Exhibitors Herald (Dec 1921 - Mar 1922)

72 EXHIBITORS HERALD February 11, 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. A Plea for Economy HARDIN, MO.— To the Editor: I have just finished reading Mr. W. P. Perry's letter from Cheyenne Wells, Colo., and our experiences have been so similar that 1 wonder if a little more along that line would not help the exchanges to take notice and eliminate useless expense, which would then give them the opportunity of either reducing their price on films or put it into better pictures for the same money. We once paid 24 cents expense to get a one-sheet on an educational reel and hundreds of times have paid double express on film and paper shipments because they have not sent lot shipment. We never give an advertising order that we do not specify that it is to be shipped by parcel post, but I am free to admit that some exchanges ignore it and ship by express. We also daily or at least frequently receive first-class mail from exchanges addressed to the Hardin Entertainment Company, Odeon theatre, and then, in addition to that, to one or both of the owners as individuals. This means a postage bill of six Fo eight cents where two cents would have served the purpose if the exchange had a good, careful supervision of their mailing list. We are not condemning the distributor but offer the suggestion that in place of their asking exhibitors to book six pictures for a birthday week and offering several hundred dollars in cash prizes, which few exhibitors would receive any direct benefit from, would it not be better business to use this money in sending to the patrons of any exhibitor a mimeograph letter where they were furnished a mailing list? Quite true, there are many favorable advertising stunts that are good policy, but in our opinion the industry should favor and adhere as closely as possible to dignified and proper advertising embracing a semblance of truth and by this means build up a patronage that will respond to your eall when you tell them of any particular screening you are preparing for their entertainment. By so doing, we will get away from the ditch of horse jockey reliability in our efforts to attract the public. The distributor, I believe, is rapidly becoming aware of the fact that circus pictures are not going to build up the industry and satisfy a discriminating public. Good business demands that every exhibitor make a profit on the pictures he screens, but it is far better to give careful Study to your booking and buy such pictures as you would want your own family to sec, even if the profits are not quite as stupendous as you would like them to be. A great saving in advertising can be readily reached through exhibitors making an exchange of it after they have screened their pictures. Careful handling will enable two or three to use it successfully. In other words, we are wasting thousands upon thousands of dollars in discarding expensive advertising instead of passing it around.— C. D. Weakley, Hardin Muter tainment Co., Odeon theatre, Hardin. Mo. A Square Deal Exchange NILES CENTER, ILL.— To the Editor: In exception to the statement made by L. R. Creason, Falace theatre, Eufaula, Okla., that he would like to meet one man who has ever gotten a square deal out of an exchange, I wish to say that the Universal exchange, 831 South Wabash avenue, Chicago, I. L. Leserman, manager, has always given me a square deal in all matters pertaining to adjustments, prices, condition of films, etc., and has never sent me a C. O. D. In 'fact, they have always been most anxious to please and satisfy me. In the two years I have dealt with them, 1 have never had a dispute nor occasion for loud words. I commend this exchange for your consideration. — Herman Meyer, manager, Niles Center theatre. Xiles Center, 111. Warns Against Cheapening MILL VALLEY, CALIF.— To the Editor : To curtail expenses, your attendance will drop off to a greater" degree than that which you are saving. To build up bad business or a "weak night," you must give them more entertainment, better pictures and more advertising. If you put in 25 or 50 loge seats at 50 cents each where the general admission is 25 cents, you would be regarded are one who is "going ahead." You would be looked up to as a business man. But if you said, "I am taking out my loge seats, making all seats 25 cents, and Mr. Blank will furnish the music on the organ and I am doing away with my fivepiece orchestra," business will drop off, while in the former case it will build up. In other words, don't be asleep. Figure to go forward. You cannot win a battle by backing up and retreating. Always figure to advance and not retreat. Look for the weak spots and go after them. See if your music is up to standard and don't let one of them go because business is bad. If another piece will be an improvement, put it on and advertise to the limit that you are doing so. If your projection is fairly good, go right after it and make it the best in town. Help is not always cheap because they are working for nothing. See that your help does the work and is courteous to the public. Efficient help brings business as well as good projection, comfortable seats and good music. When you curtail on these, you close your doors. — Georc.e H. COOKE, manager. Hub theatre. Mill Valley, Calif. * * * Wants Some Pictures Shelved LEBANON, OHIO.— To the Editor: I have never written you or any other trade paper, but I would like to express my opinions through your columns. Why don't the exchanges shelve poor pictures? I have run three lately and if I had seen them screened beforehand I would not have used them if the exchange had given them to me and paid me to run them. The three were "Suds," "What Happened to Rosa," and "Mile Stones." If you say anything to the exchanges about them, they just say, "Well, you can't get all good ones." They ought to take a little schooling and do a little figuring. While an exhibitor is running one of these no account pieces of junk, he is hurting the picture business, for some people who happen to see them will get disgusted with pictures. Then when the exhibitor has the same star in a good picture, it is hard to make the public believe it is not another piece of junk. These pictures are just time and money wasted and hurt the picture game. Flitting these poor, worthless pictures out to the exhibitors is just a holdup and should Ik stopped. FRANK MAYO in a scene from "Across the Deadline," a new Universal production All pictures ought to be sold on the open market. Another holdup game is making the exhibitor sign up for a whole year's output and making him take good, bad and indifferent. Then they stick into the contract a two-picture cancellation on each star. That holds up the exhibitor for about six months before he can get away. Then, after running some of these rotten pictures, the exchanges have got the nerve to come around and try to sell some more of the same stuff and tell you about breaking records with them and what a knockout they are. They never tell you which way the knockout is going to be. — G. Hill, manager. Grand theatre. Lebanon, Ohio. * * * Kidding J. C. Jenkins SALMON", IDAHO.— To the Editor: In your January 14 issue, 1 note that J. C. Jenkins came to life again after resting Up from his scandalous exertions in trying to influence the jury in his behalf in the 1921 Beauty Contest and writes a complimentary broadside on "The Old Nest," ending up with a postscript which conveys a neat bit of satire. Now, Mr. Editor, that postscript was nothing more than a wee bit of camouflage and J. C. would have us believe that his report on "The Old Nest" was a bona fide one ; but before you published it, did you not stop to realize that it takes the price of an Idaho gold mine to book this special? I know because I priced it. Jenkins says he ran it, yet they arc bum ing up corn" for fuel in Nebraska l>ecausc everyone is so hard up. To a man from Salmon, it certainly smells fishy to 'say the least. Better blue pencil some of those N'eligh corn-husking reports in the future, Mr. Editor. I'll say. Myers, what do you think?— Philip Rand, manager, Rex theatre. Salmon, Idaho.