Exhibitor's Trade Review (Mar-May 1922)

April 15, 1922 EXHIBITORS TRADE REVIEW 1415 More Winners Paul E. Noble, manager of the Liberty Theatre, Portland, Ore., has been declared winner of the first prize ($150 cash) in the exploitation contest among exhibitors conducted by Associated First National on The Silent Call. Willard C. Patterson, who, by the way, won a trip to California in the First National Week Contest, won second prize ($100) for the campaign he put over with The Silent Call at the Metropolitan in Atlanta. Third prize ($50) was won by W. J. Bittner, manager of the Cambria, Johnstown, Pa. The awards were made by a jury made up of John Spargo, Exhibitors Herald; Epes W. Sargent, Moving Picture World; J. S. Dickerson, Motion Picture News; R. W. Baremore, Morning Telegraph, and Charles Simpson, Exhibitors Trade Review. This contest, inaugurated last fall concurrent with the release of the TrimbleMurfin production featuring the remarkable dog, Strongheart, was a straight test of showmanship and involved no extra outlay for the exhibitors. It was a freefor-all, to which all exhibitors were eligible, and resulted in some exceptional displays on the picture. Noble's campaign, which was outlined and illustrated some time ago, was a splendid piece of work and placed him easily at the head of the list. Patterson's high light was an unusual teaser ad campaign that aroused the interest of people in and around Atlanta to such an extent that Pat's "lost dog" became an important newspaper story. Bittner's splendid lobby display, in which he used bear skins and other outdoor trophies, was a work of art and placed him far ahead of the other contestants. Played in Luck Fate conspired in Phil Gersdorf's favor when he began his advertising and exploitation campaign on Saturday Night at the Rialto Theatre, Macon, Ga. In the first place, two members of the cast, Edythe Chapman and James Neil, have very influential relatives living in Macon. This fact brought a nice story on the society page of the Sunday paper just preceding. In the second place, Macon was planning a big charity carnival, so Gersdorf "sold" his picture to the executive committee for a co-operative display. He carried slides calling attention to the carnival, and in return was allowed to use spectacular advertising matter in generous doses at the carnival. In the next place, his teaser ads, "The calendar must be wrong — Saturday night comes on Monday and Tuesday of next week" created much talk. He changed this general idea in many different forms and used the catch-phrases on his screen and in the newspapers. But his lobby was responsible to some extent for the success of the picture. Numerous stills from the picture were used in the lobby and a cut-out from a three-sheet of Jack Mower and Leatrice Joy. Over the doors were scenes of Coney Island, taken from the paper furnished for the picture and mounted on beaverboard. I This one came from Wellington, New Zealand, which shows they are firm believers in street ballyhoos in that far-away country. The big sign was made from cut-outs of posters of Universal's' serial, "The Diamond Queen," and traversed the streets of Wellington for the Paramount and Artcraft Theatres. That skeleton was rather gruesome for patrons to pass in order to enter the Travis, Sherman, Texas, to see First N a t i o n a I's "A Midnight B e 1 I," but evidently, Texans are not superstitious, as the manager reported many of them passed it — at a speedy gait, however. In arranging this display for Metro's "Peacock Alley" Manager Schnibbeni of the Opera House, Florence, S. C, placed two huge cut-outs of Mae Murray on each side of his lobby, then stretched a wire from one cut-out to the other, and hung separate letters on it spelling the nEime of the star and picture. Lights behind threw it in bold relief. It made an excellent display.