The Film Renter and Moving Picture News (Mar-Apr 1923)

10 THE FILM RENTER & MOVING PICTURE NEWS. March 3, 1923. A DULL AND DREARY FUNCTION. Uninspiring Speeches and Poor Window Dressing the Principal Features of the C.E.A. Dinner. AN IMPRESSION OF AN UNEVENTFUL EVENING. BY ERNEST W. FREDMAN. ~ HE C.E.A. annual dinner, which took place on Wed a | nesday night, might very fittingly be described as one of the dullest and dreariest functions that have ever been held in the history of this trade. Unin spiring speeches for the most part teeming with pious platitudes and rhetorical reiteration that we have heard ad infinitum about vast power for education and good that the kinema is capable of, were the principal features of an exceedingly poor evening. | With uw memory of past C.E.A. banquets, when soime prominent personality has been the principal speaker of the evening, as, for instance, last year, when the Lord Chancellor was present, it was exceedingly disappointing to note by the toast list that the best that the organisers of this function had been able to secure as the principal speaker of the evening was Mr. P. J. Hannon, M.P. This gentleman is the secretary of The British Industries, and has championed the agitation for the removal of the Entertainment Tax, but it cannot be said that Mr. Hannon, admirable as his qualities are, is any real force in the House of Commons. Visitors to the dinner were naturally expecting that on this occasion precedent would be followed, that some prominent personality who could speak with authority would be present to give his views on the kinematograph industry, and it was therefore disappointing when the secretary read letters of regret from Mr. J. H. Thomas, M.P., and Mr. J. M. Hogge, M.P. Rarely have the speeches at a prominent banquet in this industry been so unutterably tame and devoid of inspiration, Mr. Hannon, in proposing the toast to the trade, referred to the millions of people whom the kinema interested and entertained. He also expressed himself in favour of total abolition of the tax, and quoted the number of members in the House who were in favour of revision of this burden on the kinematograph industry. It cannot be said that Mr. Hannon’s speech raised any enthusiasm at any juncture, and it was particularly noticeable that at the close not a single motion of applause was to be heard in the rocm. This gentleman was followed by Lord Ashfield. The noble lord was either a very tired and worried man or else is getting exceedingly blasé, for his speech was delivered in a tone that was very depressing. Now and again he enlivened his remarks with a few flashes of mild humour in the telling of two or three stories to illustrate his point, but on the whcle there was nothing in his oration to produce the mildest applause. Lord Ashfield remarked that he was attracted to the trade by friends who had invested large sums of money. and that he had great belief in the form of entertainment because he recognised the power for good and education that tlie kinema possessed. Dealing with his entry into the trade he thought it might bring into his life a measure ~ of tranquility, but found, to his dismay, that he had secured knowledge, but not tranquility. He had never lost faith or belief in the ultimate success of the trade. Dealing with the future Lord Ashfield asserted that he saw distinct signs of Improvement in the trade ahead. Dealing with the Entertainment Tax his lordship averred that the trade was strangled by taxation. More than 21 per cent. of the gross takings were paid in entertainment tax, and more than 30 per cent. paid in taxation as a whole. Lord Ashfield’s speech teemed with wearisome repetition, and was probably the most uninspiring utterance that he has ever made. Colonel Bromhead replied for the Kinematograph Manufacturers’ Association in one of those graceful speeches for which he is famous, whilst his brother, Mr. Reginald Bromhead, replied for the Kinematograph Renters’ Society. The new chairman of the K.R.S. made one of the few speeches of the evening that achieved success, and the commonsense in his remarks was greatly appreciated. Mr. Bromhead more and more impresses one with his shrewd capabilities every time he addresses an audience, and the K.R.S. have undoubtedly secured an excellent chairman this year, None of the speeches from thence onward, with the exception of Mrs. Broome, who contributed an excellent reply for the ladies, were capable of creating any enthuslasm, and a dull and dreary evening was brought to a close by Alderman Trounson proposing the toast of the Chairman. It is exceedingly unfortunate that on an occasion like this better speakers could not have been secured and it throws little credit upon the organisers of this function that they should have so lamentably failed to have made this banquet the great affair that it has been in the past. With such a gathering of the trade coming from all parts of the United Kingdom, and just at the present juncture when every nerve should be strained to get the Entertainment Tax adjusted, surely it was a great opportunity to have had a little window dressing. One expects it all the more in this industry because there are supposed to be showmen in the C.E.A. ranks. Certainly there was nothing more apparent than the lack of showmanship in this particular function, and if future C.E.A. dinners are to be a success then it is to be profoundly hoped that greater efforts will be put into the organisation to make it worthy of the trade. Wednesday night’s function will certainly not live in the memory of those present except as a boring evening that was entirely wasted.