Musical Conditions in New York

S. M. Berg was a composer and small music publisher specializing in music for the pictures. He also published occasional articles in trade publications before being asked to help Clarence Sinn run the "Music for the Picture" column in early 1916.

Musical Conditions in New York

By S. M. Berg

Among the numerous inquiries received from musicians throughout the country, one of the most common is “what are my chances in New York City?”

Some go into detail on their years of experience they have had as musicians, telling the class of music they are conversant with, and how they are able to compose and arrange. Others will write me they hear of the enormous salaries being paid to certain men, and that here in this great city is the opportunity to get one of the big salaried positions that are frequently offered. Then many will tell me of the poor opportunities for advancement in the town they are in, and how they have been told by their relatives and friends of their capabilities, that New York is the only place for them to come to and quickly climb the ladder of success. I have in no way exaggerated or overdrawn, but have endeavored to state clearly from my personal experience in the past ten years, what is the real condition of affairs in New York.

The Musician’s union, which is allied to the American Federation of Labor, has a membership of about 7,000. It is financially strong, and has usually won everything it has gone after. All of the leading theaters playing Drama, Opera, Comic Opera, Musical Comedy or Burlesque, and the leading motion picture theaters engage exclusively union musicians. The Hotels, Restaurants, Cafes and Cabarets engage on the average about 33 per cent union musicians.

The largest combination in greater New York, of theaters which play pictures or vaudeville and pictures the conditions are peculiar, as no outsider really knows how the music is handled. The company trade under one man’s name. Some of the houses playing vaudeville and pictures engage union musicians.

The rest have non-union men, and when the question “why” is asked, the answer is given that he books the shows but has no financial interest in the house.

The second largest company controls a number of theaters playing vaudeville and pictures or pictures only. The whole combination is non-union, and the their largest circle of theaters playing vaudeville and pictures only, the musicians again are non-union.

The union scale of salaries for pictures in New York City for the two shows a day, seven days a week is $28.00 per man, double for leader, and the price per man ranges to about $40.00 according to the scale of admission prices. On the face of such a statement as this it would appear that fair wages and plenty of work is open to musicians, be they union or non-union. Here is the other side of the question.

As stated before, the union is composed of 7,000 members. The test of capability as a musician is ridiculously simple. In fact candidly it is disgraceful and some years ago when they were making an effort to control things, almost anybody that had the slightest idea of drawing a melody out of an instrument was accepted as a union musician, and qualified to take any job. A story is told, that a certain man who was in the habit of getting jobs for musicians at weddings, etc., according to the laws of the union, he could not be a contractor, and claim one-half of the leader’s money unless he was a member of the union so it became necessary for him to become a musician and play some instrument. He took lessons on the flute and after two months applied for membership. He endeavored to play the “Star Spangled Banner” and after three attempts to play the first half was accepted.

There is a large number of men who are members of the union who are not qualified musicians in the true sense of the word. This raises the question “What is a qualified musician?” One who is acquainted with what is known as Standard Music and is able to play his part in any combination. Qualified to read with ease at sight, he should be a master of his instrument and be able to play the cadenzas, passages, etc., which are frequently marked solo in orchestrations, but I regret to state there is a large percentage of men without these capabilities. Now to the non-union men.

Owing to the war conditions, we have lying idle in New York over a thousand foreigners, who were in the habit of traveling to Europe as boat musicians. Then possibility there is another 8,000 men who are non-union. There is a second union the American International Musical and Theatrical Union, which claims to have about 3,000 members but are not allied to the Federation, their scale of prices being lower. Possibly my readers will now begin to realizes what all this means. Qualifications with the exception of very few instances cut no figure. Price is the consideration. Non-union men work for less. Union men that are in need are forced to accept below the scale. Union musicians can be found working in any of the three theater circles as non-union men and at very low salaries. Over two-thirds of the Restaurants, Cafes, Cabarets, have all kinds of mixed combinations. An instance was brought to me a few days ago at a picture theater at which application as director was made by a well-known Italian leader, a man who is in the habit of dressing in a white uniform with many medals. He explained to the proprietor what a good director he was and what a good orchestra he would give him. When prices were talked of, he said “My price is so much.” When asked the price of the orchestra he quote the union scale but was told the theater could not pay it. After much discourse he exclaimed “I have a friend in the outer office, permit me to bring him in.” His friend was brought in and after explanations were made told the proprietor he could supply the rest of the men, union men too, at a moderate figure which was far below the union scale.

