Motion Picture News (Jul-Oct 1914)

THE MOTION PICTURE NEWS 33 Prosperity Off the Beaten Path By L. W. Bailey The Large Business That Has Been Built Up with the Liberty Theatre, in Detroit, Shows What Can Be Done with a House on a Side Street When the Manager Is a Live Wire — Courtesy, Advertising and High-Class Programs Get Results THE ofttime question, "Can a motion picture theatre be made to paj' under adverse circumstances?'' can be well answered in using the Liberty Theatre in Detroit, iNlich., as an example. Here is a theatre located on a side street, off the main avenues of travel, and in a position that cannot be be termed as the most advantageous. Yet its builders were convinced that, with proper management and worthy productions, it not only could be made a fair pajnng proposition, but could be made a popular theatre catering to a steady business. Due perhaps to the keen foresightedness and faith of John H. Kunsky, a man who, through sheer merit, exceptional ability and business judgment, has become, in the course of a few years a recognized head in the motion picture industry in the state of Michigan, the project has not only proven a success, but has, under his direction, exceeded even the wildest hopes. The Libertj^ is a theatre of beauty, seating 800, a stage opening of 34 feet with a 20-foot depth and a throw of 85 feet. IN an interview with the correspondent of The Motion Picture News. Howard O. Pierce, the manager, said: "When this theatre was constructed it was freely predicted that the venture would be a failure. However, as you can readily see, their predictions vrere entirelj' wrong. "To my mind, it is not ahvaj's the location of a theatre that speaks for its success or failure. Of course, judgment must be used in the selection of a site. However, that is not all. "A theatre is a mercantile pursuit the same as the grocery store, the shoe shop and the haberdashery. "Your patrons are your customers and in order to keep them, to call them j-our friends, and to make them your supporters, they must be treated with courtesy. I have under my direction nineteen employees with whom courtesj' to patrons is the first and most important rule. "When a patron steps to the window to purchase a ticket, he must be met with a pleasant smile and a 'thank j'ou' from the ticket seller; as he deposits his ticket at the door, deference must be shown him; the same applies to the usher seating him. "Another point which I consider most essential in the conduct of a house, is personal neatness of the employees. Each man must keep his appearance at its best at all times. "Hp HE same rule applies to the A theatre itself. Soap, water and furniture polish are cheap, and by their liberal use a good impression will be created and many a regular customer will be made. "But with the purchase of a ticket all is not ended as far as the theatre is concerned. No patron ever forgets that he has paid the price of admission, and he expects full value for his money. Cheapening the quality or shortening the show never built up a theatre's clientele. Give him the goods! give him good goods and an ample amount of them. If you do that, you have made a friend, and that friend will come again and bring others. "We run nothing here but the best films obtainable, specializing in Famous Players, Lasky and All Star Feature Corporation outputs. We run one full week, and have run two weeks with the same attraction. "As an accompaniment to the pictures, we furnish only the very best class of music, choosing that which is suitable to the picture, from the works of the greatest composers, the compositions being rendered by an orchestra composed of eight pieces and a pipe organ. "/^UR performances typify that which represents only the best in both pictures and music. Regarding the projection, we have a throw of eighty-five feet, employ only the most competent operators, use a Gold Fibre Screen and are very particular as to the projection and the picture obtained therefrom. "Too much stress cannot be laid upon this department, a fact which I only wish was realized bj^ the average exhibitor for the good of the business as a whole. Bad projection has resulted in the ruin of many a house. A careless operator tarries not long at the Liberty. "Advertising is another important factor. Not long ago I heard an exhibitor state that he did not deem it necessary to employ posters or banners about his place of business. That man belongs in the class known as the cave man. He will never, as long as he maintains that idea, meet with success in his chosen line. He