Motion Picture News (Jan-Feb 1922)

847 ' ebruary 4 , 1922 The Reader I iiiioiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiioiiiiiiniiiiiDii objections to Central Exchange Idea January 18, 1922. lotion Picture News, New York, N. Y. Gentlemen : In the news dated January ;.h, 1922, I have just read a lettei sublitted by B. F. Heustes, of the Comrunity Theatre, at Harbor Beach, Mich. In this letter Mr. Heustes expresses a iw of his ideas and goes on to say that Ire ought to be only one film exchange 1 the state to take care of all the busirss, instead of twenty or thirty, thereby e'minating expense of managers for all tese exchanges, cut down clerical forces ad also the number of film salesmen. Permit me to say a few words which Ay be of interest to Mr. Heustes, exbitors, exchange managers and sales It would be impossible for one central e change to take care of all the business i: this State. The manager of such an ebhange would require as many assistats and clerks as are now employed by a the exchanges. As far as I can see it viuld not remove censorship nor cut expises in the least. If one salesman were t>;! call on the exhibitor and try to sell 2 the features and comedies released ii Michigan he would be so bewildered a:l burdened with his load of press slets and cards which every salesman hfe to carry that he would have to stay tt> or three days in a town to try and t(. the exhibitor what he has to sell and v\ en he got through neither one would bw a great deal and, I believe, that one s;esman’s expense account would be Mally as large as the several who now ike the same territory for the different Tanges. do agree with Mr. Heustes that there 2 a lot of pictures on the market that srght better die a natural death, but why yr the inferior pictures? There are 11 7 number of good pictures and l chink t he duty of every exhibitor to make a stidy of the current releases and when :1 salesmen call you are prepared. Competition is the life of trade. I cer:sily would feel sorry for the exhibitor fthere were only one exchange in the stjte. They could ask any price they bated for a picture and you could buy )i not buy. As for service, it couldn’t kbetter. Of course, I am speaking from vat I know of the Michigan exchanges. 3 you think we would get such good ;<wice from one exchange? I say No. iditions in this state are better than some of the other states, et me say to all exhibitors, treat the ;a:sman courteously whether you wish ojbuy or not. It doesn’t cost you anyhig and he wont go away with a sore pt and ready to tell the first fellow he nits that such an exhibitor is HARD IILED, etc. Treat them as you would il to be treated. Iiflllllllllllii[illlillllil[llll!!l!lln[|tlill[[!llillllli;ll(illlllllllllllllj|lllillilllllillllli[llll||[|lll||lll]|'ll|]ill[l]||[||l!lllll]|[|lllll|[[lll^ Has His Say Michigan has a very efficient lot of managers and clerks. Get acquainted at the exchanges where you do business, but buy from the salesman, that’s what he’s on the road for. Mrs. W. Carter, Maxine Theatre, Croswell, Mich. “ Stop Shooting the Bull and Come to Earth ” Motion Picture News, New York, N. Y. Dear Sirs : I have read, with interest, your numerous articles, “ Seeing It Through,” contributed by various exhibitors ; also all of the various editorials by Mr. Johnston, and I have profited by ail of those articles very much. In the face of fierce competition, (this kind of competition where they let them in free), we are “ Seeing It Through ” to the extent that our patronage has increased sixty per cent, in the past month. I have noticed in the past several months in nearly all of those “ Seeing It Through ” articles and Mr. Johnston’s editorials that the plea is for the exhibitor to cut expenses, never a word do I remember reading about the producer cutting his expenses. Several years ago a noted comedian was reported to be getting a salary of one million dollars per year. Just recently a certain film has been released that the producer said, “ Cost their company one million two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.” Mr. Hays is reported to get one hundred and fifty thousand dollars per year. All of those things have happened with gobs of others equally extravagant. You know that. In connection with this there is a little story that I would like to tell }V)U. Yesterday a banker-business man was taken sick in our audience and I invited him up to my office to lie down until he was better. In the course of his conversation he mentioned this million dollar salary, the extravagance and waste of this industry and finally came to the Hays salary. To use his exact expression : “ This makes me sick — this wanton wasting of money, those enormous salaries, which the people must pay in the long run.” Don’t you think he is right? Does not the audience pay for this foolishness in the long run? I think it was P. T. Barnum that said, “ There is one born every minute.” Now that might have been all right in Barnum’s day, but they are not born that fast now. Audiences are as wise as owls. They know practically as much about a program as does the exhibitor. They are buying productions, not stars or “ movies.” A production does not have to be lavish with a million spent on it for them to buy. They want good stories, well produced and acted. I will cite you “ Over The Hill ” for example. Several years ago there was a wild scramble for stars and it hasn’t exactly stopped yet. Some gink arrived at the conclusion that if he would corral all of the stars he could dominate this industry. All he lacked of corralling all of the stars wasn’t much, but did he dominate the industry? I want to make this prediction right now, “ There will never be any one, or any corporation, dominate the Motion Picture Industry.” Henry, with his billion dollar suit and his one hundred forty-one million cash in the bank, could not make an impression. We have gobs and gobs of stars, but when we want a large crowd in our theatre do we put on a star to get that crowd ? I should say not. All people are wise to the fact that a picture with a bunch of stars in it has about nothing else to recommend it. Another thing I would like to say, “Of all of the mis-advertised industries that were ever formed I’ll bet the motion picture industry heads the list. We read of a picture that the producer says, “ Cost a million ” of “ Million Dollar Salaries.” Enormous prices paid to stars and for some five-reelers. It is all right for all of us to “ shoot the bull ” in our own trade magazines, but for God’s sake let’s keep this shooting the bull out of the daily newspapers. You know there are some people, some, mind you I said, that believe the press agents. You will find an awfully small per cent, of these among exhibitors that read trade journals. This letter no doubt to you is a series of brainstorms, but I hope I have left the impression that producers must come back to earth, cut their expenses along with the exhibitors. Let’s have honest advertising and honest critics’ reports and above all let’s quit “ shooting the bull ” about those million dollar productions, million dollar salaries and stuff like that. There are some productions that cost that, but it is getting so that anytime one releases a five-reeler it is put on the market as “ A Million Dollar Production.” Wishing the News continued success, I am, Yours truly, C. R. Sullivan, Amarillo, Texas. An Outsider Points the Path for the Industry (The following letter is from the head of a commercial film to a prominent exhibitor. It is another strong argument for a national move by the exhibitor and industry in general toward a wide-awake-todanger campaign to fight the industry’s battles.) Dear Mr. : Have just witnessed something here that may be of more than passing interest to you, that is the success of a movement to close the theatres Sunday. About 3 or 4 months ago a Bob ( Continued on page 848)