The Film Renter and Moving Picture News (Jan-Feb 1923)

January 6, 1923. .... . THE BAD THE FILM RENTER & MOVING PICFURE NEWS. OLD DAYS.” Leeds Exhibitor's Story of Coke Stoves in Picture Houses. HOW A NEW ERA DAW N ED. (By our Leeds HAT an extraordinary progress the business of kinema W showmanship hag made in Yorkshire during the past five years! . The reflection is prompted by a look in at the Majestic Picture House in City Square during the Christmas holidays, when full houses were enjoying ‘‘ Brown Sugar,’’ featuring Owen Nares, just as much as in other houses of entertainment other audiences were enjoying pantomime. Here is the kinema de luxe up-to-date, as fine a building, so it is said, as any the American trade can show. What a far cry from the old oil or naptha lamp and stove days! Here’s another picture of those bad old days of ill-lighted and ll ventilated kinemas. From the Majestic, but a three minutes’ car ride away, one called on a suburban exhibitor, who told an entertaining story of conditions at shows now under his control, even as recently as 1917, when he took over the management. The.two shows are in different suburbs; one has seating accommodation for 100, and the other for 500. The large hall was opened in 1911, and in its day was onc of the earliest and hest shows i in Leeds, particularly for the suburbs. : The present manager “ took over ’’ one ioraiilag night towards the end of September, 1917, and that things had got rather _ low may he judged from the fact-timat at one: house that night there were about two docelte people, while at the other an audience of sixteen. Even Saturday night wag, , little better, for the takings at the two shows at night were: ‘eapeotively 17s. 9d, and 4s. 8d. ‘That,’ said Mr. * wasthe eud of a perfect day ’—when film hire for the two shawe for three days was about 50s. ‘Tt was evident that something had got to be done,’’ said the exhibitor, ‘‘ for I was aneured by the old doorman and general attendant that that was ‘a good neet ’1”” > Phe. old attendant, indeed, quite solemnly assured the new manager Correspondent *) that when, after a continuous twice-nightly cliow the pianist came to play ‘‘ God Save the King ’’ it was quite a common vceurrence to find only half-a-dozen people in the house, and two or three of them would have to be awakened from sleep, too! ‘** We thought we were doing big things when,’’ said the storyteller, ‘‘ we * spring-cleaned ’ the show, and then installed four coke stoves and advertised an entire change of management and program. I can see the show now, and it makes me laugh. ‘‘ Those coke stoves were the foulest and most evil-smelling contrivances, I ever saw, and yet nightly people came in and clustered round them in groups on cold winter nights. One stove I particularly remember was well to the front, and to see the picture on the screen it was necessary for the people to look up: cross-eyed at a very acute angle. It was quite the usual thing to see a dozen or sixteen people in such a bunch, so that perhaps you can imagine any number up to half-a-dozen looked at the picture over their own shoulders. very well content to do it, too, in those days! ** Well, six months of that was enough; the business was waking up! The coke stoves, the old lamps, the old machine, the old screen, at which some of the more unruly in the audience had thrown brickbats when the picture did not please, had to go, and with them the piano with the hammers tied up with indiarubber rings from gingerbeer bottlce! The first new era of picture palaces had begun! Gas radiators, a new up-to-date machine, a new screen, and an orchestra were installed.” That was how the first new cra came in for one picture house. As one looks at the new Majestic in Leeds, one realises that another new era. las arrived, and one is given pause to think again of the march of progress. From the coke stoves in the picture house to the magnificence of the Majestic is, indeed, a far cry in five years. What will the new picture house be like ten years from now? Echo answers ** What?” They were ‘Gaumont Trade Shows for January, © The Gaumont Company, Lid., will reeommence trade shows . on January 17, when they will present, at the New Gallery »Kinema, a Thos. H. Ince production, ‘t Love Never Dies,” ‘which will be preceded by an exceptional two-reel interest . picture, ‘‘ In the Footsteps of De Rougemont.” First National Attractions. From a brief glance at the advertisements of Associated First National Pictures, Ltd., which are contained in this issue, one feels that it will be indeed a happy new year for exhibitors. Apart from the pictures which haye already been shown during the past season, First National are enhancing the reputation they have already created with o new series of special productions, each of which is said to be execllent moving picture art. It is to be remembered that the pictures handled in England by this renting house are those specially selected by the Associated First National Exhibitors’ Circuit of America, a co-operative society of exhibitors who select pictures for showing in their own theatres. It stands to reason, therefore, that the films presented, under the First National trade mark in this country are alréady proven box-office successes even prior to their release . here. We strongly urge all showmen to keep an eye on the gnnouncements of Associated First National Pictures, Ltd., in order that 1923 may not only be a happy, but also a prasperous new year for them. “« Paddy, the Next Best Thing.”’ We regret that in our last issue we did not mention that the photographs of ‘‘ Paddy, the Next Best Thing ’’ had been specially taken by Mr. Rene Gnissart, the well-known cameraman, UP-TO-DATE FILM PRINTING. 7 E had the pleasure of inspecting the very complete film W printing plant of the Topical Film Company the other day, and were amazed at the efficiency of this organisation. Their factory in Wardour Street is now in a position ‘to print hundreds of thousands of feet of film per week by the aid of a splendid range of automatic filmprinting machines and other aecessories from Mr. Jeapes’s patents, all of which go to make the Topical’s plant one of the finest-in the world. Renters and manufacturers requirmg:the highest-class printing on the most advantageous terms should ccrtainly make a point of seeing the Topical Film Co., and if possible paying a visit to their works which, situate in the-heart of film-land, are a marvel of repleteness,