The Film Daily (1932)

THE Thu^sHav, Sent. 22. 1932 £££ DMU^ PLAN NATIONAL CIRCUIT Of COMMUNITY THEATERS (Continued from Page 1) Oct. 15 or thereabouts in Westchester, Long Island and Connecticut. The organization, which plans to operate vOB; a national basis, will take over dark theaters and houses in the red in towns ranging from 8.000 to 12,000 in population. It will function in co-operation with a national advisory board composed of 20 civic and educational leaders and state boards of larger personnel. Flexibility will be a characteristic of the circuit's operating policies under which certain types of pictures will be regularly shown on certain days. Special attention will be paid to balancing of shorts program. Local men or women will be installed in the circuit's houses as managers. Exaggerated and misleading advertising will be taboo, it was stated yesterday. In addition to theaters leased, the association also plans to take over complete operation of other houses. These theaters will pay for this management service under a membership fee plan. Marguerite Benson, formerly identified with both circuit and independent operation, is director of public relations for the association. Short Length Features Stirs Wis. M.P.T.O. (Continued from Page 1) is president, recently launched an intensive campaign of mutual cooperation in checking up on films, including box-office results. NEW U. A. BERKELY HOUSE Berkeley, Cal. — The new United Artists Theater, operated by Fox West Coast Theaters, has opened with Clarence L. Laws as manager. Lou Anger, Reeves Espy and a group of film celebrities attended the premiere. Laws formerly managed the Fox California, where he is succeeded by Donald Baldwin. SECOND ARBUCKLE SHORT Rosco (Fatty) Arbuckle, who recently completed his first short for Vitaphone, is set to make another, which goes in work about the middle of October. Meanwhile he is filling vaude dates, which he will resume after finishing the new two-reeler. COMING & GOING EDWARD C ROBINSON has arrived from the coast and is scheduled to appear tonight at the Winter Garden, where his new picture, "Tiger Shark," is showing. M. OSTRER and W. J. CELL. Gaumont men from England, are back in New York from the coast CONWAY TEARLE is in town and has taken up residence at the Park Central. HAROLD LLOYD, who arrives in New York this morning, will be joined next week by his wife and their three children. They sail Oct. 1 for Europe. JOE REDDY, press representative for Harold Lloyd, arrived from the coast yesterday. HARRY GIBBS. Educational brancTi manager in New Haven, is in New York for conferences with Joe Skirball. EUGENE RODER has arrived back in New York, after producing two stage shows m Florida, to work on "Czardas Princess" for American Hungarian Sound Film Co. JOHN WRAY has returned to New York from the Coast. ALONG IMJO PMLM.DALY New VORK. LOS ANGELES.. • • • TO START campaigns on three openings of a pix in such widely separated cities as Washington, Cleveland and Boston for one individual and do it all in five successive days sounds like the impossible but Billy Ferguson has just completed the stunt. . but he had to travel by airplane to do it on "Strange Interlude" * * * * • • • TWO PIECES of printed literature that make impressive sales material because of their original conception and punch copy have been turned out by Exhibitors Screen Service one is a sort of Guarantee bond something unique in film advertising stunts % # * % • • • LOOKS AS if a knockout comedy team has broken into the limelight with ZaSu Pitts and Jimmy Gleason almost rolling 'em in the aisles at that preview showing at Loew's in New Rochelle the other nite . . . in World Wide's "Crooked Circle" never saw a comedy team work so beautifully together ZaSu starts a laugh Jimmy builds it and with the merest trifle of a situation they keep playing it up between 'em till on several occasions you couldn't hear their lines because of the howls of laughter and, by the way did the screen ever before produce an outstanding mixed comedy team? the wonder is that nobody thought of teaming them together long before this A Public Relations Program for Exhibitors This is the second installment of a practical campaign compiled by the M.P.T.O.A. to help exhibitors increase patronage, avoid arbitrary local censorship and make their theaters a center of community interests. Complete copies may be had by writing The Film Daily or direct to the Motion Picture Theater Owners of America, 1650 Broadway, New York. Who Are the Non-Customers? Aside from the involuntary absence from the theater of those habitual fans who have not the price of admission, the exhibitor will find on analyzing his own situation that the non-customers in any average neighborhood or town comprise the following classes : (1) Many persons of exacting taste who fail to realize that there is much that would be of interest to them in the current motion pictures. They still think of the movies in terms of the old silent pictures, westerns, custard pie throwing comedy, etc. (2) Persons of discriminating taste who have been offended by theatrical advertising, by something in a picture actually seen, or something reported to them (sometimes inaccurately). (3) Children, who find the sound pictures less attractive than the old silent pictures and are not so much interested in the type of dramatic stories that lend themselves to sound production. This also involves the non-attendance of the entire family in many instances for two reasons, (a) Many families who had domestic help in the household two years ago now do their own work, with the result that the mother must take the children with her if she goes anywhere. (b) In the present condition of reduced family income the father and mother are more likely to go somewhere with the children than they were a few years ago. If they think the children will not enjoy the movies, or that the movies are not good for them, they go out in the family flivver or go in for some other type of amusement. Can They Be Interested? In the bonanza days before the depression when capacity attendance was the rule rather than the exception, exhibitors were very much inclined to be indifferent to the possibilities represented by these noncustomers. Now such patronage is badly needed at most theaters to fill out the gaps in former attendance. Fortunately, recent developments and trends within the industry have made it easier to secure this additional business, unseen under the very nose of the exhibitor. (1) Much of the offensive material in advertising and in pictures, both long and short, which drove them away from the theater, has been removed. (2) This season offers an unusual percentage of class pictures which ALLIED MPTOA ACTION STIRS KEEN DISCUSSION (Continued from Page 1) tendency to regard the proposed legislations as an attempt at persuasion rather than a plan to call in governmental interference. Much comment was heard on the fact that Allied's proposals have taken on a more conservative tone than in the past and to a perceptible degree resemble'the M. P. T. O. A. attitude on industry issues. Major company executives were reluctant to discuss the situation, though several intimated they did not think Allied and M. P. T. O. A. could be serious in inviting Government interference in the industry ait might encourage other legislative meddling which would hit the exhibitors themselves. One prominent executive said: "The depres sion has caused many men to think irrationally, reaching out for that which might Cure bad business. Anybody is apt to reach for panaceas. which generally prove to be mirages" The Hays office, as far as could be learned, had no official observer at the Chicago se sions, and is not making any statements Single Feature Policy For Lee Ochs Circuit (Continued from Page 1) with four major distributors and expect to close with the others within the week," said Ochs. "Many features that we have already screened will warrant single-featuring, and that is what we want. It is up to the producer to stamp out the double-feature evil by supplying circuits with pictures that have individual drawing power." BERT ADLER MOVING Bert Adler is transferring his office today from the Fox building to the Fanchon and Marco offices at 1657 Broadway. will interest persons of culture and discriminating taste and a good percentage of pictures suited to the entertainment needs of the entire family. (3) The establishment of a previewing service by nationally organized public groups to advise their members concerning pictures of interest to them and the regular distribution of official lists of the selected pictures to their local organizations prior to release of the subjects. (To Be Continued) MANY HAPPY RETURNS Sept. 22 Eric Von Sfroheim Carlyle R. Robinson Frances Guihan