LizzieMaine
Bartender
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I'm currently reading "Management of Motion Picture Theatres" by F. H. Rickelson Jr., a textbook published in 1938 for all those involved in the exhibition business, and it's full of advice that gives a flavor of what theatres and the theatre business were like in the prewar era:
"Today's audiences are demanding a finer quality of drama, music, and entertainment from the screen than they are receiving in their magazines, in the music halls, and on the stage. The empty ballyhoo from intellectual rebels that motion picture audiences have a twelve-year-old mentality has lots its flavor. The perennial question of the luncheon-club executive -- 'Why do we not have better movies? -- is now recognized as the talk of a Babbitt."
"Bookings must always have variety and contrast. Stars should not appear on the program more than once every four weeks, and it is better for their appearances to be spaced four to eight weeks apart. If the star for one week is a man, next week's predominating player should be a woman, or a man of an entirely different type. Action pictures should be intermingled with comedies and musicals to avoid staleness and give the theatre a continuously fresh appeal."
"Stage shows continue to have value in some theatres, usually in large key centers. They may enable a manager to lift his admission price above the average in his city. A theatre that would ordinarily be committed to a 40 cent admission may get 50 cents because of a stage show. If the added cost of the stage show is only 6 or 7 cents per patron, the theatre is amply justified in the policy."
"Employees should realize that they are serving a worthy cause in furnishing entertainment, recreation, and amusement to a world in which care and troubles are prevalent. Theatre employees may make material gains and find personal satisfaction, but they must have an inherent love for the theatre and a willingness to work hard for long hours while others play. The theatre is a jealous mistress, demanding fidelity and ability."
"ORDER OF THE SHOW: On a single bill program the order of a show should be as follows:
One-reel subject.
Newsreel.
Announcement trailer on coming attractions or policy.
Two-reel comedy or short subject.
Announcement trailer on next attraction.
Feature
Intermission.
The order for double-bill programs is somewhat different:
Announcement trailer on coming atttactions or policy.
"B" feature.
Newsreel.
Announcement trailer on next attraction.
"A" feature.
Intermission.
The show receiving the best audience reaction is never over three hours long, and is preferably two or two and one-half hours. Even the finest entertainment should be limited to two and one-half hours, for in that time the public's appetite seems to be satisfied and the show begins to lose its interest.
Commercial screen advertising has no place in any showhouse."
"In showhouses where the carpets, draperies, and furnishings are worn and some of the luster of the theatre has faded, beautiful young usherettes, attractively costumed, can keep the public's glances off the shabby spots. In small operations, usherettes can also save management the expense of a maid."
"The show begins in a motion picture theatre when the purchaser buys a ticket. In the old 'legitimate' days, the house appointments were secondary, and the whole show was on the stage. The psychology has changed, and the cashier of a motion picture theatre really starts the performance. The lobby, the foyer, and the personnel are all part of a pleasing effect and performance."
"Popcorn machines are suitable only to small-town theatres or the cheap-admission-price houses of large cities, or what might be termed 'storeroom' showhouses. A popcorn machine, where it can be used, is the most profitable by-product of theatre operation. Gross profits are three or four times commodity cost, and the public is a willing buyer in these small houses."
"Employees should remember: Every Patron Is Your Personal Guest!"
"Today's audiences are demanding a finer quality of drama, music, and entertainment from the screen than they are receiving in their magazines, in the music halls, and on the stage. The empty ballyhoo from intellectual rebels that motion picture audiences have a twelve-year-old mentality has lots its flavor. The perennial question of the luncheon-club executive -- 'Why do we not have better movies? -- is now recognized as the talk of a Babbitt."
"Bookings must always have variety and contrast. Stars should not appear on the program more than once every four weeks, and it is better for their appearances to be spaced four to eight weeks apart. If the star for one week is a man, next week's predominating player should be a woman, or a man of an entirely different type. Action pictures should be intermingled with comedies and musicals to avoid staleness and give the theatre a continuously fresh appeal."
"Stage shows continue to have value in some theatres, usually in large key centers. They may enable a manager to lift his admission price above the average in his city. A theatre that would ordinarily be committed to a 40 cent admission may get 50 cents because of a stage show. If the added cost of the stage show is only 6 or 7 cents per patron, the theatre is amply justified in the policy."
"Employees should realize that they are serving a worthy cause in furnishing entertainment, recreation, and amusement to a world in which care and troubles are prevalent. Theatre employees may make material gains and find personal satisfaction, but they must have an inherent love for the theatre and a willingness to work hard for long hours while others play. The theatre is a jealous mistress, demanding fidelity and ability."
"ORDER OF THE SHOW: On a single bill program the order of a show should be as follows:
One-reel subject.
Newsreel.
Announcement trailer on coming attractions or policy.
Two-reel comedy or short subject.
Announcement trailer on next attraction.
Feature
Intermission.
The order for double-bill programs is somewhat different:
Announcement trailer on coming atttactions or policy.
"B" feature.
Newsreel.
Announcement trailer on next attraction.
"A" feature.
Intermission.
The show receiving the best audience reaction is never over three hours long, and is preferably two or two and one-half hours. Even the finest entertainment should be limited to two and one-half hours, for in that time the public's appetite seems to be satisfied and the show begins to lose its interest.
Commercial screen advertising has no place in any showhouse."
"In showhouses where the carpets, draperies, and furnishings are worn and some of the luster of the theatre has faded, beautiful young usherettes, attractively costumed, can keep the public's glances off the shabby spots. In small operations, usherettes can also save management the expense of a maid."
"The show begins in a motion picture theatre when the purchaser buys a ticket. In the old 'legitimate' days, the house appointments were secondary, and the whole show was on the stage. The psychology has changed, and the cashier of a motion picture theatre really starts the performance. The lobby, the foyer, and the personnel are all part of a pleasing effect and performance."
"Popcorn machines are suitable only to small-town theatres or the cheap-admission-price houses of large cities, or what might be termed 'storeroom' showhouses. A popcorn machine, where it can be used, is the most profitable by-product of theatre operation. Gross profits are three or four times commodity cost, and the public is a willing buyer in these small houses."
"Employees should remember: Every Patron Is Your Personal Guest!"
