Motion Picture News (Jul-Aug 1925)

July 18, 1925 319 What The Short Subject Means To The Exhibitor Vaudeville Sets Example for Picture Men By S. J. Maurice, Special Representative Serial Dept., Universal (Editor's Note. — This is the concluding article in the series dealing with the proper presentation and exploit ation of short subjects written especially for this publication by Mr. Maurice.) WHAT the value of short subjects is to the exhibitor, and how this value may be increased enormously by giving them a big flash in newspaper advertising has been pretty well demonstrated in the preceding articles of this series. I showed how some exhibitors' business was actually saved and that of others doubled by devoting at least forty per cent of the advertising space to the comedies, the short westerns, the serials, the striking phases of the news-reels and the cartoons. If house managers who have read these articles still are not awake to the potentialities of this splendid material, they might learn something from vaudeville. They may not be aware that there is hardly a big or little vaudeville theatre in the country that does not use short pictures to strengthen its bills and put in a laugh or a punch that otherwise would be lacking. And they are no longer used merely as " chasers" or to open a show, but are given important positions on the bill, being considered as much of a draw as the standard acts on the program. I talked with vaudeville managers in every city I visited in my recent swing around the circle. Without exception they declared they could not get along without the "filluras." Some of them used two reel westerns or serials, others pinned their faith to comedies and animated cartoons like "The Gumps," Aesops Fables or Max Fleischer's "< hit of the Inkwell" : some favored the Literary Digest, the Stereopticks or the Bluebirds; others swore by Hal Roach's "Our Gang," all of them consider a snappy news-reel like the International as absolutely essential. What interested me particularly was that many of these vaudeville managers advertized their pictures just as they did their human acts. Now, if the vaudeville people recognize the value of these subjects, how is it that so many picture exhibitors, who are supposed to be alive to the value of everything in films do not? Mr. Exhibitor, you should be ashamed to let somebody who is really not in your game beat you at that game ! One of the surest indications that short subjects are to play a bigger part than ever in pictures is the fact that every company makes them or is going to make them and will produce more of them next year than ever before. Universal is going to make an especially great play with its short stuff next season. Its comedy program, its serial, its two reel westerns with Edmund Cobb, Fred Humes. "Pewee" Holmes and Jack .Mower will set a pace that never have been struck before. The Buster Brown series as planned is sure to be a knock-out. Universal has always been famous for its serials, but will out-do itself in this respect this year. The tie-ups already accomplished with the great newspapers all over the country to advertise and play up these chapter adventure stories are unprecedented. Leading newspapers in 44 of the big cities and 1000 smaller ones are printing novelized versions of the serials and are giving them great display space. Fox has a short subject campaign outdoing anything of the kind this company has ever undertook before. Pathe and Edu cational, specialists in the line, are redoubling their efforts. F. B. O. is extending its field enormously. Following up their "Fighting Blood" and "Go-Getters" and "The Pacemakers" this firm is now at work on "The Adventures of Maisie" with Alberta Vaughn that has unusually attractive aspects. There are short subject stars now coming to the front who will soon be in the feature class. Look at Charlie Puffy, Carl Laemmle's most recent importation, Harry Langdon, Wanda Wiley, Edna Marian and Clyde Cook. They are a hit on any bill and right now are worth almost as big type in the advertising as the stars with whom many are programmed. The exhibitor who buys and does not play them up is simply throw ing away an opportunity to increase his receipts. Blind — or rather "dumb" is what I call an exhibitor who fails to grab all the benefit possible from what he thus has in his hands. Picture history proves that short subjects are the training ground of the most profitable and popular stars. It is there that real talent is discovered and developed. There are a dozen other comedians, comediennes and real actors than those mentioned above who are in two reelers that exhibitors are showing today Avho are going to be famous in the next two or three years. The wise exhibitor will capitalize this talent right now. He will watch his own shows and when he sees a "short" go over with a smash, the next time he plays one of that series and with those actors, he will tell his patrons about it in his newspaper advertising. Why does he advertise Valentino, Denny, Gibson and Swanson? Because he know> his people like them and will come to see them. Does not this same thing apply to Langdon, Desmond, Daughtery, Art Acord, Wanda AViley, Our Gang, the Pacemakers or Clyde Cook? If your patrons laugh or sigh at them today, tell them in your advertising when you are going to give them this opportunity again. Ten years ago exhibitors recognized this very patent fact with Bill Hart, Charlie Chaplin, Ben Turpin and later with Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton. Well, there are Harts, Chaplins, Turpins, Lloyds and Keatones in the rough right now and the exhibitor who is on the job will look for them and make them. Their success is your success — don't forget that Mr. Exhibitor. In concluding I would say again to the exhibitor — the short stuff is almost half your show; give it half of your advertising space. You've got to have it, you can't get along without it. Your patrons demand it, so why not tell them in advance what it is to be? They may not be attracted by your feature — they may prefer the feature at the opposition house, but your short stuff may pull them into your place if you will only wise them up to it in your advertising. So once again, PLAY UP THE SHORT STUFF ! "kTPA7V kTAT" By bill IVI\/\Zj I 1 NOLAN Reg. U. S. Pat. Off. I have been imitated for a long time ! ! You will soon see me in person ! ! ! Cats may be cats, but I'm the original and only " KRAZY KAT." Wait for me. WINKLER PICTURES 229 West 42nd Street New York C ty