Year book of motion pictures (1935)

be even better to have the sectors movable, with each being changed as that section plays out instead of waiting to shift the entire show. EYE TESTER A novelty slant can be given to this poster display. Have cards printed up. Similar to the testing charts used by oculists. At the top in large letters is printed: "Test Your Eyes." The rest of the copy is graduated in type size for each line until your entire billing is complete. End up your message with copy about the fact that viewing pictures on your screen is soothing to the eyes. Place this in a prominent spot in your lobby. You will be surprised to see how many people will linger to test their eyes. It makes the stunt more attractive to have each line printed in a different color. PRISON STUFF For something different on a prison pix, try a display of prison newspapers. There are quite a few to be had. Get a couple of copies of each, and post them so they can be read. Requests for copies should be sent to the chaplain, with sufficent postage. Lively newspapers are published in the federal prisons in Atlanta, Ga., Leavenworth, Kansas. There is the "Star of Hope" at Sing Sing and the "New Day" at the Ohio State Reformatory. Your local editor can suggest others, as these prison sheets have a wide circulation among the papers. HOUSE GREETER Small town theaters will find this a good idea to build up matinee business. Employ a hostess as a sort of greeter, spending as much of her time as possible in the lobby. It is her job to get acquainted with the women she does not know. She makes them feel that it is a matter of personal concern to her that they do not miss any of the good shows. She also contacts her friends, keeps her eye on the children, and generally promotes a spirit of friendliness and goodwill. A good hostess can earn her pay in tickets sold, and by attending women's clubs get over a lot of valuable publicity where it will do the most good. TREADMILL STUNT As long as the bicycle fad is with us, this one is good. Run a seven-day endurance bike race in the lobby. An attractive femme in racing togs rides a treadmill daily during certain hours. Patrons can submit their estimates of the distance she will have traveled by the end of the grind. The sporting goods store or department store can be relied on to put up suitable prizes. SUMMER COLORS In order to secure a cool-looking lobby for the hot months, study your color combinations. Try a bright green on a glossy white ground for your signs. Dress up your lobby with a complete suite of signs in this combination and you can ease up on the air conditioner, for the place will look so cool. There is a combination of a light purple, just off the lilac, and a pea green that will give more delicate effects, if a quieter lobby is desired. Deep blue on a greenish light blue can be made to suggest an icy background, and light blue letters against a very faint pink is another good combination that does not heat up. Strong reds and yellows should be omitted from lobby displays until the snow flies. Another inviting stunt is to drop the cross lobby banner down to within eight feet of the floor and light from behind with plenty of rosecolored bulbs. If you use spots, use steel, light blue and pink mediums and lay off the strong purples and reds. COMEDY FLASH Here is a simple flash display that will attract all eyes. Rig up bedroom scene, with single bed, in which is a life-size figure of a woman under the sheets. Use on a coming comedy attraction. Sign alongside bed reads: "I'm getting all the rest I can now, so I'll have strength to laugh at (picture) coming here (date)." MINIATURE STAGE This can be made a permanent feature, with a miniature stage on which is made a reproduction of a scene from the coming week's attraction. It is not always a simple matter to handle, but it is a business-getter, and therefore well worth the trouble. People will form the habit of dropping in to see what the new miniature each week indicates. FLOWER SHOWS Enlist the support of the local growers and florists for a fall flower show. Split up the list of awards with a prize for the best bouquet, best chrysanthemums, etc. Get several competent judges. Pick them from out of town, as all the local growers will be in the contest. Contact the women's page editors and the garden clubs, and start in early to build it up. It's a lot of work, but it will make your theater a landmark with everybody talking if properly handled. WEIGHING MACHINE A variation on the coin-operated device without the usual procedure of throwing off the coin control. Have the weighing machine issue a specially prepared card on which is stamped the proper weight and a non-committal fortune that ends with a prophecy that the holder will see the coming attraction. Instead of tricking the scale, have a uniformed attendant stand beside the machine and insert a coin as each person steps on the scale platform. This gives the stunt a lot of swank. 745