Motion Picture News (Apr - Jun 1929)

April 6 , 19 2 9 1129 MANAGER!' ROUND TABLE CLUB An Open Letter To Fally Markus Dear friend Fally: When I passed you in the foyer of the Motion Picture Club the other day you made a crack that I was not giving vaudeville a gcod break. Well, Fally, thou art all wet, (if you will pardon the gutter slang). Breathes there a manager with showmanship so dead who never to himself has said — "Hurray for Vaudeville." Not me, Fally, not me. I'm a great believer in vaudeville, especially for the small towns and cities, and no one can sell me the idea that talkies, screechies or call them what you like, will ever displace the real, live honest-to-goodness vodvil performer, either now or in the future. But, kidding aside, Fally, I'm all for good vaudeville, and believe, from years of experience, that it should play an important part in the average theatre in most towns and cities. BUT the ability of the booking agent to see that the proper kind of a show is booked still remains the most important factor in small city vaudeville. After all, what can the manager do if he finds several of his acts are not appropriate for his clientele, after the show gets in and the first performance is over? He must grin and bear it and that's the tought part of the Vaudeville racket for those boys. You should know the game well enough by this time to realize that the average vaudeville booker cannot adequately book a small town theatre. He must be a man of wide experience on small town vaudeville, exclusively, to do that right. But right or wrong, vaudeville will always hold a strong appeal for the theatre-goer in the majority of towns. Have I set myself straight Fally? So don't ever misjudge me again and you should really set yourself down to your trusty typewriter and send me an apology or at least an invitation to lunch. Until the screechies stop screeching, and with the best kind of personal regards, I'll try to remain, Always cordially yours, Charles E. Lewis, Chairman. I N addition to our usual interesting: club news, we will feature, in next week's issue, the following: C. J. ROSE'S Weekly Theatre Bulletin in Oneonta, X. Y. TED EMERSON'S Novel Stunt on "The Bellamy Trial" Out in Omaha, Neb., (and it's a corker). ^ % G. F. GREENE'S Balloon Exploitation on "Wolf of Wall Street" in Minneapolis. Read the Club Pages Every Week Gartwright Uses New Ideas With "Redskin" Stunts Think up any stunt that will make the customers talk or give them a giggle or two and you have the recipe for additional interest in your theatre and more busi~ ~ ness. That, briefly, sums up, in our humble opinion, the exploitation of "Redskin" by Manager J. L. Cartwright, of the Florida Theatre, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Mr. Cartwright dressed up all his ushers as Indians and kept them that way for five days prior to the opening of the picture. He had another man in Indian costume walking back and forth across the roof of the marquee with arms folded and cracking nary a smile. At night he continued his walking but with a spot light following him back and forth. Marquees have been used for all kinds of dressing and exploitation but it is not an every day occurrence to use it for a live ballyhoo like the one described above. However, being that it is a little different is the chief reason why we are telling about it. Just imagine, you birds in the smaller cities, what a whale of a gab-fest you would start in the town if you were to pull one like this. Added to it would be a Scout and Indian contest between rival troops of Boy Scouts and there you have the making of a great stunt to sell "Redskin" or any other story that will lend itself to such a tie-up. Mr. Cartwright has been putting over some mighty fine exploitation and we would all like to read more about them. So friend, J. L., better find the little time it takes to write us about your various activities. . The Big Parade of the Cay White Way! NO ADVANCE IN OUR USUAL PRICES! We could not resist printing the above reproduction of a special art mat which just came out of the TAM shop tvhere they are specializing on this type of work. II ho wiil deny that it ''hit's you squarely in the eye?"