I trust that my readers will not feel that I am falsifying my statement. There is a large body of competent qualified men, with honorable ideas but the abnormal conditions in New York forces a number of them who possibly have the best intentions but whose wives and children are in need of the necessities of life, to accept such propositions. What can they do?

A word as to the positions in the leading dramatic houses. This class of job is the easiest in the business. A stranger could not get one of these positions as they are almost all in the hands of men who have had them for years. Possibly for no other reason than they are known to the managers.

The few organists who are receiving high salaries are the exception. I am sure that if one were to insert an advertisement in the Evening Telegram (which has a column for musicians), for an organist wanted to play 7 or 8 hours a day at a salary of $30.00 a week, on would get 20 or 30 applicants.

In my earlier days I have been as far west as dear old ‘Frisco, and have traveled from New Orleans to Northern Canada. My personal experience with the qualification of musicians is far beyond the New York average. The salaries are not so high but the cost of living is much cheaper. The musician in the small city is looked upon with respect and is recognized as a professional man. He has the opportunity to do a little teaching but unfortunately here in this great city one might almost classify musicians as a necessary evil. In fact this very expression was used in my presence by a well-known restaurant proprietor. I sincerely hope that the day is not far distant when conditions will be changed.

In this great city the sincere and earnest musician is deserving of a living wage, but my knowledge of the conditions is that many qualified musicians willing to accept a position for $18.00 a week to play for 7 hours a day and 7 days a week, cannot find the work. With such conditions as these can you say that New York is the stepping stone to prosperity for musicians?

Source: S. M. Berg, “Musical Conditions in New York,” Moving Picture World 14 October 1916, 237.

At the end of 1916, Berg left The Moving Picture World to become head of the music section for the Exhibitor's Trade Review. On 26 May 1917, he republished a lightly edited version of this same item, which I include below for sake of comparison:

Among the numerous inquiries received from musicians throughout the country, one of the most common is, “What are my chances in New York City?”

Some go into detail on their years of experience they have had as musicians, telling the class of music they are conversant with, and how they are able to compose and arrange. Others will write me they hear of the enormous salaries they hear of, which are paid to certain men and feel that if they were given the opportunity they could fill one of these big salaried positions. Then again, many will complain of the poor opportunities for advancement in the town they are in, and how they have been told by their relatives of their capabilities and that New York is the only place for them to come to and quickly climb the ladder of success.

The editor has in no way exaggerated or overdrawn but has endeavored to state clearly from his personal experience during the past ten years, what is the real conditions of affairs are in New York. The classes to be considered are the union and non-union musicians.

The Musician’s Union, which is allied to the American Federation of Labor, has a membership of about 7,000. It is financially strong and has usually won everything it has gone after. All of the leading theaters playing the drama, opera, comic opera, musical comedy or burlesque, together with the leading motion picture theaters engage exclusively union musicians. Hotels, restaurants, cafes and cabarets engage on the average about 33 per cent. union musicians.

The largest circuit of theatres in greater New York that play pictures or vaudeville and pictures, has peculiar conditions as no outsider really knows how the music end is handled. However, some of the houses playing vaudeville and pictures engage union musicians while the rest have non-union men. The second largest circuit of theatres playing vaudeville and pictures, or pictures only, is also peculiarly situated.

There are two other unions in New York City, which are not allied with the American Federation of Labor, whose members also hold positions in the various circuit theatres.

The union scale of salaries for pictures in New York City for the two shows a day, seven days a week is $28.00 per man, double for leader, and the price per man ranges to about $42.50, according to the scale of admission. On the face of such a statement as this, it seems that fair wages and plenty of work is open to musicians, regardless of whether they are union or non-union. Here is the other side of the question.

As stated before, the union is composed of 7,000 members. The test of capability as a musician is ridiculously simple. In fact, candidly, it is disgraceful, and some years ago when they were making an effort to control things almost anybody that had the slightest idea of drawing a melody out of an instrument was accepted as a union musician, and qualified to take the job. A story is told that a certain man who was in the habit of getting jobs for musicians at dances, weddings, etc., according to the laws of the union, could not be a contractor, and claim one-half of the leader’s money unless he was a member of the union. It therefore became necessary for him to become a musician and play some instrument. He then took up lessons on the flute and after two months applied for membership. He endeavored to play the “Star Spangled Banner,” and after three attempts was finally accepted. Now to the non-union men.

