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The Year in America.
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This will enhance the success of pictures of the type which demand musical interpretation of the best sort, and in addition will probably do more to promote good music in America and raise the level of musical appreciation than anything since the invention of the phonograph.
In its other function — that of presenting musical and vocal specialities— Vitaphone has already recorded such diverse artists as Martinelli, Al Jolson, Albert Spalding, George Jessel, Harold Bauer, Elsie Janis, Marion Talley, the Howards and a number of others. This will give motion picture theatres the advantage of the greatest stars of the operatic, concert, vaudeville and legitimate stages, widening the appeal of motion pictures and winning new audiences.
Already a dozen other devices have appeared of a' similar nature, and the coming year will see great advance in this field.
Another development during 1926 has been the continued advance of the move toward mergers and consolidations in all branches of the industry. The small producing and distributing companies have virtually disappeared from the field, and as this is written at least three of the large companies are discussing deals which would -merge them with other firms. The reason for this is mainly that banking interests — ." Wall Street," so-called — -have come to be heavily interested in the motion picture industry, and the bankers feel that there is an unnecessary duplication of effort and facilities. The mergers tend toward economy and strength, and the probabilities are that after this movement has run its course general conditions will be more stable and the business less irrational. The public, in any event, will see greater and finer pictures, regardless of mergers, for the picture theatre patron is the real ruler of the industry, and he will get what he demands.
The same tendency toward consolidation is rapidly aligning most of the theatres in the United States into a few large circuits, not unlike the chain store methods which have proved so important in other lines. The general result of this is to bring finer programmes and service to the public — and if the circuits fail to do this, they will fail, and individual operation will return.
With the enormous financial resources of these circuits, some of them owned by leading film distributors, the past year has seen the erection of motion picture " palaces " the cost of which staggers belief. Outstanding among these, at the moment, are the Paramount theatre and office building at Times Square in New York City, representing an investment of $17,000,000, which opened in November, and the Roxy, almost as palatial, now n earing completion.
"IF THERE'S A QUEUE OUTSIDE— IT IS A P.D.C. PICTURE INSIDE."
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