Exhibitors Herald (Jul-Sep 1922)

36 EXHIBITORS HERALD September 30, 1922 Goldwyn Plans Big Exploitation Aid SOL LESSER, guarded on the north, east, south and west by special detectives, arrived in New York last week with a print of Jacky Coogan's "Oliver Twist" clasped to his manly weskit by both arms. According to the dope dealt out by the ubiquitous Harry Wilson, who press agents Jacky, the diamond-studded film was hurried to a safety deposit vault, where the special detectives were placed on guard. Mr. Lesser will give a special showing of the picture at one of the New York hotels during the week, at which time definite announcement of distribution will be made. It is generally believed that the production will be road-showed with from thirty to forty companies being sent on tour, playing legitimate as well as picture houses. Said Mr. Lesser: "With no prejudice against the large distributing companies, I want to market 'Oliver Twist' as an individual production. I have spent a great deal of money on the picture and I expect to make an arrangement with theatre owners throughout the country whereby they play it on a percentage basis." Harry Wilson is making plans for the future, said plans including sufficient leisure in New York to allow him to visit around among the newspapers without a story in each pocket and each hand. Harry visits New York about twice a year and declares he always works harder here than on the coast — probably because his boss is always with him on the Gotham trips. Some day, when Jackie Coogan grows up to be an old man with white hair and long whiskers, and without the desire to pose any longer for the camera, Wilson plans a regular vacation in New York with Sol Lesser remaining on the coast. * * * Freddy Baer, of Kineto, is responsible for the following, which he says is true as he can prove by showing pictures of it in the newest Urban Movie Chats: A resourceful dairyman in Georgia was struck one day with a bright idea. Being convinced that cows enjoy music, he placed a phonograph in his meadow and put on a record of the old song, "The Cows are in the Clover." And the open-air concert proved a great success. The audience was quiet but appreciative. In the meantime the dairyman's children served refreshments to the calves. At the finish of the musical entertainment, the cows returned to their barns — "all in excellent spirits," according to their proud owner, "and gave more and better milk than ever before!" Warren Lewis, the dapper tailor's model who has been handling publicity for Hodkinson for the past year, has resigned from that organization to associate himself with the Shubert forces. Lewis declares changing jobs causes him nowhere near as much perturbation as does the thought that he will soon have to abandon the wearing his summer raiment. Down in that section of Long Is land where he has his habitat, Lewis is known as "The Palm Beach Kid." * * * The best publicity stunt of the week in New York was put over by the publicity department of Cosmopolitan in boosting "When Knighthood Was in Flower." G7i the day of the opening of the big feature at the Criterion, the New York American carried a two-column cut of Marion Davies and a two-column head story on the first page. It is a question if even Harry Reichenbach could have planted it to better advantage. These publicity men sure are up and doing. * * * George M. Dillon has been appointed branch sales manager in the Hodkinson New York exchange, succeeding F. Kingour. Mr. Dillon is well known in the trade, having been with Hodkinson ior the past two and a half years as salesman in the Bronx and Brooklyn. * * * Harry Millarde, Fox director, and Joe Duttenberg, cameraman, are back in New York after three months in England filming "If Winter Comes." * * * John McCormick, west coast representative for Associated First National, arrived at the home office last week and will remain in New York for a couple of weeks. * * * Our own exploitation department suggestions for stunts on recent and coming productions: "Burning Sands" — a public conflagration of the works of George Sands. "The Eternal Flame" — an electric light. "To Have and to Hold" — any homebrew distillery with the sign "Must keep standing 21 days." "Forget Me Not" — the wife's latest dressmaker bill. "Why Do Men Marry" — show a press agent eating at a one-arm lunch joint. "Omar the Tentmaker" — a tie-up with Schinasi cigarettes. "The Hot Head" — show a head of lettuce covered with Paprika. "When Knighthood Was in Flower" — an armored ballyhoo artist sunk in a dough-mixing bin. * * * Ben Atwell, than whom there are fewer old-timers, has completed his job of putting the Eastman theatre on the publicity map, and is now handling the affairs of Sessue Hayakawa, the Japanese actor who has temporarily deserted the screen for the speaking stage. * * * Big deals are always breaking in the film industry. Horace Judge of First National, is involved in the latest big one. He has contracted for all the discarded straw lids in his home village up Westchester way, delivery to be made September 15. His Honor needs a big supply of straw each year to cover the strawberry plants on his farm over winter. Harry Wilson has loaned Bill Syke's dog from "Oliver Twist" to assist in tearing up the lids and turning straws onto strawberries. All the First National boys chipped in with their summer bonnets with the exception of Jim Loughborough, who an Howard Dietz (Special to Exhibitors Herald) NEW YORK, Sept. 19.— A full exploitation force is being engaged by Goldwyn Pictures Corporation to render support in exploiting the twenty specials on the company's program for the season. The announcement is made following the extensive newspaper campaign which Goldwyn has conducted on "Remembrance," the first publication on the list. The department will be under the direction of Howard Dietz, director of the firm's advertising and publicity, with R E. Pritchard as exploitation manager. A force to adequately cover the field will be put in oneration. nually advocates an extension of straw lid saving time. The only casualty reported was to Bill Yearsley's 1921 sombrero which Bill had sewn up under contract until 1924, and which the dog carried off by mistake (?). * * * Pete Smith has been loaned by Marshall Neilan to Douglas Fairbanks to exploit "Robin Hood" in connection with the road show presentations of that production. Negotiations for theatres in a number of the leading cities are under way. * * * Rattling the Skeleton Al Kaufman, of Famous, Ralph Kohn, of Players, and Tom Wylie, slide, garage and laundry expert once upon a time, teamed up at the ole Comedy Theatre on Fourteenth street. Ralph took tickets. Al's job was to sweep up, and Tom confesses his share of the triple partnership took the form of tickling the piano fourteen hours per day. Paul Gulick was a schoolmaster before he took up the sale of life insurance, and still insists that as a seller of life insurance he was a good schoolmaster. Charlie Einfeld, age 8, was a movie actor. Frequently he gets the idea that he has never outgrown it. Wells Hawkes was once the best $12 per week dramatic critic in the south. John S. Sfargo.