Owing to the war conditions, we have lying idle in New York hundreds of foreigners, who were in the habit of travelling to Europe as boat musicians. Possibly readers will now begin to realize what all this means. Qualifications with but few exceptions cut no figure. Prices are the only consideration. Non-union men work for less. Union men who are in need, are forced to accept positions far below the scale.

Union musicians can be found working in any of the three theatre circuits as non-union men and at very low salaries. Over two-thirds of the restaurants, cabarets, and cafes have all kinds of mixed combinations. An instance of this kind was enacted a few days ago at a picture theatre at which application as a director was made by a well-known Italian leader, who is in the habit of dressing in a white uniform with many medals. He explained to the proprietor what a good director he was and what a fine orchestra he would give him. When prices were talked of, he said “My prices are so much.” When asked the price of the orchestra he quoted the union scale, but upon being told the theatre could not pay it he brought in a friend who explained to the proprietor that he could supply union men at a moderate figure which was far below the union scale. With such obstacles as these, can one blame those musicians, who possibly have the best of intentions but whose wives and children are in need of the necessities of life, for accepting such propositions?

A word as to the positions in the leading dramatic houses. This class of job is the easiest in the business, but a stranger could not get one of these positions as they are almost all in the hands of men who have had them for years for no other reason probably than they are known to the managers.

The few organists who are receiving high salaries are the exception. I am sure that if one were to insert an advertisement in the Evening Telegram (which has a column for musicians) for an organist wanted to play seven or eight hours a day at a salary of $30.00 a week, one would get 20 or 30 applicants.

The early career of the editor has taken him from coast to coast, and his experiences with the qualification of musicians are far beyond the New York average. The salaries are not so high but the cost of living is much cheaper. The musician in the small city is looked upon with respect and is recognized as a professional man. He has the opportunity to do a little teaching, but unfortunately here in this great city one might almost classify musicians as a necessary evil. In fact this very expression was used in my presence by a well known restaurant proprietor. However, we sincerely hope that the day is not far distant when conditions will be vastly different.

In this great city the sincere and earnest musician is deserving of a living wage, but with the conditions as mentioned above, many qualified musicians are willing to accept a position for $18.00 a week to play seven hours a day and seven days a week, cannot find the work. With such a state of affairs, can you say that New York is the stepping stone to prosperity for musicians?

Source: S. M. Berg, "Music for the Photoplay," Exhibitor's Trade Review 26 May 1917, 1753.

Lawton Electrical Orchestra Director

From Hearing the Movies

The following piece reads more like a press release than one of S. M. Berg's columns, but the information it contains is intriguing for the insight it provides us into the how practitioners of the time conceived the issue of coordinating music and film. One question we can ask is: what problems are this device designed to solve? There seem to be two primary ones. First, how to coordinate the music with the film given minimal rehearsal time; second (and I think more significantly), how to duplicate a performance across a number of theaters.

According to a letter that Lawton sent to Berg in April and that was published in the Exhibiter's Trade Review Lawton was General Musical Director of the B. S. Moss Theatres in New York City. (In July 1915, according to Moving Picture World, B. S. Moss owned, among other theaters, the Regent (Harlem), the Hamilton (Washington Heights), the Prospect (Bronx), McKinley Square (Bronx), Eighty-Sixth Street (Yorkville), and the Jefferson (East Side).) As General Musical Director, Lawton would have been interested in finding efficiencies for musical performance across the chain.

Here is the text of Berg's column:

Lawton’s Electrical Orchestra Director

Can readers picture in their mind’s eye a perfect synchronization of music and pictures, irrespective of what speed the film is run, no matter whether the picture is projected fast slow, no timing or signaling the operator, besides which the orchestra can be seated out of sight of both the audience and picture, and yet the musical setting be in perfect harmony?

This is no pipe dream, but a practical invention which has lately been perfected. The musician’s difficulty in playing for the film has always been in following the picture. Where the music is supplied by the lone pianist or organist, the trouble is not a serious one, but where the musicians in an orchestra are reading at first sight, and watching the film at the same time, the task is colossal.

