Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1938)

The designer very evidently had the public viewpoint prominently in mind when he formed the facade of the Silver Theatre. Provision for point-of-sale attraction is plentifully provided and the main sign and marquee are striking examples of modern theatre advertising media. By Helen Kent ANY contemplation of theatre advertising methods and media must certainly take into consideration that prime factor, the theatre itself; its adaptability to exploitation and its effectiveness as a basis upon which to build productive advertising. House Appeal is a theatre’s best institutional advertisement. It is a builderupper which cannot be overlooked in any analysis of merchandising technique. It is a form of silent ballyhoo which is on the job at all hours, coaxing, persuading and inviting patronage to come once and then return again and again. It is a groundwork for advertising, seconding the prevalent slogan that “Movies Are Your Best Entertainment.” For it is a well-known fact that pictures can be far from that in a theatre where the vestiges of House Appeal have lapsed or were never present. As an aid to advertising, the beauty of form and functional design of the modern theatre building cannot be overestimated. These characteristics are built-in requisites of present-day moving picture merchandising which have displaced sidewalk barking as a means of luring crowds into the theatre. Theatregoers have outgrown blatant baiting just as they have learned to distrust the entertainment value of moving pictures under disturbing conditions due to lack of attention to the physical charm of theatre property. Beauty Versus Blatancy Subtlety is demanded today. Brilliancy takes the place of blatancy in advertising a much finer type of entertainment than that provided in the days before House Appeal was made a part of the program. Both outside and inside, the theatre of today speaks for itself as a deciding factor in the ever-increasing competition offered by other forms of entertainment. There is no more definite business-building medium to be used by showmen today than that offered in the appeal to patronage of their own property — modern theatres. The size or location of the theatre doesn’t matter greatly. A striking example of the type of theatre which is its own best advertisement is the new Silver Theatre, in Silver Spring, Maryland, a suburb of the nation’s capital Reft: The foyer of the Silver Theatre is an attractive reception room with added provision for good advertising display. Right: A sectional view of the auditorium wherein House Appeal is artfully achieved in every particular. city. It is a small community-type playhouse, seating 1,000 patrons, and is the most recent addition to Warner Bros.’ Washington Zone. John J. Payette, general zone manager, supervises the new house and Lamar Keen is its resident manager. An extensive shopping center is an adjoining part of the theatre building, which serves to focus interest on the theatre as the dominant eye-attraction of the entire neighborhood. The building is a sleek, streamlined expression of modernity in construction and compactness in design. It was designed by John Eberson, veteran theatre architect, and was constructed by Mohler Construction Co., of Washington, under the supervision of A. Julian Brylawski and Herman Maier, Warner Bros.’ real estate department man 40 The MODERN THEATRE SECTION