Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1930)

October 4 . 1930 Motion Picture News 123 MANACtni* ROUND TABLE CLUB Mickey Gross Hangs Up Three Winners On Stage Weddings Three consecutive winners is the enviable record hung up by Mickey Gross, manager of the Orpheum Theatre in Sioux City, Iowa, by the clicking of his third stage wedding =^ ^^ recently. In three months' time Mickey has engineered three, and when that can be done in a town there's plenty to show that a showman is located there. In all of his tie-ups Gross has had the full cooperation of the local merchants and the newspapers. The dealers have contributed freely of their merchandise and nary a complaint has been registered. This may be accounted for by the fact that Gross sees to it that no occasion slips by wherein they can secure publicity for themselves. He advertised the dealers participating in the wedding gag, on the screen, in his "Here Come The Brides Big Double Wedding RKO ORPHEUM Bertha Olson : Kermit Lamoreux Mildred P. Hay : W. H. Strong 9 P. M. ON OUR STAGE 9 P.M. ANN HARDING » "HOLIDAY" lobby and in the newspapers. The latest wedding was taken part in by two couples. It was so thoroughly covered by Gross that not a stone was left unturned. The bride's shopping tours, as well as the groom's, crashed the local papers. Every day the stunt received a play, and the dealers — came in for mention. We are reproducing here one of the monster heralds that were used to plug the affair. They were plastered all over the town. But they weren't the only publicity mediums. Every dealer in the town had a card plugging the show, and all of the participating dealers featured a special display of the merchandise they were donating. In the photo we are showing you can get a line on how Gross cashed in on word-of-mouth comment by having the brides and grooms appear in the lobby of the theatre almost every evening for a week before the event was to take place. This angle proved very effective, and though it depends entirely upon the couples themselves, may help you, too, should you care to use it. TUESDAY night SEPT. «6h SEE OUR * lEDWNO "iLOREDHAY BIG DOUBLE CARRIAGE kWUlrtSTROtlG NSSBET^ttSON TUESDAY NIGHT M0B\0R •*KT* | 1 il a ■ J ■'•'?' ViiiiUii pu«| JL Jfek $. tf w *m~m m wt ft » WATCH FOR ROOF LEAKS That personal supervision is absolutely essential has been demonstrated time and again. It is permissible for busy managers to delegate certain duties to their assistant or chiefs, but at regular intervals they must make a complete tour of the theatre, from roof to cellar, to make sure that every part of the house is getting the proper attention. Especially where repairs, etc., are required. Recently, stopping off at a beautiful house near New York City, I asked the manager what happened to cause an ugly stain on his beautifully decorated ceiling. He was as much surprised as I was, so together we went to the hanging ceiling (which cost me a cleaner's bill) and found that rain had leaked in from the roof right above the stained ceiling. Going to the roof, it was found that sharp stones, probably thrown to the roof by youngsters in the street, plus some broken bulbs, etc., had settled into the waterproofing and eventually caused the leak. There were about a dozen other spots due to start leaks before long. In the first place, as this manager admitted, the stones, bulbs and other rubbish should never have accumulated on the roof, and in the second place, had he (the manager) made it a point to make frequent trips, as mentioned above, the danger of leaks would have been minimized. Theatres generally have large areas of roof space. Some of these spots are not always accessible, such as stage roofs, organ chamber roofs, etc. Which makes the suggestion for closer inspection all the more important. At the appointed hour, on the night set for the wedding, everything was in readiness. A number of the gifts donated by the local jeweler attracted in their display case in the lobby. The ushers were all shined up. The house was spotless. The organist had a special solo ready. A local celebrity was on hand to unite the couple; a special stage setting had been painted by Gross and set up; new lighting effects were achieved and the whole thing was in readiness for a gala event. And it was every bit that ! A half hour after the house opened, it was jammed to capacity, and hundreds of disappointed people stormed the doors, vainly endeavoring to effect an entrance. Everything went over in shipshape fashion, not a hitch being encountered in the proceedings. Gross had made a success out of his third wedding. He is now getting set to stage a triple wedding, and if he can secure the couples and put the plan through it will be the first time in the history of showmanship, if we recall rightly, that such a gag has been engineered. Unlimited possibilities can be found in these stage wedding stunts. All required is that you don your thinking cap when you set out to lay your campaign ; because the way you plan your event is the main thing. When once you have finished your campaign and think that you have covered every angle possible, hit the line hard; and don't switch from your original ideas unless something better offers itself. You can't get anywhere without systematic planning because it constitutes the very backbone of showmanship. The showman who works spasmodically will always find his box-office acting that way, too. And still another point that we want to stress is that plenty of care should be taken in the selection of your feature film and surrounding program. Gross got a break on his; he was playing "Holiday." Look over your dates and if you are going to pull a stage wedding and find that the picture don't pull with it, yank it out. Give them a show that they'll enjoy completely and you'll retain the good-will of your house.