Exhibitor's Trade Review [Sep-Nov 1921]


In late-1916, Exhibitor's Trade Review entered a crowded market of weekly motion picture trade publications that already included the Moving Picture World, Motion Picture News, Exhibitor's Herald, and Motography, along with theatre and vaudeville-oriented papers that covered film, such as Variety, the Billboard, and the New York Clipper. To gain market share and differentiate itself from competitors, Exhibitor's Trade Review pursued a variety of tactics -- some constructive (gathering allies among exhibitor organizations), others destructive (smearing the reputations of competing trade papers and certain film companies that refused to buy advertising). Despite the behind-the-scenes controversies, though, Exhibitor's Trade Review appears to have, in the words of Alan Gevinson, 'established itself legitimately in its role as advisor to and fighter for the independent exhibitor.' All the issues that mattered to independent exhibitors were covered, including censorship, taxes, distributor contracts, piano accompaniment, and, of course, the films. In 1926, Exhibitor's Trade Review ceased weekly publication and only offered the daily service, Exhibitor's Daily, which was acquired a few years later by Martin Quigley as he attempted to consolidate the industry's trade papers under his control. -- Eric Hoyt, 2014

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Library of Congress, MBRS, Moving Image Section
Metadata last updated 2023-09-21