Motion Picture News (Sep-Oct 1916)

1530 MOTION PICTURE NEWS Vol. 14. No. 10 How an Exhibitor in Phoenix , Ariz., Registered “ Sho/es, the Bluebird Picture, Before His Public — sm rl sold her soul for a pair of shoes T- ■'J Wr.NRLSOX ’i vigfc * Her So” n i mplii J HThtGillHui H. A. DlhliL. UtvJiit Phan in SHOE COMPAN Y She Mecdn’t Here .e. ,, Worfori For $5 00 SemiAnnua) Shoe Sale . Q Week— $5a .1 tv, f v, !■. n&lson <T li ^ I H A. Diehl Shoe Conip'y v; ..... : "hut if the gxr\ Iwd .ft • • [ | ^ t ’ 8 ' | 1 -fso:.!) MY SOUL-FORA PAIR OF SHOES" I f . ... I><N , , Vf' «• I TMF v • • ' * 1 . 'NO‘ S1UME INTO ACIRI /TsEARr rt V>. rr_ • — H;g [)|;g fSgfj] j 157/ 1 T ARE ■) in ‘ CO/A U 70 00? ' ,KI . ' J '■ V . ) MARY.Mi.ARi'N fcssfrv. i.iSi'KiiiM, s-.iivif .it iiKi)iCiSKi;i-:s»"U;:,.L"J . u' ,?>5 />£*» 7 rs-s/, C /V/X T.\ LEMONADE SERVED IN BOW ER AT REAR OF PROMENADE Here is one of the cleverest summer ideas for a motion picture theatre that has come to our attention. Joseph McCready and Mr. Yonker, of the Fiftysixth Street theatre, Philadelphia, Pa., made up their minds that they would give their patrons a treat during the hot months, a treat that has eventually turned into a great advertising idea for the theatre. A “ bar.” At least that is what Mr. McCready calls it, although it is in reality a bower in the rear of the promenade; a bower made of lattice covered with flowers. In this bower is a “ barmaid ” who serves grape lemonade to the patrons without any cost. From the very first night it has made a big hit, and all the people in that neighborhood are talking about it. We believe this is a new idea for motion picture theatres. NEWSPAPER OFFERS TICKETS FOR FORTUNATE FANS The Middletown, Ohio, News-Signal is offering an unusual contest to its readers who are taking to it with alacrity. A group of twenty-four motion picture stars was published in the paper, and the film fans were asked to pick out each individual star. From time to time a hint is given in the news columns regarding the identity of the players. The management of the Gordon, Sorg, Grand and Rex theatres, have arranged to book all of these players during the period of the contest. To the first five persons credited with a full score in naming the stars, the News-Signal will give four tickets, good for each one of the four theatres named. LOCATION IS NO HANDICAP TO GOOD PROGRAM MAKING J. W. Brighton, director of the Morenci Club Picture theatre, Morenci, Arizona, is desirous of our opinion on the general getup of his program and the pictures he projects. We have no hesitation in saying that the program he sent us is tastefully printed, the type has been carefully selected and each day’s program clearly defined. He also seems to have unusual ability in the selection of his program and we have seen far worse shows not many miles from Broadway. The excellence of the program is rendered all the more remarkable by the fact that this theatre is situated in the centre of a mining camp. THEATRE FRONT RESEMBLES CIRCUS TENT Swan and Swartz, proprietors of the Empress, Kearney, Neb., arranged the front of their theatre, on one of the busiest downtown streets, to appear like the entrance to a circus tent when “Peg o’ the Ring” was first shown there. Ropes led across the walk to the door, and the path was sprinkled with sawdust. The girl selling tickets was stationed out in the street. A clown stood nearby. The attendance at the Empress for the first episode was a record. J. E. Rickards, manager of the Phoenix Amusement Company, Phoenix, Arizona, has sent us a photograph of a double spread which appeared in the Arizona Gazette. In advertising the feature “ Shoes ” he obtained the co-operation of all the shoe men in the town.' The newspaper, glad to get the opportunity of extra business, gave him the story matter for the display he ran. We consider this a very novel way of advertising “ Shoes,” and Mr. Rickards is to be congratulated on his ingenuity and enterprise. Pay Attention to the Front of Your House and Use Stunts Appropriate to the Picture Running Inside WE have recently commented on the excellent “ front of the house ” advertising from numerous live wire managers. This week Salt Lake City is well to the fore. Some of their stunts are clever, unique, original and well worth considering. One in particular is connected with a lobby display and comes in the form of a |I!IIIIII!IIIII[IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII | “ OUR PETE ” REVIEWS BLUE | | BIRDS FOR THE EXHIBITOR 1 1 ONLY, IS MITCHELL’S VIEW p • T 1*| Ur~ ing Company, where they spent half a day in seeing how advertising pictures are made. One of the Rothacker camera crews, in charge of Wesley Smith, returned to Chicago las't Saturday after completing a twelve-week tour of the Southwest. The object of the trip was to secure special scenic pictures, including some remarkable views of Estes Park, and various other Colorado show places. Henry Birch, in charge of another camera crew, is now in Canada handling a big industrial contract there. Another crew, headed by Edward Linden, left Chicago last week for a trip through Yellowstone Park, and covering the entire Pacific coast and Canadian Northwest. Linden’s crew will be gone two or three months with the object of securing at least 20,000 feet of representative scenic film, as well as to cover several industrial contracts on the Pacific coast. shadow box with a painted background and wings which are changed with each production. The thing which catches the eye of the women and children being the neatly dressed dolls. For “ Hulda from Holland ” there was a typical Dutch blue sky and a cut-out of a windmill with Hulda standing in the centre in the regulation wooden shoes and Dutch costume. For “ The House of the Golden Window,” there was the house with tratisparent amber windows in the background with a couple of dolls, girl and boy, with their backs to the glass front of the box gazing off at the far away house. For “ Little Lady Eileen,” Famous Players, a doll dressed as a fairy was the centre attraction with appropriate backgrounds. The dolls are beautifully and appropriately dressed and have created a great deal of comment among the exhibitors in that section. Many exhibitors have been exploiting scenes from the productions that they are to show the following week by culling them from the reels which arrive a few days in advance, which idea is proving very popular. ALLIANCE BETW EEN RELIGIOUS PAPER AND A THEATRE The Strand theatre of Toronto, Ont., has formed an Alliance with the Toronto Star Weekly, a popular Sunday paper, by means of which the paper will publish photographs of the pictures taken by the Strand special service throughout the city. To date the idea has been most successful.