Exhibitor's Trade Review (Sep-Nov 1921)

September 17, 1921 EXHIBITORS TRADE REVIEW 1123 Exploiting "FurC A young man clad in a palm beach suit braved the wintry chill at St. Clair, Mich. He sauntered down the main streets carrying an idiodic valise and munching a red apple. The valise had the habit of collapsing and revealing the following message: "The Inside of the Cup" playing at the Temple Theatre. Every time the summer-togged gentleman had a sufficiently large following, the valise used to pull the disintegration stunt. After he had entranced the public long enough, the man walked to the center of the intersection of St. Clair and Adams streets and appointed himself traffic cop. The crowd looked on and wondered. The sides of the valise fell again. A bluecoated minion of the law took the man in custody. It took Jack A. Lacy, the Paramount exploiteer who engineered the stunt, and Manager Zorn of the Temple Theatre to get the man out of jail. A huge fountain pen six feet in length was used during the run of "Jim the Penman" at the Majestic, Portland* Ore. Equally as attractive as the pen was the startling cut out on the right of the law descending with its pen. Handwriting Stunt Samples of penmanship were the means used to exploit Lionel Barrymore's feature, "Jim, the Penman," featuring Lionel Barrymore, when it appeared in Long Beach, Cal., at the Liberty Theatre. Publicity Manager Strain got the two business colleges of the city to submit all kinds of penmanship examples from class work of the schools. These were literally plastered over the inside of the lobby. The centerpiece was a huge cut out of Mr. Barrymore, arm with pen in hand outstretched, gripped by the hand of the law. It struck the passerby. Comment on handwriting experts, great forgers and how they were caught, etc., were used liberally in newspaper readers and the whole made a pulling combination that did the business. Incidentally the schools were tickled to death to submit the penmanship examples. Liberty prices, including was tax, are: night, balcony 20 cents, lower floor 30 cents, club loges 40 cents, children 10 cents. Spanish Flavor There are 2200 movie fans in the bustling little town of Dwight, Illinois, and they bring the S. R. O. sign out in front of the Blackstone Theatre nightly. This is the result of the effective campaign instituted by A. B. McCollum, manager of the Blackstone Theatre. He is the holder of a sub-franchise in Associated First National. His campaign for the Associated First National release, "The Passion Flower," is characteristic of his go-and-get-em methods. He instituted a premier teaser advertising campaign running a single column, three inches deep, teaser display advertisement on each of the twelve pages of the newspaper. At top of the advertisement in 12 and 14 point adbold type, were various catchy titles: "See Her Flashing Eyes, Dios Mio! How they Flash," followed by the attractive silhouette of the dancing Talmadge flanked by a palm tree background. At the same time posters appeared in the down town windows and Mr. McCollum persuaded a book store'" manager to arrange a display of various Spanish books in his window. For Harold Lloyd's "Now or Never" the Pastime, Albuquerque, N. M., dressed up its lobby with cut out and six sheets and various other appurtenances t o carry out the railroad idea. Albuquerque, it must be remembered, is a railroad town. The Empress hung a cut-out heart over its entrance and reminded all comers that the thrme of ' Wedding Bells" might interest the heart.