Motion Picture Herald (Apr-Jun 1931)

70 MOTION PICTURE HERALl .April 11, 1931 National Music Week May 3rd to 10th This annual event offers tremendous possibilities to live-wire showmen who know how to take advantage of it. Tie-ups with your various musical organizations, churches, choral unions and societies, special musical attractions in the theatre, over your organ, or through the use of special musical sound pictures, are but a few quick guesses aimed at this one. The time is short. But not too short for you to be able to work out something to the advantage of everybody concerned, especially your theatre. If the local high school boasts of a good orchestra, give them a night at your theatre. Ditto for any other orchestras in the city (keep away from jazz bands). One thing you must keep in mind is that National Music Week was created, not for the boosting of interest in popular ditties, but for the better and more classical type of music. Don't spoil it by confusing the idea with some sort of a band contest on the stage of your theatre. Keep to the small local or symphony orchestra idea and aim your appeal to that class of patronage with a love for good music. Don't let your screen be idle on this one. Make sure that you book special musical sound reels that fit into the spirit of the occasion. Morrow Promoted To Bigger Spot; Here Is Some Of His Work Here's a special double truck that Floyd D. Morrow, former manager of the Warners' Sherman Theatre in Chillicothe, Ohio, turned out before he left the town to take over his new ==^^^^^^^-^==^^^^= job — and promotion — as City Manager for Warners' four houses in Portsmouth, a mighty important assignment. As you all know, Floyd is right there with the goods when it comes to turning out advertising and exploitation that will mean something to a theatre. He wasn't lacking when it came to batting out an ace double truck on "The Easiest Way" when it played the iheatre. Look over the cut we are showing of the stunt and you will see that it :^ easily adaptable to any picture you might want to plug. In all of the ads, Floyd has placed cut-up bits of pictures of movie stars — not necessarily in the picture, there being but one star in the group who is in the film. The idea is that readers of the page are invited to paste together the scattered photographs, and from the completed set pick out a star in the picture. The photos of the five stars are run intact in the theatre ad. This ad is one that ought to click in any man's town. Should local conditions permit your using it, why not give it a chance? If you want any more dope on the way Floyd makes up these special pages, drop him a line after he's set at his new spot. Thanks, Floyd, for the nice r.entiments you express about the Club. We want to wish you luck on your new job WIN FREE TICKETS TO "TteCflJICSTi DRUG STORE MYKRANTZ PHARMACY SAVING to HAVING Citizens .'Nalional Bank ■Ttteasiesr uiny The HEALTHY WAY HOLSUn Cfiillicolhf Balcing Co. RELIEVE * -■ Household Diudgerv (flfieSTlUAY $5955 :r.-.::: Tbe Sou'ilieni Ohio Qedric Co. The EASY Way Is '%'EasiESTuinv EASY WASHER C. &"]'.' Electric Shop Tte €flfl€ST To Be Assured oi ' war PROPER SPRING ATM «i» Sprins aim •29-"' I ~ '34^ '36^ jROS.gERCM AN Street Ballyhoos Are Invaluable In Phillips' Selling One thing that J. H. Phillips, managing director of the Eagle Theatre on Third Avenue in New York City, has found is that street ballyhoos, for his neighborhood, are ^=^=^=^^=^=^^^^=^= especially valuable to him in the selling of his shows. We are showing a photo of one of his recent ballyhoos so that you can see what he uses to bring them to the box-office. When he played "All Quiet" recently, Phillips sent out on the street a float made up to represent a battlefield. It was as complete in detail as conditions permitted it to be made. Two men dressed in German uniforms, sat on the float as it cruised about the street. Making up the battlefield efifect were shells, barbed wire, machine guns, shrapnel, hand grenades, rifles, etc. Besides this a few placards plugged the picture. Alongside the float a banner was strung. The entire effect was one well qualified to attract the eye, and as a result it attracted crowds of persons. The picture received a fine plug, and business boomed. Another recent street ballyhoo that Phillips used, this time for the Photoplay Theatre when the house played "Morocco" was a man dressed as an Arab who rode a horse about the streets, and whenever a crowd gathered would run the animal through a few tricks. The stunt, like the one above, proved to be a business getter. .Oke, "J. H." keep us posted on what else you are doing to keep them coming to your theatre, will you? ''Spumoni Says So"; And Continued To Until The Opening "Spumoni Says So" had all of Piqua, Ohio, doing some form or other of talking recently. And it was all due to the stunt pulled by H. W. Byrd, whose photo we are ^=^^^=^^^^=^^^== showing, when he wanted to get in an advance plug on "See America Thirst," at the Mays Theatre. As those showmen who have played the films are aware, Spumoni is the king of gangdom, and whatever he says goes; hence "Spumoni Says So." Snipes, 4x16 were made up and placed all over town. All that the snipes read were "Spumoni Says So." The whole town was flooded with the catchline. Before two days had gone by, everyone in town was wondering just what Spumoni was doing so much endorsing for. Newspaper ads also carried the mysterious line. As a follow up on the stunt, Byrd distributed a quantity of pay envelopes imprinted with copy: "See America Thirst — Spumoni Says So." It got so around town that the catchline was being used in ordinary conversation. You can be sure that by the time Byrd was finished with the teaser campaign and broke with the announcement of the picture, the town knew plenty about it. We don't doubt but that this part of his campaign was in more ways than one responsible for a large amount of extra business at the box-office. Are we right r \ the subject, "H. W.?" PLEASE advise us at once in case of change of address. Thank you.