Building theatre patronage : management and merchandising (1927)

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CHAPTER III THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEATRE ADVERTISING THEATRE advertising has developed from crude and simple forms to the efficient use of a wide variety of mediums. In the early days of the nickelodeon it was "pictures that move" which sold theatre tickets. The novelty of "pictures that move" was about the only thing that could then be advertised. There were no titles, no stars, no well-known stories, little dramatic interest. In 1905, with the release of "The Great Train Robbery," eight hundred feet in length, came the first title that could be advertised as a feature. The consequent production of full 1,000-foot reels gave a supply of titles, but most of them were meaningless. They offered nothing around which to build an advertising campaign, and two reelers did not appear for another six years. Stars were not only unknown, but the producing companies did all in their power to hide the identity of the players so that higher salaries would not be justified by star popularity. As late as 1909, the Biograph Company with its stock players was so determined to hide the identity of the players, that when Dot Davenport admitted to a home-town newspaper reporter that she was a member of the Biograph stock company, she was discharged. The exhibitors made a feeble attempt to advertise trade names. They attempted the showing of photoplays of one company through an entire week so that they could display a banner reading "Biograph Week," or "Pathe Week." The producing company was the "star" and the exclusive advertising factor. But trade names then had small influence in selling tickets. It was the novelty of the new entertainment "pictures that move" and the very low admission price that kept the nickelodeons crowded. Star Advertising. Star advertising began when in August, 1909, Florence Turner was starred by Vitagraph. It was not until two years 15