Evening star., 1933-11-26
Rationalizing the Movies
BY FREDERIC ]. H4SKIN.

The era of naturalization has finally
begun to make an impression on that
| most hectic and spectacular Of Ameri-
can industries, the motion pictures. 1t
| is not unlikely that the threat Of the
British producers to make ElStree
more important movie capital than
Hollywood has had something to do with
it. There Is 10 doubt that the challenge
of Prague, fast becoming the Conti-
mental movie capital and cutting heav-
lily into the American export trade,
| caused the American magnateS some
| uneasinesS.
1t is certain that the Americans
| have awakened to the idea that the
orgy of spending, which was INDUCED
| in for a period of years, is over and
! that the industry must get down to
soundcr financial basis.
The most recent fling at the industry
was taken by President Roosevelt when
he caustically criticized the princcly
| salaries paid to actors and actresses
of the screen. Nor did he neglect the
executives The whole industry, ne
declared. was overpaid.
1t is far from being a secret in the
financial world, at least, that the Amer
lean motion picture industry was on
the verge of wholesale bankruptcy a
short time ago. In spite of the fact
that the amusement business held up
much better than many other lines, the
expenses OF production and of doing
business had become SO great that the
burden of the depression could not be
borne
A difficulty of the American industrial
organization has been oVer-optimism
in the construction of plant facilities.
1t is favorite illustration of the bust
ness economists to cite the fact that
there are enough textile spindles in the
United States to supply the whole
world. 1t is obvious that with many
/ other great textile manufacturing
nations trying to get business, the
American spindles cannot possibly be
kept employed. They operate only in
spurts which pile up stocks on shelves
and in warehouses, then there is a
period Of idleneSs and unemployment.
That situation has obtained in many
industries, even the great basic steel
industry. Perhaps it has not been gen.
orally realized that the same over
extension of plant has taken place in
the American motion picture theater
industry. There is seating capacity be-
fore American screens amounting to 25,-
600 900 per day. That means that one
fifth of the entire population. including
infants and the aged and infrm, could
all be seated in movie houses on a single
day.
Adequate Support Impossible.
The Americans are enthusiastic movie
patrons but, at the very top of the boom
times, when nearly every one had
job which gave him spare funds for
the box Office. the attendance scarcely
reached $4,000 ,0G0. That would be on
special occasions and when especially
popular films happened to be running in
different parts Of the country at the
same time, when, in short, there
CHANGED to be simultaneous appeal.
Many observers note that most of the
motion picture houses seem crowded.
that, even in hard times, one often has
difficulty in finding a seat. that long
lines stand before the box Offices, Su-
perfcially, that appears true, and, by
some economic legerdemain a good
many people seem to be able to go to
the movies who are otherwise destitute
or near il. However, hundreds and
| hundreds of motion picture theaters
have been closed since 1880. This has
concentrated the attendance on those
remaining There are still about 10 900
movie houses. of all kinds and sizes,
from end to end Of the country but