Moving Picture World (Nov-Dec 1927)

Record Details:

Title:
Moving Picture World
Date:
Nov-Dec 1927
Publisher:
New York, Chalmers Publishing Company
Volume:
Moving Picture World (Nov-Dec 1927)
Leaf #:
00030
Language:
English
Collection:
Hollywood Studio System and Early Cinema
Format:
Periodicals
Contributor:
The Museum of Modern Art Library, New York
Sponsor:
Media History Digital Library
Coordinator:
Media History Digital Library
Description:
Moving Picture World, founded in 1907 by J.P. Chalmers, was one of the motion picture industry's first trade papers. Published on a weekly basis in New York City, Moving Picture World informed exhibitors about films available for rental and editorialized on behalf of the growing industry (improving the quality of movies through higher filmmaking standards, not government censorship, was a frequent topic). The paper reached its height in the mid-to-late-1910s--a fact reflected in the circulation figures and the huge amount of advertising that filled every issue during the period. In the 1920s, Moving Picture World lost ground to other competing weekly trade papers -- including Variety, Exhibitor's Herald, and Motion Picture News. In 1927, Moving Picture World ceased publication when it was acquired by Martin Quigley's Exhibitor's Herald. Across the 20 year run of Moving Picture World, readers can watch the transition from short film programs to feature films and witness the transition from the dominance of Edison's Trust to the rise of the "Independent" film companies that ultimately became the Hollywood studios. Silent film historians have utilized and cited Moving Picture World more frequently than any other trade paper, and the publication still has many insights left to offer. -- Eric Hoyt, 2012/2013
Date Added:
May 30, 2024
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.

18 MOVING PICTURE WORLD November 5, 1927 Editorial Between the Acts JUST between the acts, while awaiting the Federal Trade Commission’s “message to Garcia” et al, let us consider the statement of the exhibitors of Eastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey and Delaware that certain organizations are starting an intensive drive to secure non-theatrical bookings for their product. No names are given. The sinners are designated as “they.” It sometimes seems that “they” are intent upon wrecking the works — killing the exhibitor goose once and for all. And entirely forgetting the golden eggs. Complaint follows complaint. Either exhibitors are the most unreasonable beings in the industrial world, or they are the victims of terriffic impositions. And the sessions of the Conference failed to show any aggravated cases of pig-headedness. If there was ever unfair competition it is that of non-theatrical exhibitors against motion picture theatres. Its injustices cry to the skies for remedy. The exhibitors have cooperated with the Hays Organization in a magnificent work of charity giving. Five hundred institutions of various natures are supplied with film entertainment gratis. It doesn’t seem — shall we say — ethical, that exhibitors be forced to submit to the delving of predatory fingers into their pockets through a “crime wave” of non-theatrical booking drives which directly affects their industrial lives. Looks like something should be done about it. Something even more drastic than writing a letter to the papers. Farewell Fanamet NO, it’s not the alliterative name of a comedy. It is the somewhat sad adieu to a project which started bravely some eighteen months ago. It is the knell of a cooperative sales plan through which Paramount, Metro and First National endeavored to market their product in Europe through a single organization — “Fanamet.” The experiment seemed likely to succeed. It appeared basically sound. But like many another theory, it didn’t work in practice. The reason? There was no unity of purpose. The interests of “Fanamet” were not Paramount nor Metro, nor First National. In flirting with her three protectors, “Fanny” was true to none. And Barnum isn’t the only one who was right. Lincoln knew that a house divided against itself cannot endure. Too bad they couldn’t have asked Abe about “Fanny.” May she rest in peace. And maysome one profit by digesting the mental pabulum offered in her demise.