Associated First National Franchise (1921)

i6 First National Franchise S e m i-AIonthly Real Help for Neighborhood House VICTORIA THEA TRE IN LOS ANGELES PUTS PROGRAM IN TO HELP PULL CROWD GETTING patrons into a neighborhood theatre is the middle name of Jay O. Van Debergh, Jr., advertising manager for his father, the owner of the Victoria Theatre, in the residential section of Los Angeles. The methods he has employed to make the Victoria one of the best paying houses of its size anywhere in the country are such as may help any exhibitor to build up his business no matter where he is located. The Victoria was taken by the Van Deberghs last March. The young publicity manager decided that the main way in which a neighborhood house differed from a down town theatre was that it offered an opportunity to build up a steady patronage through intimate acquaintanceship. Accordingly, he had five thousand announcements of the theatre printed. They were on heavy invitation stock, double envelopes, single fold and everything to make them look like personal invitations. The printing was imitation engraving. One page of the program carried the week's schedule of releases, while another tendered' invitations to the recipient to attend the theatre any time as the guest of the management.. Three thousand invitations were mailed out in the immediate neighborhood of the theatre. Young Van Debergh went through the automobile license registry and selected two thousand additional names. He had an idea that an automobile cuts away neighborhood limitations, and the response that his invitations brought in automobile traffic showed that he was right. There is a neighborhood paper published in the exhibiting territory covered by the ' Victoria Theatre and Mr. Van Debergh pa<'d a premium for front page space to announce the Victoria program for the coming week. He gave a great deal of attention to devising lobby displays. The Victoria changes program three and four times a week and a special display on each picture was practically out of the question. The policy of using weekly general decorations and changin' posters and the other special display with each change of pictures was decided. In that way the lobby of the Victoria has a fresh decoration each week, which makes the special display doubly attractive. Then he got out an inexpensive combination program and house organ for distribution to a mailing list which he acquired through the return of the special invitations sent out when the theatre was taken over b-' his father. The program is in the shape of a small folder with eight pages. Four of these pages are devoted to the attractions for the current week, one to a cover design and the other three to the exploitation of coming attractions. Each of the announcements of current attractions carries a neat cut of the star. He has found that special occasions have great drawing powers. Recently the Victoria celebrated a First National Week. "Don't Ever Marry," produced by Marshall Neilan; "Yes Or No," starring Norma Talmadge; "The Love Expert," starring Constance Talmadge; and "The Fighting Shepherdess," starring Anita Stewart, were the pictures booked. No special means of exploitation for the week was used, but emphasis was laid upon "First National Week" in the regular means employed of notifying patrons of what the theatre is doing. The week was a good demonstration of the efficacy of the advertising used by the Victoria. Going After the Transient Trade EXHIBITOR JOHNSON OF LAFA YETTE, IND. GETS AUTOMOBILISTS INTO HIS THEATRE TN exploitation, mileage should not be taken into consideration. The exhibitor who voluntarily puts a limit on the territory from which his theatre can draw is perhaps barring himself out from patronage that is awaiting an invitatjon to join the people who pay good money into his box office. Herbert H. Johnson, manager of the Luna Theatre, Lafayette, Indiana, recently went gunning for a transient patronage and hit a mine which has been pouring steadily into his theatre from a source he had never thought of. "The Turning Point," starring Katherine MacDonald and distributed bv Associated First National Pictures, Inc., appealed to him as affording stunt advertising that would appeal to touring automobilists who break their journeys through night stopovers in Lafayette. His stunt was to erect sign posts at all the crossroads within several miles of Lafayette, each sign reading: "THE TURNING POINT To the Luna Theatre THE FIRST NATIONAL SHOW HOUSE Lafayette, Indiana." The posts were placed in position several days before the Katherine MacDonald feature opened. They were successful in attracting many automobile parties to the playhouse, but in addition to that, they reached the farmers who live all around Lafayette, and who used the same road in going betwee their homes and the city. "The trade of the farmer is one well worth going after, too," says Mr. Johnson. "When they come, they come together and the whole family is along. Nearly every farmer now has the means of getting into town quickly and when he comes for amusement, mothers, daughters, sons and hired help come with him, and the result is family parties at the movies. The best part of it also is that usually they come on other than the crowded night. Sunday morning doesn't mean lying in bed on the farm, so that there is no reason for waiting for Saturday night for excitement. Any night at all suits them and they get into the habit of coming on the nights when they think they can get seats all together. "My road signs put up for automobilists brought many farmers, and I advise any exhibitor who has a farming population to appeal to, to go after it strong. It is one of the best classes of patrons I know of and the easiest to reach when the effort is made." Builds Miniature Stage Over Box Office Window A miniature stage, built over the box office, and in such fashion that the curtain automatically rose and fell on a scene from "Curtain," starring Katherine MacDonald and distributed by Associated First National Pictures, Inc., formed an interesting part of the lobby display used by the Liberty Theatre, Portland, Oregon, for the exploitation of that feature. Within the set, which was revealed with the lifting of the curtain was an attractive cut-out of Katherine MacDonald, dressed in the old-fashioned costume she wears during part of the photoplay. She was shown pointing to a sign announcing the current attraction. The small stage which was but four feet by five, was cleverly wired for electrical effects, and in its position over the ticket office, was squarely in the center of the lobby. By placing it high above the heads of lobby shoppers, Manager Paul E. Noble was able to attract maximum attention. The display was also quite conspicuous as viewed from Washington street, Portland's main traffic artery, half a block up the street, and also across the street from the Liberty building. It was Mr. Noble's intention during the run of "Curtain" to so dress his lobby and interior as to give the theatre the appearance of welcoming a popular star upon her return to the stage. In this, he followed the story of "Curtain." In view of the fact that the showing and exploitation of "Curtain" followed closely on the Christmas season and the turn of the New Year, Mr. Noble incorporated Yuletide suggestions in his scheme of decorations. A feature of the interior display was a large Christmas tree which was illuminated during intermission. Opens With "Twin Beds'9 The new Capitol Theatre, Clinton, Indiana, recently opened its doors to the Clinton public with a holiday week program featured by "TWIN BEDS," starring Mr. and Mrs. Carter De Haven and distributed by Associated First National Pictures, Inc. The Capitol holds the local sub-franchise with Associated First National Pictures, and is preparing a series of vigorous exploitation campaigns to go hand-in-hand with the show of many Associated First National releases, among the first of which to be shown v Norma Talmadge in "THE BRANDED WOMAN."