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THE UNIVERSAL WEEKLY
3
| NOLAN'S NOTE
(No. 56. Straight-from-the-Shoulder Talks by Carl Laemmle, President.)
HE THIN-SKINNED EXHIBITOR WHO CANNOT STAND A DOSE OF THE PLAIN TRUTH HAD BETTER NOT READ THIS EDITORIAL. BUT THE THINKING EXHIBITOR WHO KNOWS HOW TO PROFIT BY HONEST, SINCERE AND CALM CRITICISM WILL FAIRLY EAT IT UP.
1 DIDN'T WRITE IT. I WISH I HAD. IT BEATS MINE TO PIECES. IT WAS WRITTEN IN THE FORM OF A LETTER TO ME, BY HENRY T. NOLAN, GENERAL MANAGER OF THE WM. H. SWANSON EXCHANGES. IT IS STRAIGHT FROM THE SHOULDER, PLUMP FROM THE HEART. IT IS THE KIND OF PLAIN TRUTH THAT I ENDORSE WITH ALL MY MIGHT.
"In my humble opinion", writes Mr. Nolan, "the main obstacle you will meet in your campaign to influence exhibitors to voluntarily pay more for service is that a certain type of exhibitor does not progress unless he progresses backward. I refer to the exhibitor who regards his exchange as a mortal enemy; the exhibitor who has made a failure of evei other line of business; the pessimist who growls, kicks, complains and finds fault constantly. He regards his exchange as an octopus and his competitor as a horned devil that should be tarred and feathered and ridden out of town.
"Such an exhibitor does not know what he wants. A routine policy is unknown to him. Now that he has an opportunity to book any and all programs he can reach out for, he is OVERBUYING HIMSELF.
"I do not mean that all exhibitors are on this order because happily there are many of them awake to the fact that they must confine themselves to a routine instead of operating their business in a haphazard manner. Some exhibitors think because their competitor is apparently prospering they must add more reels to their program, put on vaudeville, and then cut the price. This deficit, according to their theory, can be met in no other way than by haggling and wrangling about cut rates, freight, poster and express charges, etc. In other words, they want the exchange to stand the losses caused by their folly.
"I suggest that in your editorial talks you try to convince exhibitors that the exchange does NOT work against them, but on the contrary has their interest at heart all the time. Universal exchanges ARE DIFFERENT FROM OTHERS. The managers of the Universal exchanges ARE THE PICK OF THE COUNTRY, and they are, without exception, experienced, practical, hard-working men.
"We do not want the exhibitor to lose money. On the contrary it is part of our job to see that he makes a good profit. We regard each customer as our partner. If the average exhibitor would devote all the thought to his own business that he now devotes to worrying about what his competitor is doing he would note a material improvement in conditions. The Universal exhibitor need not worry about his competitor for one instant, for I think we can all conscientiously say that the Universal program is the best in the world.