Exhibitors Herald (Jan-Mar 1920)

70 EXHIBIT O R S HERALD March 20, 1920 Glad Employees" Entertain Line Before Coliseum Ticket Window Frank Steffy, manager of the Coliseum theatre, Seattle, Wash., may or may not believe in phychology, but uses it to excellent advantage in the management of his theatre. It is a valuable aid to any theatre man, especially to the prosperous one, and in these days waiting lines before box office windows are the rule rather than the exception. It has always been something of a problem, this waiting line. Various exhibitors have tried out various methods of overcoming the apparently unavoidable annoyance for patrons who arrive after the house is crowded. It is not a pleasant sight to sec prospective ticket buyers walk away, especially in the direction of an opposition house, as they almost invariably do, and Mr. Steffy has a recipe which promises to overcome a great deal of the general objection to waiting "until the next show begins." "Pollyanna," Mary Pickford's initial United Artists production, enjoyed exceptional business during the recent eleven-day run at the Coliseum. There were lines before the box office window a goodly portion of the time. And Mr. Steffy, like any other thoughtful showman, cast about him for a means of keeping those lines from dwindling. The picture gave him the idea. As is generally known, the theme of the picture is a doctrine of gladness. "Be glad," is the lesson that it teaches, pointing out that it is as easy to be glad as sad, and much more pleasant. Mr. Steffy reasoned that this spirit, if it could be imparted to the persons who stood in line before the theatre, would put them at their ease. We will let him relate the manner in which he effectually put his idea into operation. "With the proper class of pictures, such as has been our opportunity to run recently, the proper means to house your people when they get inside is easy but the greatest problem for the managing director of any theatre is the crowds that stand outside. "It's a problem I know, but I believe I solved it with 'Pollyanna,' or it would be best to say that Pollyanna' solved it for me. "Here's what I did. Believing down deep in my heart that with the advertising, exploitation and publicity campaign I conducted for two weeks before the showing of 'Pollyanna' that I was going to get the biggest standing-in-line crowds that I ever experienced, I trained every one of my outdoor men and my ushers along a line that was rather unique, but did the trick. "I took the entire force of my theatre along one day and told them the story of 'Pollyanna' and the philosophy of 'the glad girl,' that philosophy of thinking only glad thoughts, believing that everything that was unhappy could have been far worse, and that sunshine at all times was more pleasant than clouds, and the like. "They didn't get the idea at first. They didn't know what I was driving at. But I did tell them to keep on thinking about that type of philosophy and try to see ii it wouldn't help them some. "Later in the week I explained that the expected crowds for the coming days would be unusual and that they would have to be handled in a different way. And they were. "The opening day of 'Pollyanna' the crowds extended for more than a block past the theatre, and after the theatre was filled to its capacity and hundreds still waiting to get in, the 'glad' idea that was first suggested to the theatre attendants was put into play. "The door man and the man at the ticket office were the first ones to start the ball rolling. They called out the price of the tickets as they always do, but added a few lines each time, such as 'Mary Pickford will show you how to be glad in this production,' 'Don't ever fret, things could be worse,' 'It's only because people think unhappy things that make them unhappy,' 'Everybody needs glad medicine and' Mary Pickford will give you the best remedy you ever knew of in "Pollyanna,"' and a hundred and one other ways of telling them. Some of the ushers were designated to take their place along the lines at different times and they were prepared to do likewise, and many of the young men became so clever with their remarks that they kept those crowds laughing from the minute they got into line until they got into the theatre. This was continued every afternoon and evening with telling effect. So much so, that many patrons wrote me letters regarding it and the newspapers commented on it. "Had it been summer time, I would have opened the doors of the theatre to allow them to hear the music, to which we always pay a great deal of attention, but it was zero weather and the only thing left for us to do was to keep the people happy. And I'm going to keep on doing it from this time on, for I believe it is one of the greatest assets I could have." Neighborhood News Andrew Karzas, of the Woodlawn theatre, popularly considered Chicago's leading South Side theatre, recently began the publication of an eight-page newspaper called the Woodlawn Theatre News and Views that stands out as the most pretentious effort of this sort that has been seen in the city. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the paper is the fact that but two pages, approximately, are used by the theatre, the balance being devoted to neighborhood merchant advertising. A thousand copies of the paper are circulated weekly throughout the community in which the theatre is situated, one of the most densely populated in the city. As it stands, the publication is a noteworthy achievement. Of recent origin, it is certain that the improvements that are made from time to time will include the introduction of neighborhood news which, properly handled, will greatly enhance the value of the periodical. Revivals Alfred Lane, of Jonesville, and C. B. Snell, of Iona, are the Michigan exhibitors credited with the discovery of the "Revival Week," which is simply a week in which an extraordinary picture is booked for an unusually long run and exploited with more than the accustomed vigor. Both used "Daddy Long Legs" for the purpose and report exceptionally successful three-day runs, despite the fact that both theatres are in the habit of changing program daily and the combined population of their two towns is something like 2,650.