Moving Picture World (Jun 1919)

1796 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD June 21, 1919 manager, and will never be happy in commercial work; but we are sorry that he is dropping away even temporarily, for he Is a really able advertiser, and such men are few and are needed as examples to the rest. Mr. Gardner is going to locate at Great Falls, Mont., and exhibitors in that territory are tipped off that they can probably get Mr. Gardner to work ■with them while he is making up his mind to take a connection. That is the way he got in the first time, doing volunteer press work. Likes Us, In sending in some stuff for comment, H. F. Kincey, of the Strand, Birmingham, Ala., adds: "Advertising for Exhibitors is a valuable aid for us, and you can bet it certainly is appreciated." After that it seems tough to have to disagree with Mr. Kincey's art work, but that piebald lettering in the larger of the spaces is something that we cannot admire. The idea is generally supposed to be very effective, but nothing is effective in an advertisement which is difficult to read, and the change from white to black in CJlBJ)eMi|Ie Three Displays from the Strand, Birmingham, Ala. this layout is not easy to read. Either the black should have been brought down below the title or — better still — held above it. The text of the display, mostly press book material, is good, and will make for strong interest, but the lettering is poorly done in that it is done without the advertising value in mind. This is a five seventeens, which is a pretty husky space. The Pickford is a three tens, and gets good display, though full of type, because the lesser banks are not permitted to run in full face and fight the star and title. The same holds good of the Reid two sevens. Mr. Kincey follows the McCormick idea, and does not let his selling talk interfere with his greater selling points of star and title. There is not much to criticize in these displays, but they form interesting studies. Samples. P. E. Coe, of the Louisiana, Baton Rouge, La., launches his serials by offering free admission before four in the afternoon of the day of showing the first episode. This makes for interest, and once the people start coming they feel they have to keep it up. A Hippodrome. One of Harold B. Franklin's recent advertisements for the Hippodrome, Buffalo, looks very much like the reduction of a twenty-eight-sheet. It is a nice proportion (a three fours), and the main titles stand out so that the eye can catch them at a glance. This is a real test of advertising. If the stuff is properly conspicuous it might be a three-column advertisement or a four by seven stand. The stand is laid to let the man across the street get the big facts. The two or three column space should also get the message over to the man who is not looking for amusement advertising. Then it reaches everyone, but if it is set so that it has to be studied, if the facts are to be arrived at, then it will appeal only to the frantic fan. The big trick in advertising HIFi ME CONTINUOUS ELEVEN TO ELEV >;R«X Beach's Aorv^ous picture cd~ stormy pesstons **Z^ BRAND" -msccesT PICTURE SI MCE "7*» SPOILERS Rex Beach kfca-y If irtrr mi t, tTUM-MitlMftttili A Conspicuous Three Fours from Buffalo. is to get the man who does not want to come and make him feel that he must go. That's advertising, and it is done by making the big facts stick up out of the page. Mr. Franklin uses all hand lettering, but most of it is almost as clear as type, and he never makes the error of confusing the eye with fancy stuff on names and titles. Lobbies. Make your lobby so attractive that the passerby instinctively thinks of your show as attractive. Build your lobby to your clientele, but remember the clientele you want is seldom attracted by dime museum methods. Square Cuts. Lately we showed an example from a Baltimore paper of the unlovely effect of square cuts. Now a second house comes in with the same idea, though it does a little better in that the cuts are a trifle smaller and are not placed side by side. The original offender gets something worse than usual by using a black border and a heavy house signature. Both ex PICTUREWGARDEN 51 WEST '^LEXINGTON 5T. MoadiF, Tuesday. Wcdoevda: MAE MURRAY L in "The Scarlet Shadow" in "Never Say Quit" GEORGE WALSH Hrr scarlet flood bad » ill*er a rtriaU of MMtVmr„i iunn Union. i »nd pep. Afwic bu Prof. French J. Pari* I l&evJ P/Gkv)ick\ % lis north Howard street | j*. MONDAY— TCESDAY — WEDNESDAY j LOUISE HUFF \"The Little Intruder" TIU'RSDAY— Fill DAY— 8ATLBD.4Y V BRYANT WASHBURN | "The Boob" k ul»*y BU-i with moment* »t captivating romrd, . fcRtflSV IltUt.per.rd With hUaU InterMt thrill. C ».«.>>::<<<>:>>>^0>::<^>>>>>>:>>>:>:>>:>:>>>>>:>:>>^t Two Stiff and Inartistic Effects Due to the Use of Square Cuts. ♦..♦::♦::♦-«;•»*> amples are poor, and do not suggest entertainment. The Picture Garden display looks more like those circulars the police send out for criminals who are wanted by the authorities. Square cuts are all right on police circulars, but they make darned poor advertisements. Compare the effect with this three fives for Loew's Theatre. The routed cut gives lightness to the oo MWip Chaplin (Mildred Hams! VhfflAftrll/wffi" A Big Dramatic Love Story. Rich With Thrill, and Roi MARCUS LOEWS SUPREME VAUDEVILLE ■•• A Three Fives in Which a Routed Cut Gives a Much Better Effect. layout and looks attractive. It suggests entertainment, and it makes the subject look pleasing. The heavy black backgrounds of those square cuts are not only detrimental to the house but to the page. A Chaplin Half. This half-page would not be unusual were it not that it is taken from the China Press, of Hong Kong. Few films get over to China quickly, but this Chaplin, it will be seen from the dates, got over early, and was shown at fancy prices, APOLLO THEATRE, mondav. feb. 24™, 25™. 2s™&27t» CHARLES CHAPLIN 5ECOND MIlilON-DOUAR PICTURE "SHOULDER ARMS" ikAGtOT OF TRt*CM UFE REELS OF LONC O LINGERING LAUGHS O rr IS CHARLIE IN HLS HAPPIEST MOOD Price: CVcle $2-00. Pit and Sufl. $IJ0r> A Half Page Chaplin Advertisement from Hong Kong. though it is probably the Mex dollar, which is worth around fifty cents in real money. Even at that the dollar top is going it pretty strong. It is remarkable that Chaplin and other stars are as well known in China and Indian as in America and to the natives in the cities, as well as to the foreign residents. The motion picture is the most nearly universal form of entertainment there Is. Program Stuff. The Movie News, the organ of the Family, Marion, 111., has some good ideas, though it is only a four-pager. About TIME TABLE THE FAMILY "PLEASURE ROUTE" MONDAY— WM. S. HART (Special) 2:15 J:45 TUEESDAY— MONTAGUE LOVE, Flyer.... WEDNESDAY— LILA LEE, Expren THURSDAY—, (Special) [ FRIDAY— ETHEL CLAYTON,. Limited SATURDAY— Fox, Fun ExpreM 2:15 3:30 Get the habit, be on time for each trip and enjoy yourself much more. Picture pleasure Is doubled when you see it (rom the bcglnn ng. A Simple But Good Time-Table from the Family, Marion, 111. the best Is a schedule which gives the showing times of the stories. We reproduce it that your printer may get the ex 7:00 e 30 7:00 8:30 7:00 8:30 7:00 8:30 7:00 8:45 7:00 8:15