Exhibitors Herald World (Oct-Dec 1930)

October 11, 1930 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD 57 A parade and everything for "The Florodora Girl" at the Regent theatre, Springfield, O. The five girls in ancient dress rode the antique vehicles through Springfield's streets behind the guidance of an officer who evidently found the modern motorcycle more convenient in traffic than the oldstyle tandem or the horse cart. It's another example of the unlimited exploitation possibilities which a picture of this kind offers. Manager JFillard Osborne reports the M G M film was a home run for the box office. TIEUPS A. P. Waxman, in charge of publicity and advertising for Warner Brothers, has arranged a neat tieup on "The Office Wife," now at the Winter Garden in New York, with two tabloids, the Evening Graphic and the Daily Mirror. The Graphic is distributing $250 in cash prizes for the best 200-word stories on "My Experiences as an Office Wife." In addition to the cash prizes two tickets are awarded for each of the next 50 best stories about the feature. Five columns covering an entire page announced the contest, featured by two leading questions, "Have you ever felt it necessary to resort to the display of silk clad legs to hold your jobs?" "Did you ever feel impelled to resign because your boss made unpleasant advances?" The Daily Mirror runs a coupon daily which, when presented at the Winter Garden with admission price, entitles the bearer to an autographed photo of either Dorothy Mackaill or Lewis Stone, featured in the picture. Home Town Stage Actor Given Dinner at San Jose A. M. Miller, manager of the Fox California house at San Jose, Cal., believes it pays to play up the local angle in a performance at every opportunity. When one of Fanchon and Marco's stage attractions came to his theatre he found that one of the girls was a former resident of San Jose. He immediately arranged a complimentary dinner, and of course the newspapers heard about it. Blind Are Show Guests Members of the Canadian Federation of the Blind are periodically the guests of Manager R. S. Roddick at the Capitol theatre, London, Ont. They can't see the shows but at least they hear them. Sends 7,500 Folders Each Month C. L. McVey, manager of the Dreamland theatre at Herrington, Kan., distributes 7,500 folders every month containing the calendar of coming attractions at his showhouse. He sends 4,500 of these out into the rural section, covering a radius of 25 mile*. McVey has maintained this monthly custom for eight years and finds it a good business puller. Newspapers Print Supplements For Fox Greater Show Season Tieups, cooperative advertising and news stories by the score have been obtained by the Fox New England Theatres in the Greater Show Season drive conducted through a number of New England cities. The Greater Show Season in New England is only part of a national campaign being put on by Fox. The principal form of promotion used is newspaper advertising. Large supplements have appeared in newspapers, carrying announcements of feature productions in large display ads. A number of Connecticut newspapers have given headlines and long stories to the film event. Some of the newspaper supplements contain as many as 20 pages. In them are unlimited tieup ads, in connection with either the pictures or the stage shows at various theatres. Clever Copy Writing It is interesting to note the type of copy used in the supplements, much of which has been supplied by the theatres. In one column, called "Advice to the Lovelorn," there appears this letter pertaining to a film : "Dear Miss Hopler — If a girl makes one wrong step, does that make her a bad woman? I have been shunned and looked down upon because of an innocent escapade — but no one will believe me. What should I do? — Ruth. "Answer: You will find your problem answered in 'Common Clay' when it plays in this city. Be sure to see it." Stage Shows in Style Stunt Exploiting a Fanchon and Marco stage show, one of the newspaper supplements carries a cut of styles in women's dresses with this copy: "Capes and Belles— Bells and Capes are interchangeable words in Fanchon and Marco's newest idea, 'Bells and Belles,'" coming soon to the Fox theatres in New England. "Capes are 'of the mode' this season, and Fanchon has designated a frock made interesting with capes. In the full-length sketch, the gown is a smartly tailored street dress. In the three smaller sketches accompanying it, intriguing capes give it an air of sauciness. The dress as designed by Fanchon has lines that are suitable for every figure. The Vneck with slashed blouse is extremely flattering. The cut of the skirt is effective for hips that have more than their share of — 'This Thing Called Avoirdupois'." (The latter is also the name of one of the stage acts.) Neth Enterprises Install Head Sets In Columbus House The Neth Theatre Enterprises company which operates a chain of motion picture theatres in Columbus has installed headphones in a number of the front seats in the Eastern theatre to accommodate the hard of hearing. This is the first installation of head phones that has been made in Columbus to accommodate that class of patrons. The manager reports that quite a few have taken advantage of the installation. Patrons Contribute Gags The Cinema Artguild theatre, a Chicago silent house, has inaugurated a contributing department for patrons called the "Cinema Reporter." This department accepts anything from poetry and wise cracks to gossip and caricatures. All patrons receive cards at the door with information on the stunt and blank space for their contribution. The witticisms received are featured on the screen every week. 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