Exhibitors Herald (1925)

50 EXHIBITORS HERALD April 25, 1925 PEIRRY SPENCER, Howard theatre, Atlanta, tells this week how Gilda Grey and “New Lives for Old” dragged them in from far and near. HOWARD PRICE KINGSMORE and Perry Spencer leave little undone for the Howard. Here’s a window for Paramount’s “Too Many Kisses.” interfere with bo.x office sale) we give them a sliding scale. For Orlando, if they sell 500 tickets we give them 50 per cent but if they sell less than this number we only give them 25 per cent. The answer is simple. Less than 500 tickets does not make the proposition worth the money we have to pay them. Any manager who is not co-operating with his local clubs and societies is making a big mistake, for they are anxious to make money, many times, and the theatre seldom comes to their mind unless the manager puts the facts before them. Every Orlando school, society, club or organization of any kind, depends on the Orlando theatres for this kind of assistance whenever they need money. And we are always ready to aid them. We do, however, make it a point not to let more than one ticket sale be put on a month, which keeps the idea fresh. A couple of clowns, suitably attired and equipped with toy horns, drums and whistles stirred up interest for the starting of “The Great Circus Mystery” at the American theatre, one of our smaller houses, this week. Started well in advance with slides on the screen telling of the coming of the serial. Followed up with circus heralds given away to patrons well in advance and gradually worked up towards play date by sustained interest. Had large banner out in front for week in advance telling of coming of serial, also. Four days in advance, two clowns started working and they covered the section of town well from whence our business is drawn to this house. They had small drug store envelopes to give away, containing peanuts. Envelopes which were printed up — “Circus Food — Have Some and Then Go to the American Theatre and See ‘The Great Circus Mystery,’ ” etc., etc. The clowns also gave out heralds along the streets. They were clever boys and did a lot of things in a funny fashion which kept people watching them. They had signs on their backs, of course. On opening day they worked directly in front of the theatre and ballyhooed people in through conversation, heralds and the peanuts in envelopes. Got serial started off with a bang and I think it will hold up fine. Those houses which play a combination of road shows and pictures, such as our Beacham theatre, should be interested in this. The largest department store in Orlando has a fine victrola department. When we played “Little Jessie James” I went to them, even though it was a road show, and their advertising man, while dubious at first, was soon won over. He featured the two sing hits of “Little Jessie James” in his ads and used cards especially painted throughout the victrola department and then supplied me with a machine which I placed in the lobby and all day, while the crowds were surging around the box office getting tickets, and at night when they were going in, we played and replayed the two song hits of the play. And they were song hits, too. The store reported a brisk sale of the records after the show was gone. The next road show was “Blossom Time,” and the very day the first advance advertising went out the department store advertising man was over to see me. The same sort of a tie-up was arranged and as “Blossom Time” has quite a number of good pieces we did the job up right with a window display, cards in the department, even larger newspaper ads and of course the victrola in the lobby and a pretty girl to take care of it this time. Two days later — every “Blossom Time” record was sold, and they had had a good stock on hand. Will they help me with a picture some time? Wait and see. Some of Mr. Burns’ recent ads are reproduced on another page. DOUBLE OFFERING ZANE GREY'S EUGENE DENNIS the wonder girl GOGEHE DCTNIS £ITGENE‘ DENNIS iEDGEIlE iDENmSl GDCENE ^J^antacivni .DEmnS PASSEIS only were needed to get Atlanta motorists to carry this sign on their cars. See Perry Spencer’s letter for details. PAPER was used without stint in the Howard billing of “The Thundering Herd,” and Mr. Spencer’s letter gives you the result.