Motion Picture News (Sep-Oct 1923)

1104 Motion Picture News Tie -ups Made on "Ne'erDoWell" Affords Chances for Hook-up Stunts of Many Sorts; Music and Books Used EXCELLENT opportunities for mercantile tie-ups are offered by " The Ne'erDo-Well," and exhibitors have been quick to take advantage of them. Two sucli campaigns are described below. Manager Harold Home of Loew's Palace theatre, Memphis, Tenn., created one specially strong tie-up of his own. There was a logical excuse for practically every music dealer in Memphis to give the Palace a display on " The Ne'er-Do-Well," because with it was linked up the name of a song, " Sweet Pal." which was being featured in the presentation of the picture. As the song had been written by a local composer, interest was strong, and twelve music store windows were landed. Since the song was written and published locally, the dealers were sold on the idea of the mutual advantage to the tie-up with the theatre and to plug not only the song, but also that it was being featured with " The Ne'erDo-Well.'' For in this way they would help the theatre to get people to hear the song, and then buy the music. As a result, the theatre printed cards stating that the song was being sung in connection with the showing of " The Ne'er-Do-Well," a Paramount picture, and the pluggers brought this fact to the attention of every booster's club, all the steamers that sail the Mississippi River, every dance hall, etc., always distributing the cards and exhibiting special posters made for the purpose. The same idea was pushed further via the radio, the giant Commercial Appeal station mentioning u The Ne'er-Do-Well " at least fifteen times, reaching thousands of potential patrons. The Palace arrows, which have previously been mentioned as a co-operative tie-up with various merchants, had their copy changed to suit the conditions, for instance, one arrow pointing directly into the entrance, read : " Don't be a ' Ne'er-Do-Well ' : keep your shoes shined." And another, " Don't be a ' Ne'er-Do-Well '; Keep in trim with Hardin's body-builders." Each time tying-up with something they had for sale. It is little wonder the merchants were willing to furnish the current to operate these signs, thereby gaining for the theatre illuminated boards in choice locations, which could not otherwise have been bought. Book Display Is Given Selecting the " book " angle from which to exploit " The Ne'er-Do-Well," a book store was approached on the matter of a book display by Manager J. Wright Brown of the Grand theatre, Columbus, Ga. As a result, a display of the novels was made on a center table near the front of the store. Cards made up from the paper tied up the display with the coming of the picture to the Grand theatre. A leading drug store co-operated by selling during certain hours of the opening day tickets at one cent each, as trade-attractors. Lobby display consisted of large book cutout, a fac-simile of the original Rex Beach novel. The title stretched across the top, in the middle was a cut-out of Meighan's head. Two Elephants and Boy in " Circus Days " Stunt A boy who resembled Jackie Coogan, and two elephants, combined with the showmanship of Manager Joseph Hopp and Al Sobler. supplied the ingredients for the campaign on " Circus Davs " at the Fort Armstrong theatre, Rock Island, 111. The campaign was extensive in scope and ideas alike. The decorations of the theatre, a special souvenir matinee for youngsters and the heavy pounding of the pachyderms on the pavements supplied a circus sight that Rock Island had not seen for manv a dav. GOOD WINDOW CARDS GET RESULTS One of the irindoir display* on " The Bright Shawl " {First National) gotten by Manager if. B. Hustler of the T. >i D. theatre, Xacramento, through attruo the tcindou; cards which he prepare4 .. Exploitation in England on "Oliver Twist" Runs London. England. — " Oliver Twist " has lent itself unusually well to exploitation in England, and big things have been done on that picture. Here are a few of the things that were done to make " Oliver Twist " a success : A special presentation at the Foundlings' Hospital, London, one of Dickens' fondest charities; showings for members of . the Dickens Fellowship; newspaper articles by famous authors about cuts made by the censors; the presentation of a print to the Dickens Society Film Museum ; a special daily sketch Jackie Coogan double competition; a special edition of " Oliver Twist ; " mercantile tie-ups and exploitation and a 32-page press book that was distributed to exhibitors, incorporating every possible campaign need. The fact that the picture was the first ever to be shown at the Foundlings' Hospital, together with the appropriateness of this idea for a Dickens film, was sufficient to make the English editors uncork with some space in their news columns. Messages from H. M. the Queen and H. R. H. the Prince of Wales, a source of publicity not available to American exhibitors. These messages were thrown on the screen as slides. A cabled donation of 100 guineas to the hospital from Jackie Coogan was announced at the same time. Eleven hundred crippled children later attended a special shewing at the Empire theatre. Leicester Square, London, and were provided with refreshments. Fountain pens, sheet music, hot water bottles and photographs were a few of the articles tied up with Jackie Coogan for mercantile window display advertising. HIGH LIGHTS OF OXE MAX ACER'S " WITHIX THE LAW" CAMPAIGX Various phages o) the "Within the Laic" (First National) campaign stayed by Lock's Palace theatre, Memphis, Tenn., oj tchieh Harold Home is manager Attractive Lobby Designed for "Rustle of Silk" Manager Ollie Brownlee of the Palace theatre, Muskogee. Okla., advertised '"Rustle of Silk" at the Palace with a very attractive lobby display, which consisted of two large beaver board columns, which were placed on each side of the lobby, supporting a beaver-board banner which was attractively designed, carrying the title of the picture. Directly underneath this banner was another cut-out showing Betty Compson. Satin streamers connected central cut-out with the title panel.