Exhibitors Herald (1927)

March 26, 1927 EXHIBITORS HERALD 37 Lobby for “College Days,” Tiffany production, subject of letter in this issue from Henry H. Cohen, Tremont Theatre, New Haven, Conn. Lobby for “Man of the Forest,” constructed for $6 by J. B. Sams, Amuzu and Pilot Theatres, Winston-Salem, N. C. (Letter in this issue.) family in and getting them in regularly. It builds prestige through discussion of the theatre’s interest in the young folks. It stabilizes patronage, cutting down the week to week fluctuations and what’s more important than that? If you don’t sponsor a Kiddie Klub of one kind or another — what with vacation days coming along — you’d better get about it right away. How National Screen Serves the Exhibitor There is an old Chinese proverb to the effect that “one picture is worth ten thousand words.” This, in a nutshell, accounts for the outstanding success today of action scene trailers as an advertising medium for motion pictures. One picture will do the work of hundreds of words and drive home your point in far more graphic fashion, and when you take a number of pictures that have not only photographic beauty, great backgrounds and interesting personalities but also action, life and movement, you compel attention and interest. Pictures — action in pictures and pictures with action — have built the screen into one of the greatest of the world’s industries. Keen showmen, who follow the trend of the times and are acutely aware of their opportunities, have realized that the logical way to advertise motion pictures is with the motion picture. Hence the beginning and increasing development of the action scene trailers to their present form as served exhibitors throughout the United States today by National Screen Service, Inc. Lobby display, electric signs, posters, heralds, banners, programs, all occupy important niches in the advertising scheme of things, but the trailer is the punch which drives home the message conveyed in all other forms of publicity. A theatregoer may hurry by the lobby display in his rush to secure an admission ticket; he may overlook the poster because he is talking to a friend with whom he is attending the theatre, but once inside, with all attention focussed on the screen, he cannot get away from the message of the trailer. It reaches 100% of every audience. It has sustained action and interest that never divulges a story or gives away a “punch” of an attraction but intrigues and excites interest and curiosity to the point where patrons want to return to see what it is all about. It is insurance that patrons will be kept interested and many exhibitors today regard their trailers as an integral part of each program. Today action scene trailers are created for practically every motion picture produced by every producer and National Screen Service, Inc., through its three strategically located service stations in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, is serving exhibitors throughout the nation with a scene trailer for every picture they book. A large staff of skilled showmen, which includes animators, title writers and artists, is constantly turning out these action trailers in novel form. In addition to actual scenes, each trailer contains one or several ideas which make for variety in style and helps compel attention. For example, in United Artists’ “One Night of Love,” a series of tapestries come to life; the beautiful tapestries dissolving into actual scenes from the picture. In Paramount’s “Casey at the Bat” the idea takes the form of a cartoon and Wallace Beery is shown with his costumes changing rapidly from that of Casey to those of his other famous roles such as in “Behind the Front,” “We’re in the Navy Now.” It is a far cry from the original trailer of seven years ago which contained only a main title and a series of actual scenes haphazardly strung together to the artistically animated and cleverly titled trailer of today which in addition to the action high lights carries art work, snappy, punchy titles and understandable sales arguments that intrigue the theatre goer’s interest. National Screen Service, Inc., has built up a service department that is receiving the congratulations of exhibitors. From a central source the theatre manager knows that he will receive all trailers on all pictures. A simple booking system makes it an easy matter to keep the trailers coming to the theatre in regular order. As a part of its service National Screen Service, Inc., supplies, without additional charge, animated openings bearing the name of the individual theatre, a closing to match, and a number of day sets which enable the exhibitor to tell his patrons the exact day on which the particular attraction will be shown. Jenkins Is Right; Gotta Clean Up J. C. Jenkins, “the Herald Man,” is telling the boys along his route (and in his Colyum) that it’s time to clean up for Spring business. Jenkins is right, as usual. The Spring housecleaning thing is in order and the theatre should make the first break in that direction. Housecleaning, as any substantial married citizen can tell you, is a personal nuisance. The housewives insist upon it, back up their insistence with action, and there’s no way round it unless a sudden business call out of the city can be perfectly timed. Even under those circumstances, there’s always the possibility of a postponement on the part of the family. Anyway, the house always looks better after it’s over and the duly appointed head thereof decides he’ll spend more time at home thereafter, hasn’t been appreciating his home and all that sort of thing. Might as well do the theatre housecleaning first and make the folks feel that way about the playhouse. It’s one way of ducking the Spring drop-off. Points raised in the two issues of this department devoted to accessories are discussed pro and con each week in “What the Picture Did for Me.” The topic has reached such feverish interest that one exhibitor has quit mentioning the pictures at all, writing reams about the posters that came with it. Important as they are, however, the picture is still the important thing and these outbursts are being diverted to their proper channels. But are the posters getting any better? As yet Ye Editor has received no infernal machines or poison pen letters from house organ publishers whose papers were analyzed in last week’s book. Of course it’s pretty early yet.