Associated First National Franchise (1921)

May 15, I 9 2 I First National Franchise 9 "Action Stunts Count," Declares Ostenberg kind of exploitation makes the VV biggest appeal to the potential patrons of your theatre?" It is more than probable that very few exhibitors have analyzed their exploitation down to a point where they could care to select one classification and label it the most appealing they ever employed. In the opinion of Manager W. M. Ostenberg, of the Orpheum Theatre, in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, however, the exhibitor who has not gone to the trouble to test the various forms of exploitation so that he knows which one has the biggest patron pulling power, is lacking in the biggest asset he can have for putting over special productions. Mr. Ostenberg has devoted considerable attention to the study of exploitation and has come to the conclusion that as far as Scottsbluff goes, reality, as contrasted with realism, is the most profitable exploitation that he can use in connection with the Orpheum Theatre. "I can get a bigger response from the residents of Scottsbluff," said Mr. Ostenberg, "by filling a box in my lobby with real snow than I can from an elaborate set covered with the imitation cotton snow. A live rabbit in a cage will attract more attention than a whole pack of stuffed wolves or several stuffed bears in putting over a wild animal attraction. "I have come to the conclusion that action it the main spring of all appealing exploitation as far as Scottsbluff is concerned. A living object naturally attracts attention and it seems to impress its advertising message far more firmly than any other forms of exploitation Nebraska Exhibitor Finds One Snow Ball Draws Better Than Whole Imitation Set then close to the winter season, but the way people flocked into the lobby to take a look at that little box of snow, gazing at it as if they had never seen such a thing in their lives, more than compensated me for the cost, through the number of people that filed over to the box office to buy a ticket for the attraction that was showing then, which was one of the James Oliver Curwood stories of the Northern woods. "Animals of any kind, even down to an ordinary dog, will always attract attention if displayed in the lobby of a theatre. A rooster, if it can be connected with a current attraction, will do more to get people's attention than a 24-sheet cut-out. W hile my aim is constantly to keep the Orpheum lobby looking attractive by the changing of the frames and the use of photographic stills of the productions, still I devote most of my attention to devising some means by which I can employ some living things in the lobby. "I do the same thing in connection with all street stunts that I use. Unless I can use characters of some kind that have a humorous appeal, I pass by this form of exploitation. The mere use of a wagon covered with banners advertising a production, I have found is far less efficient than the expenditure of the ceeded in getting into several traffic mix-ups, one which carried with it a warning from the Police Department, and the total results were packed houses at the Orpheum for every showing of the Constance Talmadge film. "I used the same two young men in connection with another First National attraction, Marshall Neilan's 'Don't Ever Marry.' In exploiting this comedy, the smaller of the two men wore a delapidated black suit, a slouch hat and facial make-up devised to make him look as sorrowful and meek as possible. A bloodstained bandage adorned his head and he hobbled through the streets on crutches, driven by the other young man, who wore a female costume and carried a heavy rolling pin. On the man's back was a caption reading : 'I wish I had observed the warning being given at the Orpheum this week, 'Don't Ever Marry.' " On the back of the female impersonator was another one reading : 'How would you like to spend the remainder of your life doing this? Don't Ever Marry.' "The couple were at the depot to meet all the trains coming in to Scottsbluff and paraded around the principle streets during the afternoon and evening and invaded the most crowded restaurants for the purpose of eating their meals. They, again, succeeded in attracting capacity audiences to the Orpheum during the run of the feature they were exploiting." Mr. Ostenberg, who is Associated First National sub-franchise holder in Scottsbluff, believes that contests tied up closely to the theatre or to some special production, should Street sign in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, a city of 7000 people that I have been able to devise. A lobby, full of attractive paintings and posters will make a theatre look attractive, but it won't attract as many patrons as a little curly lamb in a small pen. "In all the exploitation I use at the Orpheum, I will pass up an elaborate artificial set if I can get something that is actually real in place of it. The instance that I have cited about the box of actual snow is one example of the efficacy of reality instead of realism. I had at my disposal, a special set of a log cabin covered with artificial snow, which would have fitted very nicely into the Orpheum lobby and undoubtedly would have looked good in a photograph of the theatre. Instead of using this, however, I went to the trouble of having a box full of real snow shipped to me from Minnesota, packed in ice and I put it in the lobby of the theatre and used newspaper space to advertise that the first snow of the season had arrived in Scottsbluff. "It' was quite a little expense keeping the snow from melting, although Scottsbluff was same amount of money in newspaper advertising, but, if actors or animals can be employed in a street stunt, the results will rate as high as any form of advertising or exploitation that I know of. • "In putting over 'A Perfect Woman,' an Associated First National Pictures production, starring Constance Talmadge, at the Orpheum, I used two young men and a Shetland pony. One of the men was dolled up in the very latest of feminine finery and the dainty appearance which he was able to attain in this makeup was contrasted in a very comical manner by mounting him astride the pony. The display of silk hosiery which this entailed by no means detracted from the attention which the stunt drew. A small blanket on the pony was labelled 'A Perfect Woman.' "The other young man wore overalls and a big straw hat and other regalia typical of a rube. He carried a long pole over one shoulder to which was hung a bundle of hay and he used this means of guiding the pony around the busiest streets in Scottsbluff. They suc be productive of great results, although he admits that he has tried some without having any great success with them. At the present time, however, he is planning one which will have for its main prize, a trip to Denver or Omaha from Scottsbluff, including all the expenses of the trip, even down to spending money for use during the stay in either of the cities which the successful contestant may elect to visit. He has not completed the full details of the contest, but is planning it along lines to get away from the features which he regards as objectionable in others which he has staged in Scottsbluff. Most contests are bad, in the fact, he believes, that they are too easy and result in the belief of the nearly successful contestants that the successful ones were the winners only because of favoritism on the part of the judges. Such a result, he declared, is more harmful to a theatre than any good effect which might be gotten from such a contest. Newspaper space is regarded by Mr. Ostenberg as being the foundation for any sort of exploitation which a theatre may employ.