Exhibitors Herald (Dec 1924-Mar 1925)

106 EXHIBITORS HERALD February 28, 1925 Some RecLSons Why Everybody Swears by Circle Manager (^Continued from page 40) a keen knowledge of public likes and dislikes, and who had hanging in his office the following motto : “They Won’t Read It.” Gorman always referred to it in preparing any kind of advertising copy. He impressed on Berry that the art of writing ads lay in brevity and “punch” — something short that would catch and hold the public. Berry made much money in handling shows and he lost much in unfortunate investments. He worked with Harry Ascher and Sam Grand handling roadshows in the New England States ; with the old Mayflower company, for four years covering the Middle West as a special representative; for Robertson-Cole and the Fanchon and Marco show. Berry had lost considerable money in a state right picture and was looking around for something when he learned that First National had organized an exploitation staff. Ned Holmes was running it — Ned who makes you smile and do things when you think the world is plumb agin you. Ace went to Ned and was assigned as a First National exploitation man at Indianapolis. It was there he was married and began the real upbuilding of his career. Robert Lieber was attracted by his work and in July, 1923, he was made general manager of the Circle, succeeding Ralph W. Lieber, who resigned to re-enter the financial field. * * * From Dick Gorman’s simple motto, “They won’t read it,” Berry has evolved some maxims of his own, based on his management of the Circle. Here are a few of them : "Clothes may not make the man, hut the picture certainly makes the house." "Junk can’t he turned into gold." "Yawning is not entertainment: it is an urge." "A rattling good picture is one that will make the scrub woman weep at a private showing in the theatre, without music. That’s why good pictures are scarce!’ "Nero wasn’t as foolish as some folks think when he fiddled while Rome burned. He was soothing himself with his own music during one of the most tragic events of his life." "Courtesy makes happiness ; happiness makes friendship ; friendship helt>s to make the box office smile." And Berry carries out his maxims. Go to the Circle any time while the show is on. If you hesitate in the lobby an usher all spick and span with brass buttons and small swagger stick, comes out to you, salutes and says: “Anythincr I can do for you?” Enter the theatre, and there is an usher always at hand to pilot you and your family or friends to a seat. The angle of courtesy and service are emphasized by Berry in running the Circle. He is strong in his belief that good music helps make a good show. The leader of the Circle’s symphonic orchestra of 25 pieces is Constantine Backaleinokof, a Russian who conducted grand opera in old St. Petersburg when the Czar was on the throne. But Ace Berry’s interest in motion pictures is not confined wholly to the Circle. He and Howard Pierce of the John H. Kunsky Enterprises were instrumental in forming the Midwest Managers’ Association, which meets every six weeks for the purpose of interchanging ideas regarding pictures and presentations. “What methods do you pursue in selecting the right kind of pictures for your house?” he was asked. “Just one,” he answered. “Whenever possible I get Mr. Robert Lieber to look at the pictures. To my mind his judgment is uncanny. His record runs about 95 per cent on picking the good ones and calling attention to the bad ones.” “What of the motion picture situation as you see it now?” “Excellent,” said Berry. “Splendid productions are being made. I don’t know of anything better than ‘Abraham Lincoln’ or ‘The Sea Hawk.’ More are coming. In the exploitation field we are getting more men from the legitimate end of the show business. The ‘hit-or-miss’ exploitation man is disappearing.” Just then the telephone bell rang. Berry answered the call and said : “Say, do you want to see the greatest feature of all time?” “Absolutely,” said the expectant interviewer. “All right,” smiled Berry. “Come to my home for dinner. There you’ll see Thomas Scott Berry. Tom North came to town the other day and brought the kid a hammer, the emblem of the press agent. Wait till you see him.” **Never Say Quit,** Hamrick* s Third for ‘^Exhibitors Herald** {Continued from page 36) as the rock of Gibraltar with his “No.” Then the colored race, enthused and all pepped up because of the stand of the commissioners, began spouting their denunciations, and in rapid-fire order they bombarded me on all sides. * * * Without the slightest preparedness and