Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1918)

2186 M o t i o n Picture News ■ '(SOitlHTFfD WW TO THE PUBLIC MONDAY yew $im~u'diiU' m J. C. Hewitt, manager of the Strand and Grand theatres, Robinson, III., is something of an artist himself and this is a sample of the way that he is doing his posting. He used one of the company's six sheets and then painted in the rest of the matter to get a direct appeal to his clientele. Buffalo Arranges One Hundred Per Cent Effort in the Liberty Loan Campaign BUFFALO exhibitors have jumped into the coming Liberty Loan campaign with both feet and the association feels especially honored that two of their number, Harold B. Franklin and Earl L. Crabb, have been appointed on the Features Bureau Committee, the former as manager. This week the exhibitors met with the advertising committee at Liberty Loan headquarters and there after three hours' conference, the exhibitors decided to practically turn their screens over to the local committee during the campaign and to do all in their power to put Buffalo's quota over the top. One of the interesting stunts to be staged by the exhibitors will be the erection at Main and Genesee streets of a mammoth reproduction of the Boche 75-mile gun, which will be used as a booth. Here the managers and their representatives will be in attendance at all hours of the day and far into the evening to do their part in selling bonds of the fourth issue. On one side of this booth will be painted in large letters the words of President Wilson praising the part of the motion picture in helping to win the war. At Lafayette Square, Mr. Franklin announces that he is designing a large screen, upon which will be thrown all the Liberty Loan pictures being made by the screen stars. Special war features will also be projected each evening to hold the crowds while the loan speakers are holding forth. The screen will be quite an elaborate one and as Lafayette Square is in the center of the city ideally situated for just such stunts, it is expected that this screen will be the center of attraction for the evening throngs on Main street. Of course every theatre in town will also show the loan films and use space in the newspapers, advertising the fact. Some of the exhibitors are planning special lobby displays, and salesmen will be installed here to sell bonds. As manager of the Features Bureau, Harold B. Franklin, of Shea's Hippodrome, is now practically giving up all his time to the work of staging attractive and "different " stunts to be put over during the campaign. He has an office in the Liberty Loan Building. He is putting in " Edison hours " these days. Mr. Franklin's philosophy on this subject is that those at home have got to do more than their bit. That is the attitude of all the local managers. The one big point in this co-operation of the exhibitors is that it will make a decidedly favorable impression on the Government officials as well as the public. During the last campaign the theatres of the city were used more than any other place by the Four Minute Men and Loan speakers and thousands of dollars' worth of bonds were sold each evening. This will be repeated this month and with more force than ever. It is interesting to note that the theatre men are the only ones to erect a special booth for the campaign and that 75-mile gun booth is going to be a knockout, according to Mr. Franklin. Another novel stunt to be staged by Mr. Franklin will be a street car float, upon which will be reproduced the sinking of the Lusitania, with the words BUY LIBERTY BONDS running through the wireless system. At night this float will be elaborately illuminated by incandescent bulbs. Several theatres are planning to hold Liberty Loan weeks, putting the entire receipts of the week into bonds. In order to interest patrons they will be told that their money will bring them a goodly measure of entertainment and also help Uncle Sam win the war. Some theatres are planning to give away Bonds at the end of the week to the holders of lucky numbers on coupons which will be given out. No stone will be left unturned by the managers to show the Government that they are an essential link in the propaganda chain and when Buffalo's total is counted for the Fourth Liberty Loan, it is certain that a large figure will be placed opposite the motion picture houses. LIBERTY LOAN This Is Doing No One a "Favor" But Yourself a Duty DURING the next few weeks we hope to be able to record in these pages the different things that scores of exhibitors are doing to co-operate in the Fourth Liberty Loan campaign. You are not doing any one a favor by sending in these accounts as much as you are doing yourself a service. There is no question that the eyes of the government are on the motion picture houses and that their cooperation in this campaign is going to be watched. There are lots of good ideas that are going to be developed by exhibitors in this campaign and they owe it as their duty to the nation and the Triumph of Democracy to pass those ideas along so that others may use them and that the tide of bonds that will sweep the Hun from the face of the earth may be speeded up. Send these ideas in to the MOTION PICTURE NEWS and they will be promptly reproduced here. The idea may be working well in your theatre, but why not let it work in others, too, and in that way do duty many times for the government. When possible accompany the stories by photographs showing just what you are doing, or send in clippings of any advertising which you do and which bears on the Loan. Texan Turns His Theatre Over to Local Red Cross Moore's theatre. Vernon. Texas, is probably the first motion picture house in the country to be operated by the Red Cross. Robert Moore, the owner, recently decided to co-operate with the local chapter and made an offer to allow the women to operate his theatre on the "fifty-fifty" basis. He gives his attention to the technical side and contributes his knowledge of pictures, while each day one of the members of the chapter is in charge of the theatre and the remainder are always constant boosters for the picture. The arrangement has been a financial success to all concerned. Star Present Prize at Shotting of " Bread" on Coast Mary MacLaren, Universal star, decided that she would pull something on her own hook in connection with the showing of " Bread," a feature in which she is starred, at the Symphony theatre in Los Angeles. So Mary offered a prize of $5 for the best recipe for Victory Bread, and presented the money in person to the housewife who sent in the formula for the most wheatless loaf.