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EDITORIAL
>"T^HERE are now available six news reels where there were four. The producers of these bi¬ weekly releases are all on their toes all the time in
an effort to score a beat and to give the public and the exhibitors the best service possible. Money is no object with them — service is their watch¬ word. This was well demonstrated when news reel makers spent several hundred thousands of dollars to “shoot” the recent trans-Atlantic air¬ plane flights.
Hardly a week goes by without some news “scoop” in one or all the news reels. Naturally the first run theatres have the first, and perhaps the only real opportunity to cash in on these “scoops”. The news reel, with the money that is spent to make it, is a short-lived proposition. It must be timely or else its value is gone.
We venture to say that every first run house in the country has a news reel on every program. At least from our observation we have found the majority of large theatres to carry in their news¬ paper ads or in their programs the mention of a news reel. Competition is keen among the makers of these wonder subjects — keen because each wants to be ahead of the other in being first on the screens of the theatres of the country with this one event or another. And, as we have pointed out, the first run houses are really the main bene¬ ficiaries of this superlative service.
And yet, what do we invariably find to be the case? After all the money that has been spent;
after all the effort that has been put into making one of the most interesting cinema subjects every week, these first run theatres chop them up and show only two or three topics, which in their opin¬ ions are the most interesting! And how often they’ve guessed wrong!
The news reel has more human interest than many super productions. Ask any regular patron of a motion picture theatre and he’ll tell you that regardless of what the rest of the program may be the news reel always contains something of in¬ terest to him. It seems unfair to public and pro¬ ducer to show so little of what is of so great in¬ terest and value, both from a standpoint of in¬ formation, education and entertainment.
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And here’s another observation, while we’re on the subject. From comment heard from many fans it would seem that the first run houses could well afford to cut out the organ recitals and pos¬ sibly an act or two of their lavish presentations, occasionally at least, and play short subjects. After all the public does go to the picture theatre to see motion pictures. The organ recitals would be liked much better, if they were given a rest every few weeks. Some of these recitals are silly. There is a vast supply of good short sub¬ jects of all kinds and types available this season. Why not substitute these worthwhile units of en¬ tertainment for the hokum and give the public a treat?