Yes, this is how it worked with the
display paper travelling with the film print from theatre to theatre. It's what
made a good film booker - that he would have as many prints "working" as
possible all the time - moving from theatre to theatre as they finished
their first runs and went into sub-runs in the days before multiplexes and
saturation booking for what is basically now a one-time theatrical release.
Prints standing idle (then and now) would get a booker into trouble with his/her
sales managers. Now such print movement is all computerised (theatres still need
to have the prints broken down if they are going on to another location or back
to the distributors) for pick-up. Back in the pencil and eraser days of print
movement management it could be a very stressful job.
It was up to individual theatres if they
wanted to buy/lease extra display paper for incoming shows just in case the
previous theatre didn't send on enough or any. Lots of theatres in the pre-TV,
video days of multiple re-bookings for popular shows used to keep at least
a file set of lobby cards, a one sheet (and daybills here in Australia)
and/or stills so they wouldn't have to re-purchase material when they booked the
movie back a few weeks later when a print became available again. This is what
constitutes a "theatre find" these days.
Phil Edwards
Phil Edwards Cinema Arts Pty Ltd 26 Vista Avenue Soldiers
Point NSW 2317 AUSTRALIA Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Phone/Fax
(International Dial) 0011 61 2 49847233 Phone/Fax (Domestic Dial) 02
4984 7233 Website: www.cinemarts.com
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, July 22, 2004 11:53
AM
Subject: Re: [MOPO] Fwd: Re: [MOPO] NSS
questions
Vaughn
I think you are slightly confused, but are also
99% correct. I have talked with many former theater owners, and their
stories are all very similar to each other.
I think you will find that
the truck you described was not going to NSS, but rather to another theater
just about to show the movie. Your theater would have the movie on say,
Sunday to Wednesday, and it would go on Wednesday night (after the last show,
as you said) by either truck, car, or Greyhound bus, to the next theater, AND
THE POSTERS WOULD GO WITH IT (just as you said).
That's why it was so
important the theater not give the posters away, and why the posters arrived
to you "used". If you didn't get the posters to that next theater, they
had nothing to put on their walls!
Of course, in the biggest cities,
there were poster exchanges the theaters would deal with directly, and some
theaters were the first to get a film so they would get mint posters, and some
were last in line, so they didn't have to return them, but those were the
exceptions.
Bruce
At 08:36 PM 7/21/2004, Vaughn K. Mann
wrote:
Date: Wed, 21 Jul 2004 21:36:00
-0400
To: michael king <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
From: "Vaughn K.
Mann" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: [MOPO] NSS
questions
Hello All,
I do remember as a very young
man, after the last show of the evening and the last show date for that
title, bringing the film down from the booth, down a long flight of
marble stairs, after the last show in two metal cases. Each containing 3
or 4, 20minute reels. We would sit them in the outer lobby where the "film
truck" would pick them up.
More to the point, my father, who
managed the theatre would put all the advertising paper, including one
sheets, on top of the film cases, so that all would go back to Boston.
I do remember that the paper was supposed to be returned to NSS in Boston.
I clearly and fondly recall my father telling me to pull the one
sheet down, so that we can get it out with the film. How it got there via
the "Film Distributing Truck" eludes me, but...........recall vividly that
it was headed back to NSS for use somewhere else. I also know that many of
the one sheets and other styles were not necessarily mint when received
from NSS.......I put enough of them up in the framed case. Thus used
before.
What does the above support........not sure, but felt, at
least, it was worth mentioning. Mike appears to have a great deal more
knowledge than myself in regard to NSS activities, however, just
wanted to relate this experience and perhaps it can be explained or
refined..........All I know is that I enjoyed the trip
back...................Have a good evening, Vaughn
At 06:49 PM
7/21/2004 -0400, you wrote:
Hello Ethan...
NSS
Locations:
In a form letter from NSS dated 6/14/84, which I
received from them,
having had an account there since 1948, they
list the branches that
were closing as of 6/25/84:
Boston,
MA - to be serviced by NSS Camden, NJ - a sad day for
me,
indeed.
Cincinnati, OH - to be serviced by NSS
Kansas City
Seattle, WA - to be serviced by NSS Los
Angeles
Dallas, TX (which served LA, MS and southwest AL) - to
be serviced by
NSS Kansas City
Atlanta, GA remained
open. Included in the letter are the addresses
of the four
operating locations: Camden, Kansas City, L.A.
and
Atlanta.
Returned posters:
In my experience, NSS
did not expect One Sheets to be returned. Many
times they
were cut up for use in marquee displays, etc.
The Lobby
Displays (40 x 60s, Half Sheets, LCs, Inserts, etc.) were
expected
to be returned for re-use. Some branches were more
lenient
than others in this regard. The older paper would be
kept as long as
there was room in their storage spaces; then
periodically "cleaned
out" to make room for new material. The
Boston Branch kept the older
paper well into the 70s, because of
the number of college film
societies and revival houses in
town.
NSS owned Consolidated Litho, which printed the Warner
posters. Fox
and MGM used Tooker Litho; Paramount, Republic -
Morgan; etc. In
these cases, the NSS info is sometimes
printed into the plate by hand
by the various litho
companies. If the NSS number is not in the lower
corner
margin of the poster itself, it is sometimes printed on the
back by
hand in black crayon by NSS staffers.
I hope this answers some
of your
questions.
Best,
Mike
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