The Moving picture world (January 1924-February 1924)

January 19, 1924 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 213 an insurance solicitor would use for the largest policy he handles. You just tell them that this is a Lloyd and the patrons will do the rest. Economy of Phrase an Aid to Selling Sometimes words are more impressive through their absence than through use. This advance advertisement from the Coliseum, Seattle, on The Ashes of Vengeance suggests that J. W. Sayre was suffering from writers cramp when he constructed this display, yet the brevity of the copy is A Picture of Quality NORMA g TALMADGE 1 Ashes 9f\fengeance" A First National Release IT SPEAKS IN SILENCE its strongest appeal. There is just the slogan, "a picture of quality," the star, title and some of the supporters and the statement that it is only four days away. There is the inference that you should know all about it, and probably the Seattle reader does, for Sayre has a publication in Screenland that every theatregoer in Seattle and , the outlying territory reads religiously. And we'll tell Sayre that he has one New York reader who is just as faithful. We never miss an issue, for it is the best edited fan magazine in the country. It is a great deal more than a house organ. But getting back to the display, add to the value of the absent words the placement of the cuts and the display of the star and title, and you'll find that you have close to a 100 per cent, display. It is uncommonly good even for the Old Master. It is helped, of course, by good printing, but that is partly due to the selection of the proper cuts. Second Week Ad Is Catchy and Clever There is good copy in this second week announcement from Loew's Columbia Theatre, Washington, on Jackie Coogan in Long Live the King. The upper half tells that Jackie is going into a second week — and why. The lower is a competent sales talk on the play in just the right vein. The chief effort is to convince the reader that this is Jackie's best. This cannot be too strongly stressed, for there is a stronger appeal to this story than there was in Oliver Twist and he does better acting than he has in any previous picture. We do not care Another bif week! — and no wonder! Ever since this superb new Jackie Coogan hit flashed on Washington's gase a week ago, the demand for a continuation of the' engagement has been voiced by thousands! Accordingly, w* eond week of Metro's magnificent new classic that than $600,000. JACKIE COOGAN Loru/ Live the Kingf BY MARY ROBERTS RINEHART UNLESS you've seen "I-ong Live the King," you have never seen the real Jackie Coogan — the remarkable baby Barrymore of the screen, who utterly eclipses everything he did in "Oliver Twist" and 'The Kid" and who reveals vou in this amaring story of royajty And I A Metro Release A GOOD HOLDOVER AD. for that top cut. The single figure at the bottom is better and all that is needed, and with the cut out the fact of the holdover could have been played up even stronger through the use of a larger type face. In the smaller sized cuts on this play it is not possible to get in many expression lines. The faces must be done in few lines and without great detail. It is better to use one larger sized cut than two or more of the smaller ones. It will mean so much more that it will probably sell better. Cuts are not much needed here. The copy sells the idea admirably. Bell Attractor Is a Semi Trade Mark Bells of various sorts have been largely used on The Hunchback of Notre Dame and the Shubert Belasco Theatre, Washington, had a lettered bell for the opening of Supreme Achievement of the Age! ALAN DALE r, unforgtlaiDW. epochal, haunt ill menially. Tim bit of *oi . ._ imrtv.r'j,, IW. Inn Chain April hlnwlf as -I of purtsl ray 1 DON Combines the Greatest of All Dramas-Romances— Spectacles— Love Stories Stan-hl LON CHANEY Wilh ERNEST TORRE Special Symphony Orcheitra Starting TODAY K& ENGAGEMENT LIMITED SHUBERT BELASCO NOTE : r^^mmTJM! t J£ ™ ffi? \ A Universal Release RINGING THE BELL the Universal. There is a little too much New York press work for this to be a wholly good advertisement for Washington, but the bell is the big noise and it gets over in spite of the untidy mess of type over at the left. The bell puts it over almost single handed, for the only selling value to the lines is the playing up of Chaney and Torrence. Even the "combines the greatest of all — Dramas — Romances — Spectacles — Love Stories" is not very convincing, and it is more an announcement than an advertisement. It tells where the play may be seen but it does not sell anyone a desire to see it. Most of the Hunchback work has been well done, and this is the first weak advertisement we have seen. It is notable chiefly for the bell cut and without that this would be a pretty poor display. Good Drawing Hart by Poor Type Work The plan book cut which is made the basis of the display by the Rivoli Theatre, Baltimore, on Anna Christie, is hurt by the type. There is unusual strength to the design. It interests, even if you do not know the story, and if you are familiar with the play it is the entire plot. It's one of the best bits of work the First National has done lately, but much of the effect is lost through the heavy all-capital lines which the jlllilPI ■■■■ll|lHIIIHIWsM»p 1 RIVOLI The Greatest American Drama In Years! The Screes Adaptation of EUGENE O'NEILL'S d™™»,c Erie /&£ BLANCHE SWEET GEORGE MARION WILLIAM RUSSELL GEORGE SEIGMAN CHESTER CON KLIN EUGENIE BESSERER A First National Release SPOILING GOOD CUT WORK printer has run right up to the edge of the cut. If he got any display through this butchery it might, perhaps, be excusable, but he does not even arrive at that desirable end. He gets far less display than would have been given had the lines been set in smaller letters, upper and lower case, and held away from the cut a trifle. You might expect this sort of thing from some backwoods office, but Baltimore usually does better than this. It's discouraging. Uniformity Helped Playing The Bright Shawl at the Liberty Theatre, Seattle, Leroy V. Johnston got unusual attention for his lobby displays by using hand painted pictures of Barthelmess, draped in painted shawls, on all his lobby work. Repetition drove home the idea and the excellence of the display aided in a ticket sale so good that they went out and got a photographer to shoot the queue. Back of the front banner was a lattice with soft rose pink lighting to which Mr. Johnston gives a considerable portion of the credit.