Volume I: Narrative History

Chapter 7 (1914): Charles Hite's Observations

The president of the Thanhouser Film Corporation aired his views in an article in The Moving Picture World, January 17, 1914:

The writer found Mr. Hite in his office on Monday morning. He said that business from his viewpoint was most satisfactory. He had had his difficulties during the year past, but they had been surmounted. The company had not only expended many thousands of dollars in new equipment, but in spite of these outlays it had declared substantial dividends. The Thanhouser Company is now turning out 325,000 feet of film each week from its New Rochelle establishment. This does not touch the foreign market, all the printing for which is done abroad. Note

Asked how he views conditions on the other side as regards his product, Mr. Hite said matters were in fine shape, especially in Germany and England. Mr. Hite said that he noted a reaction on exclusive films - the foreign equivalent to our states rights subjects. Many buyers who had been going strong in exclusives were now returning to the standard brands, on account of the feeling among many exhibitors that there had been a deterioration in quality of the exclusive product. The Thanhouser president expressed the belief that Englishmen are inclined to look upon pictures more as an amusement and less as a pastime, that they are more conservative than are Americans, and, if possible, take pictures more seriously.

Mr. Hite said he did not think the influx of feature companies would affect the product of the established brands. He said he was interested in the theatre - the business and patronage of which were closely watched from the experimental viewpoint. It was his experience that picture-going is a habit. The factor that causes a man to continue going to a picture theatre may be one face or several faces he sees on the screen. Asked to his belief in the theory expounded by one manufacturer that the patrons of a theatre like to see new faces, Mr. Hite said he thought it absurd. Old members of a stock company become with the public old friends, and they are looked for. He said in permanently engaging a new player it was important to note the impression created by the actor among picture-goers. "An empty head and good looks mean nothing in pictures," said Mr. Hite, "for the public is on to the combination immediately. But given brains, looks and skill, then we have a good subject for the screen."

"Speaking about pictures," Mr. Hite said, "there seems to be a desire on the part of exhibitors to give their patrons something special once or twice a week." It was on account of this well-defined want that the Thanhouser Company inaugurated the policy of a Big Production once a month, something the exhibitor may advertise big with paper such as he would use in billing a regular attraction. "What about the future of the single reel?" said Mr. Hite in response to a question. "Why, I don't think the single reel is going to disappear, but I think we have got to make them mighty good. They are to picture-goers what short stories are to magazine readers. We all like to read books, but we like to read the magazines, too. So also people like to see big productions, but they like to see single reels, too. In the theatre of which I was speaking we Note charge for our regular program five and 10 cents admission, and for features 10 and 15 cents. Do you know that on our feature nights we do three times the business that comes to the box office on our everyday stuff? But we know we cannot run the big stuff every night - it would hurt the business.

"The public recognizes the name of an established company, and the announcement of a feature made by an old concern will fill a house. If one group of manufacturers has the advantage over another, it is because it has had the time to gather experience and facilities and to accumulate that storehouse of information so necessary in the making of a perfect picture.... We are now ready to make big pictures, and we are going to make them. As a matter of fact, we have turned out five big subjects since our fire a year ago. I think there is one thing the manufacturers have to fear, and that is the amalgamation of theatres. If this ever takes place, you may be sure I am going to be one of the amalgamators." Mr. Hite admitted, however, that it would be a practical impossibility to put in effect any plan of this sort by reason of the many conflicting interests involved.