A history of the movies (1931)

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70 A HISTORY OF THE MOVIES lacking ability or inclination to get together for united action on anything. Many of the exhibitors could be dismissed as "gypsies and bunco artists" recently graduated from circus and county-fair side-shows; the majority was regarded by trust officials as unworthy of any greater consideration than had been shown the small producers and distributors; the few solid, substantial men in the theaters were easily distinguishable, and of these the trust proposed to make friends, letting the rest shift for themselves. Aside from the matter of quantity of daily or weekly film production, the patents company and General Film introduced regulations and methods that were extremely revolutionary in an industry that had never known anything but the wildest freedom. Heretofore there had been no definite system of rental prices. Exhibitors and distributors haggled among themselves and bargained like horse traders or peddlers. Restrictions regarding "release dates" — specified days upon which films could be released for exhibition — had never been rigidly enforced. Film enthusiasts, always watching for a picture they had not seen, had formed the habit of giving their patronage to the theater that first showed a new movie in their neighborhood, and enterprising theaters paid a premium for the initial release in their district. Moreover, the new films were free from breaks and scratches, and the larger, better-managed houses insisted on getting film while it was in good condition. In their eagerness to be ahead of competitors, many exhibitors resorted to secret arrangements with exchange managers to secure first showing of new films; or a first-showing house associated with a second-showing one might slip a film along the line ahead of time. As a result, release dates were a source of constant bickering and dispute between theaters and exchanges. General Film announced that all theaters would be classified, and each would pay a standard rental for film service. There would be no dickering or haggling; each exhibitor in a certain class would pay the same price as all others in that class, without deviation or favoritism. Its standard rental scale for a program,