Exhibitors Herald and Moving Picture World (Oct-Dec 1928)

54 EXHIBITORS HERALD and MOVING PICTURE WORLD October 6, 1928 THE THEATRE Incorporated in this department of practical showmanship of Exhibitors Herald are the Moving Picture World departments. "Selling the picture to the Public," and "Better Business Builders." Here's a Remedy for Halloween Pranks; a Goodwill Builder Too Halloween, the night when spirits walk and "goblins" soap windows and overturn culverts and perform other pranks that result in property damage, can be turned into a time of innocent pleasure and a means of distinct profit for your theatre. For instance there is the town of Baraboo, Wisconsin, where before last year, Halloween was dreaded as a night in which property was not considered safe and the community suffered emphatically from soaped windows and offenses of a more serious nature. But that was changed last year by the Al Ringling theatre, and the same procedure can be used by you this year. Although the plan is not an exactly new one, it has not been used many times and will without doubt solve the Halloween problem in your town if you put it over right. Here's what the Al Ringling theatre, managed by C. L. Roser, did. Special cards were printed by the theatre announcing a Halloween party matinee at the theatre. Admission to this matinee was cut to half price to all children signing the pledge on the card, which read : "I hereby pledge to refrain from soap ing windows, destroying, harming or removing property or doing anything that isn't good, clean, harmless fun on Halloween or any other time." A box in the corner of the card read : "Note: Sign this card and hand to ticket-seller Saturday afternoon October 29, to gain admission at half price. Free horns for all." These cards were distributed to the children by the offices of the mayor, judge, the sheriff, the chief of police, the library, all policemen and the theatre. "In the past," says Roser, "the community had suffered emphatically from soaped windows, to say nothing of greater offenses, in spite of police notices, etc. Our little stunt, in which we secured cooperation of police, county judge and Juvenile officer, schools, library, mayor and sheriff, helped vastly in eliminating the usual undesirable pranks — and left everyone happy. The Chief of Police could not say enough for the idea and the results obtained. "The cards were signed mostly by children, who treated their pledges in very serious and sincere fashion, but the entire campaign registered with the older young people sufficiently to produce the results sought. Needless to say, we enjoyed an extra big matinee for this occasion as substantial reward — although we were doing it with no financial gain in view." If you put over this stunt, you'll find it pays big dividends in goodwill. Want Ad Contest In Columbus Helps "Street Angel" Run Here's an exploitation stunt that proved successful in Columbus Ohio, and focused attention on the showing of "Street Angel," the Fox picture. Jean La Roe, publicity director at Neth's Grand theatre, tied up with the Columbus Dispatch for a contest which not only aroused interest in the picture but helped the newspaper by causing the readers to scan the classified ads closely. The stunt was called the "Jumbled Name Contest" and is practical with any paper that desires to build up its classified section. The same idea can also be used in the news columns, placing the jumbled words at the ends of stories scattered through the paper, or it may be worked with merchants using display ads. The scheme will certainly make people read the ads a great deal more closely. What La Roe did was to rearrange the title and the names of players and the director. For instance, here are a few of the jumbled words and what they represent: "Street Angel" — Settre Nalge. Angela; Janet Gaynor — Nalega : AtnejAgoynr. Gino : Charles Farrell — Ogin : CrashelRalfcrl. It is readily seen that the entire town was kept busy going through the classified ads. Awards were limited to admission tickets. The stunt started in advance of the picture and continued through the entire run. This exploitation idea can be adopted by exhibitors everywhere for the showing of "Street Angel." The ml and pledge card used by Rater for his Hallotcefen party and tin publicity recfim-d by thr stunt Host to Newsboys Manager Pete Egan of the Capitol theatre, Regina, Sask., was recently the host to 150 newsboys for a presentation of "Mademoiselle from Armenticres," the boys marching in a parade from the Regina Leader newspaper office to the theatre. As a result there was excellent publicity in the newspaper.