Associated First National Franchise (1921)

14 First National Franchise Semi-Monthly Window tie-up for "19 and Phyllis, " starring Charles Ray, in Owensboro, Kentucky Boston Welcomes the Black feet PROMINENT MEN MEET REDSKINS AND HELP PUBLICIZE "BOB HAMPTON OF PLACER" EFFECTIVE exploitation featured the showing in Boston recenly of Marshall Neilan's "Bob Hampton of Placer." The appearance of a band of Blackfeet Indians from Glacier National Park in the prologue of the photoplay gave the publicity men an excellent opportunity for publicity stunts. The box office receipts at Gordon's Old South Theatre, Boston, proved the value of the publicity that was used. The Blackfeet Indians who came to Boston to appear in person in the prologue of the photoplay were the foundation of the publicity campaign. These Indians were taken on tours of the city and introduced to the Governor, state legislators, senators and mayor. At all times the Indians were dressed in their native dress, buckskin, beads, feathers, paint and all. So keen was the interest in the redmen that they were even invited to luncheon in the most exclusive clubs of Boston after appearing before the state legislators, while the legislature •declared a recess to entertain them. The "Bob Hampton of Placer" publicity campaign was inaugurated in Boston by taking the gaily dressed and feathered Indians on a tour of the newspaper offices. The Indians were introduced to editors, news writers and reporters. Following the introduction to the newspaper men the Indians were taken to the executive chambers of Governor Channing H. Cox, in the State House. Governor Cox gave cordial welcome to the Blackfeet chiefs and engaged in animated conversation with them while newspaper photographers' cameras clicked, making pictures of the unique scene presented by a powwow between Indians and the governor. State house officials escorted the Indians to the House of Representatives after the conference in the governor's office, and the House declared a recess while the Indians were presented and made speeches through an interpreter. Again cam eras clicked, producing more valuable publicity pictures for the daily press. A visit to Mayor Andrew Peters of Boston was next. Mayor Peters gladly posed for photographs with the Blackfeet braves, and he made one of them his courier, to deliver a message to Mayor Hylan of New York City. Mayor Quinn of Cambridge was next in the list of those to be visited. How Wilbur Played Two Pictures Day and Date George Wilbur, general manager of the A. J. Kliest Theatrical Enterprises, Pontiac, Mich., worked a novel exploitation scheme on two productions distributed by Associated First National Pictures, Inc., when "The Truth About Husbands" and "Man-Woman-Marriage" were playing two of his theatres. With the two attractions booked day and date in houses only a few blocks from each other, Wilbur had several huge banners and special cards made and placed them in good locations all around town. One read : "WHY CONSIDER 'MAN-WOMANMARRIAGE' WHEN YOU CAN LEARN 'THE TRUTH ABOUT HUSBANDS'?" Still another read : "LEARN 'THE TRUTH ABOUT HUSBANDS' AND THEN SEE 'MANWOMAN -MARRIAGE'." This caused so much talk around Pontiac for several days in advance of the showing of the productions that Wilbur carried his propaganda to the daily newspaper and livened up the Pontiac Press with teaser ads built on the same idea. By coupling the titles of these two attractions up in this manner, Wilbur aroused interest in both of them and says he literally forced the people who saw one to see the other. Owensboro Window Display Pulls for "19 and Phyllis'1 Here's a window tie-up on "19 and Phyllis," the First National Exhibitors production starring Charles Ray, that means something. It was in a department store of Owensboro, Kentucky, where the picture was played at the Bleich Theatre for four days, and was kept on view during the entire run. Our correspondent, sending in the photograph, wrote : "The advertising manager of this store said more people had stopped to look at this window display than any in weeks" and "since then the other department stores are grabbing at the idea." Both the theatre and the store cashed in on this one, and it cost neither side more than a few cents. A three-sheet cut-out showing Ray in a scene from the play, a card (shown at the left) conveying the information that "19 and Phyllis" shows a man can dress on $18 a week, and a fine display of Spring and Summer styles in men's suits, shoes, shirts, etc., did the trick. And the advertising manager of the store, usually the one hardest to "sell" to a theatre tie-up, was tickled pink. The secret of the display's success lay in its simplicity and inexpensiveness, combined with the fact that the picture's theme lent itself to a direct statement of fact — one the public could grab quickly. This is one worth pasting in your scrapbook, where you can reach it readily; And don't forget to tell the advertising managers of your town what this store's advertising manager said about motion picture tie-ups. How Madison Grand Uses Classified Ads to Advantage Small classified advertisements in the daily newspapers are occasionally used to good effect by J. F. McWilliams, manager of the Grand Theatre, Madison, Wisconsin, in exploiting pictures. While "My Lady's Latchkey, starring Katherine MacDonald, was showing at the Grand recently, he inserted a small advertisement in one of the local newspapers asking for the return of a lost key to Miss K. MacDonald, 204 State Street. This is the address of the Grand Theatre. Theodore Kittleson, from Stoughton, a small town near Madison, came to town to see the family doctor. On the way he found a small key. Not having a lock to fit the key, he looked around for the owner and quite naturally glanced through the newspaper. Miss MacDonald's advertisement caught his eye and with a remnant of olden chivalry he mailed the key to Miss MacDonald together with a courteous letter. Newspapers universally love an opportunity to exploit the value of their advertising columns and a story such as this really warms the heart of most newspaper men. It possesses just enough promotion of its own business to make good copy. The result was that Katherine MacDonald, "My Lady's Latchkey," the Grand Theatre, and incidentally the newspaper's classified advertisements all received desirable publicity. A musical prologue was used by the Palace Theatre, Wichita, Kansas, for "The Old Swimmin' Hole'