Motion Picture News (Nov-Dec 1923)

December 29 , 1923 3071 Prologue in Two Scenes on "If Winter Comes" Run The presentation which Managing Director Edward L. Hyman of the Brooklyn Mark Strand gave " If Winter Comes ?' included an atmospheric prologue. For this elaborate presentation, Hyman used four of the ballet, led by Mile. Francelli, a tenor and the Mark Strand grand chorus of feminine voices. The scene was a massive fireplace, before which the tenor was seated in a wing chair, with a floor lamp behind. Red gelatine on a box lamp supplied the fire. The floor lamp was shaded by a red shade, and an ambre spot from the side picked out the man in the chair. The fireplace was backed up by dark plush cyclorama, and the lighting above did not reveal the huge picture frame, ten feet deep by eighteen feet wide, directly over the fireplace, in which the winter and spring tableaux were staged. The chorus was planted in the orchestra, unseen. At the opening the tenor sung first verse and chorus of the song, " If Winter •Comes" (a combination of the Witmark and Harms publication was used), and then leaned back to doze in his chair. The orchestra went into a winter theme, and, as the lights came up in the transparency revealing the tableau, strains of " Holy Night " were played.' The winter tableau showed the four girls going through various business and poses as a sno.v bag above showered cut paper upon them and a fan offside supplied the wind. The whistle of the wind also was taken care of back-stage. For the finish of the winter scene the chorus took up the refrain, and at the close the transparency dimmed off. Then a soprano in the chorus sang a verse, and the orchestra went into Mendelssohn's " Spring Song " as the lights of the picture frame came up to show a scene of spring. Bird thrills were introduced by the drummer. The singers all came in on the " If Winter Comes " refrain for the finish, and the picture was thrown on the scrim for a closer tie-up. "ENEMIES OF WOMEN" BANK TIE-UP Milt Crandall obtained this bank window display on • Enemies of Women " (Cosmopolitan) at the Liberty and State theatres, Pittsburgh Children's Essay Contest for "Only 38" Showing When " Only 38 " was booked for showing recently at the Gayety theatre, New Orleans, the theatre management put over a tie-up with one of the local drug stores, which brought the coming picture to the attention of his customers. The druggist featured in its daily advertising on a large blackboard in front of his store the announcement that he would award $10 worth of Gayety theatre passes to the persons sending in the best essays on " Age." The children of the city were eligible. First prize was a pass to the Gayety good for any and every picture shown at the Gayety for one month. Second prize was a pass for two weeks. Third to tenth prizes were tickets to the theatre during the engagement of " Only 38." Three New Orleans newspaper men adjudged the essays. Sidewalk Stencils Used on "Strangers of Night" As if the misspelled word contest, run with the double truck of advertising, was not enough for Duluth when " Strangers of the Night " played there recently, Morris Abrams, Metro's exploitation representative there, and P. F. Schwie, manager of the Garrick theatre, put over another stunt that quite aroused the city. The stunt was as follows : Three skull and cross bones were made out of stout stencil paper with the words S. of N. added underneath, and early one morning a little party sallied forth from the Garrick with the stencils and heavy white chalk. Skull, cross bones and S. of N. was chalked on sidewalks, buildings, especially in front of banks and at street corners. At daylight Duluth awoke to find these strange marks all over the town and people began calling up the police stations asking if they knew what these strange marks meant. Two days later the Garrick broke into the Duluth dailies with their advertising and publicity and a little card, with the same inscription, that was handed out by the thousands, served effectively to tie up the stencil stunt with " Strangers of the Night " at the Garrick. Duluth hasn't forgotten it vet. Firemen Join in Campaign on "The Mail Man" Not only did the postal department of Pasadena, Cal., support " The Mail Man " during its recent engagement at the Florence theatre in the Southern California community, but the fire department as well took a hand in the campaign, which broke all records in the amusement annals of the town. The firemen's track band, regarded as one of the best musical organizations of firemen in the country, led the big mail workers' parade, which featured the opening night of the run. More than one hundred mail workers, led by Postamster Knight, also took part. r "The Market Zoo' 'Blood aad&ttd' PLEASING PANELS AND SHADOW BOX MAKE INTERESTING "STRANGERS OF THE NIGHT" LOBBY DISPLA* When " Strang ert of the Night" (Metro) played at the Hippodrome, Waco, Texas, this attractive lobby display was prepared from posters and Xoboy photo*