Exhibitors Herald (1925)

60 EXHIBITORS HERALD August 1, 1925 Fresh Screen Notes CljCMrc ifcrei d YOU NEED THE THEATRE— THE THEATRE NEEDS YOU GREATER MOVIE SEASON THE “Greater Movie Season’’ is here. It is not a generality. It is a fact. It is the time when stress is put upon motion pictures for the dual benefit of the public and the industry. You will benefit by the observance of “Greater Movie Season” when you visit theatres during the month of August and realize the improvement of the attractions. You will benefit by the effort being put forth by this theatre to improve its effectiveness in entertaining you. You will benefit by the relaxation which our entertainment affords you during this month, a time when you need diversion from the strain and discomfort of the warm trying days. More money is being spent by the picture industry for your entertainment during August than is spent during any other month in the year. It is the time when the motion picture people hold their universal birthday! Ice Cream a Delight to Stars in Desert HOLLYWOOD. — While Richard Dix and Lois Wilson are busy down in the deserts of Arizona letters are being received from them telling friends that their one delight while filming scenes for “The Vanishing Ameri U Flanagan”, Mary Pickford’s Studio Horse, Conies to Grief /Is a Skinny, Sad-Eyed Nag Friends Were Many; /Is One Well Fed — Friends Are Nix OLD “Flanagan” is out of a job. She was in demand until she played a mean trick on Mary Pickford a short time ago and ate herself out of the job that Mary gave her. Mary has decided that the board was too good. One day it was found on the Pickford lot that a skinny decrepit horse was needed in one of the scenes to draw a vegetable wagon. Miss Pickford was making “Little Annie Rooney.” William Beaudine was directing. In order that the same horse be available a few weeks later when another scene would be made having the horse in it, Mary ordered that “Flanagan” be kept in one of the sheds on the set instead of being returned to the stable where it had been rented. Flanagan Retires After completing the first sequence Flanagan was taken to his new stall in the shed. Two months later it was time for the old grey mare to work again. She was brought onto the set. Director Beaudine ordered the property man to “get the same horse we had in the other sequence.” But he was told that this was the same Flanagan plus many pounds of fat accumulated during two months’ residence on the Pickford lot. They tried to get another horse to double for Flanagan; but they couldn’t. So they sprayed Per with a dark fluid, streaked ribs on her sides, and let her finish the picture. Out of Work But Flanagan is out of work. Her specialty was playing skinny hosses and she is skinny no more. If she be a wise old mare she will take after some very experienced actresses and cut down her diet till her ribs show up. can” is the single delivery of ice cream they receive each week from Flagstaff, the nearest town. Clara Kimball Young in Two-a-Day Now HOLLYWOOD. — Clara Kimball Young is appearing in vaudeville houses of Los Angeles since the court decree handed down a short time ago requiring her to turn over her salary to the judge for the payment of back bills. 1 25 Children Attraction at Browning’s Juvenile Follies I am enclosing a newspaper clipping showing how we capitalized, by featuring in special stories in the local papers, shots of our Kinogram news reel which was of interest to our community. It was live news and the newspapers ate it up, giving us ample space. I am also enclosing a photograph of the 1925 Juvenile Follies which I recently staged here. This juvenile revue was the most pretentious and the most gigantic kiddie show ever presented in this community. It had a huge cast of 125 entertainers, all local children, and we capitalized this fact to our great advantage. It played the entire week’s engagement with “Introduce Me” as a co-feature. We did a wonderful business throughout the entire week despite the intense heat that prevailed, especially on the opening day. We played to capacity audiences although in direct competition to the Ringling Brothers-Barnum & Bailey circus, which showed here. Harry Browning, New Haven Olympia. Cliff, You Certainly Get Your Share of Space in Newspapers The first is the publicity obtained on a Hearst picture through a Hearst paper. Nothing new or novel in that, is there? However, I am sending it along to show what can be done, when one gets out and works, even though you do receive a lot of advertising gratis through the Hearst owned papers. The orphan story is not original by any means. The picture lends itself to this very nicely so I pulled that string. In addition to the big flash I received several advance notices. Then for a novelty, we had prominent city personages to attend. Their picture was snapped in front of the theatre, with the result as you see it. We had ’em all from the mayor to the impresario and ingenue of the local stock company. This is the first Marion Davies picture we have played since I have been in the harness here, and it is the first one to receive a line of publicity other than the gratis advertising given to these pictures. It’s there if you look for it. The second batch of papers will show you another way in which I get the Strand and its current or coming attraction to the eyes of the readers of our papers. I try to keep posted on all these little stunts the papers launch and then try to persuade them to rise a few of our tickets as an added prize for the work required. I have found no difficulty whatever, and once they use it, you can’t escape them the next time. The little proof enclosed with these papers on the “Write an Ad” stunt was given out by the thousands in the booth the “Herald” had in the Centennial Tent during the Centennial Celebration of Syracuse. And speaking of Centennials brings me up to the last bunch of tear-sheets. But before I say any more ( and I’ll bet you’re wishing I was through now) — you will please give all credit for this stunt to manager Walter McDowell (Mac). This is his idea in every sense of the word and I want him to have credit for it, if there is to be any credit given. We were at a loss as to just what sort of an idea to use on the folks hereabouts during our Centenial Celebration so he hit upon the following idea, as you see produced in the papers. A friend of his had quite a list of old photographs of location in Syracuse during the past 100 years. A local photographer had previously made a reel of movies. Aerial views, the first pictures ever taken of Syracuse from the air. We bought this before any one else obtained it, so with these two under our arms we hied ourselves to the Herald office. We sold them, called it the Syracuse Herald-Strand Theatre Centennial Review. Stereopticon slides were made of 15 of the best photos. We opened it with appropriate announcements. For each slide we had an art card on an easel with a light above which told what location that respective slide was. Each day the paper published a photo as you see by the enclosed sheets. And last but not least you will find some more of my favorites — the type ads. I hope you have withstood the slaughter of words. I don’t have a thing against you for writing such long reports, but I have been so all-fired busy that I just couldn’t get to you Chicago fellers. Cliff Lewis, Syracuse Strand, Syracuse, N. Y. If They’re Hot, Kessler Makes ’em Laugh It Off Here are two letters with a good idea in each. Realizing that people like to laugh during warm weather I am observing “Laughter Week” this week. I feel confident of doing better business this week than I would if I were running a regular society drama bill. My patrons like to laugh all the year around but I believe they prefer the warmer weather for extra laughs. Nyman Kessler. Atlantic Theatre, Atlantic, Mass. and: Enclosed is a copy of my current program showing my front page editorial which I copied from one of your recent issues. It certainly fitted in for my “Thrill Week” program. These pictures are of a different type from the usual sex and society dramas I have been playing. For a variety and a change they are very good as I did a very good business on “Super Speed” yesterday and everyone enjoyed the entire show. Nyman Kessler.