Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1930)

October 4 , 19 3 0 Motion Picture News 133 BH MANAGE!?!* KOLND TABLE CLUEft Meet Milton Wight Who Is Handling The Liberty Theatre Here's the showman who is capably filling the shoes vacated by Ray Meyersick, who resigned from the management of the Liberty Theatre in Kennewick, Wash., to go to La Grande, Ore., on private business. Meet Milton Wight. Wight has been in the show game a number of years and he has been turning out some excellent work for the Inland Theatres Circuit. As we are a little late with this story, having left for the Coast a day or so before Milton's application arrived, we'd like you to know that this is his first "meeting'' of you all on the Club pages. We are glad to welcome him into the Club, and we believe we have the Inland Theatres showmen now with us 100^. We hope that Milton will forgive us for our delay; but since it was unavoidable we are sure he will. Are we right, Milton? And listen! We want to hear some more about you very soon, so it's up to you to keep us posted on what's going on around the Liberty Theatre, so that we can keep tabs on your work. Oke? It certainly looked like a war rally when George Delis, manager of the Capitol and Olympic Theatres in Steubenville, Ohio, set out to sell "All Quiet on the Western Front" through the medium of a street parade held on the opening night. What a parade! Soldiers, nurses, a band, army tractors, cannon—almost everything that you would see in a real mobilization. Delis did some fast stepping to engineer this one. He went out and tied up the American Legion Forty and Eight Drum Corps to supplv the music. The Post also volunteered their Firing Squad and drafted them into service. The Field Artillery came througli with a tractor — a real one, too. Delis then tied up with the Fort Steuben Sales Company for the use of five Austin cars. Banners were hung on the cars and also on the cannon caissons. Delis' Parade For "All Quiet" Was Not So Quiet After All A number of young men from the town were outfitted in soldier uniforms and pressed into service to parade. Young ladies volunteered their services as nurses, the uniforms being supplied by local merchants. A number of city officials also went into the parade, and their cars formed a welcome addition. It was one of the biggest things that Steubenville had witnessed in a long time. It started at 7:30 on a Saturday evening— one of the busiest nights in Steubenville— when the strees are literally jammed— and did not break up until two and a half hours later, so you can figure out what it must have been like. And the photos will give you a small idea. The local merchants were so pleased with Delis' efforts that the organization representing them complimented him on his work and the successful execution. As vou all know. Delis has just been promoted to the job of handling both of the Warner houses in the city, and though he will be very busy on this important assignment, we are sure he is going to keep us posted and we expect to present some new slants on his showmanship in these pages shortly. PROJECTION EQUIPMENT Once called the "heart of the theatre," the projection room has now taken on added importance and is hoth the heart and the soul of the theatre. Here centers, practically everything pertaining to your screen entertainment. Therefore, if you are alive to the possibilities of trouble from this source, you will be wise to keep a watchful eye on your booth to make sure that every detail of its equipment is in good workable condition. Foolish economy in the booth can become the most expensive folly in the entire operation of your theatre. Here starts the trouble which can end in dissatisfied patrons, refunded admissions and absolute loss of business. Here is where YOU, and no one else, should keep a watchful eye. Equipment should never be allowed to get into a run-down condition, it's much cheaper to overhaul or replace parts that are apt to give trouble. And here is where money can be spent with the feeling that you are spending it wisely. Every dollar paid out for improved booth equipment and adding to the efficiency of your projection is money well spent. It is neither our intention nor mission to suggest this or that kind of equipment, but any good showman would make it a point to know all about the various improvements constantly being perfected and which adds considerably to the proper presentation of their shows. Don't take your booth for granted. It's something which requires constant attention and supervision if you are to insure yourself against costly breakdowns and replacements. Airplane Dropped Tickets As Part Of Hof's Ace Campaign "All For One And One For AH" The residents of Poughkeepsie, N. Y., certainly craned their necks to "look up" at the ballyhoo that H. P. Hof, manager of the Bardavon Theatre, used to exploit _ "The Dawn Patrol." On opening day of picture, an aeroplane flew over the city, dropping 2,000 white tickets carrying copy about the picture, theatre and playdates as well as mentioning that if the ticket was "red" it would entitle that person to attend any matinee showing of the picture as the guest of the theatre. Among the 2.000 white tickets were 20 red ones. Sixteen of the 20 red tickets were turned in at the box-office. Before dropping the tickets, the plane flew low over the city for quite a while and also stunted, thereby attracting a great deal of attention. It was also noted in the "Dawn Patrol" newspaper ad that the "Leader of the Dawn Patrol" would fly over Poughkeepsie at noon on the opening day. Hof is active on other lines also. He knows his town pretty well, and being acquainted with the local societies enabled him to interest the local German Singing Society in "All Quiet on the Western Front" by mailing announcements in German to them. The announcements were neatly gotton up and undoubtedly helped to swell the attendances during the picture's run. The German Society also permitted cards to be placed in their headquarters windows ; the cards playing up the picture, theatre and playdates. Hof also appealed to the ex-service men by inviting the American Legion officials to a private screening of the picture. The Legion officials, in turn, praised the picture highly to their comrades and urged them to see it. Since he has been located in Poughkeepsie, Hof has been giving the town some fine showmanship and his efforts are represented often on our pages.