Exhibitors Herald (Dec 1923 - Mar 1924)

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March 8, 1924 EXHIBITORS HERALD 43 LETTERS TO "THE THEATRE" plaster, or at least did for me. and I wished that I had put up a lot of nails before the show opened. Anyway, S. R. O. was sold for the first show. I hope this little report will enable some exhibitor to pick some winners, and also encourage them to talk about their good ones more and show the producers that we want better program pictures, and then maybe it will be easy sailing for us exhibitors to buy what we want instead of having to buy 18 or 20 pictures in order to get one or two good ones, as some of us know we have to do with some distributers.— C. R. Miller, Gem theatre. Spur, Tex. Gray Prints Own House Organ (Mr. Gray's program is in four pages, the central portion of the inside spread being done in mimeograph. Unhappily, the color scheme does not permit of reproduction.) THE THEATRE. Exhibitors HER.^L-. — Enclosed you will find a copy of my method of getting business, and I have found it very successful in getting them in. In the first place, this does not cost me anything, as I sell the small spaces on the inside and the large ones on the outside to the merchants. The inside spaces I sell for 50 cents each and the large spaces on the front for $2 and the two on the back for $1 each, for each mailing, and I mail one each week, so you see that after paying for' the printing and postage I still have some left. I mail 500 each time. The inside program I mimeograph myself and can change it each week. This idea is very easy to sell to the merchants, as it is cheap. One could get more for the spaces if he wanted to. I find that it certainly gets results. I was about to close up when I got hold of this mimeograph and I can safely say that it saved the day for me, as it was the means of getting my message to any number of people and doing it very cheaply. It costs me about $].25 to reach 300 people and I can run off a program in about two hours. Hoping that this mav be of benefit to some other exhibitor. — L. E. Gray. Drayton's Movies. Drayton, N. D. Mildred Clelland Outlines Drive (If letters detailing its exploitation may be interpreted as index to box office fitness, "Human Wreckage" must be listed well up among the season's successful product.) THE THEATRE. Exhibitors Uf.kmi,. — Having just recently run "Human Wreckage." I feel it a duty to you and all brotlier and sister exhibitors to let you know what success we had putting over' this picture. First of all. must say we paid more for this picture than anything we have used for a long while, so knew we had to work to get returns. ."Kfter receiving the press book on the picture. I studied it from beginning to end. so^ I was ready for any question wliich might come up when I started out on my advertising campaign. To be sure, thenwere a great many questions asked by people Cthose who belong to the reform clement) who are always looking for the weak spots in pictures, stars, etc. However, I sold my ideas to the various lodges, schools and churches and had all the cooperation they could give. The Women's Club backed it just fine. One member had made per Brown, Middleton Write of Views on Public Relations LEN S. BROWN and A. L. Middleton, able showmen both and frequent contributors to this forum, add vitally to the available data on theatre-public relationships in the "Public Relations" department this week. None should fail to digest thoroughly the good red meat of their communications. Mr. Middleton details, with illustration, the method of procedure followed in conducting a local survey of patrons' picture likes and dislikes. Mr. Brown writes the first of a series of articles on theatre-public cooperation. Both writers provide substantial food for thought and foundation upon which to base active operation. sonal calls on the Protestant ministers before I got around to them, urging their full cooperation when I called upon them. This I surely received, for the picture was announced at both morning and evening service the Sunday before it opened. All those who helped put on the picture were given complimentary tickets. This was very little, considering all they had done for us, but was appreciated on botli sides. I am enclosing a letter of commendation written by our Dr. Daniel Woodward, pastor of the Congregational church, e.x-warden of the Wisconsni Penitentiary at \\ aupun, after he viewed the picture. I trust all the small town exhibitors who run "Human Wreckage" will receive the wholehearted support I did before and during the showing of this picture. — Mildred I. Clelland, Bijou theatre, Kaukauna, Wis. TWO TYPICAL scenes from the Will Nigh miniature drama, "Among the Missing," showing Will Nigh and Lucile LaVeme. The News of the Week in the Theatre (ADVERTISEMENT) Through the cooperation of the several writers whose communications are presented this week it has been made possible to provide in this single issue enough good exploitation and advertising ideas to maintain an individual theatre for a week or a month, according to program schedules. More letters, of course, mean more ideas, and more ideas mean better business. If you who are reading this have used one of these letters profitably and, have not written a letter in return, why not flo it now? TRADEMARKS On another page, reproduction is made of several noteworthy trademarks used in theatre copy. Considerable advance has been" made in irademarlc advertising by theatres. Not so many years ago the theatre using a trademarked title slug was an exception, and even the press books did not trademark individual pictures. In view of the progress that has been made, and notably in view of the "Birth of a Nation" record, it seems a logical thing to expect tliat more attention to this type of theatre advertising will be an easy and natural result. ASKS SHOWDOWN Artliur E. Weld, whose newspaper advertisement challenging those who want "cleaner pictures" to demonstrate their sincerity in terms of attendance is reproduced upon another page, takes the lead in an important movement that probably will not get very far. In his letter, also published this week, Mr. Weld states his lielief that those who "squawk" the loudest arc not those who go to the theatre. I'udoubtedly Mr. Weld is right in this assumption. Undoubtedly he will find, also, that no amount of challenging will j,'reatly change the situation, which fact should in no way detract from the merit of his undertaking. Squawkers just are that way and "that's all there are of it." Yet Mr. Weld's movement will make him friends, additional friends among the tolerant, and will cement his old friendships with the fairminded, this latter through a naturally reverse mental action arising from an honest disgust with the narrow-mindedness prevalent. Mr. Weld, an able showman by common consent, knows his public and how to write copy for it. REA RUNS TO FORM When anvtiiing new comes to hand you can depend upon George Rea to be among the first to put it to work selling pictures for him. Radio is no exception. Although he hasn't a local broadcasting station to tie up with, probably, he gets the idea across in his ad copy by inventing Station AGTSY. Translating, as he does well down in the ad. AGTSY is revealed as radioese for "Always Glad to See You," which is known through the length and breadth of his operating territory as George Rea's own, exclusive and honest trademark. The ad is reproduced on another page of this issue.