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More on Handling Hoodlumism
Call -the -Parents Technique
With a New Twist Works
MACON, MO.—The call-the-parents
technique
of dealing with rowdyism and vandal-
SECOND ACCOUNT:
This group of
ism
boys
in was
theatres,
caught
which has
by
come
me
to the fore
personally, with
in
at least
recent months,
a dozen fresh
was given
eggs
a new twist last
in their
week
hands
by
ready to
Paul
throw at
Campbell, manager
an opportune
moment. I
of the Dickinson
collected
circuit's Macon
from their
Theatre
hands
here.
five or six eggs
In
and asked them if
this instance,
there
there
were
is a tie-up with any more.
the The answer
principal was no.
of the high
However,
school but, instead
several eggs
of sending
were dropped
the
and broken
letter to the
on the
parents, the
floor
members
under their seats and
of the
the next
juvenile troupe
morning
involved were the janitor
given a
found the
chance
egg
to read
carton
the
containing
letter first, then several
decide more
whether
unbroken eggs.
they would behave
They also
in the
possessed
future.
oranges.
Campbell believes his method will
work, and recommends it to other theatremen.
THIRD ACCOUNT:
The We do not have curtains in
exhibitor
front of
explains
our
his method in letters large
sent
Cinemascope screen,
to Glen
which cost
Dickinson
over
jr. and to parents.
$2,000, and I told the boys I was holding them
The letter to Dickinson follows:
responsible as a group if they caused any
Enclosed, is a self-explanatory damage. letter in
No eggs were thrown. However,
connection with the repercussion
during a black
of the
out several
Dr.
glass salt and
Jekyll stage show.
pepper shakers were thrown in total darkness
After writing the
striking
letter I could
patrons in
not come
the audience and one
to the decision to send was shattered
it or not, so I consulted
the high school
on the stage. These salt and
pepper shakers
superintendent.
were reported He
stolen from the
was very glad I came to him with
Bungalow Cafe earlier
this
in
problem
the evening supposedly
and felt that it did concern the
by this group.
school.
Not all of these boys are in school, and FOURTH
one
ACCOUNT:
of the fathers is a screen advertiser.
Another is in the U.
During
S. Air
the show there
Force,
were several
but is only
young
about 19. However, Macon high
since that
school students
time
assisting
I have
the
decided not to mail
show
the
troupe who were
letters,
attacked,
but
slugged
to have
and
them come in and had
talk
pepper
to me and
thrown in their eyes
read
while
the
coming
letter themselves, and
up the aisle
make
from back stage. This
their own
was reported
to
decision if they want to have
continue
happened
to come when they reached
to
the show or not
the
and
point
assure me
where this group of
there boys
will
was
never be any more seated.
disturbance from them.
The superintendent has already called in
the
FIFTH ACCOUNT:
school boys and talked to them. One or
two at a time, they At least
are
one, possibly
coming more
in
of these boys,
to see me
now. Actually there was carrying
were
a large
only push-button
three
knife.
or The
four
who planned this thing
one and
known, displayed the rest
a knife became
of mentioned
involved.
type in the lobby to the roadshow manager
This is the
before
first time
the I have
show began
ever had
and was
any
heard in
trouble of
witness
this nature
to say,
and I think
he would use the knife
this on
is the
the
best way to handle it. Prom "MONSTER" if
now
he
on
was bothered.
all the
kids will
It is
know that we
hard to
won't
report the amount
tolerate
of disturbance
each individual boy caused. They
any
rowdyness.
came as a group so they are charged as a
The letter written to parents by Manager group.
Campbell:
This theatre will not tolerate such violent
It is with regret that juvenile
I have to inform delinquency,
you
property destruction
that your son is barred from
and endangering
attending
other patrons, now or in
the Macon Theatre for
the
a period
future.
not less than
six months from this date.
I feel that barring these boys for a .sixmonth
It has taken me since Monday night
period is
January
14 to make this decision.
punishment as they could have very easily
a very fair and lenient
been prosecuted for property destruction had
FIRST ACCOUNT:
I not caught them before the show started.
On Monday night January
There are
14 we
no
presented
hard feelings on my part
a stage show and your
toward
son any of
entered
the
the
boys
theatre
because of this incident
but, I
in a very loud and rowdy manner do think it is
in company
a matter that should
of 11 or 12 other boys.
not
Almost
go unattended.
all of the group
were smoking cigars
If
and
any names have
cigarets been
in the
excluded or falsely
seated section of the
included it is
lower purely
auditorium by accident.
endangering
the If
lives of some
you
two
would care to
to
discuss
three
this matter
hundred other patrons.
with
They were
me personally, I called
would be glad to talk
down for this by
with
an you at
attendant, any time.
and later
some of the group re-lit their cigars and
cigarets making it necessary for me to
personally call them down and explain they
were violating a very strict state fire law
PAUL CAMPBELL
The letter also carried a notation that
copies were being sent to the school superintendent
and the high school principal.
CALENDARqeEVENTS