The Film Daily (1924)

7Ae BRADSTREET of FILMDOM Ik ECOGMIZE6 Al HORITY VOL. XXVII No. 5 Monday, January 7, 1924 Price 5 Cents BUSINESS By DANNY This is the show business. Not just the picture business. There is a difference. A big difference. And the men who fail to recognize this may as well be ! tagged dumb Dora's now as any "time. Before the millions of fans knew all about pictures — well, it was different. Today they do. So you have to be a I showman to get the money in the till. And lay off buying red ink. So exploitation has come into its own. Because this is a show business. That's one reason why the new Hodkinson organization may go a long way. John Flinn is there. And if you don't know what started "The Covered Wagon" on its big money making career you should. It was Flinn. How Famous ever let him get away is still a secret. This is sure. They never should have. And there are others beside Flinn. Who know this exploitation business from the ground up. Little pictures which get over in a big way have proven that time and again. Have the Warner's— with all their pretentious pictures of this season — put any of them over as they did "Schooldays" or "Why Girls Leave Home?" They have been too busy making big pictures. To put over the little ones. Look at "The Third Alarm" and wonder where the business came from. And get back of the scenery and see exploitation. Nothing else. Good pictures minus exploitation will always do a certain volume of business. But good pictures plus exploitation. And boy, there's a mint. That's why First National is stepping along. The exploitation work on "Flaming Youth" and "Black Oxen" is making such a fuss that people believe they are great attractions regardless of the actual product. Look at "Ponjola" for your answer. Not much of a picture. Production values messy. Cast unimportant. But did it do business. I'll tell the world it did. Why? Exploitation "Mabel Normand in 'The Extra Girl' is one of the greatest laugh-provokers of all time," declares the Denver Post. It's a Mack Sennett production distributed by Associated Exhibitors. — Advt. Questionnaire THE FILM DAILY has just completed an investigation which, through several hundred theaters, reached several thousand patrons of the higher class of intelligence. The questionnaire was as follows : What admission should be charged in a first class theater? What type of picture do you most prefer? Give title. Do you prefer a show of one long feature or a feature of shorter length together with news weekly, comedy, etc.? Have the quality of pictures advanced or are they at a standstill? Are feature pictures too long? Do you think the average picture exercises a good or bad moral effect upon the community? What type of short subject do you most prefer? Of the features you have seen lately what three did you like best? Of the short subjects you have seen lately what three did you like best? Exhibitors in both large and small cities were requested to (Continued on Page 4) Serious Situation Among State Righters Admitted — "Broke" Says One Operator of Average General Field Conditions "The state right market is broke," said a prominent operator in that field on Saturday. "And if you think this is pleasing to those of us who have fortunes invested you're making a mistake. The question is: what can we do about it?" When this was put up to several men in the state right field various remedies were suggested. One was that the new organization of Independents would be able to furnish a lot of aid if the members would work together. "The new organization offers the only aid there is," said one state righter." Unless we can work out these problems there will be fewer and fewer operators next year. And so on down the course of time. "There are fewer concerns doing business in the state right field today than ever in the history of the business. They are being driven out every day. The (.Continued on Page 2) Educators Discuss School Films A two day conference in which educators from various parts of the country discussed the production of school films with a committee of the Hays organization was terminated on Saturday. Eventually, some member company of the Hays group will make pictures for schoolroom use. Just when is doubtful at the moment and is dependent entirely on the decisions reached by the educators as to the correct lines to follow in production. Unger Installed as President Joe Unger was installed as president of the F. I. L. M. Club at a private dinner held at the Biltmore on Saturday night. About fifty exchangemen attended. Stinnes Enters Films German Financial Power Will Pay Particular Attention to Russia and Baltic States Hugo Stinnes, the German industrialist has entered the motion picture business, according to a copyrighted wireless dispatch to the New York Times from Berlin Stinnes is known to have large financial interests in Russia and it is in that country and the neighboring Baltic states that he will specialize. (Continued on Page 2)