Motion Picture News (Oct 1915)

October 30, 1915. MOTION PICTURE NEWS 49 The Press, the Press Representative and the Picture — III Detroit Dailies Are Alive to the Public Demand for Motion Picture Items in Their Columns, but Here Is the Fly in the Ointment, as It Were: There Is a General Complaint Against the Way Reading Matter Is Served Up for the Newspapers by the Manufacturers’ Publicity Departments THE writer has just finished a canvass of the men in charge of the moving picture news sections of the various Detroit newspapers for the purpose of getting their views on the industry, and to find out how they felt towards the industry. A1 W. Weeks, of the Detroit News, said : “The policy of this paper has always been favorable to motion picture news. And why not? Surely it has developed into a wonderful industry and is affording entertainment for the masses at a price that is within their reach. “I recently attended some of the residential theatres and was surprised to see the large number of automobiles standing in front. I was even more surprised upon going inside to see the calibre of the audience—it was made up of the most representative business men of the city with their families. “We never turn down a good story on the moving picture industry unless our space will not permit it. We are now devoting as much space, if not more, each week, to photoplays as we are to the legitimate theatres. In our illustrated photogravure section on Sunday we invariably run the picture of some well-known screen star. “There is one fault, however, I have to find. The producing companies do not send out the right kind of publicity to the newspapers, and it looks to me as if they have not employed a trained newspaper man but rather someone who knows the moving picture business. Waste in Publicity Matter “There is altogether too much waste in the present method of sending out photoplay publicity. Most of the matter which comes to our office finds a resting place in the wastebasket, because it is not the kind of news that daily papers want; I will bet dollars to doughnuts that the stuff was written by some man who never worked as a newspaper reporter.” Ralph Holmes, of the Detroit Journal, said : “I think the best way to prove that our paper is more than friendly to the moving picture interests is that every Saturday we are devoting one page exclusively to photoplay news. This is in addition to the space devoted to advance attractions at the theatres which appears on our regular theatrical page ; also it has nothing to do with the many inches of space which we devote to the industry during the other days of the week. “I might also say that there is no class of news that during the past year has received as much prominent space as that pertaining to the motion picture industry. We regard it as an important industry, one of great educational value, besides being the greatest entertainment that has ever been offered at the price.” George P. Goodale, for fifty years dramatic editor of the Detroit Free Press, said : “Say to your paper that the Detroit Free Press is today running more than twice as much photoplay news as it does theatrical news. Isn’t that a good sign of how we feel? Are we prejudiced? Hardly. The industry has only started. The pictures are getting better all the time. We are now running every week a special page on photoplay news which we call With the Reel Players.” Ella Mae Hawthorne, dramatic critic, Detroit Times: “The Times has given as much space to motion pictures as it has to regular theatre news during the past year, but our policy in the future will be to run more motion picture news. We have awakened to the fact that people want that kind of news, and we are going to give them what they want.” Improvement in Everything The Hon. John B. Gillespie, police commissioner of Detroit, said: “During my administration I have received few complaints against motion pictures shown here. Only occasionally do we find some theatre showing pictures that are unfit to be seen. Anything that bears the approval of the National Board of Censors should be good enough. I believe their judgment is better than that of a set of men or women who are not interested actively in the motion picture industry. I will say frankly that the tendency is towards improvement, both in the photography, general production and plots. Of course, there is still room for improvement. Some of the shooting and burglary scenes are somewhat exaggerated and could be modified, and I am sure this will be done in time. The motion picture industry stands for too much to permit anything that will hurt it. It is giving unprecedented enjoyment and recreation to the masses who would find it difficult to put in their spare time to better advantage.” Al. U. Thornburg. SELIG CONDUCTS CAMPAIGN FOR LOCAL USE OF PRINTERS’ INK BY EXHIBITORS The Selig Polyscope Company has recently been conducting a nation-wide campaign among thousands of exhibitors of motion pictures, urging these exhibitors to increase business by buying liberal advertising space in their home newspapers to advertise V-L-S-E features. The Selig company has been advising exhibitors not to squander their money on small, “skimpy” advertisements, but to buy quarter, half and full-_page “spreads,” and to buy them regularly. In a recent edition of the Selig Paste-pot and Shears, a page advertisement was printed reproducing in miniature a few advertisements used by Seattle exhibitors. This action brought forth a letter from Jensen and Von Herberg, proprietors of three Seattle, Wash., theatres, which should be of vital interest to other exhibitors who are casting about for ways and means to increase receipts. The letter follows : “In your Paste-pot and Shears of October 4 you devoted a page to a few of the advertisements carried in Seattle, and we assure you we are firm believers in newspaper advertising for our theatres. Here are our newspaper figures for a few weeks back : Week Ending — 9/25 9/18 9/11 9/4 Liberty .. 215 225 226 195 Alhambra .... . . 242 336 696 309 Mission .. Ill 75 77 92 “The average rate, figured on a commer cial rate card, is over one dollar an inch. By this, you will see that there is at least one company exhibiting motion pictures that is heartily in accord ‘with your newspaper advertising campaign.” The above named exhibiting company conducts three motion picture theatres in Seattle and, according to the Selig company, their business has greatly increased through liberal use of printer’s ink and the presentation of meritorious photoplays. The Selig company has received hundreds of letters from exhibitors commending the “printer’s ink” campaign instituted some weeks ago. “POP” LUBIN BACK HOME AFTER TRIP TO COAST “Lubinville” at Indiana avenue, Philadelphia ; the Glenwood avenue studio at Sixteenth street, and Betzwood all took on an aspect of Old Home Week on Saturday, when Siegmund Lubin, president of the Lubin Manufacturing Company returned from his three months’ tour of the west. During his western trip, Mr. Lubin has enjoyed many celebrations in honor of the “Father of the Industry”; he has been feted at every turn, accorded a day in his honor at the Exposition ; been guest of honor of the U. S. Army and Navy officials at the coast, and made the opening address at the new Lubin plant at Coronado, Cal. SELIG COMPLETES TOUR OF HIS VARIOUS STUDIOS William N. Selig, president of the Selig Polyscope Company, recently completed a tour of inspection of his various motion picture branch studios. He visited the new studio at Las Vegas, N. M., where Tom Mix, the Selig Western star, is engaged. Among the many things that impressed him on his arrival at the Selig Jungle-Zoo at Los Angeles was the advent of eight lion and five tiger cubs since his last visit. POPULARITY BRINGS CARLTON KING BACK TO THE SCREEN Carlton King, Edison, who for a number of years has been one of the most popular character actors in that company, and was recently made a director, has been returned to the screen, following persistent requests from exhibitors and patrons to that effect. Table of contents will hereafter be found every week opposite inside back cover.