Moving Picture World (May - Jun 1918)

May 11, 1918 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 847 Here's a Really New One. Bvery little while P. 10. Coe. of the Theater Louisiana, Baton Kouge. la., geta an Idea that should be spelled with ■ capital Initial. His latest la a variation on the old Idea of giving a free matinee admission on Friday to the person who presented tho weekly program. The Idea then was to train tho public to keep tho program for consultation. This Is not necesaary these days, since the public la now uaed to tho program. Mi Coe'a idea la different. Ho wants tho people to read and remember, so he prints this offer on his program : A FREE ADMISSION. Will be given to any person who presents nt the box office a copy of the inside of this program. Copy must be original long hand or typewritten — no carbon copies will be accepted. Writing out an Item gives ten times tho mental Impression that tho mere reading would, it fastens the items In the memory. Mr. Coe not only has the best example of the condensed program of any exhibitor in the country, but he has one of the most attractively phrased announcements as well. If a person starts to copy off that program he is certain to want to see more than one day's attraction. He can't help It. Mr. Coe makes him. He gets one free admission, but he pays for two or more nights, and ho seldom goes alone, so there is money even on that first free admission. And just as a side line, Mr. Coe offered the courtesies of the house to all red headed girls during the first day's showing of "Empty Pockets," in which, It will be remembered, five carmine blondes largely figure. How's This? If you want to help the sale of War Savings Stamps, why not lay in a stock of the big four dollar stamps and give a free admission to every person who trades in a card for one of the four dollar stamps, and paying the bonus? That should work better than many of the other schemes mentioned. Well Planned. The Strand, Milwaukee, sends in two good examples of paneled advertisements in which the rule work does not destroy the value of the advertisement, but rather gives emphasis to the announcement. This is because the rules are used to hold the advertisement together and not to break into unrelated sections what should be read as a whole. r** Mm* at i*c SJtm D',n. Strand Theater Hcnrv B ll'ilthill. Iht Sran'i Forem«l Dclmctmr ol Wnse Dijnultc Tm^s. His Sntld Hi, homtr Co«ntciionsandintheFujxirc Will Apiv.ir jtiht HciJ ol H,sO>,n Company. Pm. (fixing h>r Paralta. TV loitial Pbv 1* -His Robe of HONOR." Oponiiic ji the *n~RA\D Today Im an Eo.p.acomenlolFourDa.j. r "THE WHlP"r.i=-.&S.^T^L , -FOK UBLftTY COMING THURSDAY-RETURN ENGAGEMENT STAGED WIT* AU^STAR CAST. In the Walthall advertisement, the use of the player's portrait will attract more attention than the heavy featuring of his name, and the choice of a large type (an 18-point) makes the text readable. About the only objection to the phrasing is that "opening at the Strand today for an engagement of four days." Of course the newspaper carries the date, and if The Whip is coming the 21st then the run presumably stops on the 20th, but it would have been easy and much more clear to have said "opening today (March 17th) for an engagement of four days." Much better is the "Today-Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday" of the Normand advertisement. Both advertisements stand out from the page on which they appear and are the first to catch the eye in spite of special drawings and reverse cuts used by other amusement enterprises. White space and direct statement will always rise superior to a crowded space, whether that space be drawing or type. It is a lesson few seem to have learned as yet, but this is all the better for the few who do have the good sense to plan their advertisements to be read by everyone instead of merely by the confirmed fan who is willing to worm through a Chinese puzzle if it concerns the pictures. All but the Cornet. The Lafayette, Newport, R. I., uses a plain four-pager about 6x9, plain white paper, giving the two changes for the week. The heading announces that the house features its orchestra ; not the Lafayette orchestra, but Jerome H. Stewartson's. This is not a very good policy. If the leader elects to quit or to go over to another house, it leaves the Lafayette in a rather poor position. And we don't think much of a leader, no matter how heavily he may be featured, who puts a cornet solo in front of the feature. No matter how good