What Kind of a Fellow Is — Winik? (1918) 🇺🇸

Being a glance at the real human side of the big men of the picture game caught in action

by William A. Johnston

We had lunch with Mr. Winik [Hyman Winik] some time ago. The lunch was arranged by a third party and there appeared to be some vagueness as to who extended the invitation. But anyway Mr. Winik paid the bill. We editors are pretty good at this sort of thing, even if we cannot turn big deals on foreign rights between the oysters and entrée.

There was also some vagueness about the object of the lunch. But we finally sniffed a reason. Mr. Winik wanted to find out what kind of fellows we were. He seems to have anticipated this series of interviews.

At this lunch we got a further inkling of Mr. Winik’s business methods.

First he creates an uproar. He did this with us by making some statements which we considered outrageously unreasonable, and which we promptly and feelingly combated. While he battled with us he even had some side skirmishes with a few leaders in the industry whom he intentionally decoyed to our table. These men also yelled back at Mr. Winik, and one gentleman looked as though he would like to hit Mr. Winik on the nose.

We noticed that Mr. Winik ate right along during the conflict and even seemed to find it quite as enjoyable as his broiled chicken.

After the smoke had cleared away he told us pretty definitely just what kind of fellows these men were. He also said what he thought of us; (and it pleased us that his remarks were at least partly complimentary even after he had paid the check.)

These tactics, it struck us, were pretty good ones, especially as they also kept the other fellows, from guessing just what kind of a fellow Winik is.

These same tactics have made some people think that Mr. Winik is crazy.

We have only to say then that craziness is a good business asset. Mr. Winik reminds us of a man who, when he sees something in the street that he wants, starts a street fight over it and then takes it away unobtrusively while the other fellows are fighting.

He did a “crazy” thing recently in Great Britain. Having control for that market of a two-a-week program of big stars and guessing correctly in advance that the stars would leave the program he cut releases to one a week and is now issuing new star pictures. Which seems to give pleasure to Mr. Winik’s exhibitor patrons over there.

A more recent “crazy” deal on Mr. Winik’s part is the acquisition of the British rights on the new Chaplin pictures.

One of Mr. Winik’s “craziest” principles is to make happy those concerned with him in his business deals.

He has a small 2x4 office in the Brokaw building, but his desk contains daily cables from all over the world. He tackles a job at a time, works fast and completes it before he lets go. After the day’s work, he forgets everything and goes over to the Hotel Astor where he lives.

Here he becomes a philosopher. If you will sit up with him and listen he will talk all night. He philosophizes on subjects as widely disassociated as the Bible and the film business. He even thinks he can write and expects to some day. But then, of course, every man has his weakness.

He would rather philosophize than play poker.

One evening when he was telling us what kind of a fellow Moses was — and his remarks were more original than complimentary — another film magnate came in and insisted upon a game of poker.

“Now look here,” said Mr. Winik, “you hope to make some money, don’t you. All right! How much? About five hundred? All right, I’ll match you for it!” (name of loser — it doesn’t begin with W— given on request).

That same evening a vice-president of a prominent Fifth Avenue bank who joined us during the conversation, passed a remark that Mr. Winik could have his (the vice-president’s) shirt any time he wanted it. Having known a number of bank officials and having had the belief that they and their shirts were inseparable, the remark was a distinct shock to us. We noted that Mr. Winik didn’t offer to match for the shirt.

Mr. Winik’s loose conversation is a camouflage in more ways than one. As a matter of fact, he listens closely and takes advice freely.

In buying pictures, however, he consults himself alone, and is strangely silent. He buys suddenly out of the clear sky and pays big amounts for big pictures.

Mr. Winik’s qualifications lead us to the firm belief that he is going to be some figure in the film business here. Our belief is supported by his conduct of the affairs of W. H. Productions, in which he has done the “crazy” thing of treating his buyers of territory with the utmost consideration and all around service.

We, for one, are going to watch Winik.

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Exhibitors Help Fund Drive

Adolph Zukor confers with federal officials on plans for industry co-operation — slides shown in all theatres

Following the return last week from Washington of Adolph Zukor, president of the Famous Players-Lasky, it was announced that plans have been perfected calling for continued co-operation of exhibitors and the entire industry in the new drive for war funds. Mr. Zukor is chairman of the Committee of the N. A. M. P. I. formed to co-operate with the Government in its war program, and his Washington trip was for the purpose of conferring with federal officials in regard to the new plans.

