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MOVING PICTURE WORLD
November 20, 1926
Railroad Supplied Ballyhoo on The Iron Horse
Paramount Dream Is Realized In Building
(Continued from page 135)
Meanwhile in Moving Picture World, Louis Reeves Harrison was dreaming a dream that hugely diverted our readers. Harrison visioned a showplace where the pictures could be seen from comfortable seats and where lights, music, ventilation and elegance would delight the patron.
That was all very well to write about, but exhibitors shrewdly pointed out that if the chairs were bearably comfortable, the patron would remain too ]ong, and become unprofitable. A mechanical piano or at best a Marathon pianist and a long distance violinist could make all the necessary music and it would be foolish to spend money for ventilation when you could buy perfumed disinfectant for a couple of dollars a gallon.
In those days the hiss of the atomizer as an attendant patroled the aisles, spraying the dense atmosphere was as much a part of the show as the projection machine itself.
It was almost universally agreed that it could not be done for ten cents, and everyone knew that the entire prosperity of the picture was based on the ten-cent admission. It had been a hard enough fight to come up from the old nickel tickets, but a quarter was insanely absurd.
But the quarter show did come, and it was a shock to theatrical Broadway presently to find a picture theatre right on Longacre Square itself. It was not much of a theatre, but it was very much like a negro Catholic intruding on a konklave of the K. K. K.
That house long since gave place to office buildings, but meanwhile the Strand had been built, the Victoria was razed to give place to the Rialto and the last word was reached with the erection of the Capitol.
As these lines are written an army of workmen are putting the finishing touches to the new Paramount theatre, housed in a building that is already one of the landmarks of the city ; a theatre with a seating
Production Hints from Edward L* Hyman
Managing Director, Mark Strand Theatre, Brooklyn
Radio features having proved good attractions for this theatre, the Davis Saxophone Octette, under the direction of Clyde Doerr,
which has become well
^^^^^^ I known through Station ^^Bi^^ WEAF, was brought
back for a return engagement with the photoplay, "The Prince of Tempters." This show had, in addition I i A these two attrac
tions, two other stage a^^^^^ ^^^^1 presentations and two ^^^^^'"^^^^ other film subjects. The musical incidents required thirty-three minutes in their presentation, while the film porton of the bill ran one hour and thirtythree minutes. Of this time the First National picture ran one hour and twentyone minutes, with the Topical Review taking eight minutes and the one-reeler, "Suawanee River," taking four minutes.
Edna Burhans, soprano, opened each deluxe show in an aria from "Ernani," appearing on the apron of the orchestra stage. For an encore she sang "Cherie, I Love You." Singer was spotted from the dome by a rose-pink Mestrum, while the gold cloth draw curtains which formed a cyclorania backing for the musicians were flooded from the bridge and dome by soft amber. Miss Burhans took seven minutes.
The film, "Suawanee River," running four minutes, was used as an introduction for the Dixie Jubilee Singers and Dancers. It was specially scored, the theme being the song of that name in special arrangement, and this melody was used for the opening of the Dixie presentation, in full stage.
The setting for the Jubilee Singers included a back drop in black and white of a levee with a show boat, magnolia trees being in the foreground. Dixie Jubilee Singers were grouped to the left, opening with a Southland melody. Then came a picaninny dance by six girls, then more singing l)y the Jubileers. Leonard Workman had an eccentric dance, and the incident closed with a cake walk. Presentation was twelve minutes long, the vocal arrangements being by Eva Jessye, dance arrangements by Sonia Serova and settings by Roy Requa.
.After the Topical Review came the Davis Saxophone Octette, holding the full stage just before the picture was put on. The set included a silver tree center stage backed up by a black curtain ten feet wide, and on either side of the curtain were silver cloth drapes upon which various lighting effects were used. The Octette played "Davisax March," a solo by the leader, Clyde Doerr, called "Ma Favourite;" "Oogle Oogle OO," "My Wild Irish Rose" and medley of popular hits. This presentation required fourteen minutes.
Xew York City twenty years ago. capacity in excess of the entire sittings in It is a theatre such as even Louis Reeves Harrison did not dare visualize ; a dream of sumptuous elegance — and yet who shall say that the end has l)een reached? Who may predict with certainty that the Paramount theatre, palatial as it seems today is no more than another stepping stone toward even greater achievement?
This Ship Sailed
Playing Mare Nostrum at the Palace theatre. Fort Worth. Tex., M. K. Moore used a ship model for his lobby. On either side of this display were full-sized life preservers, lettered with the title of the play— lettered where the name of the ship would appear. Cards similar to the spare tire cards were inserted in the openings carrying selling talk.
When the picture opened these were taken to a downtown store w^indow for further display and a tie-up also w-as effected with a luggage shop.
Had Them Quessing
Fred V. Greene, Jr., now with the Schine Enterprises, got out a herald for Gloversville, N. Y., that has had them guessing.
Fred took Paul Gulick's idea of putting liis front page on the back page, too, with some institutional talk on the inside pages of the four-page folder. People can't figure out whether it was done on purpose or the printer made a mistake in make-up. The result is that they are intrigrued, as the novelists say.
A BORROWED BALLY ON THE IRON HORSE IN COLORADO The I H. is not exactly first run, but Harry J. Helmer, of the Rourke Theatre, La Junta, held back for the fiftieth anniversary of the Santa Fe. The train was imported for the local celebration and loaned him afterward.
Sent to Sills
W hen Men of Steel played Dennison, Texas, the engagement of Milton Sills to Doris Kenyon was capitalized. The Star theatre prepared a telegram of congratulation which was signed by several thousand patronj.