Motography (Jan-Jun 1918)

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.

February 23, 1918. MOTOGRAPHY 381 What Theater Men Are Doing NEWS OF EXHIBITORS WHO ARE SUCCEEDING— ARE YOU ONE? This department of Motography specialises in giving to exhibitors stories of the accomplishments of successful theater managers. If you have attempted any experiments and they have succeeded or failed write Motography about it. Chicago House Does Record Business Theater Seating 390 Takes In $1,260 in One Day by Running from 9 a. m. to Midnight and Giving Fourteen Shows "TWELVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY paign, mouth-to-mouth advertising was 1 DOLLARS in one day in a house seating three hundred and ninety persons! Impossible, you say; but is was actually done in Chicago — in the midst of the worst blizzard the windy city has ever known — and the achievement marks one of the most notable instances of business building co-operation ever recorded between an exhibitor and an exchange manager. The picture was Pathe's five reel official war film, "The German Curse in Russia," the exhibitor, Harry Thompson of the Pastime on Madison street, and the exchange man, R. O. Proctor of Pathe. Here's how it was done: Proctor had a big offer for one week at another house, but he decided that seven days was not a long enough time. So he talked to Mr. Thompson about an extended run. The capacity of Mr. Thompson's theater is exactly 390 and his regular price of admission is 10 cents. However, Mr. Proctor showed Mr. Thompson in black and white where he could charge 25 cents, open his theater at 9 o'clock in the morning, put on an entertainment running an hour and 5 minutes and by closing at midnight play 14 full performances. Having sold the exhibitor, Mr. Proctor did not stop there, but went out to help him. He created a public demand first by showing the picture at private screenings to aldermen and judges, to the exclusive Union League Club, to the strongest political organization in the city, the Hamilton club, to the Elks in their new home, the occasion prompting the exalted ruler to send out invitations to Elks in the adjoining states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana, as well as to all the lodges in Illinois, and to the highest Army and Navy officials from the Great Lakes Training station and army headquarters. At the expiration of two weeks, the time consumed in this advance cam making "The German Curse in Russia' a household word. Here is a telegram telling the result: "We opened with 'German Curse in Russia' Monday to largest business this house has enjoyed in twelve years of operation on Madison Street. More favorable comments on this picture — applause and cheers — from spectators than on any picture we have ever played. Chicago is a big city, but everybody— exhibitors and public alike — are talking about this production. My congratulations to Pathe. — Harry Thompson, Manager Pastime Theater." he considers especially suitable for children he telephones the chairman, Mrs. L. J. Rice, who sends three of her committee to see the picture. If they approve of it, announcement is made in the public schools. This permission has been granted by the board of education. The plan is one which might be tried with success in other cities and towns and would aid the exhibitor in solving the problem of drawing the right people to see the many beautiful productions now made for children and young people. Theaters Get School Aid San Diego, Cal., has a better films committee which co-operates with exhibitors in this effective fashion: When a theater manager has a film City Boosts License Fee The city council of Saskatoon, Canada, has increased the annual license fee for picture theaters. For houses seating more than 1,000, the fee is increased from $150 to $250; for houses of 500 to 1,000 seating capacity from $100 to $150. Those with less than 500 seats will continue under the old rate of $50 per year. This tax is in addition to the license fee imposed by the Province of Saskatchewan, which is also to be increased this year. A dramatic moment in "Madam Jealousy," Pauline Frederick's current picture for Paramount.