By Jack Harrower (1926)
Road-showing a super production has developed into a highly complicated and scientific system unlike any other activity in the motion picture industry. There are road shows and road shows. We are only dealing here with road showing such as employed on Ben-Hur and The Big Parade, where the work is handled by an organization outside the producer, and run as a separate business entirely. A genuine road show enterprise demands a vast organization, attention to infinite detail, and great skill in routing.
The one governing purpose is to give in each city where presented a show identical with the one in New York in every respect- music, staging, and mechanical effects. The Big Parade showing is an exact replica of the Astor theater presentation, and Ben Hur is presented exactly as it appears at the Embassy. The road towns pay the $1.65 or $2.20 scale prices for these high grade presentations.
The second point of differentiation from the policy of the regular picture theater is the unity of long entertainment. It concentrates entirely on the production being shown without interpolation of news reels, comedy, educational, prologue or variety act. The third and vitally important point is the complete synchronized music by a touring orchestra that stays with that particular road show unit right through its routing. Here is a well trained auxiliary thoroughly familiar with the score that is invaluable in producing the proper harmonious effects to bring out all the values of the picture.
The fourth difference is that the merits of the picture itself are exploited first, last and all the time. Big names- star values- are secondary. The final consideration is that only the theatrical system of billing and publicising is employed in the extensive exploitation campaigns. Ballyhoos and tie-ups are strictly taboo.
With this widely differing policy and with the advanced prices, the picture offered must have genuine "epical quality." The road show in its real sense cannot be just a good love story or thriller- least of all merely a laugh show. It must contain the essential epical appeal- striking deep into national emotions- embodying of course heart interest, drama and humor. And such high calibre pictures are a rarity.
The road show company has a seasonal job instead of the all-year round schedule of the regular picture house. Each company begins travel, in August or September and ends around April or May.
Meantime the productions are being constructed by a professional builder of stage effects. After these are ready the stage manager with a very elaborate system of controls and levers has a very important part to play in connection with them. The system is the one originally introduced in the mimic representation of war in the stage production of The Birth of a Nation eleven years ago. It is now used in its latest and most perfected form in The Big Parade.
The managerial quality of the business staffs may be gathered from the fact that among them are George W. Lederer, formerly one of the leading musical comedy producers; George Bowles, who was general manager for Wagenhals & Kemper; Fred R. Zweifel, formerly general manager for the Shuberts, and many others of like experience and ability. Alumni dramatic editors of many of the great city journals bulk largely among the publicity writers ahead of each show. They include Al Head, formerly dramatic editor on the St. Louis Republic; Lester Thompson, Ringling Bros. press agent: Arthur Ryan of Chicago Grand Opera repute, and many others just as capable.
Perhaps their greatest ability is seen in their advertising copy, which repeats none of the familiar ballyhoos of regular picture theater copy. Their attractions are invariably placed on a dignified yet interesting plane. A notable example of this was the way the agents prepared their copy last season for The Big Parade. They withheld all praise from their announcements save the quoted matter from competent and recognized critics. Here was an example of real constructive work, getting far away from the "greater and grander" style of blurbs that may get results on regular showings but have been proved to fall absolutely flat on these super picture presentations.
Each company moves with a 60 foot baggage car of properties and effects, and a personnel of 25 people. The entire equipment- projection lighting, shadow box, screen, mechanical effects, etc.- is set up in each theater, unless that particular playhouse happens to have the identical equipment. As a rule they do not, so that the staging is a several hours' job. This is one reason why well conducted road shows do not open with a matinee. Another reason is, as with the legitimate drama, that the prestige of the premiere and of the attendance of "first-nighters" is secured only by an evening opening.
The road shows, by these dignified methods, combined with the surpassing excellence of the attractions, have enlisted popular favor to such a degree that weekly grosses ranging from $12,000 to $20,000 are the regular thing for each road company. The picture stays in the "speakie" house about four times as long as the average legitimate dramatic show, and as a rule greatly surpasses the latter's receipts.
Producers have taken many a loss on key city "special engagements" in order to popularize their product. Sometimes a lone representative equipped with only the tin can containing the film has gone out as a "road show" and done harm to the legitimate road show. Real road showing must necessarily be limited to one or two productions a year. Statistics prove that not more than two or three productions annually can stand up to the epic feature calibre that is worthy of the two dollar toll of the public's money.
"Sometimes," McCarthy states, "five years go by without a real two-dollar picture emerging. They cannot be manufactured. They must be created."
And so he has been patient. The roster of his road showings is very brief. The Birth of a Nation, Intolerance, Way Down East, The Covered Wagon, The Ten Commandments, The Big Parade, and Ben-Hur. Seven only, and five of them among the greatest successes in the history of the industry.
McCarthy picks his subjects in collaboration with the heads of the big producing concerns, but his judgment is his own and uninfluenced by bias. His opinions on super pictures are valued as the late George D. Smith's on books or Sir Joseph Duveen's on paintings.
It will cost fully $3,000,000 for the operation of the twenty road-show companies of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for 1926-27- twelve companies of Ben-Hur and eight of The Big Parade. The office of J.J. McCarthy manages these twenty companies in the capacity of agent. They are booked with the Erlanger and Shubert syndicates, and while the producers' wishes are met in every way, the business judgment with the responsibility for success or failure is entirely the agent's.
Jack Harrower, "Road Shows," The Film Daily, August 1, 1926, page 4.
© 1999, David Pierce, on editing and revisions (if any)
Return to the Silent Film Bookshelf Home Page