Motion Picture News (Sep-Oct 1922)

October 21, 1922 2025 Beaver board lobby display over front of Beacham theatre, Orlando, Fla., prepared by Manager Vincent on "Grandma’s Boy.’’ Fire-Trucks Aid Campaign on “The Storm’' at Frisco San Francisco, Cal. — Manager F. A. Flader of the Frolic theatre caused great excitement during the showing of “ The Storm.” The first day he had fake telegrams from prominent men all over the United States posted on the front of the house. The Postal Telegraph Company fixed these up. For Saturday md Sunday nights a permit was obtained from the city to run fire-trucks blowing sirens lown the street at approximately forty miles m hour. However, as the policeman across ;he street had not been advised of this pernission, he arrested the manager, but it was ;oon fixed up and taken as a joke. That ‘ stunt caused a great deal of comment and ittracted attention. Just as the truck arrived n front of the Frolic, a large sign slowly Iropped from the roof which read, “ ‘ The Storm ’ Is Here.” Cut-outs were used in the marquise and vhen the 'trucks arrived smoke was shown in he lobby. This, together with the special ighting effects, caused still more excitement md comments. Manager Flader stated the dea jraid well. 'V . A. Doster, manager of the Strand theatre, Montgomery, Ala., built this miniature stage in the lobby for " The Understudy ” Girl Journalist Gives Boost to “Hurricane’s Gal” ILWAUKEE. W is. — “Downey Downer,” Milwaukee’s expert girl journalist, who tackles a different job every day as a novelty feature writer for the Wisconsin News, became a combination aviatrix-exploitress in one when “ Hurricane’s Gal ” played the Strand theatre, Milwaukee. Manager Weisfeldt conceived the bright idea of sending this journalist, whose articles have been a fad in Milwaukee, up with an aeroplane artist who was to drop passes from the sky. “ Downey ” had been a shoe black, newsboy, ballyhoo artist, conductress and policewoman the first five days of the week and the sky had no terrors for her. Her articles in each of her temporary employments created a sensation and made her writings a fad in Milwaukee. In addition to the publicity on the flying stunt, Manager Weisfeldt, in this manner secured a follow up in “Downey’s ” article that was good for comment as long as “ Hurricane’s Gal ” ran at the Strand. “Eternal Flame” Exploited by ’Rickshaw at Boston Boston, Mass. — Manager Hookilio of the Olympia theatre took the angle of exploiting by contrast in putting “ The Eternal Flame ” over recently. The obvious thing, of course, for a street ballyhoo was a French, horsedrawn cabriolet, but there were none available in the city. Befusing to be beaten, the resourceful manager went to the other extreme and decided upon a ballyhoo which, if it didn’t express the story, would attract attention by contrast. He engaged a ’rickshaw and had it drawn by a coolie dressed in the costume of 1820. The sign on the coolie’s shirt read : Norma Talmadge never rode in a ’rickshaw but she is wonderful in “ The Eternal Flame ” now playing at Gordon’s Olympia theatre. Famous Boardwalk Sees “In the Name of the Law” Stunt Atlantic City, N. J. — The famous Boardwalk— stringently guarded against advertising — was the scene of exploitation on “ In the Name of the Law ” when that picture played the Criterion theatre here. Charlie Giegerich, exploiteer, won the co-operation of the police, and the picture was brought to the attention of all who promenaded the famous avenue. The special novelty, police hats, which were issued by the department of publicity and advertising of the F. B. 0. did the trick.' These hats were distributed to hundreds of newsboys and other youngsters of the city, with instructions that the wearer “ do ” the Boardwalk during the entire day. Five thousand of these youngsters brought the attention of the picture to five hundred thousand on the Boardwalk. This is believed to be a proof of the value of such inexpensive novelties, inasmuch as any more ostentatious form of advertising would have been tabooed by the authorities. Mr. Giegerich also was able to plant tbe three-sheet cut-outs, which decorated the Grand Central Terminal during the New York run of the picture, in all the railroad terminals in Atlantic City. This was done with the permission of the police officials, and visitors to the famous resort were all apprised of the coming attraction. Ladiest of the American Legion auxiliary wore, these costumes' to exploit “ Cardigan ” at the Circle theaatre, Indianapolis, Ind.