Exhibitors Herald (Dec 1921 - Mar 1922)

60 EX HIBITOR S HERALD January 28, 1922 and was roundly applauded at every performance. The Circle opened to the biggest matinee business in the history of the theatre and the box office reports throughout the week were exceptionally good. When one considers the business done by "The Kid," and other sensational successes, at times when business conditions were at their peak, and compares business conditions at the present time, it is saying a good deal when a picture breaks all matinee records. And besides, the "Molly O" campaign followed right on the heels of a rather heavy campaign on Jackie Coogan in "My Boy," which played at the Circle Christmas week. DONN McELWAINE, Exploitation Mgr., Circle theatre, Indianapolis, Ind. Ascher Letter Scores The text of "An Open Letter to William Wrigley. Jr.," carried as a twocolumn advertisement by Ascher's Roosevelt theatre, Chicago, follows: DEAR MR. WRIGLEY: We've chewed your gum and we've read your advertising and we have admired your business genius. Every evening as we journey homeward your great building hands us its cheerful message of success, of achievement, of usefulness. They say that building cost you seven million dollars. We're pretty sure that you know the worth of every cent of every dollar that went into that building. And we want to translate to you in terms of your Wrigley building, in terms of its cost to you, the value of a strip of celluloid that we have in our Roosevelt theatre on State Street near Washington. Just a thin strip of Z-inch wide celluloid, Mr. Wngley. Yet the cost of producing that little strip of celluloid in Italy, where it was made, was fifteen million lire. Figure in our own coin that amounts, as you know, to a little over three million dollars — nearly half the cost of your magnificent building. Two years were consumed in the making of that bit of film. The number of people employed before the forty cameras was 25,000. Twenty gigantic sets, reproducing forums, amphitheatres, palaces, pavilions and gardens, built of stone and marble, were constructed under the supervision of the architect of the Vatican. One of the largest factories in Italy was wholly occupied for over six months in making the arms and accoutrements, chariots, trappings and furnishings. And the finished output is — a strip of celluloid. Worth the outlay? Well, sir, come to our Roosevelt theatre, relax comfortably in an easy, cushioned seat, and let Goldwyn's "Theodora" possess you. Then you tell us if it is worth the outlay. Cordially, ASCHER'S ROOSEVELT THEATRE. It might be pertinent to ask here: Did the advertisement justify the outlay? And the answer from any familiar with Chicago theatre advertising must be wholly affirmative. It stood out from the page like the Wrigley building it speaks of stands out from the skyline. And it is a foregone conclusion that it scored a real success from the box office viewpoint. The lobby display for Universal's "Conflict" at the Clemmer theatre, Seattle, is credited by William Cutts, manager, with producing record business during the worst weather of the season. The display is shown in illustrations herewith and explained by Mr. Cutts as follows: "I construed 'Conflict' as a two part picture — first 'spooky' mystery and then out-door action. The lobby was in two parts under that conception, the reason for the first part of the picture at the right of the lobby being that our left lobby has the most attention value and the log jam is of course the principal feature. "This was another electric front wherein the photos do not convey the entire idea. I designed a lightning effect which operates for 10 seconds every half-minute, to the accompaniment of a howling wind. The log transparency over the box office is also illuminated during the storm showing Miss Dean with the startled expression of the one sheet. At other times, the log is illuminated with a red glow from below and the face is invisible. "Two central trees were made from porch posts sawed in two and painted. I have never had any luck in mixing real trees and real logs with painted signs and painted landscapes, so this lobby was all paint. "The effect of waterfalls in motion with logs rolling over the edge was produced by a stcreopticon arrangement' of my own design. The river was also illuminated as was the moon and house windows. "Colors on the left were natural woods colors. On the right blue and yellows. The left outside column copy was worked around Red Rook magazines containing the story, which I secured from Chicago. Tn the right hand column were carried excerpts from the New York papers with the actual headlines of each paper dividing the comments. "All effects were automatic — no expense for operation and none for installation (except our own time) as I laid out this lobby inside the building line with a view to "hooking up" most any kind of a display. The original cost was much less than the usual rosette and fixture installation, and the upkeep was about 50 percent of the former's cost. In other words, if lobby ballyhoos are to be used, the lobby should be arranged for that purpose, particularly as to electric wiring."