Exhibitor's Trade Review (Sep-Nov 1921)

November 19, 1921 EXHIBITORS TRADE REVIEW 1721 "First Love" Is Constance Binney's Latest Realart "Everybody loves luxury — in real life if possible, in reel life at any rate. Yet most folks are ordinary folks, intent on making ends meet, living, loving, marrying and dying inconspicuously. And since they are ordinary folks, they like, now and then, a story about people like themselves, a picture of their own kind of life and its problems," says General Manager J. S. Woody of Realart. First Love, Constance Binney's coming picture, is that kind of a story, announced Realart; a story of the everyday people who dwell in modest homes all over the country, living and loving their whole lives through on scanty incomes, but living and loving no less intensely than the ladies who wear ermine and the men who "dress" for dinner every evening. First Love continues the announcement, is the story of an ordinary, wholesome working girl and her first beau. That he was a weakling, a rotter and a cad made no difference. She saw him only as a hero and loved him blindly. The story was written by Sonya Levien. Percy Heath and Aubrey Stauffer of the Realart staff adapted the story in collaboration. The cast has been carefully assembled. Warner Baxter is the leading man, George Webb plays the "heavy" and George Hornandez makes a splendid "irate' father. Fannie Midgley plays the mother role. Major Maurice Campbell, who directed all of Realart's Bebe Daniels pictures was responsible for the direction of First Love and H. Kinley Martin, photographer, and Walter McLeod, assistant director, both members of the Campbell entourage, also were members of his present staff. Abel Gance Announces Plans by Cable In a cable dispatch from Paris Abel Gance announces his plans for the coming year. The young director who has already established a position for himself in America through his production / Accuse, now being distributed by United Artists, has prepared an elaborate program for 1922. He has definitely decided to produce six pictures all of which will receive international distribution. They are Christopher 'Colombus, The Hunchback of Paris, Paul Feval, Ecce Home, The End of the World and The Eiffel Tower. Pearson Returns An Optimist Pathe General Manager Finds Business Conditions Steadily Improving, Except in Agricultural Sections of the Country Returning from a tour of Pathe Western branch exchanges, General Manager Elmer Pearson reported some interesting deductions from his observation of business conditions in different districts. "Conditions everywhere," Mr. Pearson said, "show steady improvement. Theatre attendance is slowly but surely getting better, but it is my impression that admission prices are a little too high to suit the average patron's pocketbook. Instead of taking in all the programs offered in his locality, one finds him indulging himself only once or twice a week. This has resulted in picture shopping, so to speak, and is the only way to account for the unusual difference in box office receipts from exploited subjects and big star pictures as compared with the socalled program offering. "There are about ten thousand theatres in the agricultural communities the buying power of whose patrons is limited by the price at which they must sell their produce. The prices received for farm products right now are lower than they were in 1911-12 and '13, but the average price of theatre admission is more than double what it was before the war. Thus in terms of bushels, these millions of motion picture fans must spend two where formerly one sufficed. "Consequently one finds many theatres in the small towns operative only two or three nights per week, where formerly they were quite well attended from four to seven days. Even though a less elaborate entertainment were offered I think such communities would rather pay a smaller admission and attend oftener, thereby not only increasing the theatre's gross but tending to stabilize his business for the present and future through the stimulated attendance. "I know that this condition is giving the exchange managers great concern, and they also know that the. approaching death of a small town theatre is indicated by its closing first on one day "A Man's Home" to Play Capitol Theatre, N. Y. A Broadway showing has been arranged for "A Man's Home." The Selznick production has been booked for an early engagement at the Capitol Theatre, New York City. The play date has not yet been decided upon, but will probably be either the third or fourth week in November, the current month. The Capitol date, arranged through the New York exchange, promises to stand out as one of the big events of the season. S. L. Rothafel was among the first to see the Selznick picture after it had been finally cut and titled some months ago and was so impressed with its artistry and power that he has been an enthusiastic booster for the photoplay ever since. The showing at the Capitol will be accompanied by an extensive advertising and publicity campaign in the metropolitan territory. Its effect upon the bookings throughout the entire country . is expected to be tremendously helpful. and then on another, until finally patron interest is scarcely sufficient to make one show per week profitable. "I say to exchange men, give such exibitors every consistent advantage of rental price provided they will in turn give due consideration to their patrons' present limited spending power." Press Book for All Coogan Productions Sol Lesser announces that he is going to compile an elaborate "exhibitor's guide and campaign book," which will be of great value to the theatre owner in exploiting any one of Jackie Coogan's productions. The book will be built along high-grade lines and will contain exploitation angles of highest quality for the exhibitor in putting over Jackie Coogan 100 per cent. In the short time that Coogan has risen to fame, he had had any amount of national publicity breaks, and his name is stamped upon any number of articles of household and domestic use. There are Coogan clothes, caps, shoes, tooth-brushes, writing tablets, and toys — all of which the exhibitor will find valuable in exploiting Jackie in his theatre. The guide will show him how to go about it and just how to milk his territory dry on the Coogan products. "I want this campaign book to be of such quality and compiled in such an artistic manner that an exhibitor will keep it on his desk year in and year out," said Mr. Lesser. "I want the book to mean so much to the theatre manager and owner that when it is misplaced, it will be noticed and asked for. I think that the expense of such a guide will be little or nothing when the value is taken into consideration." It is Mr. Lesser's intention to have the book ready prior to the national release of "My Boy," the new Coogan production. This Sketch Means Nothing and the same could be said about "News" that appears in most news reels. Only news that means something is seen in THE ONE REAL NEWS REEL. Sel znick ISSUE FOR ISSUE — COMPARE IT