never having debated this “Birth of a Nation” before, I found myself in the hottest debate any man ever had in his life. I was painting a picture in my enthused way, trying to illustrate how this picture proved conclusively that the dastardly things done by the colored race in the story were done only as tools of the yellow carpet baggers, the white trash, of the South. I never before in my life argued more fervently. My heart and soul for the time were in this one thing: I must get the permit to show this picture. I was honest in my conviction. I was there to show the picture and I could see no honorable reason why I should be deprived of that right. I was whipped every single minute I was in the town right up to that moment and whipped then if I would accept it that way. But I was determined to win that fight, and I will tell the world I threw in enough ammunition in that battle to win anything. My confidence in my ability to convince everyone in that large council chamber was unswerved. To put as much of my life into any kind of a fight as I put into that one, on that Monday morning, money could not buy, for life is too short ; but we sometimes find ourselves in the midst of battle and our sincerety of purpose and whole life itself is engulfed. There you are with no thought on anything but get what you want when you want it. That was me all over— I was sincere clear to the core. When the battlefield was cleared I got my permit — but my God ! how I worked for it. I gave them both barrels. I gave them the best I had, but it paid. The winning was worth more to me than the money I made on the engagement. However, by the way, it was a very successful venture. It proved one thing: Life is a grand old thing; it gives us opportunity and when we plug away and give our best to the thing before us and NEVER SAY QUIT, we WIN. I thank you. — Sincerely, John Hamrick. Theatre Owners Tell What They Would Do in Picture Analysis {Continued from page 38) would cut out making the old costume plays or cut out forcing them on exhibitors who do not want them. Paramount’s “Monsieur Beaucaire” sure gets panned by all who run it in small towns and we are no different here. Still Paramount forces these on you if you wanted “The Covered Wagon.” Here’s Suggestion for Serial Makers H. M. WEISS, Weiss theatre, Emporia, Va., says: Serials if good should be 15 episodes as they are fust commencing to come at the tenth episode. If they are no good 10 episodes are better so as to get it over with. Don’t like to see women smoke cigarettes in pictures. Patrons claim it makes them lose respect for the stars. Why the Cutbacks? Asks Stewart AL C. STEWART, Empire theatre, Waitsburg, Wash., says: If I were a producer, whenever I interpolated a solo or duet dance, ^ or showed a beautiful scene on a musical comedy stage (as is so often done), I would show the complete dance or scene without constantly cutting back to other, and, for the time being, less interesting action. How long would a vaudeville house hold its patronage if they kept interrupting the acts by dropping the curtain? That picturegoers resent this custom bitterly is a fact that is proved by the number of times they kick about it to the manager. At least, they do in nay case. The usual way they put it is: "Why didn’t they give us more of that dance, and why did they keep Bashing back to the other players who were sitting in the audience." In all my experience I have only seen one exception, and that was a solo dance in which the dancer appeared through the curtains, did her entire dance, bowed and made her exit back through the curtains without one single cutback. As she exited my audience applauded, which is something that has never happened before or since. Why not get the opinion of other exhibitors on this subject? It is hardly necessary to mention that I would make five, or at most, six reels the limit for features, as the exhibitors all over the country have expressed themselves almost unanimously in favor of this innovation. Accola Offers Accessory Plan E. C. ACCOLA, Bonham theatre, Prairie, du Sac, Wis., says: The producers and distributors send out a lot of good booklets announcing their product to sell the exhibitor. Why not arrange those booklets so that the exhibitor can use them and send them out to sell his patrons. When I book a group of pictures I would be glad to get a couple of thousand booklets announcing the pictures with a blank space for the playing dates and I would be willing to pay a reasonable price for them. (Additional suggestions from exhibitors will be published in an early issue.)