Exhibitors Herald (Apr-Jun 1922)

So E XHIBITORS HERALD June 24, 1922 THEATRE \ great story written **■ especially for the star by America's most famous humorist. A great supporting cast headed by Theodore Roberts and Lois Wilson. I AN AD THAT SUGGESTS AN EXPLOITATION ENTERPRISE "Our Leading Citizen" (Continued from page 84) town announcing his candidacy for "Leading Citizen." Let him get a crowd on the street corners and make them a speech — "Ladies and gentlemen, unaccustomed as I am to addressing a gathring of this sort, I wish to give voice to certain profound convictions. The country is all wrong. Prohibition has killed men's spirit. The crops are rotten. Eggs arc going up again. I don't know what we're comin' to But in the opaque clouds that enshroud our fair community there is a rift — a rift that promises to w iden and reveal the fair hlue sky of hope. The one to lead us out of the mists is 'Tommy.' See Tommy Meighan in 'Our Leading Citizen' at the Paramount Theatre next Wednesday night." The title naturally fits into mercantile tie-ups under the general idea: "What will our leading sitizens wear?" Or card reading: " 'Our Leading Citizen' will wear these creations." * * ,* The book-store angle is sure-fire because the story was written by George Ade, who is a best seller. This should make a good tie-up. George Ade is also writing a mimber of magazine stories and new "Fables in Slang" and an enterprising exhibitor ought to be able to tie up the magazine stands. Incidentally magazine stands haven't been used much in exploitation and yet they usually command excellent locations and attract the attention of the very people the theatre is atter. The double-truck newspaper ad with about fourteen merchants cooperating ought to be the basis of a lot of exploitation for the picture. The slogan has been given elsewhere, " 'Our Leading Citizen' wears these clothes," " 'Our Leading Citizen' patronizes our fountain," etc. The increased revenue to the newspaper should win a lot of free publicity. And if the merchants (Continued on page 02) "One Clear Call" (Continued from page $5) For handbills simply use the outlines of the hooded rider as reproduced in the press sheet advertisements with the copv : "ONE CLEAR CALL. AT THE TODAY." , * * * "No. sub, I ain't seen no food, boss. Mali stomach's been asking i £ mah throat's cut." Old in the service of years the darkey characters whose introduction features the comedy relief of the picture offer an opportunity for an infrequently used prologue — the minstrel show. The locale of the picture is in an Alabama village. The characters are typically southern. Fancy the psychological effect of preparing the audience for such a feature picture with darky melodies, a few quips to recall Lew Dockstader and a pun or two for M Jolson and Eddie Cantor. It can be done. ifc a|s We offer still another prologue suggestion in the still showing the leading members oi the company, including, from left to right : Henry H. Walthall, Shannon Day, Louis B. Mayer, John Stahl, Claire Windsor and Milton Sills. The idea has been used in vaudeville before, notably in the Gertrude Hoffman road troupe of almost a decade ago. We do not recall that it has been used in pictures. The only unfortunate part of it is that it is limited to houses able to stage prologues on an elaborate scale. Here's the idea : Have impersonators for these people come in and tell, in quatrains or blank verse, the part they play in the making of the picture, without, of course, giving away the plot. The value of such an idea, outside of its novelty, would seem to lie in the personal touch of the audience — the feeling that the spectators are being taken behind the scenes and introduced to motion picture production. * * * If you have the slightest bit of human sentiment among your patrons the mother love theme is going (Continued on page 02) ILLUSTRATING A WATERMELON CONTEST SUOGEbTION