Motography (Apr-Jun 1916)

Record Details:

Something wrong or inaccurate about this page? Let us Know!

Thanks for helping us continually improve the quality of the Lantern search engine for all of our users! We have millions of scanned pages, so user reports are incredibly helpful for us to identify places where we can improve and update the metadata.

Please describe the issue below, and click "Submit" to send your comments to our team! If you'd prefer, you can also send us an email to mhdl@commarts.wisc.edu with your comments.




We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.

Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.

May 6, 1916. MOTOGRAPHY 1031 What Theater Men Are Doing AN OPEN FORUM What Per Cent of Your Music Is Noise? By J. M. Dilmar Jefferson Amusement Co., Philadelphia AS I was a vaudeville and minstrel performer for 26 years, a vaudeville agent in Philadelphia for 10 years, in the motion picture business ever since it began, organizer of the Exhibitors' League of Philadelphia and also the Exhibitor Booking Offices, I naturally boost with all my might anything that will tend to make the business bigger, better and of more value to the world. The total of my ideas in regard to how to run a successful picture house is to give the public the best, and the best only. Play the best and advertise them strong and you will succeed. Music should be furnished that is not a good per cent noise, and noise only. The musical accompaniment has a continual effect upon the audience and it should be according to their ideas and the manager should find out whether or not they like just the kind he gives. I use both the organ and an orchestra, sometimes combining both with really good solo work upon different instruments. It is really a joy to listen to it. Employees should be not only polite and kind, but should do anything in their power to oblige a patron. The house should have the right odor, — one of absolute cleanliness. Every part of the building should be clean and attractive. A neat program — not a cheap one plastered with ads — is essential, as is also quiet, restful interior decorations. Be a Good Merchant Bv Will H. Sohm, Secretary and Manager, Belasco Theater Company, Quincy, III. My humble efforts have been rewarded through my irrevocable determination to be a good merchant. for after all there is little difference between the mercantile and the show business. The same class of trade is encountered, the same conditions imposed and all efforts made toward the same end. The showman like the merchant buys merchandise. In the case of the exhibitor, entertainment, education and "service" are so much stock which he markets to the public for a consideration. How well he succeeds depends entirely upon his judgment in selecting his wares and the facilities employed to market them. I have directed amateur, semi-professional theatricals for the past fifteen years and entered the motion picture field as an exhibitor. Throughout this period I have held fast to my contention that a good, clean story, well presented, will satisfy in most cases, at least to the extent of insuring a steady and regular patronage, which to me is eminently more satisfactory than the spasmodic rushes due to immoral or suggestive subjects which ultimately reflect upon the house and all its performances. I sincerely believe that the amusement seeking public have a large majority in favor of the elevating tendencies of the better kind of pictures, and I'm for that class exclusively. I take a decided interest and pleasure in working on the problem of pleasing my patrons more and more ; my vocabulary does not include the words "good enough." Appreciation is a word spelt in capital letters at my theater, and it permeates the atmosphere in my house. I find it the cheapest and yet the most valuable quality in the make-up of mankind, next to honesty. I censor my pictures at each change, watch carefully the impression made upon my audience and govern myself accordingly. I have stabilized my program to the extent that picture patrons have come to realize they need not measure the value of my program by the size of my advertisement appearing in the newspapers nor by a poster plastered front. They feel assured in seeing a good show always. I will admit my competitors likewise show good pictures and doubtless some that will please better sometimes, but I give my patrons the best I can secure — always their money's worth. My advertising is regular and clean. I tell the truth about my attractions and rest in the thought that if the public read the ads they make no mistake in visiting the Belasco. I co-operate with the exchangeman and meet my obligations promptly, rather one day early than one day late. I frequently ask and obtain help from these gentlemen incident to advertising. My associations with the exchangemen are most pleasant. I find them endowed with a generous supply of the milk of human kindness. I could continue for sometime longer listing other ideas, but some readers may say "that chap isn't up against the proposition that we are." That may be. true. I don't know it all by any means, and I am learning every day. I might add, however, concerning competition, that I am doing business in a city of 38,000 souls and have eight motion picture theaters, one vaudeville and the legitimate house, also using pictures, to contend with. The biggest set of words that I know of in my mental makeup governing my operation are : Cleanliness throughout, courtesy, cheerfulness, regular show hours, no speeded programs, refinement, high class music. And the balance rests in the hands of the gods. New York Strand Makes News Films The Strand Theater of New York is to maintain what it calls the "Strand Daily News Service," a departure in motion picture exploitation which promises to launch a new era in the showing of illustrated news on the screen. Events of interest which occur during the day will be photographed by the Strand cameraman and the pictures will be shown the afternoon following at the Strand. A temporary arrangement has been made to carry the camera man around the city, pending the completion of the Strand Cameracar, a motor car especially equipped with a mounted moving picture machine.