The Bioscope (Jul-Sep 1931)

X THE BIOSCOPE MODERN CINEMA TECHNIQUE September 30, 1931 This illustration shows the result of an idea sponsored by Jeffrey Bernerd and carried out with the co-operation of Misses Marshall and Williams, of W. & F., and Edward Garrett, of Cinema Signs. This is the foyer of the Prince Edward Theatre at the screening of W. & F.’s British picture ' The Ghost Train.” An ambitious and effective stage presentation supplemented the lobby display. Sound effects for the latter were supplied by British Aeoostic. For TONS OF MONEY (W. &■ F.) Manager Claude Withers, of the Camden Hippodrome, arranged some first-class topical exploitation. The front of his theatre was decorated with a 48-sheet poster informing all and sundry that Mr. Snowden Wanted Tons of Money. Other posters stated that " Mary Brough says a Tax on Gloom,” and that "Ralph Lynn will Budge it sure enough.” (We hope Mr. Withers will be forgiven this last !) Around the 48-sheet were cut-outs of Ralph Lynn engaged in throwing down "tons of money” to a benevolent Mr. Snowden (with beneficial results to the Income Tax ?) Other members of the Cabinet (cut-outs) regarded the transaction with interest. Topicality always adds materially to the effect of any display, and when the result is as happy and striking as that of Mr. Withers, one cannot pass it over by suggesting that it was a matter of luck. Luck provided the opportunity, Tbut only a live showman could have grasped it. For THE EASIEST WAY (M.-G.-M.) Manager Dudley Browne, of the Apollo, Stoke Newington, thought out a cheap, neat and appropriate gag for " The Easiest Way.” On street corners in the neighbourhood of his theatre he had cut-outs of a pointing hand gummed up, with just the words " The Easiest Way ” on them, the index finger pointing, of course, in the direction of the theatre. The notices were painted by hand on white sticky-back paper, the outlines and lettering being plain black. They were about double life-size, and just sufficiently intriguing to catch the public interest. For TRADER HORN {M.-G.-M.) About 15 Southport business houses and one of the local newspapers co-operated with the Palladium in the exploitation of " Trader Horn.” The management of the Palladium arranged a competition and readers of the newspaper were asked to place traders’ advertisements in what they considered the correct order of merit. The first 10 lists received, coinciding with that compiled by the Palladium management, were awarded prizes. All the advertisements were exhibited in the Palladium vestibule. SHOWMANSHIP ACTIVITIES For CAPE FORLORN ( W ardour) A realistic lighthouse, perched on a scena of sea-dashed rocks, which stretched across the full width of the stage, with a warning beam from the light flashing across the auditorium every few seconds, was the exceptionally well-conceived appetiser employed by Manager V. S. Coombe, of the Dominion, Walthamstow, to interest patrons in his forthcoming presentation of " Cape Forlorn.” As the house lights dimmed to introduce the trailer of the picture, the organ came up softly into the hymn " Eternal Father,” coming to a climax in the last bars and rounding off with a crash of thunder as the stage drapes opened to reveal the lighthouse scene. The set was illumined by a faint green half-light, so that the lighthouse appeared as a gaunt silhouette on the edge of the screen. For several minutes this setting remained the centre of interest, what time Billy Underhill, at the organ, held the audience with a rendering of " The Storm,” breaking up with a second thunder crash as the screen drapes parted and the trailer began. The effects — green floods, warning flashes, storm music from the organ — were maintained during the projection of the trailer, the organ only dying down to give way to the occasional dialogue with which the trailer was interspersed. With the final sequence both curtains slowly closed, and the momentary silence which followed was a mute tribute to the gripping realism of the spectacle. An UNUSUAL FIELD (at Hexham ) A brochure issued to announce a shopping week by a big local store was the medium chosen by Tom H. Scott, of the Queen’s Hall, Hexham-on-Tyne, to advertise his house. Though this is a most surprising — and the more pulling for that — medium in which to find such publicity, it was not untoward, as the same brochure announced a mannequin parade, fostered by the store, to be held in the theatre ballroom. Co-operative efforts of this nature are always telling — they interest the women. For A BIRTHDAY (at Bradford). Last week Gaumont’s big house at Bradford, the New Victoria, celebrated its first anniversary, and the company did not let the occasion go unheeded. No, sir ! A pamphlet issued to patrons carried details of an offer to people whose birthday fell on September 22nd (the theatre’s actual anniversary) to be the guests of the management at an evening performance and at a subsequent birthday dinner. Birth certificates were required as proof, and the invitation was extended to the first 25 applicants. Secondly, gifts were offered to babies born in Bradford on the same day, either in the form of a layette or one guinea, on condition that the child was christened " Victor ” or “Victoria." Birth certificates were again asked, and the offer was limited to the first 10 applicants. Finally two huge birthday cakes — billed as the world’s biggest — were displayed, one in each of the theatre’s two vestibules. Patrons were invited, on subscription of a penny to the Bradford Cinderella Fund, to estimate the weight of the cake, and free season tickets for six months were offered as prizes for the nearest guesses. Subsequently one cake was presented to the Cinderella Fund by the Lord Mayor, and the other to Bradford Children’s Hospital. The entire scheme, for which credit must be given to H. Miller, of the GaumontBritish divisional exploitation office, took the fancy of patrons in no uncertain manner. For CHARLEY'S AUNT (Ideal) Manager W. H. MacDermott obtained fine publicity by staging an arrival scene at Belfast’s main station prior to the " lady ” departing for the Classic. Later " she ” made a tour of the city. AN ARDENT EXPLOITEER Owing to a literal error in The Bioscope last week, H. W. Harward, ardent exploiteer and well-known General Manager of the Bournemouth Electric Theatre, was described as H. Hammond. This printing error did not, of course, hide the identity of Mr. Harward, details of whose exploitation schemes have frequently enlivened our pages.