Exhibitor's Trade Review (Sep-Nov 1921)

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October 29, 1921 EXHIBITORS TRADE REVIEW 1517 STATE RIGHTS ALL THE NEWS OF ACTIVITIES IN THE TERRITORIES CONDUCTED BY ROGER FERRI Topics of the Market XCHANGES everywhere have been trying to sell exhibitors the value of exploitation. How many of these exchanges are properly exploiting their exchanges? The other day a well-known exchange man called on us and told us how he was exploiting his exchange. We asked him if his figures proved the adage that "advertising pays," and he replied in the affirmative. Exploitation is a necessity in every line of business. It was the window ballyhoo of cooks juggling wheat cakes that enabled Childs to build a chain of restaurants from coast to coast. It was showmanship in window display that first gave the United Cigar Stores its start. It was effective billboard advertising that started Armour on the road to success and it was the wonderful brilliancy of the electrical ballyhoo on Broadway that has made that thoroughfare known the world over. Exploitation is worth while. No business man can afford to overlook it. And no business is too dignified to stand exploitation. The moment a theatre owner entertains the idea that his house has outgrown the ballyhoo or exploitation days, he is laying down a weak foundation that will in a short time bring him down to destruction. What attraction would there be to a theatre were there was no lobby display nor boards announcing current pictures? None whatever. But exploitation in the picture line must not be confined exclusively to pictures or theatres. There is much about any exchange that need be properly exploited. It's a wise showman and a keen business man who will create a demand for his product — and this demand can be created only through exploitation. Make no mistake about that. For instance, Mr. Exchangeman, wouldn't it be enterprising on your part if you got the mailing lists of the more representative theatres in your territories and personally communicated with these patrons, telling them about the productions you are booking? You say that exhibitors have been harsh and hard to reach. Well, where there is a will there is a way. The exchangeman who makes up his mind to book a certain house usually succeeds if he keeps trying long enough. You say Mr. Jones in Plainville won't see your salesman. It is too bad; but you can make Mr. Jones like your pictures and want to book them by creating a local demand for them. Show him there is a demand and he can't help but talking business with your salesman. Get that hard-boiled exhibitors' mailing list. He won't give it to you? Well, don't get discouraged; there are telephone and house directories in that town. Get your list from them. Then circulate them. Keep after them. Keep telling them about your pictures, your stars and your exchange. This circularizatioh is in itself a small item, but it will create a demand for your pictures — it exploits your * exchange, places it on the map. And a few cents invested once a week in reaching the patrons of a hard-boiled theatreman will force the latter to do business. T N this day of frenzied finance and continuous cries of hard times, the untiring faith in one's judgment is to be commended upon. This article relates to Herman J. Garfield, one of the most successful State-right distributors, whose success in marketing The Parish Priest is deserving of a special notice. A little less than a year ago Garfield came to the conclusion that he could be a success in the national distribution of super film productions, if he pursued the same tactics as he used in the releasing of special features in and around Cleveland. For nearly ten years some of the biggest features obtainable were released in Ohio through Garfield's Exchanges and during all this time he never picked a "lemon," so that with this unbroken string of winners a bigger and broader field to reveal his abilities were presented. With this decision in mind his various connections were severed and the different financial interests closed. Securing all the cash available Garfield immediately came to New York and after four weeks of watchful waiting he decided on what he thought would be a good proposition, and how his judgment was correct results have shown. Among the different negative deals that were offered was a producttion of Dan Sully's well-known stage success, The Parish Priest, which starred William Desmond, supported by a cast of wellknown favorites. Garfield had seen it as Arrow Observes Eighth Birthday Issues Bulletin Arrow's eighth anniversary occurs in October. It was in that month back in 1913, that the corporation opened its small offices in the Times Building — from that small beginning it has blossomed into the biggest concern of its kind in the world, and it is still growing. It is growing so rapidly that its present large offices in the Candler Building, New York, are all too small; its large staff too small with its enormous output of pictures. So Arrow celebrates its eighth anniversary by issuing the biggest bulletin it has so far published, a sumptuous volume, full of pictures of stars, producers, reproductions of stills, and a long list of forthcoming pictures — the greatest of its kind ever gotten together. There are scores and scores of pictures — page after page of intensely interesting reading matter, prefaced by a stirring address by Dr. W. E. Shallenberger, on the independent situation; independent picture; quality, and Arrow's future outlook. a boy and many times thereafter in the past twenty years and he knew the value of it as a box-office draw on the legitimate stage. With this knowledge before him it was then a matter of the production, and as it proved an excellent picturized version and very well done, it did not take Garfield long to decide. The amount of money needed to close the deal was greater than Garfield possessed, but through the aid of those who were financially free a loan was made and the deal was consummated. Immediately thereafter a big campaign was started and the fifteen years' experience was brought to the front. The merits of The Parish Priest were heralded broadcast as a motion picture attraction. Every critic, be he on a trade paper or newspaper, film man or exhibitor, know of The Parish Priest, and after the world's premier at Wilkesbarre it was an acknowledged success. Within less than three months the principal theatres of the East as well as the Pacific Coast were showing the picture to an appreciative audience. The different State-right buyers, being alive to a money-maker, were eager to arrange deals for their individual territories and at this writing nearly the entire country has been disposed of. Some of the buyers were the Warner Brothers, Sol Lesser and Lou Hyman, Dave Segal, Royal Pictures, William Sherry, Joe Lee, Creole Enterprises, Ricards & Ash, Dunne & Schultz, Metropolitan Features, Inc.; Walter Baier and others. The principal theatres of the B. S. Moss, Fox, Stanley, Pantages and Keith circuits have profitably shown same; in fact, up to the present time, over one thousand theatres have played The Parish Priest. As a national State-right distributor Garfield has shown that his judgment in his first big venture was right; he played a lone hand, invested every dollar he had and through his individual knowledge of knowing what the box-office needed proved that faith in one's judgment is the backbone of success. A REPRESENTATIVE of a foreign distributing firm which has been handling State rights films in Europe and South America said that American independent productions are in big demand abroad. This probably explains the presence of so many foreign buyers in this country at this time and also the reason why there have been so many sales recorded during the past week. The popularity of State rights productions abroad certainly should come as pleasant and encouraging news for the trade in general. It is a good omen. It promises much better times. But the time is here to push productions ahead — and not mark time. Good productions are wanted and the more there are of quality features the better it will be for the field in general.