Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Aug 1936)

August I 9 3 6 MOTION PICTURE HERALD 87 MOTION PICTURE HERALD MANAGERS" ROUND TARLE CLUR zAn international association of showmen meeting weekly in MOTION PICTURE HERALD for mutual aid and progress op FITTING Pictured in the news section of last week's issue, the presentation of the 1935 Quigley Silver Grand Award by Robert W. Bingham, United States Ambassador to Great Britain, to John Armstrong marks yet another signal advance in the international prestige of the Competitions and their influence upon the good works of theatremen everywhere, intent upon forceful, profitable showmanship. His Excellency, in presenting the Plaque, emphasized that it had been won by an Englishman for the first time in competition with the entries of American theatremen. The Awards, made possible by Mr. Quigley, were, said his Excellency, keenly coveted and Mr. Armstrong's success an illustration of the friendly relations of the British and American film industries. It is fitting, indeed, and also gratifying that Mr. Bingham should lend the importance of his high post to the Quigley Awards, a project that by actual accomplishment has also contributed more than a little in earning the goodwill and esteem of our brother showmen across the water. V V V DRIVES, DRIVES, DRIVES What ho, friends, to horse — the drive is on. Yes, folks, it's Mountain time, Pacific time and Eastern Standard time — time for the current drives announced by circuits in all parts of the country to bring in those extra bucks to the boxoffice. For varying periods, managers will strive with might and main, with every ounce of ingenuity, skill and sheer guts, work themselves into an extra-fine lather to gather in the dollars. Grosses will be whipped up, winners awarded with money prizes and everything is then supposed to be fine and dandy until the next drive — in most cases, starting almost immediately. The stimulation of theatremen to go after extra receipts is not outside the picture, but the weaknesses as are observed from this end of the table, lie, first, in the shot-in-the-arm methods employed in the conventional drive and, second, in the lack of provision in the final awards for the men who work as hard, increase their grosses, but do not finish in the money. Theatremen, become accustomed to the artificial stimuli of drive procedure, sooner or later begin to lose their perspective necessary to successful week-in-and-week-out operation. Under the strain created by the lash of home office urging, your manager will work at such fury that the end of the drive will find him all-out and hardly fitted to tackle the problems of the weeks immediately following. Thus all that might be gained during the Big Push is in danger of being lost. As to the second point in question, there is no denying that the boys who give their all, who bring in extra money but do not land among the winners, are not getting the fairest kind of a shake. A man may accomplish everything short of a miracle and still finish among the also-rans. He, too, does his share, and nobly, but his only consolation is that he may do better in the next contest — but you can't cross knives and forks on that. The percentage system of remuneration in force by some of the most efficiently operated of circuits, a plan that functions 52 weeks a year, is the only possible method of coming anywhere near guaranteeing higher grosses the year 'round., The manager who is given credit for knowing his business should be given a reasonable slice of every extra dollar his efforts make possible and, once adopted, the plan removes the "drive" evils of depleted manpower and dissatisfied workers. :V V V A PROFITABLE MEDIUM The increase in theatre programs carrying merchants' advertising backs up our oft expressed opinion that here is a medium to be utilized profitably by theatremen in many spots relying too much on newspaper publicity. "Screen News", a smart 16-page, pocket-size magazine, is a case in point. Put out under the supervision of ad chief Earl Hudson for distribution at the United Detroit Theatres, the program strikes an intimate "chatter" note in copy that does an additionally effective job of selling coming shows. Keen-eyed showmen believe in spreading their ammunition over as wide a range as possible.