Exhibitors Herald (Oct-Dec 1920)

160 EXHIBITORS HERALD December 25, 1920 C. L. Yearsley Declares 1920 Progress In Exploitation Is "Complete Triumph" By C. L. YEARSLEY Director of Publicity and Advertising, Associated First National Pictures, Inc. IN all full recognition and with due respect to the progressive strides representative of the various branches of the motion picture industry during the past year, there stands out with unmistakable prominence the complete triumph of one particular division. This tributary, so vital to the great trunk known as the merchandising end of the business, is identified by the word known as exploitation. A year ago, motion picture preferment was a somewhat fickle boxoffice ingredient that flirted, as it were, with a number of our best showmen, and which had its skeptics as well as its sweethearts and sponsors. Today — exploitation is given an AAA rating by even the most exacting and conservative of exhibitors. It is a proven quality. It is a scientific exhibitor property that reacts according to tried and proven axioms and theorems. If other description is needed, it is simply this — nine out of every ten exhibitors tell me that it is essential. With the foregoing as a basis and foundation for the subject upon which I have been asked to write by the Exhibitors Herald, it becomes a trifle presumptious and a bit beyond the border line of reason for me to adhere strictly to the subject specified: "What is the Best Exploitation Stunt of the Year?" TOO many ingenious and clever demonstrations ot showmanship and exploitation have been brought forth in the interest of attractions distributed by Associated First National Pictures to enable one to single out one promotion effort as better than all the others. The subject is so broad, so comprehensive and of such scope in addition to being so involved with a maze of technicalities related to the size of towns, size of theatres, length of showing, size of appropriation, style of picture, and policy of house, that comparisons are neither fair nor practicable. It's the old proposition ot trying to compare many objects of diversified nature and intent. Take any dozen given exploitation stunts that "got the money." Grant that all twelve were novel and unique and that the cost was in proportion to the net receipts. Add to your problem the multitude of local conditions that must necessarily have entered into each campaign. Mix in the dozen different house policies — and then get a ouija board to help determine which exploitation campaign was best. In picking the several exploitation campaigns and stunts that stand out among the best of the year, I have selected those that might aid other exhibitors in mapping out future campaigns. The stunts mentioned in the following are of different nature. For instance, there is the circus stunt — the parade and ballyho; the interior of the house stuff — decorating the theatre and outfitting the attendants; the front of the house display — the big lobby smash; big town stunts; small town stunts; presentation efforts — the utilization of a prologue appropriate to the subject matter of the feature to create word of mouth advertising. * * * AGAIN, even after the process of selecting the stunts that glow brightest among the best, there arises two big, dominating, impressive and effective exploitation campaigns — one of which was felt the nation over; the other, a stunt that applied more or less to the coast, but which for sheer exhibitor enterprise and ingenuity has never been duplicated In all theatrical history. In these two stunts I refer to, first, the Associated First National Pictures' straw ballot, in which theatres all over the country participated, a stunt that kept exhibitors in their respective localities on the front pages of the local daily newspapers and which resulted in a total amount of publicity that completely overwhelms and overshadows the biggest of national publicity efforts made during the past year. The other exploitation stunt that pertains closely to an individual exhibitor effort is the First Annual Associated First National Pictures Field Day, held this summer in Oakland, California, under the management of Eugene L. Perry, manager of the T. & D. theatre of that city. The importance of this exhibitor undertaking was felt throughout that part of the country. The fact that the mayor of Oakland declared a legal holiday, the fact that schools and city offices were closed in honor of the event and that this Field Day brought more people to Oakland than a visit of the president of the United States will always stand out prominently among the best and biggest stunts of the year. Naturally, such giant attempts at exploitation are not practicable unless engineered with the cooperation of a national organization. The Field Day success, of course, was due to the appearance of so many Associated First National stars. These big stunts must necessarily demand their rightful recognition and they should have it. * * * FOR front-of-the-house exploitation that rings the bell for its originality, credit must be given Martin Wolf, manager of the Victoria theatre, Philadelphia, who designed what is generally considered one of the best displays originated in behalf of "Go and Get It." Marshall Neilan's feature distributed by Associated First National. Mr. Wolf is favored with a giant electric sign built directly across the outside street-walls of his lobby. On either side of this sign, he arranged cut-outs of the ape-man and the hero. The latter is aiming a revolver across the electric letters at the ape-man. In the interior of the lobby, Mr. Wolf arranged a cage (a real, honest-to-goodness, iron-barred cage), wherein he placed another cut-out of the ape-man. With such furnishings as straw, etc., the effect was striking. Naturally, this exhibitor brought out the "half-man-halfape" idea with proper captions. With an assortment of lobby posters and drawings the Victoria got across the love theme, the airplane thrills and the Wesley Barry comedy. Undoubtedly, Mr. Waif didn't miss a bet on this display. At least, his receipts so indicated. Mr. F. W. Teufel, manager of the Rialto theatre, Butte, Montana, scored a decided success with his exploitation stunt for "The Yellow Typhoon," starring Anita Stewart. Eschewing the circus stunts, this exhibitor relied on a bit of novelty (and it was not inexpensive, at that) to create sufficient local comment to put this attraction over. • * * THE Rialto employed twelve girl ushers. Mr. Teufel decided to provide Japanese costumes for the girls and to dress his lobby and the interior of the theatre in straightforward Japanese style. This he did with appropriate draperies, Japanese Lanterns and a collection of bamboo shoots, ribbons and hangings. Mr. Teufel's exploitation was quiet, subtle, pretty and decidedly appropriate to the feature. His enterprise carried out the spirit of the entertainment he was offering and resulted in considerable local attention. The newspapers commented on the diligent effort being made by a local motion picture man to give Butte citizens the maximum in entertainment. And the receipts showed that this exploitation effort had brought as many people to the theatre as any circus stunt ever pulled locally. Leaving the matter of whether or not novel presentation of feature pictures will supersede the stunts now in vogue in behalf of features out of the question, it is quite right to say that presentation is at the present time, and especially in cities ranging in population from 75,000 upward, regarded as definite dollars-andcents exploitation. No better examples of what presentation can do for a feature is desired than the instances of the prologues arranged by a number of exhibitors for "Forty-five Minutes from Broadway," starring Charles Ray in his initial picture through Associated First National. * * * ALMOST without exception, showmen have found that this feature is best exploited by connecting it up with George M. Cohan's stage play, thereby making use of the popular melodies that have almost taken their places as American folk songs. This has been accomplished by the prologue first used by Jospph Plunkett, manager of the New York Strand theatre. It was with the aid of a quartette, a girl dressed to represent Mary, and a setting typical of a railroad station that Mr. Plunkett devised action that would bring the songs, "Mary Is a Grand Old Name," "So Long Mary" and "Forty-five Minutes from Broadway." into play. I cite this instance of presentation as exploitation for the reason that the maioritv of exhibitors have adopted a prologue of the nature described as a means (Concluded on page 104)