Exhibitors Herald (Dec 1921 - Mar 1922)

64 EXHIBITORS HERA'LD January 14, 1922 LETTERS From Readers A forum at which the exhibitor is invited to express his opinion on matters of current interest. Brevity adds forcefulness to any statement. Unsigned letters will not be printed. Watch the Pennies CHEYENNE WELLS, COLO.— To the Editor: Brothers, did you ever think of the petty expenses we are put to by the exchanges we patronize? I consider them the most trying of expenses we have. They are not big enough to recollect and not small enough to overlook. What I'm going to remind you of is the little package you have been receiving by express that cost you 42 cents and which could have been sent by parcel post for a dime. The two boxes of films you have received, at the same time— the exchange shipped them at the same time but instead of making a LOT shipment of them, they were shipped on separate express bills and cost you from 60 cents to a dollar more than they should. And another time, we will receive a package of advertising, all of it invoiced to us at the regular price of NEW advertising and when we open it we find that we have secondhand advertising which the exchange owning first-run houses in the city have used and returned to the stock room to be shipped to some goodfellow exhibitor and invoiced to him at the regular price that is charged for new. I believe most all of us can realize quite a bit, say in a year's time, by having everything possible in the way of films, advertising, supplies, etc., shipped by parcel post. This is just so much, according to weight, and does not cut prices on lot shipments as far as I know. If the express companies lost most of our trade, they might decide to give us a better deal. If we could ship express at about the same cost as parcel post, I would say use the express, but the way the rates are now, I can ship via parcel post at just a little more than half what it costs via express. Another thing that is very expensive to the exhibitor is that the exchange does all the dictating and Mr. Exhibitor none. We pay the bills both ways, regardless of whose fault it is, and say very little on tjje subject either way. Why not, in some way, get the exchanges impressed that they need us just as badly as we need them? We will all agree that it should be done, but I, for one, believe that it could be done. Wishing all brothers and friends a happy and prosperous 1922, I am — W. P. Perry, manager, Rialto theatre, Cheyenne Wells, Colo. * * * An Appeal to Distributors WINCHESTER, IND.— To the Editor: I have just finished reading Mr. Leo Peterson's letter from out in Belle Fourch, S. D., and what I glean from his letter is that the conditions existing in his town are very much the same as we are encountering here. We have now arrived at the place where it is absolutely necessary to give something for the admission price paid by the customer at the box office. Admissions must be comparatively low and pictures must be of the very best. If it is possible to keep business goiu« at all, the distributor of films must sell at below even the prices of normal times Kane to Stop Off for Vacation on Way East Arthur S. K ane will spend a brief vacation at Pinehurst, N. C, before returning to New York City from the Southern trip which he is making with Charles Ray and party. Mr. Kane's young sons, Arthur S. Kane, Jr., and Lawrence Kane, are already established at the southern resort awaiting the arrival of their father, who promises to put in an intensive week playing golf. Mr. Kane left Charles Ray and his party at New Orleans on the final lap of their journey back to Los Angeles. topics or the day* The Jjterdr/ Digest EXHIBITORS HERALD Roy Stewart, Louise Lovely, Dorothy Valegra and Harry von Meter in a scene from "Life's Greatest Question," a new George H. Davis-Joe Brandt state right feature. of a few years ago, but these prices as paid today are 50 per cent more than that charged three years ago. The producer will say the pictures are a great deal better product than that served to the exhibitor at that time, and I am willing to admit this is so, and am mighty glad that it is, but I am not convinced that the pictures as distributed now serve as any better entertainment now than the poorer product did in its time. However, we will grant that the producer has made wonderful strides and we sometimes wonder if there is a chance for improvement. As to the future of the business, there is no doubt of it, as it is my firm belief that the motion picture has become America's greatest amusement, and it will supercede all others. Picture theatres are competing very successfully with all lines of amusements. The day of circusing a picture that is rotten and getting away with it is passed and the theatre manager of the small town type that settles down'to a straight business-like policy will make good providing he can get an equitable price quoted for the productions he desires to exhibit and these quotations must be at least the same as paid a few years ago. Therefore, we must have moderate admission prices, lower rentals, lower prices on paper and photos, and these high tariff express charges must be smashed. In conclusion, let me say there is only one thing you may depend on: The motion picture theatre will be continued as a business and as a wonderful business. — Will H. Brenner, manager, Cozy theatre, Winchester, Ind. Mother — Whoever taught you those dreadful words? Tommy— Santa Claus, when he fell over a chair in my room on Christmas Eve.— "Topics of the Day." * Bobby— Nuts grow on trees, don't they? Mother — Yes, my child. Bobby— Well, what tree gives doughnuts5 Mother— Why-er-the pantry. — WestMi (N. J.) Leader. * Wife— What do you think of my doughnuts, Herbert? Husband— Wonderful, darling. Scientists have tr,ed for years to produce artificial rubber, and here you have done it at the nrst attempt.— Portland (Me.) Express. * May— What is a cruller? ,,^'.^'1 a doughnut with the cramps Topics of the Day." ' * Young Wife— Are my doughnuts like those your mother used to make5 Ditto Hubby— (sampling them)— Well-er * Wise First-Class Scout (on sentry duty) —Halt, who goes there? Second-Class Scout— A scout with bag of doughnuts. Fb C,S;~Pass sc°ut Halt, doughnuts !— Boys' Life Magazine. * Customer (to floor-walker in department store)— What have you in the shape of automobile tires? Floorwalkep— Doughnuts — "Topics of the Day." ' * Young housewife to baker— You should discount something for the holes in the doughnuts. Clever baker— Very well, Madam, I'll allow you one cent for each hole you return —Nezv York Daily News. * Florence — A cooking school graduate I know has just sold six bushels of doughnuts to a New York furniture firm. Dorothy— What can they sell them for? Morence— Curtain rings. — Erie (Pa) Dispatch. Systematic Distribution of Posters Inaugurated for Serial Exploitation In an endeavor to give exchange men and exhibitors effective co-operation, McGoyern and Egler, distributors of the series of twenty-six two-reel Western pictures featuring Shorty Hamilton, has inaugurated an extensive exploitation campaign to keep a continued interest aroused throughout the series. A one sheet and a three sheet will be distributed with each issue, besides a stock one and a stock six sheet to run throughout the series. When these are exhausted a new style one and a new style six sheet will be made and used as stock paper, with other styles to follow. This system, it is pointed out, will give every exhibitor two style of one sheets, one style of three sheets and one style of six sheets with each issue.