The Moving picture world (November 1926-December 1926)

320 MO\'IXr, PICTURE WORLD December 1«. 1926 Hooked a Vacuum Cleaner to Tramp, Tramp, Tramp HOOKING A VACUUM CLEANER TO TRAMP, TRAMP, TRAMP There is nothincr about cl-eaners in the Langdon comedy — if you except the — cyclone — but W. S. Perutz, of the Rialto Theatre, Chattanooga, tied the picture to the power company and got a fine co-operation idea. Railroad Stuff for A Runaway Express Getting railroad atmosphere for The Runaway Express was not as simple in Charlotte, N. C, as it is in many places. James Cartledge, of the Alhambra theatre, had to unwind a lot of red tape to procure the loan of a spare switch from the railroad, and it took a lot of argument to persuade the store keeper to let go a dozen fusees, but they were obtained along with several signal lanterns, and served to decorate the house very colorfully. The 6-sheet was divided so that the breaking dam was on one side of the lobby and the train on the other. Then men shown in the cut are not a lobby ballyhoo but are ushers in the overalls they wore the three days before the showing; which is the proper time to costume the ushers. At night the switch was placed at the curb, with the lamp lit, showing red up and down the street and green in the direction of the lobby. At times a red fusee would be touched off, to get extra attention. They played to three good days with about $100 over the best previous record for a Saturday night. Had ^Em Quessing Griffith in Wet Paint was the attraction at the Rialto theatre, Lincoln, Neb., when the lobby was being redecorated, and the patrons seemed to think that the "wet paint" signs used by the painters were part of the lobby display. A lot of finger marks had to be painted over, but the extra business more than covered the extra paint. Two For Mary Sam Hammond used two bolsters for Lovey Mary at the Egyptian theatre, Greei'ville, S. C. The first was a treat to the local orphan asylum, with bannered busses and refreshments. The other buUseye was a irural lobby that was based on a latticed fence. It looked so inviting that the patrons swarmed into the theatre. Palm Beach Regatta Staging a pair of motorboat races put over The Palm Beach Girl to increased receipts at the Strand theatre, Knoxville. The event was Iield the Saturday before the picture opened. Boats of more than 80 horsepower went over a twelve-mile course for prizes of three, two and one months' passes, while craft of from 8 to 15 horsepower competed for a silver cup. All entrants saw the picture. There is no novelty to a masked man on the street, even if he does wear evening clothes in the daytime, but Rodney Bush put over The Social Highwayman with just that stunt for the Galax theatre, Birmingham, and it worked as well as ever. .\nother out of the archives as an old safe in the lobby with a prize to anyone who opctifd it. Worked Many Ideas on Langdon Comedy Demonstrating that a stunt does not have to be closely related to a picture, W. S. Perutz, of the Rialto theatre, Chattanooga, tied Tramp. Tramp, Tramp to the Tennessee Light and Power Company. The latter puzzle was used with a Hoover cleaner as the first prize, and each envelope was good for the cleaning of one rig. That looked like something for nothing, but naturally the company was only too glad of an opportunity to demonstrate the device. They gladly gave a large window display and came in on a cooperative page. This page was nicely handled and gave considerable of a push to the business. Fifty Boy Scouts were guests of the house at each of the showing for three days, each squad making a parade to the theatre in time for the five o'clock show. Four shoe stores were given 1,000 heralds each, with their ads on the back, and these were put out by the stores, while a taxi company donated their spare tire cards to till idea that riding was better than the Tramp, Tramp, Tramp On Commission .\t a recent Kid Malince at the Imperial theatre, Jacksonville, Fla., Charlie Morrison made a proposition to the youngsters to give a free admission to each child bringing ten other children to the Wednesday or Thursday matinee of The Cat's Pajamas. .About 75 youngsters got busy and some not only brought children but adults. As the adult admission was three times that charged for children, tht youngsters demanded credit for three kids on each adult. They got it, of course. SWITCHING THE PATRONS INTO THE ALHAMBRA James Carledgp. of Charlotte. N. C, got the loan of a switch for curb decoration. For the lobby he split the 16-she«t very cleverly. With the use of ufnal fuses and lanterns he made a Saturday niffht record.