Exhibitor's Trade Review (Mar-May 1922)

1416 EXHIBITORS TRADE REVIEW Volume 11. Number 20 TaUing advantage of an empty building on a prominent corner in Poughkeepsie, N. Y., Manager George Davis of the Stratford filled the windows with large stills of Paramount s "Mistress of the World," thereby securing a maximum amount of publicity at a minimum cost. While these two theatres are separated by thousands of miles and the languages spoken by the patrons are different, displays are patterned after ours. On the left is the display of Gaumont's Palace, Paris, France, for Fox's "Queen of Sheba." On the right, Malheiro's in Rio Branco, Brazil, for Universal's "The Flaming Disk." Ever hear of Launcestor, Tasmania? Well, if you haven't, here is the Majestic's lobby display for Universal's "The Rage of Paris," which shows that exploitation has spread all over the civilized world, and we must say it is artistic in every sense of the word. In Line Florence is a suburb of Northampton, Mass., with one motion picture theatre, Cosmian Hall, seating 750 when every seat is taken, but it isn't often so. The management of Cosmian Hall found patronage drifting away to the better advertised first run production at Northampton and decided upon aggressive methods to meet this competition. In other words, Florence snapped into line on the nation-wide spread of motion picture exploitation for its First National attraction. The opening salvo was fired with the showing of One Arabian Night, which was initiated by a large newspaper advertisement that was institutional rather than specific. It announced the policy of Cosmian Hall for the coming year and some of the attractions that had been booked. For One Arabian Night, this was followed up by posters exploiting Pola Negri and by heralds and a street ballyhoo. The ushers were dressed up in Turkish costumes, and a wild looking Arab paraded the street with the sign: "Look at Me. I'm the Result of 'One Arabian Night.' Now Playing at Cosmian Hall." Springtime Lobby Fearful that people would not take Paramount's Forever seriously if he advertised Wallace Reid in the serious role. Manager C. D. Cooley of the Victory, Tampa, Fla., played up the name of the picture and carried out the springtime atmosphere for his lobby, making quiet announcement of Elsie Ferguson and Wallace Reid as stars. A lattice inclosed the front of the theatre and this was covered with roses, brilliant in color, with huge baskets hanging in the arch openings. Behind the lattice were flood lights of soft pink. Over each arch was a picture of one of the stars. The effect of the lobby was that of peach blossoms and coincided with the spring scenes in the picture. Slogan and Autos Manager A. L. Snell of the Imperial, Gadsden, Ala., used the slogan of a tailor: "We turn out taiior made men," when he advertised A Sailor-Made Man at the Imperial Theatre. The tailor let Snell change the signs to read "We turn out Sailor Made Men" during the engagement. A co-operative window display was also arranged. He knew the recruiting officer in town and secured posters, uniforms, photos and all the other paraphernalia with which the Government holds out a roseate future in the navy. These were used in the lobby, and the doorman and usherettes were dressed in sailor clothes. Gadsden isn't a metropolis, so when the rain started down in torrents, just about the time for the people to be coming, he called up the folks he thought would be apt to come if it wasn't for the rain and offered to send autos for them, rather than have them miss the picture. Two stores co-operated with him in selling sailor hats, and the first fifty children to come wearing sailor hats were admitted free.