Exhibitors Herald (1925)

56 EXHIBITORS HERALD August 1, 1925 formances at $1. It whooped up the week’s receipts. The regular evening admission ticket for adults was 25c. Particular attention should be given by an exhibitor who plans a Boy Scout Week to the latter three suggestions. By all means pictures with strong and simple moral teachings are advisable during the week. Pictures of red blooded American life, frontier stories, and stories teaching patriotism should be the week’s vogue. “Be Prepared” With an eye to great exploitation of the scout angle the well known slogan of the organization, “Be Prepared,” could be included in all newspaper ads for the week. Pictures of Ernest Thompson Seton, sponsor of the scouts, make good displays for the lobby. Naturally a boy scout parade is in order. But arranging it is greatly the obligation of the organization rather than the exhibitor as the week, dedicated to the scouts, is in itself a move that should be acknowledged by them in various ways. Trailers run preceding the scout week would be effective if they were to outline the tenets of the order, its history in outline, names and pictures of men prominent in its growth such as Theodore Roosevelt, and President McKinley. Scout prologues, scout ushers and scout sales drives should aid in your plan. A good tieup may result from an effort to sell theatre tickets upon a percentage basis with the organization. House Organs Tuned Up THE accompaniment for the August Campaign should by all appropriateness be played by House Organs. If you have not yet started your publication of a house organ there is no better month in the year than August to begin it. Complete material to put into the paper is supplied in this department of Exhibitors Herald regularly. The Theatre Herald, containing two model pages, appears again this week. All that is necessary to adapt this little paper to your own use is your theatre’s name and its scheduled pictures. Several editorial comments on “Greater Movie Season” have appeared from time to time in The Theatre Herald. Clip them for your own use as others have done successfully. Nyman Kessler, Atlantic theatre, Atlantic, Mass., offers evidence of his success with some of the copy he used from this department’s columns. On another page appears reproductions of Kessler’s theatre paper, “The Atlantic.” Just what a complete factor a house organ can be in the success of a theatre has been experienced by a comparatively new organ, “The Metropolitan Movie Mirror,” ^ATLANTIC^ ilATLANTICfe dCfjeatre ®beatre Nrwtwi A«. V WHAT DOES THE WORLD NEED MOST ? Contrary-tO certain eminent authorities, what the world needs most a not a good fivecent ctgar an uniosable 'Collar button, or a loud speaker that speaks instead of squeaks The greatest need of this sphere a more and louder Laughter Laughter rs essential to Life as ■ lightens its burdens. Should there be no Smiles to relieve m tragedies. Life would scarce be worth while We therefore take .pride tn dedicating this weekas "Laughter Week" and also take pleasure 1 NAPOLEON WAS A SMALL MAN j ■ NAPOLEON was a small man. but he changed 1 I the map of Europe and all but mastered the world Diamonds are small stones. B A teacup is much too large to hold all the radium H m the world. M Dimensions do not determine values. H The other day a patron of this theatre said. "I'd E] 1 rather see a comedy like (hat than all the long 1 y winded drammers ever madel" E This theatre offers the best pictures obtainable. 1 whether they come m two reel* or a dozen. 8 Our shows are ALL goodl m presenting two programs replete with good hearty hilarity Every subject has been carefully selected to give you 100% entertainment What the world need* most a more LAUGHTER Reproductions of house organs of the Atlantic theatre, Atlantic, Mass., contributed by Nyman Kessler. Kessler recently celebrated a “Thrill Week,” then a “Laughter Week,” in both of which he developed “Exhibitors Herald” suggestions. The copy used in his house organ here appeared originally in this department. edited and contributing to Exhibitors Herald for your use by E. H. Bubert, Metropolitan theatre, Morgantown, W. Va. After recognizing the competence and perfection of many other house organs it remains to say that here is a paper that will meritoriously attract nationwide attenion among publishers of house organs in the period of a few months of its publication. Its editorial page is reproduced on opposite page of this department. Cartoons are plentiful throughout the paper which contains as many as 30 pages. And it is planned, according to Editor Bubert, to print a 46 page organ during August. These pages carry numerous columns of news readily supplied by film companies’ press men ; half tones ; humorous bits ; advertising which promises to pay the cost of the paper; and a number of interesting comments. A great amount of detailed work has been put upon the preparation of the paper. It is not only circulated at the entrance of the theatre, but is sent through the mail. A blank is included among its pages which signed and returned to the management of the theatre requests that the paper be mailed regularly to the reader. That is a valuable suggestion. It is easily seen that a patron who is interested in the paper to the extent that he will ask for a regular copy is a pretty sure reader. And a reader is a comer. The “Movie Mirror” however is more than an ordinary house paper, it is a magazine done in a delightful color scheme upon a glazed heavy stock. For the small town exhibitor such is unnecessary in his area where competing theatres do not press him so much. People do not expect so much. A four page paper is quite desirable. An example of a neatly arranged and well edited paper is the Orlando Enterprises, Inc., weekly magazine and program, Orlando, Fla., which appears in replica in this department. For the back page the copy editorial, “The World Laugh With You,” has been used from this department. By clever spacing and selection of type and border lines a striking effect was gained which compels reading the article. For the front page press agent copy from one of the film companies was edited and used as two separate news stories. Pages two and three contained ads and programs. A feature article was used by Loew’s State Newsette, West Coast Theatres, Los Angeles, which provides the readers with closeup information about pretty Colleen Moore. Her picture was used in half tone. Below it appeared a boxed story regarding the children’s show at the theatre. A column is set aside for “Reel News,” which, by the way, is the stuff that people want in any house organ. As the saying goes, “It is their meat.” Much has been said heretofore about the Milford theatre’s house organ published by the Lynch company, Chicago. A copv appears in this week’s issue which contains another comment taken from these columns upon “Greater Movie Season,” When thinking about starting a house organ remember that your fountain of material to fill your space is ready for you in this department. It is reliable, appealing and habit forming. The Cool and Comfort Idea THERE is a lot of psychology that is applicable in showmanship. No end of it is good in August when the thermometer shimmies at 110°. It is a simple enough thing to suggest that you decorate your ads as “Hod” Browning has done for the Olympia theatre, New Haven, Conn. Don’t stop with a sign that says “Twenty degrees cooler inside.” Pictures appeal to people more than printing. If they did not people would stay home and read rather than see your pictures. All right, then, picturize your selling points to them. Add a little snow to your ads.