Exhibitors Herald (1925)

28 EXHIBITORS HERALD March 28, 1925 Personally, I am of a religious turn of mind. ^ with my wife I attend church regularly fe and I absolutely believe in the Bible and in everything that is good. But I have come to the turn in the road and now realize full well the church is one thing, the theatre another. — John Hamrick. Uplift Pictures By John Hamrick WHEN I was a boy I owned a little cur dog, as most boys generally do, and I will always remember one trait this dog of mine possessed. When we were together, which was most of the time, he would see another dog down the street and away he would go for a fight. The louder I would yell for him to come back the faster he went the other way, and he never came back until he had licked or got licked. Mostly he got licked. YOU know, we are all pretty much like that dog of mine — the only thing, sometimes I feel maybe he knew a little more about human nature than a lot of us do. How many times we have to be licked, trying the same thing over and over, when a little careful reflection would save us a lot of grief. When our better judgment yells for us to come back — why do we go faster the other way? You and I are in the amusement business. We have taken upon our shoulders the responsibility of entertaining the world’s seekers of amusement. ’Tis true we get paid for it and make our living this way. All the more reason why we should be on our toes every minute to dish out that something the public wants. When the public yells at us to stop, turn ’round and come back, believe me that is just what we should do, and they should only have to yell once. However, we compel them to yell many times before we pay attention to them. ^ ^ My particular thought is about what I term “uplift pictures.” I mean pictures with religious angles, and pictures that are just clean little moral stories with no big punch, nothing to draw ’em in — the kind of pictures that appeal only to church people and the very few of them who stray into your theatre accidentally, praise you and tell you what a wonderful fellow you are to show that kind of picture. They say, “I must be sure to see that Willie and Jane come down here to see this lovely picture.” Personally, I am of a religious turn of mind. I attend church regularly with my wife and I absolutely believe in the Bible and in everything that is good. But I have come to the turn in the road and now realize full well the church is one thing, the theatre another. I have had so many experiences trying to introduce to my audiences these so-called uplift pictures with the ever same disastrous results that I can speak intelligently on the subject. My biggest experience from a financial loss point of view, and in fact the one where the yell was loud enough to completely turn me ’round, happened about two years ago. One of our biggest and oldest film companies had made a picture a long time ago, entitled, “The Life of Christ.” It was hand-colored and at the time of its first release the industry was very, very young and the public accepted anything that was beautiful to the eye. This picture was doctored up a bit and, with a fewmodern episodes, made into “Behold the Man.” I looked at it and my better business judgment told me the photoplay patron of today would not accept it. However, the influence of the uplift women’s clubs and other good friends who don’t understand urged me to book it. I did, and I got out 1,000 engraved invitations to preachers, priests, heads of all the uplift societies and everyone I thought the picture would appeal to. I arranged with my orchestra for the very finest presentation music. I engaged half a dozen wonderful singers and decorated the theatre up with Easter lilies and other flowers. My plan was to have the invitational affair performance at 10 a. m., opening day Saturday and the performance lasting two hours. I figured that by opening my box office at 11, my usual time, I would have a big line waiting to get in a little before 12, when the invitation crowd dispersed. The opening was the day before Easter. A small fortune I had spent in advance advertising, heralding this wonder picture. I made every appeal I knew how to make. I took some of my very good friends into counsel for good advice on how to put over a good picture to good people, and my advance preparations were elaborate. My opening morning came, and with it the invitational crowd flocked in. They filled every seat, every nook and every corner. My, what a show I put on ! Even at that hour I gave them my singers, my orchestra, my organ and all I had. It was a wonderful performance, and I stood around receiving congratulations and I was some wonderful man. It was really grand to have people tell you so many nice things and this is the show they would patronize after this, and all the remarks that go with this sort of a deal. My box office had been open one hour for the paid admissions, but every second of my time had been taken up with seeing that my show was properly presented. The show went over perfectly. It was now over, and after my round of applause I stepped out in front of the theatre to see my waiting line. Ady mind was full of all the enthusiasm those invited guests of mine had poured into me, and when I awoke to go out and see my patrons wUo had left their money at the box office — Well, I had expected to see a line a block long. What I saw is a memory that will live forever. The line was about twenty feet long and not persons abreast. They stood single file and quite a way apart at that, just as if they w'ere afraid of one another. We let in these ten or twelve paid admissions and were now on our way to retrieve our fortune spent in advertising, in telling the world about this picture playing at my Blue Adouse theatre on this date, etc. .Us the day spent itself and nightfall came and finished spending itself, all I could see was one thing, and that was the public who generally attended picture theatres for amusement were passing me up and spending their money at the other show houses. I had gathered practically all who wanted to see my entertainment with my invitations. The day’s receipts were pitiful. Sunday, Easter Sunday, came, and my every employe will vouch for it that it was the longest day of their lives. You know when there is no business around a theatre, and all the music is sacred, and the smell of those Easter lilies — I had Easter lilies all over the place — well, it just makes you feel like a funeral, and funerals were all we could talk about. We talked in whispers, too; that was another part of our troubles. I made a rule that while this picture was on quiet must prevail. Quiet did prevail, at the box office, in the theatre, and, it seemed, for blocks around. * * ^ Sunday night, the end of the second day,I compromised with my singers, paid them off, woke up every film exchange manager at his home, trying to find another picture to put on Monday morning, found one, put it on — a lovely little comedy-drama full of real, clean, wholesome entertainment — and Alonday morning I stood in front of my theatre to personally check just how many sacred patrons were going to be disappointed at not seeing the picture that had been advertised. After we had been open about two hours a lady with a little boy came along and asked for the other picture. I told her my story, about my own personal feelings, how Qmuch I thought of the other picture, how I had advertised it and the response. I said, “Lady, we have on in its place an exceptionally clean picture, one full of good comedy, a clean moral.” I used all my selling points. But she whirled ’round and said, “I wouldn’t think of taking Willie in a picture show,” and off she went down the street. I had my lesson. No matter what else, I am a showman (supposed to be anyway). I make my living in this business and I am here to entertain a photoplay loving public. I try to do it in the most honorable way possible and give the best in me trying to outdo the other fellow. But the church is one thing, the theatre another. The world would be lost without churches and church people. The world may not be lost but it would be in a pretty bad way without picture-play theatres. My thought is this: You do the best you can to fill your mission, amuse the public. Let the church people fill their mission, saving souls. I thank you. Sincerely, John Hamrick. Jack and Estelle Will Co-Star in A. E. Film (_Special to Exhibitors Herald) NEW YORK, March 17. — Jack Dempsey, heavyweight champion, and Estelle Taylor, his wife, will be co-starred in the forthcoming production, “Manhattan Madness,” it was announced last week by J. S. Woody, general manager of Associated Exhibitors. The story served as a vehicle for Douglas Fairbanks early in his career; and is based primarily on athletic prowess. L & T Rent Whole Floor Lubliner & Trinz, Chicago amusement company, has leased an entire floor in the new Bell building on Michigan avenue, according to William O. Trainer, renting manager. He explained that with this lease and another to the Saline County Coal company the building was 64 per cent rented.