THE CINEMA

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 16, 20 January 1936, Page 4

THE CINEMA

TALE OF STATISTICS

RECREATION OF THE POOR

For the first lime the Royal Statistical Society has made a survey of the cinema in Great Britain, and some astounding facts have come to light. It has been described as "one of the sociological wonders of the century-"

Last year Great Britain spent nearly £41,000,000 on going to the cinema, and 957,000,000 tickets of admission were sold. On analysis, it was found that four out of five people paid Is or less for their seat. About 42 per cent, paid 6d, and another 36 per cent, paid lOd. It is certainly the recreation of the poorer people.

Of pictures shown, about 29 per cent. were British, though the proportion is gradually rising, and it is now considered the highest aim of cinema stars to appear in a British film and have the imprimatur of London upon their distinguished records.

There is a constant outcry against the entertainment tax, a hang-over from wartime methods of raising money, but the Exchequer gathered in £6,800,000 from the entertainment tax on the cinema last year, so that the comparatively painless method of extraction is likely to continue.

The best months for the cinema were January, April, and September. September and October are also the best theatrical months of the year. It is estimated-that the London theatres lost about £20,000 during Jubilee week, owing to the outdoor attractions, but they have had such a successful autumn' season -that they have now made up their losses. Sydney Carroll has had what he calls "a sad experience" recently. He decided to' launch a juvenile variety entertainment to add to the children's Christmas season: "All the pantomimes and. children's plays are'now in full swing. The schools have closed for the Christmas holidays, and parents seem at their wits' end to find ways of amusing their lusty young, who day and night clamour, for food and fun, and fill the house or fiat with arms and legs and noisy voices. So they are packed off to pantomimes, circuses, or children's plays," and it is a popular method with uncles and aunts for discharging their Christmas obligations. THE STRENGTH OF HOLLYWOOD.

Mr. Sydney Carroll's attempt to find enough juvenile talent to support his idea of a variety entertainment failed, because, to his disgust, though English born, the children appearing at the audition were distinctly Yankee in character. As he wrote: "They either spoke through their noses, crooned the, same American songs with damnable reiteration or tap-danced to American tunes: They all walked as the niggers walk on Broadway. They aped the precocity, self-assurance, and squeaky voices made familiar to us by Hollywood's film juveniles. Fifty per cent, of them favoured me with imitations of Greta Garbo, Mac West, Marlene Dietrich, or other Californian celluloid queens. Little tots of ten had no difficulty in accurately simulating drunkenness or. waggling their hips in Hawaiian fashion. Only two out of the 300 ventured to sing an honest English .song; tvyo more experimented with British dances." • That is Sydney Carroll's verdict after a sincere effort to stage a British juvenile, variety entertainment this Christmas.- T,he reason for this is not far to seek. 'The-figures of the cinema tell their own tale;' those millions of sixpenny seats have done much to educate the children of this country in what they believe to be entertainment values. x STAR FAILS ON THE STAGE. The contrast between stage and cinema was heavily underlined last week, when Ramon Navarro made the most sensational flop of the year. The adored of cinema audiences he was launched in London with a great blare of trumpets, but theatre-goers turned their thumbs down on the first night with a most emphatic gesture. The musical play in which he starred was a lavish production, and estimates of! its cost range from £20,000 to £40,000. Three versions were written and rehearsed, and its first night was delayed so that nothing should be wanting. The gallery gave him a cordialwelcome when he first appeared, but neither his singing, acting, nor his voice pleased them, and they let him know it in their characteristic way. It had been made a great fashionable event, and seats in the stalls had been sold for £2 2s each. All the smart people were there, and a- vast crowd of cinema. big-Wigs. But- the Press notices next morning were uniformly bad, and the backers decided to withdraw it after one night. This was a crushing blow to the great American cinema star, and he arranged for other finance to keep the show /going, but it merely limped along to the end of the week, and then was taken off. Now Ramon Navarro is touring the music halls in a- song and dance turn.

Twice in one week the Queen has attended the cinema, but each time it has been a first night—a great social gala performance for charity. Even court mourning has not interfered with these promised appearances of the Queen.

Advance bookings for forthcoming theatrical productions are enormous. Mr. Cochran's new revue, "Follow the Sun," has broken all records —£13,000 has already been paid for seats and the show has not yet started. Four hundred applications are said to be coming in by every post for the Elizabeth .Bergner play, written for her by. Sir James Barrie, about the Bible character of David, and this production does not open till February. The first-night stalls are 245. And Noel Coward's "Tonight at 8.30," three short plays in which he and Gertrude Lawrence appear, have taken £26,000 in the nine weeks' provincial tour before it comes to London.