The Moving picture world (November 1923-December 1923)

Bettek_ Equipment D R^V^ T. KEYSER CONDUCTED A Message from An Organ Builder. A Great Little Theatre. Putting Up a Good Front. IN our issue of October 27, we published a communication from an exhibitor who wanted a small organ at a moderate price. Here is what an organ manufacturer who read that letter writes. I am interested in the letter from the Honduran exhibitor. It is in line with my views, and I am becoming more convinced that my views are correct every day and incidentally more disgusted with the modern method of advertising, so far as it applies to the theatre organ business. * * * An organ can be produced for the smaller house that will be a real musical instrument without a fancy price. Lots of builders do it, but exhibitors are all frightened off by the published high prices of organs. * * * I know you fellows are out to get business and doubtless you will get more money from those fellows than you would out of advertising of the builders of legitimate organs, but you would in the end get the organ business on its feet in way that the buyer would be protected. Never mind the builder, he hasn't any rights at any rate but this method of advertising and throwing the "bull" hurts the small exhibitor. " If the conditions in the organ business, today, are as bad as the writer of the above believes them to be and if the exhibitor is delaying putting his name on the dotted line of a contract because he wants an effective musical instrument of low cost, it would appear that there is considerable business awaiting the manufacturer of moderate priced organs who will advertise them. In fact, if our organ builder correspondent would come right out and, over his own signature in the advertising columns, tell his story to our readers in language as straightforward as his letter, we believe that he would do much to remedy the conditions of which he complains. So far as "we fellows" of the trade press being out to get the business is concerned, none of the motion picture trade publications has ever carried any undue amount of organ advertising, which may possibly account for the fact that an exhibitor's idea as to what an organ installation would cost him in actual dollars and cents may be somewhat out of plumb. The remedy for this is quite obvious and we will welcome most cordially to the advertising columns the organ manufacturer who will hand out the straight goods regarding prices in an announcement over his own name. Not because we are unduly mercenary in the matter, but we feel that a campaign of this nature is something for which the manufacturer and not the editor should make himself responsible. GIVEN all the money that he asks, an unlimited plot of ground and an order to plan a house of several thousand seating capacity, the average picture theatre architect has a comparative cinch. But when he is up against a proposition of a fiftv by one hundred foot plot, and a six hundred seat house, he must do some pretty close figuring of the kind that requires experience back of it. It is a much harder task to plan a good small house than a good big one and that's why we congratulate architect Davis on his achievement of the Peerless Theatre, which we describe in this issue and also the Messrs. Newman for giving the architect an opportunity to show what he could accomplish. We will bet that these plans will be consulted by our readers for a long while to come. SPEAKING of new houses, the proprietors of the St. Helen's Theatre Chehalis, Washington, the new one hundred thousand dollar eighthundred seat house, the building of which we announced in our issue of September 8, have just shot us a photo of the architect's wash drawing so that we can get an idea of what the theatre will look like on completion. It is such a good looking front that we believe our readers will admire it as much as we do, and, as thev may find some valuable suggestions in same, we are reproducing it elsewhere. SOME time ago, we made a few feeling remarks anent the renovation of a picture house and an expenditure for foyer chairs which was out of all proportion to that devoted to the projection room equipment. To offset this sad state of affairs, we are joyfully spreading the glad news that we have been tipped off to a new house in which not only is the projection room a real room, but that five — yes, FIVE — projectors are installed.