THE SPREAD OF THE MOVIES.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1346, 10 February 1916, Page 34

THE SPREAD OF THE MOVIES.

EDWIN GEACH’S ENTERPRISE. Mr. Edwin Geach, of theatrical management fame, is over from Sydney on a pleasure trip and has been kept busy shaking hands with his many old Auckland friends, gathered on some 16 trips to New Zealand. Mr. Geach will be remembered for his association with farce-comedy. His last professional visit was as manager of the “New Clown” company, headed by Mr. Hugh J. Ward and Miss Grace Palotta. Pictures have of late years claimed his attention, and he has brought his perspicacity to bear to profitable effect. His company (the Australian Films and Union of Theatres, Ltd., which absorbed the interests of T.’ J. West), controls nearly 70 per cent, of the pictures shown in Australasia. Apropos of the censorship of pictures, Mr. Geach said the difficulty was that opinions often differed as to the propriety of a picture, and to give one man the responsibility of accepting or rejecting a picture might involve serious considerations. Before their representatives in London and New York purchased pictures they made a very careful examination of them. They knew the requirements of the Australasian people, and their judgment had proved to be very sound. As an instance of the popularity of the movies, Mr. Geach said that on the Saturday prior to his departure from Sydney an interesting calculation had been made.

Tallies of picture show attendances at theatres within a 20-mJe radius of the city were taken, and it was lound that for that day no less then 150,000 people Mewed pictures. In Sydney and Parramatta, including the closely populate.! residential suburbs which establish a connection between the two towns, there were 130 picture theatres open every day. Touching on the growth of tae picture enterprise in Auckland, Mr. Geach said he was reminded that when he left eight years ago there was not one regular picture entertainment in the city. Mr. Geaeh, who is accompanied by Mrs. Geach, spent a few days at Waiwera and left on Tuesday for Rotorua en route to Wellington.