W. G. McAdoo, Secretary of the Treasury, in a letter to exhibitors throughout the country, expressed high appreciation of the assistance the motion picture industry has given his department heretofore. The united front that it has presented when calls for voluntary service went forth has been a source of great inspiration to all who are directly charged with the conduct of the war, according to the Secretary. In his new appeal to the industry. Mr. McAdoo asks the aid of the exhibitor in making the War Savings campaign a success.

“Secretary McAdoo has already started a campaign among exhibitors,” said Mr. Zukor, upon his return from Washington, “in connection with the new War Savings Stamps drive. Three slides, prepared by the Committee of the National Association of the Motion Picture Industry to cooperate with the Treasury Department, have been accepted and are being distributed among exhibitors in all parts of the country.

“Not only is it a patriotic duty of every exhibitor to use these slides as frequently as possible, but the fact that he shows them will tend to further enhance his standing among his patrons, who will appreciate his efforts toward the realization of the goal for which we are fighting.”

The activities of the committee from the National Association, now working hand in hand with the Government, has received many laudatory comments in Washington. In the last Liberty Loan drive, 70,000 slides were prepared and sent out under the supervision of this committee, as well as 500,000 feet of film of patriotic appeal. The effectiveness of this co-operation in the motion picture theatre was soon apparent, as expressed by Secretary McAdoo and other Government officials. The National Association Committee to the Government consists of Adolph Zukor, chairman; W. W. Irwin, J. E. Brulatour, Marcus Loew and George K. Spoor.

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Legitimate Houses Catering to Pictures

Booking records recently submitted to Frank Hall, president and general manager of the U. S. Exhibitors’ Booking-Corporation, would indicate that many of the largest theatres heretofore devoted to road shows, exclusively, have abandoned this policy in favor of moving pictures.

“A majority of them,” said Mr. Hall, “made it a point to book special productions in preference to program pictures, inasmuch as they wish to conform as much as possible with their established policy of presenting an attraction which in itself is an evening’s entertainment. Many of the legitimate theatres in towns through Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, not to mention many below the Mason-Dixon line, have found conditions arising from the war so oppressive that they have taken up pictures exclusively.”

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King Bee Films reports that it is having great success with the distribution of the waltzes written by Billy West and that it is proving one of the greatest of publicity stunts. The plan is being worked systematically, so that all of the exhibitors showing the Billy West comedies will get the most possible advantage out of them.

In a letter to exhibitors attention is called to the fact that these waltzes cannot be purchased in any store, but that they will be furnished by the King Bee Co., so that they can be given away to patrons. It is suggested that the distribution of these should be undertaken on the evening that the Billy West comedies are shown.

In addition King Bee is furnished matrices of the music to any newspapers that will agree to print them, and already the demand has been heavy for these. It is suggested to the manager that he should have his musicians play these waltzes on the nights that the pictures are shown and at the same time that he makes the announcements through the use of slides.

Awards for writing the best words to accompany the music are also suggested. These could be either worked by the theatre itself or through the local newspaper. Of course, in arranging any sort of a contest that requires the use of the mails you want to be sure to get the approval of your local postal officials so that you will not violate the very strict rulings that are now in force.

King Bee is also sending the exhibitors suggestions for copy which can be painted on three or eight sheets, or used for slides or newspaper advertising. Co-operation of the exchange men is also asked in another series of letters so that there will be no chance of the exhibitor not knowing the opportunity that he has for widespread publicity at small cost. One thing that especially commends this plan is that the music goes into the homes and has a permanent advertising value — something that is not true in the case of the ordinary herald or throw-away.

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Strand Salaries Not Cut in Closing

Manager Harold Edel, of the Strand theatre in New York, announced this week that despite the fact a pro-rata plan for the reduction of employees’ salaries for the Tuesday each week the theatre is to be closed has been submitted to and accepted by all employees of the house, the Board of Directors has voted to pay all weekly salaries in full.

Illustration by: Harry Palmer (Harry Samuel Palmer) (1882–1955)

Collection: Motion Picture News, February 1918