Evening star., 1935-02-24
TELEV|S|ON EFFECT.
ON MOVIES SEEN
New Invention Expected to
Cut Into Business of
Picture Houses.
BY MARTIN CODEL.

w WILL television, when it comes,
M ruin the motion picture in
v v dustry because people will
stay at home for their Wis
ual as well as aural enter
tainment?
Since the British have promised to
inaugurate a television service on an
everyday scale in London later this
year, planning also to build other sta
tions throughout England in the near
future, a British view of how televi-
sion may affect the movies Is cuI-
rently apropos Here in the United
States the movie magnates have been
inclined to scof at television-5ut
American movie men have never been
noted for their farsiehtedness. as their
belated adoption of the long-perfected
talkies proved.
Television will undoubtedly affect
the cinema, concludes Dallas Bower,
writing in Wireless World OF London,
but not in the way usually foreseen.
It probably will never really queer
the pitch" of the motion picture ex-
hibitors, he believes, because "even
with a picture of high definition it Is
doubtful whether as an entertainment
such q service could compare with
the modern cinema"
Expensive Presentation.
The best that has been promised by
the television experts so far has beer
images on rather expensive receiving
apparatus with dimensions OF about
12 by 9 inches. 1t is proposed tt
charge $3.50 for a small and S400 fol
a large receiving set in England wher
the London station gets under way
Few experts will admit that the pic
lures will be as clear as home movies
at least not at the present stage oi
the television art known in this coun-
try.
Since the advertiser does not foot
the radio bill in England, where sci
licenses support radio, which is gov
ernment monopoly, Mr.. Bower poses
this question: Would the public pay
an extra license and purchase fairly
expensive instrument in order to SET
films in the home which, could they
be seen in big, modern cinema, woulc
be technically better and viewable ir
greater comfort?
|, Convinced, as are many American
experts, that television's chief broad
cast material will come from films
which are easier to handle in the
way of light and shade control, etc.
Mr. Bower foresees the British Broad.
casting Corporation in the role of g
film producer. Films production will
increase rather than diminish, hi
believes. He answers his own queS-
ton thus:
1.-THE answer seems to be in thu
affirmative, providing the license fet
is not excessive and televisors car
be bought inexpensively, the latter
of course, being inevitable on the es.
tabiishment of any sort of real serv.
ice. Such a scheme with the B. B. c
as intermediary would mean sub
sidiZation of the British film industr.
without any of the rigid contro
usually associated with government
financed activities; it is possible i
might be the thin edge Of the wedg,
in repeating the much-abused quots
act.
Assured Of Output.
British production would be as
sured of certain output of film
each year as contractors to tn,
B. B. G., while also being free tt
produce as they wish in the ordinar.
way. The exhibitors would not suffel
by what he might think to be direc
State competition with his livelihoot
because the entertainment he ha.
to offer would be of different quail
ity in the way that listening to broad
cast variety is different from goinf
to a music hall itself.
"The exhibitor might argue thai
eventually, SO near may home tele.
vision come to normal cinema con.
ditions, and in consequence so vast
the revenue for expenditure on elab.
crate productions, the cinema hal
would be in danger Of determination
That may be possible, but by thai
time the cinema of the future will
have arrived with three -dimensiona
actuality. And besides, people viii
still want to go out"
This optimistic view may or may
not be shared here u America ane
time and the proof Of televisioni
acceptability--and 1t must yet b
al
Although they are not saying mucl
about it, the motion picture producer
have already had some cause to com
plain about the incroachment Of radf
upon the box office. Even In thes
days of audible radio only, how man,
| times have Won. Mr.. Reader, electel