Exhibitor's Trade Review (May-Aug 1925)

August 29, 1925 Page, 25 "RECORD" BALLYHOO FOR PATHE'S "BLACK CYCLONE" Theatre Manager Plays Safe THE manager of the Howard Theatre, Atlanta, Ga., has put one over on his patrons in telling them about "Black Cyclone," the Pathe picture featuring Rex, the Wild Horse. Advertise? Sure! But he figures that there are a lot of people who won't stop to read all the copy, so he goes out into their homes and tells them about it. Wait a moment. That's a fine stunt but it takes time. Figure it out for yourself. Talking to say, a thousand people at ten minutes a talk would take twenty-one eight hour days, and that's too much for any manager, however ambitious, to put in on one picture. So what does he do but go and have a little talk canned on a tiny phonograph record and have several thousand copies run off. He sends these out to his whole list, attached to a little card that is a further boost for "Black Cyclone" and lets curiosity do the rest. Here is what Howard's special Rex record relates : LISTEN to what Elinor Glyn has to say about Rex, the Wild Horse, hero of 'Black Cyclone' which was at the Howard the week of July 27th: T have passed a perfectly delightful hour watching primitive nature and I advise all the fans who want to see that which makes the world go round — Love, Pride and Achievement — to go and call on Rex. " T should recommend all mushy sweet boys allowing little girls to boss them as they do, to go and see how Rex allures and yet commands his lady. It was no wonder she was in love with him. Don't forget to see 'Black Cyclone' at the Howard Theatre all during the week commencing July 27th.' " Something New in Co-op Pages For Greater Movie Campaign QOMETHING new in cooperative k-J pages was devised by A. J. Sharick, Universal exploiteer, for the "Oh, Doctor," engagement at the Liberty Theatre, Youngstown, Ohio. Sharick sold 11 ads of sizes varying from a quarter page to a single column, but instead of having them concentrated on one page, he had them laid out on two pages in regulation pyramid style with reading matter surrounding them. Each page carried a publicity story on This perambulating 24-sheet was used to exploit B. P. Schulberg's Preferred Picture, "The Boomerang," during its New York premier at the Capitol Theatre. It costs about the same as if the sheet were on a regular bill-board, and it certainly requires no argument to convince one of the added value it has by its being moved around the picture, and each ad had "Oh, Doctor" inserted in a prominent place. Novel Contest Pulls A CONTEST was also run in connection with the pages. The announcement said that since the picture play dealt with a man who imagined he had all kinds of cronic ailments, the contest would be easy for an essay or outline of not more than 300 words on the theme : "Why should a person enjoy perfect health who patronized advertisers on this page and the page opposite ?" One of the requirements was that "each entry sent in must mention the article or articles advertised on these pages and tell why each should help to keep one healthy, and each advertisement on these pages must be covered in the essay." Two cash prizes of $15 and $10 and a number of ticket awards were distributed among the winners. * * * 75 FOOT BOARD USED A feature of the unusually heavy billing given to First National's Corinne Griffith picture, "Declasse," by Loew's Vendome Theatre, Nashville, was a seventy-five foot billboard in the heart of the business district, at the corner of Eighth Avenue and Commerce street. All sizes of the paper except the 24's were used.