The Washington times., 1914-04-01
THE BEST
Photopldy Department il,
WASHINGTON
Public Does Not Want
So Many Six and
Seven Reel
Plays

tiple reel proposition which
is agitating the producer and
the exhibitor just now, which
hasn't been given half the attention
II deserves. What the exhibitor and
producer calls multiple" is q play
that runs through more than one
reel Of film. The coming of the null
tiple within the past two years has
added two interesting factors to the
business-this being the public's point
of view. 1t has made possible the
production of plays like the legiti-
mate stage dramsa, the dramatiza-
ton Of books and the presentation Of
historical spectacles. And II has
also increased the price Of admission
to the theaters. The legitimate the
aters have entered the game with
vengeance since the multiple began
to be such an important part OF the
producers output. And where tho
legitimate theater entered the game
there has been a tendency to in
crease the price.
The original photoplay house was
a 10-cent house. but the vast ma
jority of its early followers were
termed 'nickeIodians" because the
admission price was cents. The
Improvement in the making OF pic
lures and the lengthening of the pro-
grams caused a raise in the price Of
the better class houses to 10 cents.
And 10 cents is about the standard
for the flrst-class places today. The
multiple reel is the principal excuse
the producer has given for raising
the price to a Quarter-about which
we had something to say a few days
ago.
Now the public is interested in the
production OF good plays and it IS
interested in the success of the null
tple reel proposition to a certain
extent because II enables the pro-
duction Of full plays. But the pub
lie is not at all interested in long
dra1n-out productions or spectacles,
the importance Of which is simply
measured by the number Of reels 1t
takes to tell the story. There is an
expression common in use in news
paper offices to the effect that the
story Of the creation was written
IN 100 words, ard there is no reason
Why any other story should take q
longer telling. The same idea might
be applied to the photoplay. The
public believes that a four or five
rcel-certainly q six reel-production
10 the absolute limit. The average
playgoer does not want to sit
through more than six reels in one
phntopiay theater. He should not
be subjected to the strain of watch
ing more than that at any one per-
1oImance- In former times when
there were single and split-reel sub
1ects only-a sp!it-reel being q reel
with two or more subject-four
reels was the limit OF the average
human endurance. OF course, there
has been great Improvement in the
art OF projection and il is possible
with modern machine and expert
operators. to show six reels with
out undue eye strain.
But the point is that, all the discus
saon Of the producers and exhibitors
70 the contrary Notwithstanding, the
puhlic like A multiple Of large rro-
portions only once in a while. II
VIII be found that people will 20
more often to the theaters that make
4 practice OF showing four or five
single or double reel subjects with a
oiS feature of longer proportions
once in while, than ii will TO a
house where five six and even eight
reel subjects are the rule. The r1o-
lic doesn't really want more than
TWO reels except in exceptional cases.
The best features on the market to-
fay-that Is. the features that are
being regularly produced-run no
oneer tran four or five reels. There
fs one Of the biggest compapies In
the country. ono of the best in the
business, that never produced a plav
Of more than two reels. And that
company never produced one AS long
Is two reels until few months ago,
This concern is one of the most pop-
MAR with the public and always has
been.
The effect Of the mrGtinle reel on
prices is another thing. Right here
IN washington there are theaters
showing eight reels Of film for
cents. This is about eight reels too
many of the kind that are shown
because they are usually rather
worn. Six reels is the general T1,Ie
N lo-cent houses. If an exhibitor
can show six reels of fiirn DrofitalIv
when the reels are of different Kinds.
"hv should he charge more to show
ono siN-reel play There doesn't
seem TO be much answer to that
question As a matter OF fact it
shouldn't cost the exhibitor very
much more And II Il did, and bo
followed the public's plainly shown
preference. it would be about as fre-
4uent in the first class houses as 4
zoo star is I'm a vaudeville program.
The vaudeville houses have 5000
stars occesionall!-but only occa-
slonaily. And a Quo Nadis'' or a
Last Days oF Po,npeit'' y.botopI..,, 1.
produced only at rare intervaIs.