The Moving Picture Weekly (1919-1922)

Vol. 15, No. 15 The Moving Picture Weekly 31 Received Fifty Dollars Apiece fering from depression. Mr. Battiston tried unsuccessfully to obtain the cooperation of school principals, but was not discouraged bv their refusal; he kept plugging along, evolved an idea of considerable merit and followed it through to its conclusion and not only won a cash prize but also the respect and good will of his community. Excerpts from his letter show some of the difficulties against which Mr. Battiston had to contend: "I am located in the center of the coal strike district, and with the beginning of hot weather, business was worse than it had ever been in the history of my theatre. This is how I put 'The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe' over in a big way at small cost: Four weeks before starting date, I saw the principals and directors of the local schools, many of whom were opposed to letting children see moving pictures, principally on account of the shoot-'em-up serials. «T EXPLAINED that the Universal Film Manufacturing Company was producing educational chapter-plays, such as 'The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe,' and told them if they would co-operate with me I would be helping them by showing it. After much argument, I sold them the idea and they consented to play along with me. I made arrangements with all the teachers, giving them free tickets, and leaving four or five in each room as prizes for the best essay and compositions on Robinson Crusoe every day for two weeks. Each day the teachers would read a chapter of Robinson Crusoe to them and ask for a short thesis to be brought in the following morning. "A fortnight before opening I placed fifteen one-sheets with the Phil Gersdorf's Front and Lobby for the Palace Theatre, Macon, Ga., Which Not Only Increased His Box-Office Receipts But Helped Him Win a Fifty-Dollar Prize This Week Make It the Biggest Summer You Ever Had!