The Film Daily (1923)

THE -a&H DAILY Friday, August 24, 1923 ■ Putting It Over Here it how a brother exhibitor put his rhow over Send along your ideas. Let the other fellow know how you cleaned up. A Real "Main Street" St. Louis — Skouras Brothers used a very attractive lobby entrance for the presentation of "Main Street" at the Lyric Skydrome. A beautiful garden forms the entrance, running over 100 yards long. This was turned into a miniature Main Street, erecting lamp-posts, buildings, billboards, etc. Signs Placed on Letter Boxes The backing of the post office authorities and Letter Carriers' Association proved enough material to launch an effective campaign for "Loyal Lives," at the Central. A number of post office executives attended, as well as the Letter Carriers' Association band, which played for some time in Times Square prior to entering the theater. Another arrangement was made for the placing of a card announcing the showing on every letter box on Broadway from 36th to 96th streets. "Three Ages" Goes Over San Francisco — When "Three Ages" opened at Loew's Warfield it drew to capacity, due. maybe to the three weeks' campaign conducted by Harry Brand. The first step was a letter sent to 100 prominent citizens. It read: "Prepare! This concerns You personally; San Francisco will soon have the power of — K. K. K." The letters resulted in notification of the police. Later, small scribes appeared throughout the city with the words "K. K. K." and warning that the K. K. K. had something in store for San Francisco. Crude writing and stenciling was done in various nooks and corners, each bearing the words JIMMY AUBREY in THE LOBBYGOW his first two reel comedy Internationally recognized as the only star zvho has not deserted the field of two reel comedy. Jimmy Aubrey is nozv producing two reel comedies which any theatre in the world can exhibit with pride. CHADWICK PICTURES CORPORATION 729 Seventh Ave, New York City "K. K. K." Next a 24 sheet was put Up and on it in black and white was "Prepare! EC. K. K. Is Coming," the theater and date strip was added a week later. Then, to break the news, appeared a series of 24 sheets — with the long looked for news. "Keaton's Kolossal [Comedy, Three Ages." which appeared across the poster, li was reported in the early part of the campaign that the K. K. K. had hired a theater: this caused a furore. Heralds, throwaways, scribes, poster-, etc., announcing the picture, the theater and the date concluded the campaign. 90 Day Ticket to Contest Winner Tacoma — An essay contest was staged by Manager McManus of the Colonial with the assistance of Harry C. Eagles, Paramount exploiteer, for "Back Home and Broke." The theater tied up with the News Tribune, and a story was run telling briefly the plot of the play and urging the business men of the town to relate their experiences in a not-morethan-20-word letter to the paper, the best letter-writer to be awarded a 90day complimentery ticket to the theater, and the next best story a 30-day ticket. Each day the results were printed and since speculation was rife as to whose story was the best, the picture got more publicity than usual. Omaha Paper Runs Contest Omaha — "The Omaha Bee" and the Moon theater put over a successful tie-up in connection with the showing of "Trailing African Wild AniniaK." For the entire week preceding the showing the paper printed a photograph each day of one of the animals shown in the picture. To each child between the ages of 5 and 16 who forwarded the picture to the editorial offices with an attempt at identification, a free ticket to the theater was given. Prizes of $10, $5. $3 and $2 were given to those children who identified the animals correctly. The contest received the help of the librarian of the public library who voluntarily, through the paper, offered to place books and pictures of various wild animals in the reading room for those children who wished to consult them and to give the children every possible personal aid. Gueringer in From New Orleans W. H. ("Bill" I Gueringer of the Saenger Amusement Co. is in town from New Orleans. At the Astor. Zierler Buys "Barefoot Boy" ■ i Zierler of Commonwealth has purchased the Greater New York rights to "The Barefoot Boy." the first of Mis-ion Filni' series to be State righted by C. B. C. Himmel in Trouble (Special to THE FILM DAILY) Paris — Andre Himmel or Himmelfarb as he is sometimes known is being held on an embezzlement charge. Himmel is the man who made many glowing promises on behalf of the Franco American Cinematograph Corp. several years ago. Lesser Answers (Continued from Page 1) fects, there are two qualities which are responsible for the pre-eminence of the American picture. The first is in itself fundamentally a defect, for it consists in playing up to the ignorance and the low cultured standards of the American public as a whole. How low these standards are may be gathered from a report that "Oliver Twist" failed in the States on a whole, because it was 'too highbrow for the small towns.' To English people who have seen this hybrid hash of Dickens and dishwater such a statement may seem extraordinary, but in itself, in what it postulates as to the type of people for whom pictures are made, it is a tragedy." To which Lesser makes the following reply: "My experience has brought me to the conclusion that in small towns and by small I mean the great majority of rural towns in America, the popular demand is for subjects dealing with American life realistically produced. But stories of other countries dealing with subjects of modern life are also constantly sough for. "American producers have well recognized that the classics of other countries that have endured for years contain, aside from their vast literary assets, stories of vast appeal and some of these stories have been produced with great success. "In my sincere endeavor to advance the art of the motion picture, I produced 'Oliver Twist' and the facts contained in the above article are not altogether correct as this production met with wonderful success every ike to L et witli where and to date has grossed over $I.O00,0M "English literature properly produced ii America is popular. This could nolK evinced any stronger than in the can 'David Copperfield' which, incidentally, made by an English company. Take another example 'Disraeli' which _ met the greatest financial and artistic am when shown on our screens. "Mary Pickford, it is stated, will milt Thomas Hardy's 'Tess of the d' UrbervA on a pretentious scale. I could mentio: many other English stories and books frw European countries. Take for instance, 'I Winter Comes,' 'Limehouse Nights,' *ft Vicar of Wakefield,' 'The Little Minittw and then not to forget the greatest succo of all, 'Robin Hood' as given the screen b Douglas Fairbanks. "One of the chief reasons of my contea plated European tour is to interest rayiei in the production rights of books written b such authors as H. G. Wells, Arnold Bet nett, Hugh Walpole and John Galsworthj and to meet and confer with writers of MB importance. I I Clara Beranger Going Abroad Clara Beranger, having just rived from Los Angeles, will Sept. 4 for Europe. She will remai abroad about two months and on he return to New York she will met William de Mille and aid him in cut ting "Everday Love," which he wll make in Los Angeles during her ab sence. New Comedy Cartoon Series i Lee-Bradford has signed Fran* Nankivell, Walter Stark and A. S Hutchinson, cartoonists, to make series of comedy cartoons in color: "Robinson Crusoe's Return o Frday," the first, has been finishet The Leviathan carried a print of th first cartoon on her recent trip t Europe. illlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllilllH "Advertising the Shorts" By D. J. Chatkin— Educational One of many interesting articles in the SHORT SUBJECT QUARTERLY OF J*' Published September 2nd ^illllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllh IllllllllhliiiilliillllllllllllillllllllllllllllW