Picture yourself playing a series of selected musical numbers, your whole attention given to the musical interpretation, your back to the screen, when a signal is flashed you to play either moderato, allegro, tremulo [sic], adagio or segue, etc. At the exact fraction of the second, all cues for the drummer’s traps and effects, the cornetist’s bugle call, etc., are given at the exact degree of time, without the continual watching and waiting on the part of the orchestral leader and his musicians. To be told of all this certainly appears an impossibility, but yet this is only a small part of what was demonstrated to the editor of these columns a few days ago.

The invention is known as Lawton’s Electrical Orchestra Director. It is operated and completely controlled by the picture projection machine in the booth, both machines running simultaneously. To be brief, Lawton’s Electrical Orchestra Director consists of a series of musical terms automatically flashed directly to the leader and to any or all of the musicians. In reviewing the picture you write on a paper record of the orchestra director what numbers you want played, when and how, all modifications of tempos and cues, and these will be reproduced at the exact time during the performance, irrespective of the speed at which the film is being projected.

With the electrical orchestra director, the leader, together with his musicians, whether they are in sight of the screen or not, can properly work up more cues than would be possible when watching the picture. The important feature of this invention is that the paper record can in a few moments be reproduced for any other theatre where this device is installed. It was demonstrated that the mechanism of the orchestra director is very simple in construction so that any person with an average intelligence can be taught to operate it within fifteen minutes.

By special invitation a number of the leader musicians throughout the country gathered to view and test in every possible way the Lawton Electrical Orchestra Director. After a severe examination, they all agreed that in order to attain a harmonious result between the screen drama and incidental music, the two must be automatically coordinated, and that the solution of this problem was “Lawton’s Electrical Orchestra Director.”

All credit is due Mr. Stanley W. Lawton, the inventor, who is a musician of great ability and musical director of a chain of New York theatres.

The sketches presented here are reproduced by the courtesy of the Popular Science Monthly.

Source: S. M. Berg, “Music for the Photoplay,” Exhibitor's Trade Review 3 February 1917, 638.

The image at the top of the page is a spliced image of a microfilm copy; hence its rather poor quality. So far I have been unable to locate the original item in Popular Science Monthly.

Here is a little item describing the device from March 1919 edition of the Illustrated World, unfortunately without illustrations:



Illustrated world

And here are two patents associated with the Lawton Electrical Orchestral Director:


1916 Patent. A PDF of this patent is located here.


1923 Improvement. A PDF of this patent is located here.

Selecting Appropriate Music for the Film

This is Berg's second column of Exhibitor's Trade Review. Notice that once again he is concerned about "overplaying" and about music not distracting from the film. Here, he also worries about how to make proper transitions from one number to the next so that an impression of continuity can be maintained.

Selecting Appropriate Music for the Film
Takes Skilled Musicianship and Experience

The purpose of this Department will be primarily to assist the musician in the solution of the thousand and one problems which arise in the course of his daily work. A difficulty to one musician is a difficulty to another, and if you will write your troubles, an answer through these columns will be promptly given.

How to Improvise, Selection of Music, The Organ, Instrumentation of Orchestras, etc., will be a few of the subjects dealt with in these columns.

Hardly a day passes without some inquiry on what music to play for the film, and in all my ears of experience, I have never been able to answer this question to my own satisfaction, let alone the satisfaction of the correspondents. The reason for this is that one cannot judge the ability of a correspondent as a performer, from the inquiry. As an example, I recall a few months ago, I was asked to recommend a player of the film, a list of suitable music, bearing in mind a moderate expense as the position was not a high salaried one. I replied by asking he character of music the correspondent was able to perform, and learned such compositions as Chopin, Grieg, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Beethoven, etc. On receipt of this answer I recommended a series of Albums containing threes composers’ works. Time elapsed and I received a letter from the publishing house I referred this customer to, telling me the entire collection of music which I had advised sending, had been returned, and that the postage had not even been paid. I heard later that the customer liked the music, but really wanted simplified editions.

Of course, there is the other side where the orchestra is composed of qualified musicians who are able to render with taste almost any composition before them. Fortunately for all, the industry has taken rapid strides. Good salaries are being paid so that meritorious musicians are now being attracted, and find the work congenial and entertaining. A serious fault, however, with qualified musicians is the difference in opinion as to the interpretation of the music. I do not mean the phrasing or temporizing, but the character of the selected music performed as a musical interpretation of the action displayed on the screen. Experience is the one needed requirement which qualifies a man for sound judgment on this work.