the cornetist may be, the instrument is too loud and harsh in tone to serve as prelude to a quiet feature. It is a good plan to feature the music, but select a musician who has some sense of showmanship to lay the program or else take the Job from him. A Matter of Judgment. \ilinr P, Kelly. Who does the advertising 'or the Regent, Piccadilly and Qordon theater*, Rochester, n. v., probably voices the thoughts of many others when he win \Y< only run two ads a Week, usually, on Saturday or Sun day, and again on Wednesday or Thursday ho it Is always neeessary for us to carry B notice of the coming hIiowh. although some film advertising experts are against It on tho ground that It detracts from tho current attraction an argument with which I do not agree — unless the coming attraction Is made too conspicuous. For the Fairbanks' ads I have coined the phrase, "The man who made the smile famous," which I always use. If there is anything In any of these worth passing on to some other exhibitor, do It; If not, throw them away. Mr. Kelly advertises each change of bill — the program changing twice a week. The examples shown are from tho Sunday paper and PICCADILLY 3 3S3K*. REGENT To-Day, Morula** *o4 Wttfnatdiy Rex Beach's Ota Auction Block [BIS ■'■' Cut l.rl.J,. Be*! DtKetaer, Tod To**n, T».~ r» —1 AM -B,™BU..,I ,1....... .... r a=sas»— drop 4% inches across two columns. One underline drops four lines of six-point and the other only one. It is not the use of the underline that is declared to be poor form. If the matter is more carefully studied, it will be found that the objection is not, against underlining, but against the effort to make one Sunday space serve two or more changes of program, giving to each change an equal display, or, perhaps, putting a later and more prominent feature into the position of honor. There can be no objection to the use of a brief underline, and much may be said in defense of its use. In another example, Mr. Kelly gives Mrs. Castle almost as much publicity as the current attraction, and here he violates the rule. He neither advertises Mabel Normand well nor yet gives Mrs. Castle a proper display. In most localities it would pay to give Miss Normand practically all of a two-threes ; yet he tries to pack his advertisement like a trunk and gets practically no result worth while. Either he judges his values badly or he is handicapped by a fluctuating appropriation. The Normand advertisement is distinctly bad. It scatters its fire too much. The Auction Block and Thais advertisements are good because they concentrate on the film next to be seen and to not seem to yield place to a more important film to come, and which, therefore, is presumably better worth waiting for. Mr. Kelly is wrong on Fairbanks, however. He is getting to be the man who made the smile nauseating. Kind of Late. Not along ago the Elmwood, Buffalo, in an insert to its program, ran a card from a patron, who suggested that the times of showing the feature be printed on the program. On the other side the house announced its willingness to do so. And yet they have read this department regularly, we know, and have seen all sorts of time tables discussed time and again. It takes more than a hint, apparently, to move some people. A Three-in-One. The Nixon News, Philadelphia, is a novelty in that it covers three houses, all on the same street and not very far apart. One is a vaudeville and the other two picture houses, and each gets a page a week with the front page given to the picture played at the vaudeville house. Philadelphia seems strong for doubling up on its programs, but this three-in-one works very nicely, about the only suggestion being that in the case of the picture houses a dash or full rule separate the two changes of program. A NEW HELP FOR MANAGERS Picture Theatre Advertising Br EPES WINTHROP SARGENT (Ctilsctgr (I Ad.drUillJ It: Eihiiilirt ll tkl Mnii( Plctir *Kld TEXT BOOK AND A HAND BOOK, a compendium and a guld* It tells all about advertising, about type and type-setting, printing and paper, how to run a house program, how to frame youi newspaper advertisements, how to write form letters, posters o, throwaways, how to make your house an advertisement, how te get matinee business, special schemes for hot weather and rainy days. All practical because it has helped others. It will help you. By mail, postpaid, $2.00. Order from nearest office. 8 Moving Picture World, 516 Fifth Ave., New York Schiller Bulldinf Chicago, 111. Wrtckt ami Calleader BeOdeM Lm Anjelea, C-i.