by the voters of Waterloo, on December 6th. ia a* follows "Shall the Gty of Waterioo, tows, -pro hjcat the conducting within said dry of motion ptrtwe houses and theatres on Sundays?" if the moving picture theatres are so immoral that they should be closed on Sunday, then they should be dosed the other six days as well' We believe the people of Waterloo are vwr of a continuation of dean Sunday s CLEAN AMUSEMENT COMMITTEE The picture above is a reproduction of an ad used by Waterloo, Ia., exhibitors in appealing to the public to vote for a liberal Sunday. In col. 1 is a reproduction of one of a series of ads inserted in the Springfield, Mo., newspapers. More frequent use of advertising of this nature would benefit the individual and the industry. Logical Program of Reform {Concluded from preceding page) A mixed foursome may be divide' in search for a lost ball and up wil jump the devil. Legislate away th hammock. It virtually forces closeness of association which i ruinous. Bar vest pockets by law. Ou young men are using them to carr a pair of dice with which they teac our daughters to shoot the allurin craps between the entree and th roast. Tear down the verand; what sins are committed behind th screen of its vines! Remove th davenport from before the opefire. It embraces potentialities ( the most terrible evil. Remove a darkness. It has been a screen f< vice and crime since the beginnin of time, the loved environment I evil. Away with it. Let the sv shine twenty-four hours a day. It isn't much of a program, bt| Dr. Crafts and his associates pro ably will be willing to undertal it, at a salary, when they have su cecded in running all the autom biles in the country out of gas.