The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1924-12-11
Interesting Letter from Portland
heatrical Manager
Continued from Page One1

| interview on Friday, November 18th
/ do not known your town at all and
of course have no first-hand know
/ ledge of its picture house. or the kind
of service they are giving. In justice
to myself, therefore, must make
your representation a part of this let
/ ter.
! You told me Skowhegan has about
/ six thousand inhabitants, that your
moving picture theatre is the auditor
/ ium in the municipal building. and
that its seating capacity is about 975.
You represent 1t to be very com
Portable and altogether suitable place
for moving pictures. You told me
that the present proprietors, Smith
& st. Ledger, do business for ten and
twenty cents,-except an occasional
special picture, when the prices are
raised to fifteen and thirty-fiye cents,
and in very few instances even
higher. | think that you told me that
this variation from the ten and TWEEN
ty-cent price was not over eighteen or
twenty times a year.
You submitted to me clippings from
your paper-the ndependent-Repor-
ter,-showing the programs run for
of these clippings were of the present
year. but. think l recall one or two
of the preceding year You assure
me that these were taken at random
and fairly represent the quality of
pictures being shown.
First, as to price of ten and twenty
cents This is low, much lower
am sure than the average throughout
Maine and below what is usually
charged In communities of your size,
and Offering the service YOU seem to
be getting The fact that special
pictures are offered at an advance the
number of times, you speak of. thru
out the year, does not change my COM
ment that as to admission your public
is being fairly used.
An opinion as to quality of pictures
Is not so easily expressed. On this
point | will have to speak In some
what general terms. Quality, of
course, is largely a matter of the
author, the director. and the produc-
err. 1t involves brilliancy of author
ship, skill in production both as to
staging and actual mechanics of
photography. Quality can also be
good or bad, according to the actual
condition of the individual film. As
the films get old the effect on the
screen deteriorates. Quality also de-
ponds in way on early showing af
ter release.
The titles of the pictures listed in
your programs show excellent choice.
| They are in general from, the beN
producers and for the most part 4fe
the best selections from those offered
among the various producing COM
panies. To, be sure, some of the pic
lures, while of the very. best AKA
highest price, do not seem to h3y6
been shown in your theatre, until they
were pretty old. The matter of a3k
lbs mot, however vital objection. a
picture may be just as entetaining,
six months, one year, orr, even two
years after its release as At would be
during the first week. knowing how
tor gets them at much lowere figure
when they're old, you Naturally take
this into account when fconside
terioration iristhe film due tp fvquent
Showing and handling already refer
lredsto. This is often of, minor inn
portanee and is sometimes, coreck9d
by the producer making d. new fahf
when the original has become faded
or otherwise imperfect =
Again. going back to general ex-
preston as to quality, will say that
with your price of admission consid-
cred, or even disregarded. you have
reason to be very we'll satisfied with
the pictures you're getting. | would
be moved to put this communication
even stronger except for the observa-
ton made earlier in this letter.
that an opinion upon this particular
phase of the matter is presented
with some difficulty.
| think you told me that you had
but one picture theatre in the town.
This is, or should be, desirable
condition. OF course the, pro-
prietors could take advantage of this
and run a cheaper class of picturess-
were they short-sighted enough tes do
so. This would be great mistake
on their part, and from the programs
you submitted and your other state
ments, / should judge this had not
been the case.
The public attitude. I'm other lines
of business, has changed in this res
pect, during the past 10 or 20 years.
There was time when we spent
good deal of energy in the endeavor
to make railroads and big business
concerns compete with each other.
OF late, we have come to find that the
economical and sensible method is to
make railroads and other large en-
terprises act in combination or CO.
operation with the great economy re-
sulting and then see to 1t that they
pass the saving along to the public in
service, and quality of goods. This
is what you people in Skowhegan
ought to do.
Should be pleased to have you call
again when in Portland, and will be
entirely willing to assist you further
in the investigation you are making,
If you find that my service would be