Exhibitors Herald World (Oct-Dec 1930)

October 18, 1930 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD 43 Know Your Exchange Managers The exchange manager is the direct contact between exhibitor and distributor, and therefore it is to their mutual advantage to know each other. The Herald-World presents a series of brief sketches of exchange managers and their outstanding activities in the motion picture field. L. £. Goldhammer CELLING candy at the Shubert theatre in ^ Minneapolis to help work his way through high school gave L. E. Goldhammer his first taste of the theatre business. That was sixteen years ago. Now he's branch manager for Warner Brothers in his home town. From candy selling he was graduated to a job of selling the books for "The Birth of a Nation," for two years, returning to Minneapolis to take his first film position, with the Friedman Film Company. Then he went to work for Alperson at the First National office in Omaha. "DRODUCING entertainment behind the foot*■ lights as well as selling entertainment for the screen gives W. A. (Tony) Ryan, Fox manager at Oklahoma City, a double-edged experience in the theatre business. Ryan was born in St. Paul on January 8, in 1890, and went to St. Thomas College. Then he stepped into vaudeville, playing from 1908 to 1916. It was a hop to Oklahoma City in 1916 with a stock company of United Booking Office that brought him to the w" A" Ryan locale that has become his home. After the World War he returned to Oklahoma City and became branch manager for First National, a position he filled for five years. pLAUDE E. PENROD, with his liberal ex^-' perience in the field of motion picture distribution, is well known to exhibitors throughout the country but particularly in the Middlewest. He is branch manager at Indianapolis for R K O Distributing Corporation. Penrod started in the days of General Film Company, and he began with Robert Lieber, the late president of First National. Leaving General Film, he signed up with Universal at its inception, and then served Fox Films as Indianapolis manager for five years. Climb "Hollywood Wall/' Learn Public Wants, Says Jules Levy No Chance to Make Poor Films Under Present System If Nation's Demands Are Heeded, Declares R K 0 Booker — Calls Straight Hokum Comedy Best Liked (Special to the Herald-World) HOLLYWOOD, Oct. 16. — Under the present system of production there is practically no chance of making poor motion pictures if producers here will look over the "Hollywood Wall" and see what the nation demands in the way of entertainment, Jules Levy, in charge of the film booking department for R K O theatres in the United States, told the HeraldWorld while he was here for conferences on R K O's coming product. "Those far-sighted executives who look over the 'wall' which surrounds Hollywood and really try to find what the public wants in the way of motion picture entertainment have success ahead of them," he declared. "On the other hand, those who cover their ears to the roar of the crowd are doomed to failure." Says Straight Comedy Preferred Levy's constant contacts with the thea tres in all parts of the nation lead him to believe that audiences want straight hokum comedy, and not farce or satire; that they want no more musical shows, that they want realism in their drama, and that they want 25 per cent less dialog than they are getting. "As far as dialog is concerned there is only one answer," he stated. "That answer is that they want action, not words." Levy charges "flops" to poor dialog and situations which are over the heads of the public. "The motion picture theatre-going public is laughing poor talking product off the screen, even in the smallest towns," he declared. "Bad dialog and bad situations not understood by the audience are the principal reasons, although there are other minor ones." Calls Proper Blend Requisite Asked what sum must be expended by producers to make a satisfactory box office picture, he replied that "there isn't any real minimum." "Without regard to cost," he added, "there must be certain underlying quality in a product to put it across. This quality frequently cannot be explained. Money must be spent to get the result. Producers must buy good stories, employ good actors and good directors. The necessary elements, properly distributed, will put box office quality into a good motion picture. "Yet, a million dollars will not build a good commercial picture if there isn't the blend and the distribution to bring out the basic quality." He cited "Half Shot at Sunrise," a current RKO product with Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey, as having this proper distribution of elements. "The producers looked over the 'Hollywood Wall' and saw that the public wanted straight, unadulterated comedy." They employed good directorial talent, good actors, bought a good story and hired good technicians. The result is that box office records are being smashed on all sides." Levy declared that wide exploitation Claude E. Penrod Said He Would Blow Up U. A. Lot (Special to the Herald-World) HOLLYWOOD, Oct. 16.— Threatening to place high explosives on the United Artists' lot because he could not receive permission to see Douglas Fairbanks, Renick Frey, transient, was arrested and will be held pending mental examination. would not sell admittedly poor product and that, on the other hand, good pictures frequently would draw the public even with inadequate exploitation. He pointed out, further, that box office names would save a poor story for a while — but that if producers gave too many poor stories to any star, no matter how great, that player would eventually go into eclipse. He cited several instances. "There is a distinct shortage of stars with box office names in Hollywood at the present time," he added. "It is criminal for producers to sacrifice their value by casting them in product which does not fit them. I cite this to show that all elements must have 'quality' to make a success of any picture." He declared that producers should tell both exhibitors and the public the truth about their product. "Extravagant claims break down public confidence," he explained. Close Contacts Held Needed Of the present situation in the industry, Levy said: "The greatest difficulty in our business is the 3,000-mile gap between the executive and the producing departments. Most producers have shown a keen eagerness to learn what that public wants for its motion picture fare by constant and friendly contact with the New York executives in touch with sales. "A more earnest, sincere contact on the part of producers with the sales executives and with the exhibitors themselves is bound to yield a better crop of good pictures. "General business conditions are improving. There is every evidence that the public will soon have more money to spend. After a survey of production schedules I believe that the 1931 product will be so good that the public will be glad to have the opportunity to spend their money at motion picture box offices." Mary Spaulding Heads New Spanish Publicity Branch for Columbia (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, Oct. 16.— Following out its policy of foreign expansion, Columbia Pictures has developed a new branch of its foreign publicity department, to be occupied exclusively with serving the Spanish speaking countries in Europe and South America. Mary M. Spaulding, feature writer for several Spanish fan publications, has been selected to head the new branch. She has lately been connected with two Cuban magazines, one in Panama and one in Peru. Handling Spanish press books and publicity material, the new department will serve the following countries : Peru, Panama, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Uruguay, Cuba and Guatemala. In addition it will cover all Spanish publications in the United States.