Motion Picture Herald (Apr-Jun 1931)

April 4 , 19 3 1 MOTION PICTURE HERALD 73 Take A Look At This: Credit Goes To Ted Gamble Of Portland An eyeful of up-to-the-minute showmanship that again exemplifies the opportunities that await a live-wire showman is, to us, seen in the fullpage we are showing here that ==^=^^^=^^^ represents one of the recent activities of Ted Gamble, manager of the RKO Orpheum Theatre, Portland, Ore. Some time ago a New Jersey judge declared the 18th Amendment void. At about this time, Gamble was playing "See America Thirst." He immediately turned out a full page, conforming to newspaper standards, THE PORTLAND RKO NEWS 18TH AMENDMENT VOID SAYS JUDGE WILLIAM CLARK IN NEW JERSEY BEER CASE ♦ ** *♦ ** ** ****** "SEE AMERICA THIRST" SAYS SUMMERVILLE & LANGDON IN RKO ORPHEUM SCHMEER CASE Uoptiiin Is Held Illegal By Nation BUSlfflB SITIBE 01 '"'»«"" OlggeSl LaUgfl 6»i6jif£ coiiiis.-,—"-^ In Ten Years -^-££rrj5=-zi=C'f7£ HltsTowH Today even to the paper, and distributed them about the streets. What a sensation the gag created. Every one reached out the papers being given away by kids. Here again is to be seen the value of keeping in touch with events that are going on all over the country. You can never tell when they will prove productive of publicity for your theatre. We number many showmen in the Club who have, like Gamble, been pulling special stunts every time that opportunity offered. You, too, can do it. Perhaps not nationally, or on stunts of national interest, but locally, which, after all, may prove to possess more pulling power than a stunt of other kind. We'd like to see some more of the shovmianlike work we know is going on around Oregon. Let's hear from this section more often. Highway Commiss'n Refused Rogers Permiss'n On State Road Quite some job H. M. Rogers had recently when he set out to sell "Hell's Angels" to the residents of Sweetwater, Texas, and the surrounding vicinity, but, as all good showmen do, Rogers hopped over the obstacles and hit the fast track along the home stretch to good box-office business. The obstacle that presented itself to Rogers — and it was quite a formidable one, too — was that of the State Highway Commission. Rogers wanted to transport a plane, by truck, along the highway to the theatre. Thumbs down were placed on the proposition by the commish. But did Rogers give up then? No, sir ! The next thing he did was to inform the plane company tying up with him that they could use a competent pilot and drop the plane in one of the vacant lots in Sweetwater. This, accordingly, was on hand with a truck, of the theatre, where i seen on the wings of weeks before playdates towns, low enough for ture ; some of them. done. And so we find that Rogers was which transported the plane to the front t was placed on display. The signs to be the plane were placed there a couple of , as the plane was flown about the various the residents to note the title of the picso Rogers says, even believed that the Showmanship — Fifteen Years Ago! J. W. Ballenger, of the Opera House in York, Neb., published the "York Theatre News" as a regular part of his showselling. . . . Guy A. Curtis created a novel vest-pocket, folding program for his I sis Theatre in Independence, la. . . . and the Stanley Theatre in Philadelphia, Pa., started a campaign to sell the theatre's name to the public via a series of house organs and ads. . . . W. H. Wasserman, manager of the Knickerbocker Theatre in Nashvalle, secured and distributed to all lady patrons small phials of perfume as a booster for "Gloria's Romance" at his theatre, and, according to the records, it was classed as one of the greatest drawing cards ever pulled off at the Knickerbocker. . . . Manager Rhoades of the Gilman Theatre in Kansas City, Mo., made a count of the vehicles passing his tlieatre each hour and discovered the number to be one thousand. . . . We wonder what today's count would be? . . . Then we find that Manager Uran of the Grand Theatre in Mattoon, III., tied up with a public library on "The Call of the Cumberlands," whereby he placed that book on the shelves of the library and advertised the fact to the theatre-goers of his town. . . . And here's one for the W & V boys in Pennsy to talk about. . . . C. Floyd Hopkins, of the Wilmer and Vincent interests in Harrisburg, Pa., made arrangements to photograph the mobilization of the Harrisburg guardsmen and their activities at the training camp. . . . These pictures brought out the mobs in Harrisburg who were anxious to see how the home-town boys behaved while in camp. . . . Arthur J. Stolte, of the Palace in Vinton, Iowa, pulled a real fast one when he capitalized on President Wilson's call to state guardsmen to prepare for the Mexican invasion. . . . He made up a novelty lierald to resemble the front page of a newspaper and distributed it throughout Vinton and vicinity. . . . And in case you don't know it. Chick Lewis was taking amateur movies up in Hazleton, Pa., for the Palace Theatre in that city. . . . But who cares about that. . . . The court summons gag for advertising a picture was used with much success by Joe Vion of the Crescent Tlieatre in the Bronx, N. Y. Incidentally the picture they were selling was a locally made affair with a strictly local cast. . . . We'd like to see it today. . . . The Alhambra Theatre in Detroit, Mich., under the direction of John H. Kunsky, popularized Kiddie Matinees with specially prepared programs for the youngsters and kept the idea going for years without a letup. . . . And the Alpha Airdrome in Betliany, Mo., sent out a ballyhoo consisting of two boys with large mirrors to create interest in "As in a Looking Glass," then current at the Airdrome. . . . And wliile on the subject of ballyhoos . . . let us tell you that Harry V. Side, manager of the Monroe Theatre out in Omaha, dressed a flock of boys in sailor suits and paraded them around the town to plug "The Secret of the Submarine" for his house. . . . T. A. Boatwright, of Tabor, la., was called upon, via a special resolution of the women's clubs of tliat city, to run a special children's show at least once a week . . . while Manager Joltn Cummings, of the Apollo in Omaha, earned the praise of the Mother's Club by reason of tlie fine sfiows he was putting on for the kiddies . . . incidentally, we miglit add at this time that Manager Phil Goldstone, of the World Film Exchange in Omaha, in order to convince the management that children shows were profitable, donated the film free to Cummings for several weeks . . . and last, but not least, the "fast-worJ^' medal of fifteen years ago should fiave been given to H. C. Smitli, of Almena, Kansas, for using his head in an emergency when the lighting plant burned out and lie had a "big special" booked for his tlieatre . . . he scouted around until he found a spare generator at an ice plant some fourteen miles away and brouglit it in, hooked it to a Ford car and, after stretcliing wire across the street from the garage where he was generating his current to the theatre, proceeded to give his show. . . . So long 'til next week! plane was one of the original used by Hughes. The plane's transportation to the theatre didn't cost Rogers a cent. A very clever catchline was originated and placed on both sides of the hauling truck. The signs said : "We haul anything from baby buggies to aeroplanes." The plane gag was one that did a lot to help put the picture across. We are showing a photo of it here, and if you'll study it you will notice that Rogers has promoted nurses' uniform and National Guard suits. Rogers, himself, can be seen in the photo. He is the unassuming gent with the felt hat. His assistant, H. E. Phelps, can be seen wearing an air uniform. He's a student pilot, we are told. The rest of the individuals in the picture are members of the house staff, the ushers, doorman and cashier. We think that Rogers and his gang of live-wires deserve a hand for the splendid work that was turned out in the face of the obstacles encountered. Congratulations, "H. M.," and let's hear from you some more.