The Film Renter and Moving Picture News (Apr-Jun 1922)

14 THE FILM RENTER & MOVING PICTURE NEWS, June 10, 1922. RACE FOR THE FIVE THOUSAND GUINEAS—Cont, made a speech which held everyone as much by its manner as its matter. Mr, Fox has an excellent way of telling a story, and the number of good things which he packed into his twenty minutes’ address was sufficient to keep his audience highly entertained from first to last. ‘'It is a great privilege and honour to be here,’’ he said, ‘* but I would sooner be your guest as an exhibitor than as a producer er as a distributer, for I commenced business as an exhibitor as far back as 1904.7 They would be interested, he knew, when he told them that his first picture was produced by Stuart Blackton, who was there that day. (Applause.) Blackton owned a penny areade in Brooklyn. He (the speaker) had money to invest, and, learning of the hall, went to inspect it. Tt was about 20 feet wide and 95 fect long. There were immense crowds gathered outside it. It seemed a goldmine, and he bought it right away. He took charge, and from the Monday morning when he started till he closed) the establishment a month Jater (loud laughter) the only peopte who paid to go in were those to whom he gave pennics for the purpose, (Laughter). The hall was elosed because Brooklyn was close to Coney Island, and there was little er no business doing during the summer, EXIT THE SWORD-SWALLOWER. Whilst the hall was closed it was reconstructed, and a motionpicture theatre was built over the arcade. They had 146 chairs. (Laughter) They arranged slot machines all down the centre, and the only way people could get) out was to pass those maachines. (Laughter.) This was the first motion-picture theatre in Brooklyn. Only 17 years ago it was necessary to engage a fire-cater or a sword-swallower in order to fill those 146 chairs. (Laughter.; Only 20.000 people out of a popula. tion of 5,000,000 went to see pictures in those days, and the majority of the pictures were not more than 500 feet in length. Stuart Blackton was one of the pioneers who made those pictures, After the first week at the new theatre they did not want sword-swallowers and fire-eaters to attract the people. They needed the police to keep the people in order. (Laughter) So well did he do here that he built another theatre, seating 299. Then he bad an ambition to build a house seating 1,500.) People said ‘ Here is a crazy guy come to town. He has a bank rell. Let ous get it away from him’? He told his family not to say that daddy was in the picture business, (Laughter.) Se suceessful did the pietures hecome that the newspapers became afraid that the pietures would prove ai big opposition, This was the sort of thing they reported : A pick. pocket was charged with an offence, and when everything had been said that could be said in his favour, he was asked to tell the Court where he had learned to pick pockets. “At “was the reply. (Loud laughter.) EXPLOITATION IN EXCELSIS. Last year after they had got over their intoxicated spree of war profits and got down to work on peace conditions, he called together the managers of his chain of theatres and told) them that pot duck would no longer prevail They must do things differently from what they hind done before, So they set. to work and replaced all their projectors, pianos and organs, the pictures, of course,’ regardless of cost, increased their music, and put on the best fins they could obtain, In a word, they went in for exploitation, Cheap films were bad films at any price. and good films were cheap at uny price. But they must let the people know that they had something good to offer, The results of the improvements they had introduced into the Fox chain of theatres was that they had made more. profits since September 27 till May 22 dace than during the qiest prosperous year of their career, (Applause.) In America they had 20,000,000. to 25,090,000) picture-goers, and they would not stop until every man, wonan, and child who could read had become a patron. (Applause.) They were in a great business; they must take it seriously, and it was up to them to see to it that they were vizea ty Google in it when many other great busineescs had ceased to cxist. (Loud applause.) WELSH DEPRESSION. The chairman then called upon Mr. Victor Davies, the wellknown Welsh exhibitor, to say a few words, and in the course of an cloquent speech that gentleman drew a heartbreaking picture of the present condition of the picture theatres in that part of the country. Mr, Davies speaks effectively, and, although his remarks were Targely couched in dismal vein, they were iumined by an occasional gleam of humour which sent his audience into roars of laughter. His most appreciated sally deseribed a meeting with a well-known Welsh exhibitor in the Kinemma Exehanve at Cardiff last week. His friend was looking very glum. He (the speaker) asked him what was tha matter, and he told him he had just made his will. ‘* He handed me,” suid Mr. Davies, tt a sheet of paper on which the following words were written: DT have nothing. Io owe a great deal. The rest T leave to the renters.’” (Loud laughter.) Another of his remarks that was highly relished was to the effect that many of them in Wales were ready to close down, The only thing that stopped them doing so was that they were waiting for their opposition to close first. (Laughter.) THE RACE FOR THE GUINEAS. Mr. Tom E. Davies said he wished he could learn that the Entertainment Tax had been abolished once and for all, for he believed that the tex was one of the great causes of their present depression. He felt so strongly the need for a big effort on the part of the {rade to get the tax removed that he was pleased on behalf of the Wester Import Company to offer a donation of 250 cuineas to the funds of the Kinema Tax Abolition Comittee. (Loud applause.) This ainouncement was reecive:) with tremendous enthusiasm. It had barely subsided when Mr. Box made known that he, too, Was prepared to give a donation cn behalf of his company of 1,000 guirens, Thereafter it was a matter of keen competition between the representatives of the various renting firms present, the representatives of the various American firms in’ this country, and prominent exhibitors to subscribe to the fund. Mr. Graham announced a donation of 250 guiness on behalf of the Famous-Lasky Company: Mr. A. Smith, of Goldwyn's, 250) guinens: Colonel Bromhead (Gaumont), 260 euineas: First National, 240 cuiness: Mr. Guy Newall (George Clark Productions), 500 guineas: Sir William Jury, through Mr. Squier, 200 enineas. making » total donation of 400 guineas in all by this gentleman. MR. FOX’S GENEROSITY. Mr Fox then announced that for every £1 > subscribed by exhibitors he would) subseribe an additional sum = of equal amount. This resulted in a further 1,000 guineas being quickly subseribed, among those ecntributing being Mr. Bernstcin 50 guineas, Mr. Ralph Davis 160 guineas, Mr. FE. FE. Lyons 50 guineas, Mr. Grant (Consolidated) 50 guiness, Mr. Armstrong (Renters, Ltd.) 50 guiness. Other subscriptions included 100 guineas) from) Mr. Nerman-Wright (the Friar Rester axp Moving Preterk News). Mir, Victor Sherridan 100 Mr. Clavering (F.B.O.) 100 guineas, Mr. Thomson 10) cuineas, Palladium (Wood Green) 10 guineas. Mr. Wileox (Astra Films) G eorge cuinens, 100 guineas, Mr. Sam Harris 1000 euineas, Mr. Te France 100 guineas, Mr. Abrahams 100 guineas, Mrs. Purcell 10 guineas, Mr. Braiding 10 guinens, Mr. Brent 10 guineas, Mr. Haroid 20 guineas, West Kensington Kinema 10 guineas, Mr. Perey 300 guineas, Mir. Ovinson 10 guineas, Mr. H. EH. Atwell 19 guineas, Mr. Crawford 10 guineas, and an anonymous contribution of 10 guineas, The announced amidst a storm of enthusiastic applause that the list of subscriptions amounted to close upon 5,000 guineas. Further cheers for Mr. William Fox and other American visitors terminated the proceedings. Chairman