New Britain herald., 1929-08-17

| far distant when the nations chief theaters will be in the hands of comparatively few concerns, notably | producing companies. Ultimately, these point out, the entire show busl- ness so far as the audible films are concerned, will be merged into one giant company with headquarters in Hollywood and New York.
 The latest purchase of a string of theaters in New England by the Warner brothers is merely straw showing the direction of the wind. Such strings of theaters have been purchased before, and each time it is done it means that theatrical fare becomes concentrated into fewer hands.
 The advent of the talking films vastly accelerated the process. The talllies have meant harder times for the small theaters in cities and towns alike. The cost of installing audible apparatus is heavy, and the cost of renting the films has been ticed that the greater the concentra- tion of production the higher the rates. It being most difficult to raise prices to conform with the heavier outlays, the predicament of numer- ous theater owners con be realized there have been some economies, notably in the elimination of orches- tras; but an investigation will show that such economies are more theo- retical than real in view of the vastly increased prices for film rental.
 The present trend toward amalga- nation was started when sundry large producing concerns began to build theaters of their own in the key cities of America. These great "cathedrals of the film" turned into enormously potent competitors to the independent theater owners in such cities, the men who had ex- pended capital and energy in build ing ghborhood as well as central theaters. The policy of these key stations in the film industry has been to have theaters large enough to accommodate huge audiences, put on elaborate stage shows in addition 10 the regulation films, and keep down the price of admission to a point where competition couldn't compete. Even the legitimate speak ing state-the flesh and blood drama'-has felt this species of competition. A trade paper recently stated that while the big central theaters along the Broadway district were playing to big crowds, the film business throughout the five bor- oughs of the metropolis was at distinctly low ebb. Too many patrons from the boroughs, instead of at tending the nearby theaters, hustled off to the Broadway district in search of the big stage shows added to the film presentation.
 The producing companies of Hollywood, fortified with Wall street money are now reaching out into every corner of the land, seeking the best theaters in all cities and leaving the others alone. The New York Times stated in an article that throughout the country an average ot 100 film theaters were closing every week, evidently due to the eX- actions precipitated by the huge pro- ducing combinations and their technical affiliations in the protection fields. Such a condition manifestly works to the best advantage of the producer-distributor- owners, who by gaining control of the remaining stronger theaters speedily will gain control of the nationwide film field.
 The time when any aspiring citizen could rent an empty store and open nicllelodeon with the expenditure ot few hundred dollars-as Will liam Fox himself did at the begin ming of his carecr-is past, The theater industry years ago went into the big business class; now it is go- Ing into the nationwide business class, owned and operated by a few men. What good this is going to do the nation we do not know, although we are inclined to think it will not he to the advantage of the public gen. erally.