Motion Picture News (Jul-Aug 1916)

426 MOTION PICTURE NEWS Vol. 14. No. 3 Voting in Kansas City Theatres Convinces Universal of Public Desire for Short Pictures THE Universal at Kansas City has had plenty of' evidence that there is a distinct tendency towards the short pictures and the program. Not a day passes that six or seven contracts do not come in, from feature houses that are going back to program. More significant, many contracts are coming from feature houses that have never run programs. Some exhibitors who have insisted that their patrons do not want anything but features, are changing their minds. A good deal of patient and quiet work has been done from Kansas City, to secure a fair and reliable consensus of opinion of patrons, and this has materially helped towards the increase of regular program business. ' The exchange has sent to exhibitors slips for voting, to be furnished to patrons, on which they may express their preferences. In many houses the votes are in favor of features. But in a large number, the patrons vote for the program, the majorities being large enough to cause the exhibitors to change their policy. Phil L. Ryan leaves the Kansas City Feature Film Company, distributors of Paramount Pictures in Kansas, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska, going to the Metro Picture Service at Des Moines, Iowa. Mr. Ryan made a remarkable sales record in the Kansas City territory, and makes this change so he may be at home with his parents who live in Iowa. He was formerly with the John Lee Mahin Advertising Agency of Chicago, and was a newspaper man. Mr. Ryan is responsible for the Style Show movement in this country under Cressey Smith of Des Moines. He is enthusiastic about the film industry and sees an immense opportunity to develop it by a direct appeal to the " ultimate consumer." After gaining a thorough first hand knowledge of distribution, Mr. Ryan expects to carry his ideas to the East and play an important part in molding the tuture of film advertising. Frank A. Salisbury, who is known as a prominent theatre manager, is now employed as a representative of the George Kleine film service, Kansas City. M. E. Smith, general inanager of the George Kleine company, was in Kansas •City from-New York last week. The Pathe Exchange, Inc., has had a large booking of the new serial, "The Grip of Evil," and is expecting a big business , with -the picture. C. R.Seelye,, business manager of the "I^ew York, office ef the Pathe Exchange, -Inc., visited the Kansas City office recentlly • and everyone; of j.the e3i.€h§nge,y/^s o;jhis toes. K. C. Agnew, formerly cashier of the -Pathe Exchange, Inc., is now on the road^traveling the territory of William Beckenstein, who has gone to Omaha, Nebraska, to work for the Unicorn service. Joseph Gilday, manager of the Willis Wood theatre, has gone to New York_to book pictures for some time in advance. Joseph Skirboll, general manager of the Metro Company, paid a short visit to the Kansas City office, Tuesday, June 27, leaving the next day. While there he was entertained by Manager Harden with a trip over the boulevards in an automobile. Mr. Skirboll expected to stay several days but had to leave for Chicago on receipt of a telegram from that place requesting his attendance, to look after arrangements for the exhibition of Metro pictures for the coming sixth national exposition and convention of the Motion Picture Exhibitors League of America. PATHE SEEKS SITE ON FILM ROW, SAN FRANCISCO The Pathe Exchange at 67 Turk street, San Francisco, has been looking around on Film Row, Golden Gate avenue, with an "idea of selecting a location there. Manager Markowitz of the California Film Exchange is spending his vacation at Santa Cruz. Ben S. Cohen and N. H. Spitzer, representing the Clara Kimball Young Film Corporation, have been recent visitors in San Francisco. . They went on for a visit to Los Angeles, after which they will return to San Francisco. DAVIDSON IS NOW IN THE "FIRST FATHER" CLASS G. M. Davidson, auditor of the Canadian Universal Company, Toronto, has entered the ranks of the " first father " class. Mr. Davidson has just been presented with a very beautiful little baby girl by his wife and is in consequence one of the happiest and proudest men in Canada. Picture Business Offers Chances Only to Men Who Have Succeeded in Other Lines, Says Goldstone We always <<TF you have failed at everything else, •1 don't tackle motion pictures ! " This is the advice spread broadcast in a brief interview by Ph. Goldstone, manager of the World Film exchange in Omaha, Neb., published in the Omaha Bee, which is running one such feature every Sunday from the various exchange managers in the city. Goldstone's striking advice is : " The time is past when the man with no experience, no ability and little money can make a success in the motion picture business. " The phenomenal growth and opportunity open in this industry have attracted men of real and proven ability in their respective lines. They have applied their knowledge to this business and from a hit and miss proposition we today find the entire moving picture industry a systematized business, with profits proportionate to investment of money and ability. There are big opportunities for the intelligent, successful Ynen and the same lack of opportunity for the drifting chance seeker. The rhan who goes from one business to another in the hope that the goddess of chance will gather him coin without any effort of exertion on his part will make •poor headway in this industry. ^ ■ ' " Immense fortunes are and will be made -in fnotionl pictures, but to make them one -tnust fopjpete with riien ofability, and that means one must deliver the goods. . -; r"^;vecy day ; tiie,-ex^hange:s are yisited by Qgeoplg-iiyaii^irigjt^ kopwoWl^ thez®S9f9 tunities are in this business, give the same advice: " By all means get into the business if you have plenty of ability, judgment and foresight." '' But how do we know we have the required ability?" they ask. " By the success you have made before. If you have let opportunity go by, if your judgment has been poor, your ambition weakened by hard work in any other line, then stay out. We have too much driftwood in the business now. Follow the course of least resistance — join the army and the government will make a man of you." BENNETT TO VISIT EASTERN AND SOUTHERN EXCHANGES OF MUTUAL Hunter Bennett, sales director of the Mutual Film Corporation, has left New York for an extensive trip embracing many of the Southern and Eastern exchanges of his company. Mr. Bennett-wilL visit the following exchange centres on his present trip : Toronto, Montreal, St. Johns, Bangor, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, Charlotte, Atlanta,, Ne^y Orleans, Houston, Dallas, Oklahoma, City, Wichita, Kansas City and St. Louis. -r , -J^J^f; JBennetfs.trip is for the purpose of launching stremioiis , sales campaigns in -each territory yisitedj to handle the newly "revised Regular Service Prpgrarn. , , .