A few months ago, a new motion picture theatre was opened with a daily change of program. A well-known New York director was engaged as leader of an orchestra of 18 musicians. He possessed an extraordinarily large library of music and deservedly was acknowledged to be a qualified musician and director, but as a director of music for the film he was a total failure. His previous work for anumber of years had been as leader for a first-class hotel concert orchestra, where a number is performed and then a ten-minute intermission elapses. The real reason for his failure was in changing his selections according to the action of the film, and synchronizing.

There is not one per cent of leaders who give this important phrase of the work sufficient thought and attention. Within a few weeks I hope to be able to deal very thoroughly in these columns on this important subject of Music for the Film. Nothing is more distressful than to sit through a picture and listen to the music when every two or three minutes you hear the director tap his stand, the orchestra stop and start another composition. Earnest training of his musicians by the director can overcome this difficulty, especially where organ and orchestra is available. The solution is, of course: subdue the orchestra, cut the brass, then wood, and have the organist modulate by one or two chords to the next number. A little practice will conclusively prove that this is practical and will at the same time avoid distracting the attention of your audience from the picture.

Source: S. M. Berg, “Music for the Photoplay,” Exhibitor's Trade Review 16 December 1916, 138.

Better Music for the Film

This is S. M. Berg's inaugural column for Exhibitor's Trade Review. Prior to his work for ETR, Berg had helped Clarence E. Sinn on the music column in Moving Picture World. He will in fact recycle a number of his contributions to MPW in "Music for the Photoplay."

Better Music for the Film Means Bigger
Box Office Receipts and Pleased Patrons

No phase of the motion picture industry can develop greater problems than those which music brings forth.

Although I claim ten years’ association with music for the film, every day seems to bring difficulties which only earnest thought overcomes. The film never helps the musician, but always demands continued service from him. Not so with the directors.

The manufacturers place at the disposal of directors every facility in the way of costumes, settings, elaborately fitted studios, and yet much in the film is left to the imagination of an audience, which must be overcome by the musical interpretation. Frequently the locale is hard to discover, were it not for subtitles added to the film. I recall an instance of this kind in a picture made in California, the scene being an officer dressed in military uniform, seated in a hut with a negro servant waving a palm leaf over him. This could have represented a situation in almost any country with a warm climate but the sub-title read “The Burning Sands of India.” An orchestra later playing this picture in a theatre, showed good judgment by using a weird Indian number, the melody being carried by oboe with tom-tom accompaniment, resulting in the scene getting over the audience.

Picture a woman quietly seated by her fireside thoroughly engrossed in a piece of embroidery—flash of an exterior—suspicious character lurking around who tries a window to force an entrance—flash interior scene—woman hears noise, turns and sees hand from behind curtain, registers fear and emotion. If during such a situation, a number is played by the orchestra that musically interprets this action, the fear portrayed on the screen will be felt by the audience. Any efforts made by manager or musician cannot be too great to musically play the picture but yet in the same breath must come the warning “Do not overplay.”

A reasonable inquiry would be “What is overplaying?” and the answer should be: “Distracting the audience’s attention by the music predominating. Here is an entirely new phase of music for the film. If one is fortunate enough to be a patron of the opera, how frequently does one find the orchestra ‘drowns the singer,’ due to overzealousness of the conductor.

Every large city today has its Strand, Regent, or Rialto where colossal organ and symphony orchestra are a feature of the advertising and in my reports on visits to many of these houses, it is with reluctance that I must recount that overzealousness and overplaying are predominant. The happy medium is the end that should earnestly be striven after.

In a discussion with a well known manager, a few days ago, who is running quite a large sized house but depends on his music for piano and organ only. I remonstrated with him that he should get a small orchestra, and received the answer, “If I cannot get a big one I’ll stick to what I have got.” Such is the situation today in music for the film and yet it is certainly a pleasure to review the enormous strides which have been made in this branch of work in the past few years. It seems but yesterday in my earlier days, when I too was playing the film and engaging other musicians, that I was frequently answered: “What, I play in a movie theatre?” I can assure my readers that this was no uncommon experience. Strides we all have made but we still have with us horrible examples of non-progressiveness.

As before stated, that music for the film daily brings forward problems that appear insurmountable, I have made a practice of consistently visiting theatres that I may learn pointers to pass on to others interested in the development of this work.

