The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-08-16
MOVIE HEAD HAD.
ROMANTIC
CAREER
Glamour Of Film Industry
Proves Lure for ErstwhiIe
Coal Merchant.
BY GEORGE FRANKLIN.

sale drug business to ultimately be-
come general manager of distribu-
ton for the Famous Players-L asky
Corporation, position second only
to that of president Of the corpora
ton, has been the experience of s.
r. Kent, forty years old; a six footer.
something under $50 pounds IN
weight, who talks in q low voice,
smiles genially, and never let's any
thing worry him.
Kent reached Washington yester-
day. The Paramount Company's
headquarters, 11O1 North Capitol
street, is one Of the detectives of his
annual itinerary.
"I love Washington" he an
nounced almost as soon as he found
time to forget for minute the bust
ness details which had engrossed him
for several hours.
''It is the only city Of it's kind in
America. It fairly exudes the spirit
Of home life. / could live here con-
tentedly forever. Now ] am making
no snap judgment. know some
thing about the atmosphere of a.
good many American cities, and best
OF all / like Washington.
No Argument There. =
Kent was bluntly told there was
no chance for an argument on that
point. Then he was invited to be
as confidential in telling Of how he
came to engage in the moving pic
ture business, and how it happened
that within a few short years he
scrambled up to his present posi-.
ton.
1.-THE romance Of the moving pic.
ture business is not confined to the
heroes and heroines' Of the screen"
said Kent, by way of Introduction.
There Is just as much of 1t in
the business office as in the stu
dos. It Is a little different Lf
course. But the real lover Of the
business game cannot ask for any
thing more thrilling than he will
find In the moving picture industry,
and outside the studios at that. It
is aside the general public knows
little about. The only contact the
individual patron OF the movies has
with the business end of the bust
ness is confined to the ticket seller s
window. Incidentally, that is where
some Of the big men in the bust:
ness went through their limitations.
II suppose the moving picture
business appealed to me in the first
place because I believed / saw a
chance to effect certain important
developments by improving the bust
ness organization on which it de-
ponds. mean, strictly speaking,
that division of the business depart
ment involving the distribution of
films. first got into it as a sales
man. learned what it meant to
place films, to deal with picture
house arrangements, and, inciden-
tally, what they needed to draw pay
ing audiences. In time I came up
through the ranks, filling first one
position and then another, until
became connected with the Famous
Players Lasky Corporation to find
myself where am today, demon
strating, l believe, that the Para
mount pictures are the best dis
tributed features of the movie
houses. / have a magnificent or
that the success we have achieved is
due to the enthusiastic cooperation
in carrying out the policies and prac-
tees established by the company"
The Practical Side.
Kent has had opportunity to
study the moving picture from the
hard, practical viewpoint where it
is measured In its earning capacity
in dollars and cents. He made it
clear that he understands what
constitutes a successful picture.
1T is the story that counts"
said Kent, speaking of films. First,
you must have the story with it's
strong appeal to intelligence and
human sympathy. A poor story,
with an ali-star'cast, will fail,
while a story of the right kind
with what l might call an inter
preting cast in which no great
screen stars appear, will win. The
time has come when the movie
patrons demand productions having
all of the qualities of real drama
and comedy, to say nothing of
tragedy, and they accept them
the story-if 1t measures I'D to the
standard thus fixed. 1t is because
the Famous PlayersLasky Corpora.
ton recognized this and consist
emily insists that it's productions
be up to his standard, viewed from
the varying angles from which
they may be judged, that our pro
auctions. continue to prove nara-
mount in more senses than one.
A Paramount Week always packs
q house."
Many refinements in the business
methods of conducting the moving
picture business, still remain to be
made, according to Kent. But they
are coming as rapidly as possible.
he insists, while he points to the
history OF the business organiza-
ton, back Of the industry. made
within the past ten years to lend
assurance to his assertion.
incidentally not all of the great
pictures WHICH attract and thrill
thousands of knowing picture lovers
are made at Hollywood or in the
studios of California The larg-
est enclosed studio devoted to the
business is owned and operated by
the Famous Players Lasky Corpora.
ton. 1t is located on Long Island
and represents an investment of
hundreds Of thousands of dollars.
kent's visit to Washington was
in connection with the distribution
service In the territory controlled
through the local Paramount head
quarters. This takes in the District
Of Columbia, Virginia, North and
South Carolina and a section of