Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Aug 1943)

August 28, I 943 MOTION PICTURE HERALD 43 MANAGERS9 ROUND TABLE iAn international association of showmen meeting weekly in MOTION PICTURE HERALD for mutual aid and progress CHESTER FRIEDMAN, Editor GERTRUDE MERRIAM, Associate Editor OP On Mutual Benefits During the past two months we have acknowledged almost 100 new applications for membership to the Round Table. Aside from the initial biographical information which we request from new members, only one of the newcomers has so far made a contribution to the general progress of the organization. This is not intended as criticism but rather as a reminder that each member assumes a voluntary obligation when he enrolls. There is a sizeable percentage of the older members, too, who apparently feel that their activities are not good enough or important enough to be recorded. This is a mistake. Also there is a tendency toward letting the other fellow do it. The promotional activities commonly associated with the theatre have not undergone any radical changes in several decades and it is doubtful whether any will occur in the next few. Even Barnum is generally believed to have dug back through the centuries for some of his stunts. The showman does not exist who could depend upon his own originality 52 weeks each year. It is the application of some previously used idea to a current situation that defines a showman's ingenuity. That is why some little gag that you may be using regularly or some occasional promotion might prove of immediate value to some other manager who has forgotten the device or who may be new in the business. A greater proportion of the membership should be submitting their campaigns. AAA Still a Manager's Problem Ralph Tiede, a Round Table member from Welland, Ont., takes exception to Emerson Barrett's recent letter which appeared in this column pertinent to the hoodlum question. Ralph writes: "Do managers now have to take lessons in Ju-jit-su and professional bouncerism? Patrons come to the theatre to partake of screen entertainment and relaxation — not to witness a free-for-all exhibition. I'm for calling in the law — and this method has had far-reaching success in many instances." "In many instances", as Ralph states, the measure is successful. We daily read reports, however, that indicate these instances are too few, by comparison with others, which are not only aggravating to managers but are a source of nuisance to the police as well. There have never been any objections to the more dignified assistance as represented by the law by either Mr. Barrett or the writer. Nor have we intended to infer otherwise. The expressions voiced on this page have rather implied that the manager's training should by this time enable him to cope with a serious menace to the environment of our theatres. The value of the police officer to the community decreases when a portion of his time is daily devoted to the particular benefit of the theatres. Repercussions quickly set in as officials point out that there are other urgent matters for the police to attend. Curfews and other costly restrictions have resulted. It is also likely that the sight of an officer frequently walking down the aisle creates commotion and tends to give the theatre a "reputation". Nothing is thus added to the respect of the theatre or to the management. If the hoodlum knows he is under constant surveillance of the manager, and knows that he will be evicted upon any provocation, he is not as much inclined to start anything. The precise manner in how he should be ejected is less important than the fact that he must be ejected — and barred permanently. AAA War Mothers Pitch In Theatre managers, faced with serious manpower crises created by the latest WMC edict covering theatre employees, may find relief in a new idea started by Famous Players Canadian circuit. The F. P. C. circuit is experimenting with "volunteer" workers recruited from the various "Mother" organizations. The women will replace the ushers, and the organization they represent will receive equitable remuneration for their services. Thus, the theatres will be covered, the women will perform a twofold service, and the treasury of the organization will receive funds with which to carry on their favorite enterprises. In this same project may be found a constructive effort to eliminate part of the hoodlum problem. It is possible that the women will be accorded more respect than ushers and usherettes, who are usually friends or acquaintances of the trouble-makers. —CHESTER FRIEDMAN