Exhibitors Herald (Jul-Sep 1922)

32 EXHIBITORS HERALD September 16, 1922 Seeing Before Booking IsC ure For Sick Box Office Says CARL LAEMMLE "Man Who Buys a Pig in a Poke Usually Gets Nothing But the Po^e, " He Asserts SEE the picture before you book trouble it is the only salvation office. Booking willy-nilly will sion wave. THAT opinion has just been expressed by President Carl Laemmle of Universal Manufacturing Company. In a statement made public by the company's home office, the producer continues: "The time has passed when an exhibitor can be successful by booking shows for a whole year at a time, or by contracting for pictures which are not even made. The exhibitor of today cannot even afford to invest in any picture which he has not seen and with which his showman's judgment does not assure him a crowded house. * * * "The man who buys a pig in a poke usually gets nothing but the poke. It should be the self-constituted duty of every exhibitor to make o! himself a committee of one to review all pictures submitted for purchase and to buy only the very best. Otherwise he might succeed, but only through unadulterated luck. The cards will be stacked against him. "There was a time when an exhibitor could judge a picture by its title, its posters or by the company which produced it. " 'Them days is gone forever.' "The present-day critical public demands a critical exhibitor, and a critical exhibitor will not let a picture appear upon his screen which does not look like cool cash. "Hundreds of exhibitors today are fol it. Regardless of cost in time and for the exhibitor with the sick box bury the exhibitor under a depres lowing the old joblot system of booking. Is there any wonder cue hears howls of 'depression' and 'poor business'? Others book indiscriminately, because they are too lazy to take the time to look at every foot of film they propose to buy. * * * "I long have preached the gospel of look before you book. I have no hesitancy in promulgating this creed, because I know that Universal pictures will stand the test of pre-viewing. If any Universal picture doesn't stand this acid test, it doesn't deserve to be booked. "I have in mind two v. ell-known exhibiting firms which won their way to the top by a careful selection of the pictures they presented. They started previewing pictures and making their own selections, when the average exhibitor was booking for a year at a clip and spending his spare time, that is, most of his time, playing golf, at the ball game, or in similar pursuits. The average exhibitor 'got by' with those tactics at that time. But he is not getting by today. "On the other hand, the two firms to which I refer took their business and their audiences seriously, worked like hell, and have succeeded in keeping their patrons coming. They are Roth & Partington of San Francisco, and Balaban & Katz of Chicago. I don't know any better examples of the new class showmen." Only Real Stars to Survive Coming Year Will See But a Limited Number to Enjoy That Title, Marshall Neilan Declares That the vogue of the individual screen star, with the exception of a limited number of genuine artists is on the wane and that the coming year will see an answer to the time-worn cry of fewer and better pictures but also fewer and better stars, is the assertion of Marshall Neilan, now producing "The Strangers' Banquet" at the Goldwyn studio. "The practice of forcing near-stars to stardom has killed itself," said Mr. Neilan. "Only a limited number of established artists will in the future enjoy the title of star, and when they go those who take their places will be persons who have achieved tilings in the past. "The coming season will see a marked absence of star pictures. Only the real stars will appear as such on the screens of the country. In the past, if a player received good notices because of his or her work in a certain picture, there immediately followed a wild scramble for that person's services. He or she was immediately proclaimed a 'star,' given a story which allowed for similar characteristics and mannerisms as those which marked his or her work in the past picture and accorded the largest size type possible on the advertising. "The public patronized these so-called stars for a while but soon discovered that they were just average players. The motion picture patron has now become skeptical and refuses to pay to see any but the genuine stars, in cases of star pictures. It has become a great financial risk for a producer to depend upon the name of a player of questionable ability to carry his picture for the public has become skeptical and will no longer patronize any but the real stars." * * * Marshall Xeilan's last motion picture contribution for 1922 will be his picturization of Donn Byrne's "The Strangers' Banquet," production on which is now rapidly nearing completion. The publication date for public presentation has been set for December 31st at which time it will appear in the largest theatres throughout the country. It is said to be Mr. Neilan's biggest sereen effort. Film Conditions Bad In Europe Says Kann Goldwyn's Foreign Manager Back After Extensive Tour of Continent (Special to Exhibitors Herald) NEW YORK, Sept. 5.— George E. Kann, head of Goldwyn's foreign department, who sailed on June 3 for Europe, has returned to America following a visit to many countries of the continent. Mr. Kann reports that motion picture conditions generally on the continent of Europe are in a bad condition, with little to be feared here in the way of competition on our own market. "Germany is making a lot of pictures," he declares, "but of a sort which do not appeal strongly to the American public. And but few American films are being shown in Germany, due to the embargo against foreign films. Tax Hits France "In France the American picture maintains its firm bold on the public, but the tax situation is becoming so acute that all picture houses may shut down on January 1 as a protest. In Czechoslovakia American films are very popular and the theatre situation is good, due primarily to the fact that money there has depreciated less than in other European countries. "Italy is making many pictures, fully half of which are spectacles, but the cost is becoming so great that production may be curtailed. Few American films are shown there. Russia is doing nothing either in production or distributing aside from a few German films taken in exchange for goods, and a rare American film smuggled into the country. Popular in England "In England the American film retains its popularity and conditions have improved as a result of the inroads made on the block and the advance booking systems." Mr. Kann's tour took him through England, Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain and Czechoslovakia. Film Export in June Valued at $600,000 (Washington Bureau, Exhibitors Herald) WASHINGTON, D. C, Sept. r,.-Exports of motion picture film during the months of June aggregated more than fifteen million feet, with a value well over $600,000, according to Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce figures. June exports included 10,276,437 feet of positive film, worth $465,328; 529,973 feet of exposed negative film, with a value of $33,595, and 4,952,397 feet of unexposed film, valued at $149,33S. Canada was our most important market for positive film, w ith Australia a close second ; England was the largest importer of American negatives, and Japan was the best market for raw stock. Report Cornwell Got $126,000 for Stock (Special to Exhibitors Herald) ST. LOUIS, MO., Sept. 5.— Fred L. Cornwell, who resigned as president of Missouri Famous Players, is said to have received $126,000 for the surrender of his stock in Famous Playcrs-Lasky Corporation. Cornwell is now operating the Delmonte theatre.