Moving Picture World (Jan-Feb 1927)

January 8, 1927 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 105 ^rjr T is customary at this time ox year to go back over the past twelve months and II dig out more or less interesting facts to be presented in statistical form. We feel that while no one ever reads and reflects upon the mass of statistics thus collated, the good old custom should be Upheld, but we see no reason why the same old facts should be presented year after year, and in our own collection of data it has been our endeavor to touch upon material not covered by other publications. For example, it probably will be news to many to know that had all of the press matter submitted for publication been double spaces (which is not always the case), enough material was issued to the trade publications in 1926, if pasted end to end, to girdle the earth at the Equator nine times. If this bandage had been smoothly applied, there would still be enough left to wrap around the North Pole to a thickness of 3.7 inches. The matter actually used would reach from New York to Liverpool over the eastbound summer steamer route, and from Liverpool to Gorelston-on-Sea with a decided sag in the middle of the tape. Of this string two and one-half miles were written without the stars’ names being spelled in all-capitals and 14.79 feet were written in regular newspaper style. Careful Record Kept On the Yes-Men In the same period 1,684,680 more or less Important Conferences were held involving 2,725 persons and employing a total of 846,654,901 hours and ten minutes. The amount of result obtained at these conferences cannot be estimated, as we have mislead our micrometer. In the last twelve months, directors, production supervisors, studio managers and higher-ups were “yessed” 43,689,054 times, being divided as follows : Los Angeles dis trict 31,728,981; New York, 1,960,073. The word “No” was uttered once, but when they found that the speaker was given to talking in his sleep, they only fired him, so it would not happen again. Film productions made on speculation and not finding a market, consumed 49,853,001 feet of negative stock and 53,179,981 feet of positive. In addition one 10-reel “massive super spectacle” was successfully marketed as a two-reel comedy, cutting down the production loss to $9,843.27. In the matter of subtitles there were 998,757, of which three were not “wise cracks.” During the year 15,855 baby stars came to the conclusion that their friends had handed them a bum tip and went back home or to the laundry, and 3,971 animated collar ads decided to engage in some gainful trade and permit the movies to work out their salvation unaided. Stupid directors gave the gate to 972 pickaninnies “just as good as Farina if not better,” and 23,852 incipient Jackie Coogans shared a similar fate. Still Photographs Made Little Noise In addition to their regular duties, the still photographers made 37,851 shots of visiting notables, of which 93.74 per cent, were posed with the stars. The time of the players wasted in making these shots represented a loss of $1,951,734.09 and enough paper was used in making the prints to cover the state of Rhode Island and the Black Belt in Harlem. The publicity thus obtained had a cash value of $9.88. The annual production of Christmas cards exceeded 1925 by 39.76 per cent. Sent out in a single mailing these would have required a train of 425 sixty-foot cars. The entire circulation was 5.9, that of the Saturday Evening Post. Star portraits had a favorable year ancl 13,864,003 were sent to fans in all parts of the world, including the Scandinavian. Three of them carried the actual signature of the star. Only 5,754,343 personal letters were written by the stars to their fan admirers and no star had to hire more than nine secretaries to write these letters, a gain of only 1.73 per cent. Figures on the exhibiting end are equally interesting. Strip Tickets Enough For All Bootleggers Enough strip tickets were sold in 1926 to give 47 and a fraction to each person in the United States, including those in the penitentiaries, with a surplus sufficient to give three additional tickets to each bootlegger, or an excess of 973,791. Enough energy was generated at Saturday matinees hissing the villain to drive a locomotive pulling a train of 62 loaded freight cars 17 miles up a 4 per cent, grade or to run the Twentieth Century Limited from New York to a point nine miles west of Cleveland. Had the friction generated by the applause given the hero been turned into heat, it could have supplied the boilers of the Woolworth Building for three weekdays and one Sunday while the laughter, could it be concentrated in a single house, would blow the roof off the Capitol Theatre. Only 4,964,903 feet were stepped on by persons crowding through the aisles, and 9,654 hats ruined by being dropped to the floor and stepped upon. There was an appreciate decrease in the number of wads of chewing gum sat upon in the dark, only 73,937 cases being reported, of which only 73,931 complainants hinted at damages. Damages were paid in three instances. The Hays office is said to be in conference with Wrigley and Adams in an effort to induce them to produce a non-stickable gum. So far the experiments have been rather discouraging. And on August 9, in Galliwock, Wis., a man who came in on a deadhead ticket did not go out and knock the show.