Moving Picture World (Jan-Feb 1927)

214 MOVING PICTURE WORLD January 15, 1927 Scales a Rope Ladder for The Pirate Visual Million on the America's Pram E«cause the story of Take It From Me hinges on the distribution of a million dollars, the America Theatre, Denver, got the Post to offer prizes for the best suggestions on how to get rid of the million in thirty days without either giving or throwing it away. To visualize the idea, the American perambulated a truck loaded with bags, each stenciled with the dollar sign and with large cutout dollar marks on either side. The bags were supposed to contain a million dollars, but the only real coin on the truck, outside the chauffeur’s lunch money was a bag of new pennies which a girl threw out at intervals to the children racing alongside. The kids made a brass band unnecessary, and yet only 500 pennies were required. The stunt was worked about the time of the World Series, and the truck parked by the Post’s main scoreboard during the games, getting a standing room only audience for two days. This is the first money truck we have recorded in months. They used to be almost as numerous as red ink extras. The America overlooked one bet. It did not provide the usual armed guard. Shinned Up Ladder For Black Pirate AN EFFECTIVE DISPLAY ON THE GORILLA HUNT This is from the Castle Theatre, Chicago, but is not unlike the New York display at the Cameo Theatre on this F. B. O. novelty. The gorilla cutout atop the marquise does not show up as clearly but it shows on marquise. Here’s a new one from Montagu Salmon, of the Rialto Theatre, Macon, Ga. He worked it on The Black Pirate. The cutout of a pirate ship was hung from the front of a building and from this dropped a rope ladder. Apparently it was hooked to the rail of the flimsy cutout, but in reality it was tied off to a window back of the ship. A sailor climbed the ladder at frequent intervals to megaphone a ;piel to the crowd waiting to see him fall from his precarious position. The sailor did not fall, but the crowd fell heavily — at the box office. In working the stunt, conceal as far as possible the real mooring of the ladder. That’s more than half the trick. Make it look risky and the kind hearted crowd will gape around to see the stunt man fall to his doom. Made Black Pirate Break All Records Frank H. Burns broke a complete set of records at the Beacham Theatre, Orlando, Fla., with The Black Pirate. It didn’t just happen. Hard work did it. The campaign started with a shadow box in the foyer which later was moved to the lobby. This showed the pirate ship sailing the Spanish Main. Then he posted much more than the usual paper and put out 3,000 cards with the buccaneer poem from the press book. A bannered truck was kept going, and a treasure hunt "arranged with the local paper. Thirty-two words gave the location of a key which would open a treasure chest in the lobby. Each day the paper gave the definitions of eight of the words, giving the number of letters in the words as “Toward the rising sun (4 letter word),” which probably was “east.” The essential words were held back until the last day. From these words a sentence had to be constructed telling where the key was to be found. The prize was $25. The second day Burns put out a throwaway repeating the first set of definitions, which helped to interest nonreaders. As soon as the chest was cleared he put another $10 in and scattered 300 tagged keys. About 80 per cent of the keys were tried. Boy Scouts were given a special showing, and on another day there was a pirate costume contest for the most piratical looking youngster. TWO OF THE STUNTS THAT HELPED FRANK H. BURNS CLEAN UP IN ORLANDO, FLA. The lobby shadow box was used in the foyer earlier, and moved front just before the playing date. The two pirates worked the lobby, went with the float and did a plain street perambulation. A treasure chest was made the basis of a couple of stunts, and there were black flags all over the front. The house broke every record on this engagement.