Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1929)

O ctobe 19 29 1.281 MANAGER!' ROUND TABLE CLUB Ralph Gokain Offers An Opinion On "Tin" Ushers A long time ago we wrote a story about a youngster named Ralph Cokain, who was the advertising manager for several theatres in Marion, Ind. This youngster, we were certain would make a mark for himself and we are still of the same opinion. And at this time we want to present to our many members and readers a short article which he has captioned "Theatre Routine" and which we are sure contains some mighty sensible advice, especially when applied to smaller towns and theatres. Read on fcr yourself and you will be surprised at the common sense and good showmanship displayed by this boy: Theatre Routine By RALPH COKAIN Advertising Mgr., Indiana Theatre, Marion, Ind. I have not yet had supervision ovc "n^nloyees in any of our theatres, but my experience and close affiliation enab!es me to Rive you the results of my observations, and things I would do if I were managing a theatre. In t It e first place. T do not think strict iron-clad rules should be imposed on all employees. There nre exceptions, of course, but if the manager lets an employee do his work on his own honesty, il will be better for all concerned. Some managers are afraid t i ■:■ out of town and leave their theatre for even a day. because they think nothing will go smooth while they are gone. If I was manager, I'd go out of town without worrying about my theatre, fully knowing that my help was competent and efficient enough to take care care of all difficulties that might arise. The question of employing ushers is one that must be worked out bv the individual theatre owner himself. Personally, I do not think the manager should take part in the hiring or firing of them. A good method is to employ a captain of ushers, who hires his own men. teachis them the rules, and fires them if they do not possess the qualities he deems necessary for a good usher. In the larger cities, military training is a wise method of making them polite and refin;d. but in the smaller towns, some differences must be allowed. Th;re are different types of people. The exhibitor in the small or average town is going to the extreme, in my opinion, when he attempts to make his ushers "tin soldiers." His patrens are not used to this, and they sometimes resent it. It should b: much better if he taught his ushers to be polite at all times, and to be HUMAN, not tin soldiers. This will be appreciated by his patrons, because they themselves are, we presume, HUMANS. In the big cities, the patrons have been educated to expect military discipline from the ushers. Therefore, the size of the town in which you operate determir.es the methods you use in taking cere of your patrons through the employment of ushers. Thank you, Ralph, and I wish you would make it a point to keep in touch with us more often, as we know yo i are engineering some mighty fine stuff out in Marion, Ind. Harry A. Goren Takes Over Management Of The Earle Harry A. Goren, formerly connected with the Comerford organization has severed connections to take charge of the WarnerEquity Earle Theatre, in ~— ^^~ ^~ ~ Allentown, Pa. -Mr. Goren promises to let us hear from him regularly as soon as he gets settled and shall certainly look forward to receiving some contributions from this showman. By the way, Harry, why not drop us a little personal letter and tell us something about yourse'f and what ycu have been doing since we last heard from you? Thanks a lot in advance for this little favor. Lots of luck in your new position. CLUB PIN!!! YOU HAVE BEEN SHOUTING FOR IT! Here It Is! Wear It All the Time! YOU WILL BE PROUD OF IT! IT WILL IDENTIFY YOU AMONG THE WHOLE SHOW WORLD AS A MEMBER OF THIS GREAT ORGANIZATION AND A REAL LIVE-WIRE MANAGER! AND IT'S A BEAUTY! :W This is the actual size of the pin. It is made of rolled gold with the outer circle containing a blue enamel background and the inner circle an orange background. The wording is in gold letters. USE THIS BLANK: Managers' Round Table Club, 729 Seventh Avenue, New York. Kindly send me, postpaid, Club Pins, for which I enclose payment at $1.00 per pin. Name of Member Theatre Address City State