By Ivor Novello Picture Show February 2, 1929

When the cinematograph first made its appearance, we were told that the days of the ordinary theatre were numbered.
We were asked to believe that the variety and the novelty of even the crude films of the early days would provide a means of entertainment which would cut out the stage and put finis to the drama.
   But the contrary actually happened, and as the growth of the film industry has progressed from humble beginnings to its present important position, the sound, well-produced and well-played play has prospered and the theatrical managements with the ability to guage the public taste have gone on from strength to strength.
   In fact, the cinematograph has actually encouraged people to go to the theatre, paradoxical as it may seem.  Those who previous to their patronising the films hardly ever went to place of entertainment, are now regular theatre-goers, whilst remaining staunch supporters of the pictures.
  When wireless came into practical use, both the theatres proper and the cinemas were warned of their approaching doom.
  But once again the prophets proved false in their unhappy prognostications.

The Spirit of the Crowd

All this brings me to the point of the challenge to the cinema which television is supposed to be going to make in the near future.  When I think of all the disasters which the Jeremiahs are foretelling, I should pack my suit-case and flee from the calamities to come--if I believed a word of their lamentations!
  Television, in combination with wireless, they say, will permit a person to be entertained at home, without the effort of going to a picture house, without the trouble of booking seats, without the presence of other people.  The spectator will sit at ease in an armchair beside the fire and look in his or her "televisor."  On this will be seen the play in progress, and in combination with the synchronised wireless, the voices of the actors and actresses will be heard.  It may be an ideal form of entertainment for a misanthrope--a person who dislikes his fellow-beings, a curious soul who is only happy when he is alone.  But there are very few misanthropes, thank goodness!  The average person is gregarious;  there is something in the spirit of the crowd that adds to the enjoyment of the entertainment.
  What is more, a visit to a cinema is a little outing in itself.  It breaks the monotony of an afternoon or evening;  it gives a change from the surroundings of home, however pleasant those surroundings may be.  It means a definite effort to secure something wanted--in this case entertainment.    Things which do not require effort of some sort are seldom worth having.  A couple of seats at a good picture house-- and picture houses have reached a high level of comfort and refinement in every part of the country-- cost comparatively little but give a generous return in the shape of freshened minds and freedom from the worries that even the best regulated homes cannot always avoid.
  What is the appeal of the pictures?  Apart from the play being shown on the screen--modesty forbids me from offering suggestions in theis direction!--there is an atmosphere about the picture theatre that speaks of entertainment and relaxation.  The charming surroundings, good music, and the fact that each visitor is part of an audience determined to enjoy a few hours of holiday--all these exert an influence on the mind.  You cannot isolate yourself from the crowd--even if you want to do anything so unnecessary.
  Then somebody--a child it may be, with a joyous treble laugh, or a staid paterfamilias, whose deep guffaw comes unexpectedly--sets the whole house laughing at an episode, a phrase, or  gesture. You may not quite know why you are laughing so heartily--the subject of the joke may not stand careful analysis.  But you are laughing away with the best of them, enjoying yourself thoroughly because you are one of a hundred others who are doing the very same thing!  And every blessed one of you feels better for that burst of laughter.
  Scientists talk of "mob psychology," and it is a formidable phrase when first it is read.  But shorn of its ponderosity, it means that the crowd may be influenced easily, largely because it is a crowd.

Films Have Universal Appeal

No, the cinema is an institution nowadays, with its roots sunk deep in the hearts of the millions of people who find enjoyment and entertainment in "going to the pictures."  The little outing, the atmosphere of holiday-making, the brightness of the crowd--these cannot be replaced by a televisor in the sitting room at home.  They are essential to the full enjoyment of the performance on the screen.
  The pictures are designed to portray human emotions, good and evil, fine and tawdry;  and it is no wonder that their appeal is so universal.  They supply romance and tragedy, humour and farce, and their power is increased four-fold from the fact that each spectator is one of the crowded audience.
  I believe that television will add to the popularity of the picutre house, in just the same way that wireless has helped both the cinemas and the stage.

IVOR NOVELLO