Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1930)

October 4, 19 3 0 Motion Picture News 119 MANAGED KOUND TACLlr CLUBflH _ : . _ l'm:i£b&£:i Chewing Gum Problem Discussed In Detail By R. V. Erk Being an interested party to discussion on "What is the best remedy for the chewing gum evil in theatres," R. V. Erk of the Mays Piqua Theatre in Piqua, Ohio, advances ===— -^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ a good suggestion wherein he states they have found kerosene oil (which costs about $.20 per gallon) to be about as efficient a gum solvent and cleaner as anything they have been able to secure. He also calls attention to the fact that at least once a month his janitor cleans his gum from the under sides of the seat with a sharp putty knife and then finishes the cleaning with a cloth saturated with kerosene. These are mighty good suggestions which should be of tremendous value to those showmen who have paid very little attention to this particular angle of theatre management. Many of us are willing to grasp a good suggestion to improve our theatre and its cleanliness but we sometimes lack the information as to where to secure the necessary material with which to accomplish it. In this case you have an every day product which can be secured anywhere, at any time at an inexpensive cost. We are very grateful to Mr. Erk, whose experience in managing theatres dates back a good many years and any time he is willing to tell us about his ideas along the lines of theatre equipment and maintenance, as well as cleanliness, we will do well to lend a willing and ready ear. Let's hear some more from you Mr. Erk, and lay particular emphasis on the maintenance of your equipment which is a phase of showmanship which you particularly seem to excel in. William Is Now Two In F. Gabriel Handling Painesville Having made such a good record for himself while he was at the Uptown Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio, William F. Gabriel is now the manager of the Utopia and Park Theatres ^^ in Painesville, Ohio. With two houses on his hands he will no doubt be very busy, but we are sure it is the kind of activity that will be productive of some excellent showmanship. Mr. Gabriel has been in the show game for quite some time, so he is certainly qualified for the position he now holds. His town, we understand, offers him opportunities such as the regular towns of its size do. We want to wish him a lot of luck on his new venture and we hope that he will keep us posted so that we can inform his fellow members as to the progress he is making. And listen, Bill ! When you send us in your first contribution, include your photo with it and we'll give you a regular "intro." Gilmore Landed A Float In Two And A Half Mile Parade Entering a float into a parade is another way that a wise showman has for plugging his picture. In this case it was E. W. Gilmore, manager of the Capitol Theatre in Windsor, Ontario, who pulled the stunt and successfully executed it. On Labor Day the local firemen held their field day, and, in conjunction with it, a parade nearly two and a half miles long. In this parade, Gilmore had his float. The float was a threeton truck, on the floor of which was a pile of common clay. The clay was so heavy that it was found necessary to place a dummy bottom on the truck. A box was placed along side of it. The box was filled with clay, with it also being smeared on the sides. Along the sides of the truck Gilmore placed the title of the picture, name of star, theatre and playdates. Under this, and on the top of the banner he used stock cut-outs of the New Show World season. This added life and color to the layout. The copy on the banners appropriately tied in the film. A stunt of this sort, being so different from the regular run of things, proved fine for Windsor. The local newspaper editor liked it so much that he commented on it the next day. In this manner Gilmore received an additional plug, the other plug being the exclamation, "Why, it's common clay," uttered by the spectators when they saw the truck. And the common clay ballyhoo sold "Common Clay." Right, "E. W."? 11 The Showman's Calendar " AN EXCLUSIVE CLUB FEATURE Check up on these dates each week and see how you can turn them into "money dates" for your theatre. Each new month offers new days of untold opportunities. Oct. 5th to 11th Oct. 7th Oct. 8th Oct. 9th Oct. 10th Oct. 12th Oct. 12th to 18th Oct. 17th Oct. 19th Oct. 26 to Nov. 2 Oct. 27th Oct. 27th Oct. 31st Oct. 31st OCTOBER Fire Prevention Week. First Colonial Congress met in New York— 1765. Chicago's Great Fire— 1871. Washington Monument opened — 1884. Farmer's Day (Florida). Columbus Day. Pharmacy Week. Surrender of Burgovne at Saratoga—1777. Surrender of Cornwallis — 1781. Girl Scout Week. Roosevelt's Birthday Anniversary of First Shot in Trench Warefare. Hallowe'en. Admission Day (Nevada). Can you tie any of the above events into your theatre's activities? And don't overlook the many local events that are constantly turning up right in your own town, county or state. Keep an eye on "The Showman's Calendar w tor an advance tip on future holidays and events.