In Other Lands

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 418, 1 September 1928, Page 25

In Other Lands

Paramount Employs World-Wide Scheme

THE ANNUAL “WEEK.

Next week approximately \ 1,000 picture theatres in Aus- j tralia and. New Zealand will i be celebrating “Paramount 1 Week,” a national event in j the motion picture world j that announces the opening ] of the new season and the j coming of bigger and better | films.

World-wide Distribution

One great thrill available to all stars is that they may send their

likeness and artistr y round the world by means of Paramount Pictures, says Mr. John W. Hicks, managing director for Paramount in Australia and New Zealand. It is the most complete distribution

of talent known in .. the world to-day. Mr ’ J ’ W ’ H,cks The player on the spoken stage 3 s bound by physical limitations, and the printed word is bound by the limitation of languages; but the acting of the screen star is the work of a human being, and human nature is the same in all countries. This has been one of the factor!! that has carried the distribution of Paramount pictures round the world and lias made possible tile claim of the “126 exchanges and offices serving 69 countries in 37 languages.” Two Phases This situation has two distinct phases—romantic and statistical. The romantic phase is perhaps the greatest tribute to a bunch of loyal coworlcers in the history of modern business expansion. In Paramount’s ranks are members of every nationality and people of every colour, race, and very nearly every creed. Many are unable to speak English. Only a fraction of one per cent, of them have ever seen the Paramount building and the chief executives of the company. Yet they are supremely loyal to the company

they serve. And that is but a portion of the romance of Paramount’s activities around the world—the personal portion. In Foreign Lands A Paramount salesman recently completed a long and dangerous journey into the heart of Venezuela and Ecuador in the interests of the company; and another in the Straits Settlements is a trusted friend and technical adviser of the King of Siam and the Rajah of Sarawak. Prince Chichibu, heir to the throne of Japan, will see motion pictures in no other place than the private projectionroom of the Paramount office in Tokyo.