During the past week I visited a theater which here shall be nameless, located in the extreme up-town district of Broadway, New York. The management advertise a change of program on Monday, Thursday and Sunday, together with four big acts of vaudeville. The house is a spacious, modern theatre, with a seating capacity of about 2,000. Price of admission are 10-15-20 cents and boxes 25 cents. The orchestra consists of four musicians, the instrumentation being piano director, violin, cornet and drums. I entered the theatre on a Saturday night at about 8:15 and noticed it was about one-third filled. A foreign musical vaudeville act was on the boards and the orchestra was out of the pit, the act playing its own accompaniment. As the act closed, the orchestra drifted in. When the applause died our, the pianist improvised on the last song that had been rendered, which was “Marie-Marie,” an Italian ditty. The cornet player tried to follow and ignominiously failed. A minute elapsed and when the curtain rose again, a trio of voices was heard off-stage, followed by a singing and talking act with a good deal more talking than singing, so that the orchestra was certainly not overworked. The screen was dropped at the close of this act and the World Film release, The Heart of a Hero,” featuring Robert Warwick, was offered. The picture was released on November 6, and this incident happened on November 11, so the theatre practically was a first run house.

“The Heart of a Hero” depicts the life of Nathan Hale, the great American patriot, whose last words when about to be hanged were, “I only regret I have but one life to lose for my country.” Readers will realize that here s a story demanding every assistance of music and any serious attempt to present this picture with a fitting musical accompaniment would stir the emotions of an American audience. The following is a truthful account of how this was musically presented.

Immediately at the close of the act, as the screen was lowered, the musicians turned out their lights, three of them left the pit, leaving the pianist, who started out playing one of Bohm’s second grade compositions full of arpeggios. This went on for the whole of the first reel. As that neared the end, he repeatedly struck top “A” of the piano several times as sort of a call to the rest of the musicians. They returned to the pit and the drummer distributed a piece of music which happened to be a “Valse Lento” popular two or three years ago, which they continued to play for seven or eight minutes. Then the lights were turned out, again they left the pit with the exception of the drummer who took his place at the piano and improvised for about one-half a reel. Once again the orchestra returned and as the third reel was projected, started in with a selection of the Count of Hoffman which was played from beginning to end.

My patience was exhausted. I left my seat and sought the manager of the house. Introducing myself, I candidly told him the music presented with this patriotic picture was a joke. His reply was: “Yes, I realize that my music is not all that it should be. I have only been manager of this house for one month, during which time I have been forced to change my orchestra twice, and these men now playing have only been with me a week. I know what music should be, because I was assistant to Mr. Rothapfel at the Regent Theatre long before the Strand was built, and many was the time I was kept until 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning, making a musical setting for the pictures. Perhaps you recall,” continued the manager, “‘Quo Vadis.’ That was one that I worked very hard on. Our difficulty now in this house is to find musicians that will play the vaudeville and also the pictures.”

When this strain of argument was given me, I realized that “discretion was the better part of valor,” and left the theatre because I felt convinced that I expressed what was in my mind, I would possible have been thrown out. This instance appears to be the most flagrant case of negligence that I have ever discovered. Here is a man that served his apprenticeship to the King of the Motion Picture Exhibitors, S. L. Rothapfel, and who openly confessed that he has been robbed of his nights’ sleep in preparing the next day’s work, but yet on his own initiative allows such an inspiring American picture as “The Heart of a Hero,” to be blasphemed by a musical interpretation such as we rendered in his house.

To my thinking this substantially accounts for the house being but one-third filled on a Saturday night in the heart of a Broadway residential district in Greater New York.

Many on reading the above account will possibly accuse me of exaggeration, while some will answer, “Well, this man is playing the penalty of his lack of attention to the music by his poorly patronized house,” but there is still another phase which is worthy of the manufacturers’ consideration. This house is a first run theatre. Possibly the same picture may be booked a few days later in another theatre in the neighborhood. Friends of the patrons who visited the first run theatre might ask the question “How is the ‘Heart of a Hero’? I am going down to see it tonight.” The answer logically would be: “I don’t think much of it,” so that both the film company and the second theatre who played the picture suffer from another’s negligence.

It is pleasure to recall that many of the producing companies realize the importance of music to the film, and have come into line to provide some help to both the player and exhibitor in this work. Sincere co-operation on the part of musicians and manager on behalf of music for the film, will recompense one and all in the end they are striving for, namely, box office receipts and satisfied patrons.

Source: S. M Berg, “Music for the Photoplay,” Exhibitor's Trade Review 9 December 1916, 62.