Wid's year book (1919)

the Holy Grail, the adventures of Christian on his journey to the Holy City in “Pilgrim’s Progress” were serial themes, pure and simple. But a change' has come in the business of serial production. The serial has been unjustly called the “dime novel” of the screen, because it was more primitive in the story i< told than the so-called dra¬ matic feature. Either an over-production of drama or an under-production of good drama has turned pub¬ lic taste towards the serial, and now the “thriller,” if you please, is sweeping into a popularity that would not have been believed possible a few years ago. I long ago ceased to make serials as they are com¬ monly known. In the past the serial has been a series of sensational incidents strung together by the thinnest sort of plot which was constructed merely as a background for stunts and thrills. In the future I shall make continued stories with the accent on the story. In the final analysis, the story is the thing; it is absolutely necessary in the making of a successful picture. Second in importance is the director, and last comes the star. The revamping of a good story to fit a mediocre star will no longer serve the purpose. The star must now be selected to fit the story. So far as the future of the so-called serial is con¬ cerned, we have not begun to make them yet. We are just at the beginning of the serial era in motion pictures and the field we are entering has limitless possibilities. Serials today are just where the picture business as a whole was ten years ago. Ten years from today, if we run true to form, we will see the serial at the pinnacle of its excellence. THEODORE WHARTON. Separate and Distinct The spirit of adventure which is so characteristic with the American people, demands and expects thrills, mystery, suspense and plenty of action. A good serial which has these necessary qualifica¬ tions is bound to be a success. It is something sepa¬ rate and distinct from the ordinary play. It is more accumulative in its effect on the mind, more stimulat¬ ing and persisting in its impressions. It gives full freedom to invention and artifice conception as well as picturization, and seems to be especially suited to satisfy the public demand in these adventurous and exciting times. “The serial may be termed the dime novel of the screen. Today the book novels are an unsatisfactory method for moulding the young minds and not suffi¬ cient to upbuild the imaginative faculties. The effect of reading these novels depends on the eloquence of the reader. The film version of these dramas has supplanted this medium of entertainment for the young, and it stimulates far more effectively the mental process, than by reading. But the younger generation is not alone a factor to the success of the serial, for many maiden hearts have executed delightful thrills when their worshipful eyes fall on the hero as he enters the frame or when he foils the villain. S. S. KRELLBERG, S. L. K. Serial Co. Big Houses Running Serials In my opinion, serials for the coming year will be in greater demand than ever before. This is due,' perhaps, to the fact that producers are giving more thought to story and spending more time and expense in the production of serials. There undoubtedly will be a greater demand for serials, due to the fact that so many exhibitors who heretofore were skeptical, have now proven from a box office standpoint that the serial is a profitable attraction. The best possible proof of this is that such theaters as the Rialto in San Francisco are now running a serial. This is the first time in ten years that a serial has appeared on Market Street in San Francisco. Messrs. Jensen and Von Herberg, who are without a doubt the most critical exhibitors in the northwest, have just booked a serial in their Portland and Butte houses. A number of theaters in Denver are now running serials that never ran serials before. I certainly do believe that serials should be changed in so far as quality of production and calibre of story is concerned. Heretofore, producers of serials have contented them¬ selves with the thought that, as long as there was plenty of action, it did not make any difference what kind of a story was used for the basis of the produc¬ tion. I, for one, am not going to produce a serial unless I know that the story is a logical one, and that the sensational situations are logically developed, and not “dragged in by the heels.” I think that since the exhibitors are leaning more towards the open booking policy, that the serials will be more extensively used than heretofore. There can be no doubt as to the value of serials if the experiences of a great many exhibitors are considered, as I have facts and figures which will show that a great many exhibitors have taken their poorest nights and con¬ verted them into the best paying nights by using serials. Take, for instance, the Laughlin Theater at Long Beach, California. This theater was losing money on Thursday and Friday nights. They booked a serial and put it over to such an extent that their Thursday and Friday night business exceeded business of Satur¬ day night. JOE BRANDT, National Film Corp. Do You Know — THERE ARE MORE SERIALS, MORE SHORT REELS AND MORE NOVELTIES BEING MADE THAN EVER BEFORE? WID’S SUNDAY ISSUES CON¬ TAIN REVIEWS OF ALL THE IMPORTANT SHORT REELS OFFERED.