The Film Daily (1924)

THE 28 -<^^ DAILV Sunday, September 14, 1924 Exploiting Shorts iContiiiUfil from Page 25) what could be done to make a short subject the feature of a show. In Pittsburgh Jack Hays, Universal exploitation man, arranged a tie-up with the Pittsburgh Pirates that gave the Dempsey pictures exploitation all summer. A gold ball and bat is to be given by Jack Dempsey and the Cameo theater to the most valuable member of the Pittsburgh team and the fans are voting every day at the park by writing the name of their choice on the back of the rain checks and depositing them in ballot boxes which stand in the park. Big signs tell about the contest and the "Fight and Win" pictures, keeping these pictures before all the fans throughout the baseball season. In Los Angeles a big exploitation campaign was put back of the Andy Gump comedies, tied up with the newspaper that ran the Gump cartoons. In a number of cities. Universal exploitation men are getting window displays with photographs of Wanda Wiley, star in Century comedies. Universal's "Leather Pusher" series was thoroughly exploited with sporting goods and athletic tie-ups. After all, it was the short subject that taught us almost everything we know !\h^-r motion picture exploitation. The serial blazed the way for motion picture advertising. Little had been done in the way of any sort of exp'oi'at'on for motion pictures until "The Million Dollar Mystery" began with its big campaign. This was followrd by other big serial successes which were put over by advertising and exploitation. Nearly every trick that we are using these days is some sort of an adaptation of ideas that were used in early exploitation of serials and it is difficult to understand why, if exploitation of short subjects was worth while then, why it isn't worth while now. It only takes a bit of smart thinking on the part of an exhibitor to pick out an interesting advertising angle and he is as likely to find thio angle in 500 feet of a short subject as in 500 feet of a feature. The lazy exhibitor advertises his big event and stops. And then wonders why the fellow across the street who advertises every interesting thing that he has to sell, does more business. Watching the Critic How a Baltimore Newspaperman Started Something When He Announced a Dislike of Shorts Baltimore — Q. E. D., picture critic of The Evening Sun, started something awhile ago when he discussed the value of short subjects (incidentally in reply to a query from THE FILM DAILY, but read what he gave about a column to: "Well," starts Q. E. D. "it only goes to prove that you never can tell No one could have been more surprised than the conductor of this column at the immediate, and, if we must say it, slightly irate response to our opinions voiced, in last Monday's message. We ventured at that time to advance the idea that the majority Producers of Short Subjects Producer New York Address Bray Prod., Inc 130 W. 46th St. Robert C. Bruce Chronicles of America.... Fables Pictures, Inc Fox Film Corp Funk and Wagnalls Co.... Ginsberger and Wilk Earl Hurd Intern'] News Reel Corp... Kinograms Pub. Corp Out-of-the-Iinkwell P'ilms, Inc Pathe News Pathe Review Tony Sarg Screen Snapshots, Inc Pat Sullivan Timely Films, Inc Eltinge F. Warner M. J. Winkler Prod Archie Comedies, Inc , Artcraft Pictures Corp.... Fitz-Patrick Pictures, Inc.. Herbert M. Dawley Kelley Color Films Motion Picture Arts, Inc... Reel Colors, Inc Care Educ'l, 370 7th Av. 13th & Locust, B'klyn. 133 W. 52nd St 10th Ave. and 55th St... 354 4th Ave 1540 Broadway Kew Gardens, L. I 281 Wilham St 121 West 41st St Reels Release Standard Cinema i.tate rights Hodkinson Educational Pathe Pathe Fox 1600 Broadway 35 West 45th St.... 35 West 45th St... . 54 West 9th St 1600 Broadway . . . . 1947 Broadway . . . . 1562 Broadway . . . . 25 West 45th St.... 220 W. 42nd St 145 W. 45th St 145 W. 45th St 729 7th Ave Chatham, N.J Palisades, N. J 25 W 45th St 80 Riverside Drive. Universal Educational State rights Pathe Pathe Educational State rights State rights Pathe State rights Hollywood C. B. C 6070 Sunset Blvd 1 Fred Caldwell Prod Fine Arts 2 Christie Comedy Co 601 Sunset Blvd 2 Century Film Co 6102 Sunset Blvd 2 Jack White Corp 4500 Sunset Blvd 2 Lloyd Hamilton Corp 4500 Sunset Blvd 2 Sherwood McDonald Prod.. 3700 Beverly Blvd 2 Principal Pictures Corp. ...7250 Santa Monica Blvd 2 (Tol. Miscroscopic's) F. B. O. (Tel. Girl Series). Melrose & Gowers Sts. 2 Hal Roach Culver City (One and 2 reel specials) Mack Sennett 1712 Glendale Blvd.... 2 Universal Film Corp Universal City 1-2 Larry Semon Prod F. B. O. Studios 2 Stan Laurel Universal City 2 Madeline Brandeis Prod...F. B. O. Studios 2 Jimmy Aubrey Prod 6050 Sunset