Moving Picture World (Jul-Sep 1911)

THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 785 THE rainy weather last week in and about Greater New York made a big cut in the open air shows' receipts. Most of the places remained closed the greater part of the week. * # # During one of the wet nights I happened to be in the vicinity of an airdome on upper Broadway, Manhattan. Seeing the place was open I went in to see how many people thought enough of moving pictures to take a wetting in seeing them. As the neighborhood I refer to comprises the better class of residents, I thought the manager of the place was foolish in keeping it open on such a night. To my surprise I found an attendance covering considerably more than the expenses for the night; and to my still greater surprise found that, with but few exceptions, the audience was sitting under individual umbrellas brought from their own homes. "I've got them coming," said the manager, "and it takes a severe storm to make me decide not to give a show. Yes, you would think they had fear of catching cold from wet or damp seats, Dut you can see for yourself that many do not." * * * It is the intention of some open-air show people to erect a horseshoe metal canopy over the seats next season. The idea is to furnish shelter from the rain without sacrificing any ventilation. It is not expected that this will draw the people on rainy nights, although many people caught by the rain in the vicinity would in all probability most cheerfully give up a nickel or a dime to get combined shelter and entertainment until the passing of the storm. * * * One of the managers who has decided to erect a metal canopy stated that his chief object was to hold the people after getting them. If it looks like rain they will not go to an airdome because, without protection, they will be obliged to leave if it should rain and will get a wetting on the way home. Some of the storms this summer came up so suddenly that the rain fell before the first reel was run off, and a big rush for the exits followed. * * * A manager of quite a large airdome when asked if he intended adopting the canopy, said he did not; that he protected his patrons by giving rain checks. But that is not the desired protection. The checks will give the people their money's worth of entertainment, but will not keep them dry. * * * There is no more valuable connection with a picture show than a good worker of traps and effects. A good salary spent for such a man is never wasted. But a bum worker on that branch of the business is an abomination in the eyes of everybody, including the boy that climbs over the fence or under the tent. I saw some effects worked a few nights ago in a manner that almost made me fear they would incite a riot. They were so ridiculous as to appropriateness and time that a good picture was spoiled. It is absolutely ridiculous to work the cocoanut shells when a horse is galloping in sand half way up to its knees. Yet I saw it done. The party responsible for it was a young man who had probably never given much time to the study of effects and as a young lady sitting in one of the front seats attracted a good deal of his attention, he could not be expected to put up a high grade of accompaniments, but when he gave an imitation (and a poor one at that) of rappings upon a door after the visitor in the picture had entered the house I felt like shouting "Police!" Roars of laughter followed this break, and they were not occasioned by anything in the picture itself. I like to see enterprising, ambitious young men working hard to add to the attractiveness of the shows and I very much dislike to see the reputation of a place jeopardized by incompetent or careless work of employees. * * * I cannot understand why there should still be so many scratched and worn pictures on the market. We all know now that it is not because enough new subjects are not put out by the many manufacturers. An operator said regarding old timers that he took pride in going over his reels before the show and making new joints to make the films as presentable as possible, but he could not eliminate the scratches. Some of the reels he gets are subjects for a home for incurables and it hurts business. Only last night I passed two ladies in front of a picture house and heard one say to the other: "No, don't go in here. Somehow the pictures are not good. They appear old and have white lines running through them." I watched the ladies and saw them go into a picture place about three blocks away. The pictures there I found were in good condition and for that reason the exhibitor there made a gain on the other exhibitor's loss. It has been remarked many times that you can pull through easy with scratched subjects. You cannot do it now. Audiences are getting more wise and particular every day and they are quick to discriminate between places that run films in good condition and those that do not. * * * A man who knows nothing about the trade details of the picture business put this phase of the subject to me very pointedly: "There are few nights in a month that I do not go to see the pictures and you can't fool me as to quality. I know that when a picture is not in good condition that either the owner of the house is not paying enough money to get good pictures, or he is not dealing with people who can give him good ones, and I change my place of amusement. I pay the price of admission that is asked and for that price I expect to see the same quality of pictures that another house gives for the same amount." The current event issues that have recently made their appearance on the screens are making hits with photoplay patrons. They are being most favorably commented upon. These issues bring before the people events of the day in a far more realistic and effective manner than can be done through the columns of newspapers. You get the real, lifelike action, devoid of any exaggeration, or padding. And what a boon it is to the poor beings whose illiteracy makes the reading of newspapers impossible! An old timer in the picture business was asked to give his opinion as to the appreciation of the current event reels by the people patronizing motion pictures and he said he considered them better attractions for the exhibitors than any other line. Many places are featuring them. They seem to attract immediate and a lasting interest, and the people continue to talk about them, thus creating advertising for the exhibitors. No one will pretend to say that the newcomers are detracting attention from the story pictures, nor from the educational subjects. They are not. The latter still hold their ground, with the former making a distinct hit as a news dispenser entirely stripped of anything having a tendency toward fiction. People read of events and express regret that they have not been able to be upon the scenes and that the newspaper and magazine illustrations do not more satisfactorily convey the details of the occurrences. The motion picture reproductions of events of the day satisfy such desires, as well as adding something real, refreshing and instructive to the regular programme. * * * The conservative exhibitor will not allow himself to be carried away by the popularity attained by the news reels and make reckless demands upon his exchange for such reels. In this case especially there can be too much of a good thing. The people will continue to seek the films that give them the doings in real life outside of those told in story books, but they will also appreciate an intermingling of a little nonsense, even if it is a comedy, or a something more serious — about love, for instance. Travel and educational subjects are very much appreciated when they are good; but no matter how good they may be the spheres in which a programme made up of such subjects will give satisfaction are limited. If you wish to see any of the nickelodeon exhibitors cut loose their tempers give them two