Exhibitor's Trade Review (Dec 1923 - Feb 1924)

January 5, 1924 Page 35 A LL live wire exhibitors have learned the value of exploitation as a builder of boxoffice receipts and good will for their houses. Long ago they learned the value of advertising or they would not be live wires. But many are passing up the valuable possibilities in putting these closely related offices together. Fred Miller who watches over the destinies of Miller's Theatre out in Los Angeles, arranged a series of four two-cloumn ads on "White Tiger" the Universal Jewel, starring Priscilla Dean, that were different inasmuch as they were written chiefly from an exploitation angle. Addressed to Carl Laemmle, Chief of Los Angeles Police, Vollmer and to "Mr. and Mrs. Public" and the last in the form of an announcement, they ran for four days. The first addressed to Carl Laemmle, was run two days prior to the opening and read, in part as follows : "Mr. Carl Laemmle — ^You know your stuff ! I have just come from the cold projection room where I viewed your latest Priscilla Dean production, 'White Tiger.' Mr. Laemmle, there isn't going to be much work for me to do during the engagement of this cinema achievement at Miller's theatre as this picture is going to succeed by mouth to mouth advertising." In the rest of the copy Mr. Miller mentions something about each one of the players in the picture and signs it, "Most cordially yours, The Advertising Man." The second of the series, run the day before the engagement opened, was addressed to Chief of Police Vollmer and read as follows : "You have some job ! Criminals certainly keep you on the jump, but you and your wonderful police force are surely running them down. Chief Vollmer, don't you think a lot of crime and vice is lead to by dime novels which inculcate juvenile minds with the wise-cracking philosopher's idea, who 'pulled' — 'there is honor even among thieves,' and the stories which give an idea there is romance among thieves ?" The rest of this number speaks of the production and of the situations which shows that the above mentioned philosopher was not quite accurate in his statement. It was also signed, "Most cordially yours. The Advertising Man." The day following the premier showing, all the papers carried the cast of the series. This was headed, "A praise that will echo throughout the world" ; and is, we believe, worthy of being quoted in full. An explanatory head read as follows : "Time — All day ADVERTISING AIDS yesterday. Place — Miller's Theatre. Event — World premiere presentation of Priscilla Dean in 'White Tiger.' " The body of the copy follows: "A crowded theatre! — A brilliant opening! Ladies in their smartest! — Critics, police and city officials, journalists, movie celebrities — in fact people from all walks of life on a tip-toe of joyous expectancy. A melody from the orchestra pit by Santaella's 'Different' orchestra. Then the unfolding of a great drama!" The effect on the Los Angeles public of this unusual series of ads was electrifying. Because it was absolutely different from the general run of theatrical advertisements appearing in the daily press of the country it commanded immediate attention, and once read had the effect of arousing the reader's interest to a point where he was going to see that picture or "bust." But it was not only advertising. It was exploitation. It exploited the picture, and the theatre. It exploited the chief of police and the public. It used the exploitation angles of the production and put them into the advertising. Of course the proof of all exploitation and advertising is in the box-office and Miller's theatre, at the time this is written, has been enjoying three weeks of prosperity with "White Tiger." * * * TTNUSUAL interest in the announcement that the advertising matter for "After the Ball" has been completed is promised by Theatre Owners Distributing Corporation because Anderson Pictures, through which the picture is distributed, has called upon the exhibitors themselves to suggest the exploitation ideas that go into the posters, press book and lobby display as well as the different styles of advertising accessories best suited to their requirements. That the size and style of press books has been a matter of interesting discussion for a long time is proven by the number of prominent exhibitors who have addressed the meetings of the Associated Motion Picture Advertisers on the subject during the last two or three years. Just what the average theatre needs in this line, to give a picture the send-off it must have to do real business, is still a moot question and the press book the exhibitors themselves furnish with their first picture, "After the Ball," is bound to cause a stir in the ranks of motion picture press men. It is a two color book like many others but its size and form are interesting, not only because it is 14x22 inches and the front cover can be detached for lobby display use, but because it also combines advance agents press matter that can be clipped for the dailies. The posters lean strongly toward the artistic in treatment but have the melodrama touch in the subject matter. In fact, the demand of the exhibitor for stoplook-and-buy results in all the lobby display is immediately apparent. ^ ^ ^ 'T'HAT the "After the Ball" accessories are in line with his original policies is recalled by Carl Anderson ; "When announcement was made last fall that the Theatre Owners Distributing Corporation was organized to supply 'Independent pictures of actual exploitation value, with exploitation provided with the pictures,' as quoted by me so frequently, we realized that exhibitors would have to take our statements by faith until the advertising matter for our first picture made its appearance. "When 'After the Ball' was first announced, the exploitation possibilities of the famous title with the song tie-up was a strong hint of what we are trying to accomplish. Now that the posters and other accessories are ready, after unusual preparation in which the ideas of many leading exhibitors were carefully worked out, we feel that the real exploitation possibilities of 'After the Ball' will be recognized by all. We are trying to deliver exploitation value in keeping with the full meaning of this much abused expression." * * * IV/fETRO'S posters on its forthcoming release, "The Man Life Passed By" are executed in several striking colors and are unusually attractive. Striking scenes from the production have been utilized for the pictorial effects, and these are highly expressive of action and drama. In the twenty-four sheet the words : "The Man Life Passed By" are outlined against the mass color of the background while the cast is listed below in big heavy letters easily seen from a distance. At either side are two related scenes which picture the moods of the story. ^iV ECONOMIC SUGGESTION FOR THEATRE DRESS Advertising is commonly confused in the minds of the timid with the inference of enormous expenditure. Yet, there are ways and means of using highly productive advertising mediums at very slight cost. One of these is poster display. Given a poster, a pair of shears and an inexpensive piece of compo board, one can achieve unusually distinctive effects ihat actually attract folks to the lobby. At the right is an example of a cut-out taken, from the poster below, which, set up in front of the box-office, will catch more than one passerby's curious eye. /Biraculous Smntain of youth cd^covei-ed tl^en/ Societif^ most amazinff love drama Corinne GriffithOjnWayTearle TiatioiLQl ?tc Frank Lloyd ,