Motion Picture Herald (Apr-Jun 1931)

June 6 , 19 3 1 MOTION PICTURE HERALD 57 Glasefs Heavy Ad Campaign Is Getting Box Office Results Just to show our brother Club members that Will J. Glaser is on the job out in Faribault, Minn., where he manages the Paramount Theatre, we are reproducing on this page a layout i of some of his recent newspaper advertising. Glaser is taking plenty of space, you will all agree, but his efforts are reaping the desired results at the box office. The Club would particularly like to call members' attention to the top center ad on "Fifty Million Frenchmen" in which Glaser has incorporated some lines of a nature which the Club has been plugging for some time. We have reference to the lines carrying a local message. Note by the cut that "Faribault is being taken for a Lal¥ Ride." You can see for yourselves that this gets away from the cut and dried lines we've all been using for a so long a time and we believe that a sprinkling of this sort of stuff here and there will materially aid the box office through catching the reader's eye with a locally directed message. That Glaser also is receiving strong support from his newspapers we can see by the tear sheets he enclosed. He is getting a great break on readers and a separate column headed "Screen News." We also note that he consistently plugs coming attractions through the use of boxed teaser ads. Another little gag he sends along is a sample of an envelope used to exploit "Dracula." It contained sand or dirt, but the message read : You're Wrong If You Think This Is Ordinary Dirt! This Is "Dirt of Satanic Power! It Sustains the Life of a Monster who Feasts on Lovely Youth! This Monster Is Count Dracula, the Un-Dead Vampire! By Night He Seeks Young Victims with Soft White Throats. By Day He Must Return to His Earthen Bed! WHY? Learn the Story of — The Strangest Passion the World Has Ever Known! (The name of theatre and play date follows.) ^ The Club appreciates the fact that you remembered it on the occasion of its Third Anniversary, Will, and knows that you will continue to keep up the good work out in Faribault. Keep the Club posted on what else you are doing to sell shows in your town. But to get back to the subject of Glaser's newspaper advertising. That is the topic we like best to discuss because of its importance to the industry in general. Glance over the layout and see whether you like the style he uses. Also, whether he is giving his various pictures the best possible display for the amount of space used. We have already commented on the "local slants" injected into this showman's advertising, but we go back to it again because of it's real importance. Try it yourself for a week or two, see if it doesn't add a different touch to your ads and attract more attention, especially where and when you inject the town's name into your scare heads. However, no matter how much you seem to pick these ads to pieces you'll have to admit in the end that Glaser has turned out some fine work ; as a matter of fact, these ads would fill the bill for any deluxe keycity house, so fine is the make-up and general layout of them. And then, don't lose sight of the fact that the beauty of these ads are due to sensible use of exchange mats and good type selection rather than art work. That's the point we've often tried to impress upon our many members and readers. Especially those who always insist that without an ad artist a theatre can never turn out attractive advertising. Here's the answer, pure and simple. If some of the grumblers would devote their grumbling time to doping these things out and watching what the other fellows are doing they would have less time to growl all over the place. We will be showing you more of Bill's ads in some of the future ad layouts that are published on the Club pages from week to week. In the meantime, those of you Club members who have never done any experimenting along these lines, take a leaf out of Glaser's book and try dressing up your ads. We believe that this little extra effort will reap its own reward at the box office. How About Local "Shots"? At this time of the year, many street and outdoor events are staged by schools, high schools, local organizations, etc., and if you are on your toes you ought to arrange to "shoot" as many of those events as possible. You know you can take regulation standard film yourself and save the expense of a cameraman, especially if you are located where it is hard to get a good man. So there is no reason why you should not take such local pictures of events bringing out large crowds, or of parades, etc. (especially parades), and if you use a car, have appropriate banners or signs telling the crowds when and where they can see the pictures. Don't overlook the spectators at such events. Get slow panorama shots of them ; they'll surely want to see what they look like. All representative groups attending these outdoor rallies should also be taken separately. C often Pulls Fast One Casfiing In On Lost Ball Game Bet Ben Cohen pulled a smart one in advertising "Reaching for the Moon" playing at the Capitol Theatre, Hazleton, Pa. So good was the stunt that it evoked a lot of comment and proved an ^^=^^===^== excellent medium in publicizing the picture. Interest was at a high pitch on the outcome of the HazletonAllentown basketball game. The teams were evenly matched and it was not an uncommon thing to overhear people saying that they had placed a bet on their favorites. Consequently, Cohen grabbed a couple of unemployed men and had them make a bet on the outcome of the game. They then promenaded the streets with signs on their back stating that if his favorite team lost he would sit on top of the theatre marquee Reaching for the Moon. After the outcome of the game was decided, the loser sat on top of the theatre marquee sign. His sign, in large letters, read: "Allentown wins ; I lost my bet ; so I'm 'Reaching for the Moon.' Anybody catching me down from my perch will receive a guest ticket to the Capitol to see Douglas Fairbanks in 'Reaching for the Moon,' starting Monday." How's this for pulling a novel gag? Come on, you other managers ; see if you can't pull something similar for your own houses. Ben succeeded and so can you if you make a try at it.