Exhibitors Herald (Dec 1924-Mar 1925)

February 21, 1925 EXHIBITORS HERALD 31 Exhibitors Give Live Tips to Producers in Herald Survey Theatre Men Answer Question: ‘‘What Would You Do If You Were a Producer and Distributor?” — Rap Bad Prints, Paper, Stars’ Salaries and Risque Scenes By EDWIN S. CLIFFORD When you disagree with the way another person does something don’t you invariably say: “Now if I were that person I would have done the thing this way” ? Sure you have. It’s human nature. And often times you might have done it better. When you are not too closely associated with a business you can often see faults that the man in that business cannot see. With that in mind the Herald requested its exhibitor readers to answer the question: “What would you do if you were a producer and distributor?” WE were as busy last week as a clerk at a bargain counter. It seemed that every train brought one or more of Hollywood’s celebrities to town. And that wasn’t all. ^ ^ ^ Abe Stern of Century comedies, came to town and during his stay at the Universal exchange they had to shackle him. He just couldn’t restrain himself. He wanted to climb up to the highest point in Chicago and notify the world that Eddie Gordon is the biggest find of the year. All right, Abe, we’ll let the exhibs tell you in a short time whether you’re right or wrong. ^ Two stars came back to the old town for a visit during the past week. Virginia VaUi was here to say, hello, to mother and a few friends, while Dorothy Dalton came on from New York with her husband, Arthur Hammerstein, to attend the premiere of “Rose-Marie.” Dorothy says she’s through with the screen. You’ve heard about that mythical farewell appearance, haven’t you? * * 45 Oscar Riimore came in with two carloads of gossip as usual. One was that Irving Thalberg would leave Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and return to Universal. Another was that Lasky would take his productions East now that DeMille is no longer in the organization to hold out in favor of Hollywood. Still another was that Universal is to be financed by the Morgan interests to spend millions in superproductions, to acquire theatres in every key city and to absorb two or three other independent organizations. Oscar said also that he understood that Abe Blank, First National franchise holder of Des Moines, was negotiating for the acquisition of twenty-five more theatres. Yes, and Oscar also told us about the report current for so long that W. W. Hodkinson, with Coleman DuPont money behind him, had hoped to sign Cecil B. DeMille. * * * Fred Desberg and other Cleveland exhibitors were seen about town, ^g^ce at the Balaban & Katz offices and once at Ascher Brothers headquarters. Now you want to know why they were in Chicago. So do I. * * * Most of all last week we enjoyed the luncheon hour on Thursday with Gene Ochs of the Horwitz interests in Cleveland, Y. Barret McCormick, and J. L. McCurdy of Universal’s Randolph theatre in Chicago. We solved every problem facing the industry. Absolutely ! But we don’t propose to broadcast our solutions. Jimmy Cruze brought Mary Brian and Esther Ralston through from the Coast. They were en route to the Long Island studio of Paramount, where work will commence immediately on a new attraction. * * * Dave Chatkin, sales manager for Educational, dropped in to tell I. Maynard Schwartz that the Chicago office was one of the peppiest on the circuit. Three cheers for I. Maynard.— SHRECK. Sloane Takes Skiing Vacation NEW YORK. — While waitinf^ for Richard Dix to complete his work in William de Mille’s “Men and Women, “ Paul Sloane, who is to direct Bix’s next picture, left yesterday for a short vacation at Montreal, where he will enjoy skating and skiing. If you think for a minute that the production and distribution branches of the business have reached the goal of perfection just read the following replies: Rotten Prints Are Source of Annoyance O. B. Daniell, Palace theatre, Idalon, Tex., says: “I’ll be damned if I would ship out half reels and rotten prints and still expect more business.” Would Replace Cheap Tin Reels J. L. Greenwood, Orpheum theatre, Weleetka, Okla., says : “If I were a distributor I would not send out to the exhibitor valuable prints on the cheap tin reels as is almost the universal custom. “If I were manager of the Film Board of Trade of the several territories, I would require some definite system whereby all reels be inspected and those found unfit for use would be sent out with the garbage and replacements made with reels of good standard quality. “From my observation during my ten years experience as a projectionist and theatre manager I have come to the conclusion that more footage of good serviceable film have been destroyed by the use of warped and unfit reels than from any other one cause. “Example : One instance here a few days ago. We received a picture from one of the big concerns and on the reel band was this, ‘Caution, New Print, Loosen Tension.’ It’s a fact this was a nearly new print, but one of the reels on which it was wound was of the very cheapest quality it would seem possible to make and was warped so badly as to cause it to bind in the magazine, making it impossible to take up in the lower magazine without either opening the door or tightening takeup beyond its proper tension. The first is a violation of state law and bad practice, and I doubt if any distributor could be found who would approve of the second. “Will Hays could render a good service here. It shouldn’t take him thirty minutes to dope out a plan whereby thousands of dollars annually would he saved to the distributors with the added advantage to the exhibitors of getting more nearly the full length of the pictures used.” Wants Attractive Advertising Paper W. J. Wilke, Liberty theatre, Graham, Tex., says: “If I were a producer I would first see that I had a real picture. Then I would not rest until I had made for its distribution, the most attractive advertising matter to enable the theatre to arouse curiosity. Something to make the public want to know what it is all about. Then we’d all prosper. “If I were the distributor. I’d keep my advertising replenished, which is just as essential as the picture itself, especially the small town boys. A picture should not be allowed to go out of the exchange when there isn’t plenty of advertising matter in the house and the exhibitor should not have to pay for a picture when he failed to get plenty of advertising matter. For reason, that if the exhibitor doesn’t profit the whole industry suffers.” Would Cut the Salaries of Stars O. M. White, Euphemian theatre, Buckhannon, W. Va., says : “You have asked what I would do if I were a producer or distributor. “Well I believe the first thing I woidd do would cut the salaries of some of the stars. And next, make fewer pictures and better ones, so the smaller towns can show a picture two or three days and give their patrons their money’s worth in a genuine good show. But do have the picturescensored more than they are in some of the pictures put out just now.” Heavy Snow Cuts Off Film Shipments and Endangers Theatres (Special to Exhibitors Herald) ALBANY, N. Y., Feb. 10. — Following one of the worst blizzards that has swept New York state in the last quarter century, exhibitors have finally dug themselves out to the extent that business is closely approaching normal. For several days transportation, particularly in the northern section of the state, was virtually at a standstill with the result that great delay was experienced in shipping film. A motor truck service for the delivery of film between Albany and Syracuse, a distance of 150 miles, and from Syracuse to Buffalo, a like distance, has been maintained successfully for the last several months. Fearful that there might be a repetition similar to that which occurred in Washington, D. C., two or three winters ago, authorities in Syracuse ordered three theatres in that city closed until the weight of the snow could be removed from their roofs. First National to Use Cosmopolitan Studio {Special to Exhibitors Herald) NEW YORK, Feb. 10.— M. S. Epstin, formerly general manager for Joseph Schenck at United Studios, has arrived to manage the studio signed over to First National this week by International.