Blvd 2 Fox Film Corp Western Ave. & Sunset Blvd 2 Glavey-Duaway Prod 1438 Gower St 2 Carter De Haven Prod Hollvwood Studios 2 C. W. Patton Prod 6060' Sunset Blvd. . .Serials Elsewhere Bray Prod., Inc Norwalk, Conn Rothacker Film Co 1339 Diversey Parkway, Chicago Worcester Film Corp Worcester, Mass State rights Standard Cinema Educational Universal Educational Educational Educational F. B. O. Pathe Pathe Universal Educational Sonny Series Standard Cinema Fox Film Pathe of film fans paid little or no attention to the short subjects appearing on the programs as presented at the larger movie louses today. We were so foolhardy as to opine that the feature film was the attraction that lured the shekels from the public's pocket. Today we shall print but two of the many communications we received. The publication of these two epistles leaves tl.e score, as you will observe exactly even, or, expressed otherwise, 1 tol. The first letter comes from Mr. William Jameson Parker, and demons'artes in its very salutation that Mr. Parker has proved one or two geom trie theorems in his time. We salute him as one Greek to another and herewith reprint his essay: Mr. Quod Erat Demonstrandum, Sun Office. Dear Sir: I see by your article in THE EVENING SUN that you would like to have opinions of movie fans regarding news weeklies and comedies. Personally, no matter how the feature picture is, I think the show is lacking without a comedy, at least. When I leave a theater, having seen only the feature picture and heard a musical selection, I have the feeling of having been stuck. I agree with you on the point that most comedies are poor. When it gets so that the producer takes parts of old comedies and pieces them together to form a new one, it is time to call a halt. Fox has done this with a so-called comedy named "Etiquette" now showing at the New Theater (Ed. — Last week, of course.) I had seen a large part of it before. Will you help to keep the Sunday movies movement from dying out by keeping it before the eyes of the public? Yours truly, WILLIAM PARKER. Mr. Parker touches on so many subjects, and on all so clearly, that thtre is really no call for comment. We will say, however, that we have gone to a theater, "seen a feature and a musical selection," as has Mr. Parker, also two or three shorter subjects even an act of opera — and still felt that we were stuck! This is really rather a common occurrence. Our second communication comes from none other than "An Interested Reader." This writer seems in full accord with our own views on the subject. Dear Q. E. D.: Your article in THE EVENING SUN was of great interest to me because it brings up a question I have often thought of. In my opinion, most of the so-called "comedy" reels (I mean the short one or two-reel comedies) are an awful bore, and I find myself restless and wishing they were over. They usually consist of broken down "flivvers," endless chains of people chasing each other through the streets, people being hit on the head and passing out and, of course, the usual throwing of things, including custard pies. These things, to me are not funny, but tiresome and a waste of good eyesight. Once in a while one finds a good comedy in ihe way of a burlesque on a big picture which is blessed with the presence of a real comedian. The new weeklies are always interesting to me, especially when any great event is going on in the world.It is true that we get these pictures in the Sunday papers, but it brings the events closer when we see the oarade actually moving up the street or the famous swimmers taking a high dive. Concerning the Aesop Fables I agree with you that they are reallj delightful — the expressions and danc ing of the figures always appeal tc me. These, I think, are very funnj and everyone seems to enjoy them Lots of the people I know go tci the movies just to get out some where — they don't care what the pic' ture is. They want to go some placi, and they like the show to last i, long time so they feel that they havj their money's worth. Comedy, feai ture, music, etc., means nothing ti! , them — anything entertains them amj sometimes they don't even watch th picture — just sit and talk. I have known children to si through the main feature twice that they can see the comedy ove again. This refers especially to th small houses scattered throughoi the city suburbs; not the larg (iif tar Ih pel k\ Ui sev app fi at I crnv Id Sf afur StSf-v ji ■ ni'. houses that have the first showing jreat tb AN INTERESTED READER. Reisenfeld Books Novelty Reels lt)i | Cranfield & Clarke have closed wil Bym, Hugo Reisenfeld for 10 single re novelty reel subjects, for either tl Rialto or Rivoli. le aJvc ifekein^ «Hepi ?tkev ■otntdy, , ..