Motion Picture News (Jan-Feb 1920)

2112 (Exhibitor Service) Motion Picture \e ^tagc .scttiii(/ for " Hrakcit Blossotns," built hy tlic Strand theatre, Saliiia, Kan. Kansas Exhibitor His Own Artist MakesSuccess with Exploitation Stunts *T^HE average exhibitor tiiuis little or no time A to spend outside his office in these days of keen competition, hut it's always the exception that proves the rule. So the exception among successful exploitation exhibitors is to be found in the person of Herbert J. Thacher, Manager of the Strand theatre, of Salina, Kansas, who not only manages his house to the contentment of the great majority of his townsfolk, but is besides many other things, his own scenic artist, the workmanship of which studio, is always the one l)ig attractive feature of the showing of his big productions. " Broken Blossoms " was the last big production that afforded Manager Thacher an opportunity to extend himself, and the consensus of opinion in his community is that he presented a hundred per cent, performance. He personally painted a wonderfully artistic Japanese setting with unusual colorings and lighted it in a manner that would cause a Belasco to become envious. But the setting wasn't all. He presented a monologue-prologue called " The Yellow Man" whose message was based on the theme, " Do not give blows for blows, the great Buddha says ; what thou dost not want others to do to thee, do thou not to others." The Yellow Man spoke a glorious message of peace to his " liarbarous " Anglo-Saxon friends, the sons of turmoil a'lul strife. For two weeks prior to the opening of the production Mr. Thacher did much exterior exploitation work in connection with the newspapers, department stores and local organizations. He covered his community with an extended bill-board campaign and the whole repaid him bountifully in large box-office returns. The lower cut shows a picune of a stage setting used by Mr. Thatcher for "In Old Kentucky." Attention is called to the practical cabin with the flowers growing over the sides and ihe stage props furnished to set off the beauty of the scenic part of the work. As a part of the program during "The Old Kentucky" showing a colored (|uartet rendering se\ eral selections from the .good old darky melodies before the screening of the picture and a soloisi appeared at the end of the i)icture in some song> which were somewhat more classical. In a letter to the News concerning the succes> the Strand is having with the prologue and stage setting Mr. Thatcher states that it is his belief thai no greater boon to the exhibitor in an advertisiim way has ever been devised, than that which can \w gained through the u.se of the prologue. He says that when he first thought of putting on such a number his associates scoffed at him for trying to cmuialc the big city's ))ig theatres and preached that he was wasting his time and money. Mr. Thatcher himself was none too sure that the expenditure in time and effort and the expense in\olved would be justified, but determined to tr>the idea out. With his very first prologue staged, he became convinced that he was on the right track and went after other productions along the same lines. Soon he began to notice a new class of people coming in to the house, people he had never been able to get before. He listened to the remarks of the audience as they went out of the theatre and found that his inno\ation was the talk of the town. He finds that he has created a new patronage to be added to his list of steady patrons and in this has an added incentive to keep on building stage settings and staging prologues. He also promises us more photographs of his handiwork. Exhibitor's Daughter Advertises Picture from Aeroplane ( Continued from page 2108) Mr. Bourdon is more than a wide-awake picture theatre manager. He holds the record for catching the largest tarpon, the " locomotive of the deep," c\er caught in Southern waters. He belongs to nearly all the fraternal orders in Biloxi except the Masons and organized the Elks Lodge ni Biloxi, for which be was given a life membership. Not Cow Much It Cost, But H ^ Good Is It, Measures Exploitation As a means of determining to his own s;, j, tion what productioas and what stars have . greatest appeal to his patrons. Manager Han i of the Adams Theatre, at Creston. la., has • eluded a contest which cost him nothing excep and several season passes to his theatre. On > other hand, the contest attracted considerable tention, resulted in a great deal of free rea> ^ matter in the newspapers, and in addition ■>u\t\ H him with the data he felt he wanted for ' purposes. The contest was identifying the portraits of i actors and actresses and the naming of product |s in which they had appeared. Mr. Hanson i ^ two lobby wall cases with photographs, forty jr pictures in each one, and offered a prize of $5 Id a season pass to the person turning in the first ; in which all the players were identified and a . son pass to all persons turning in a complete The naming of productions in which each had peared also made a necessary part of a coi answer. The contest appealed to the newspaper ed as a novelty story show-ing how deeply motion ;tures had entered into the lives of the residen Creston. Discussions appeared in the paper ; whether the "Movies" were merely regarded a entertainment for idle hours or whether their bpeal was wide enough so that particular stars 'd directors had rabid fans. All these disruwere linked up to the Adams Theatre cont^ -* The first complete list was turned in ju^t > i days after the photographs were first displ; id The knowledge of pictures displa\ed by the rt winner was a revelation even to Hanson, fc in some cases the production mentioned in conne w with the players had to be checked up bcfort le theatre attaches were certain of them. Otheplete lists came in, but slowly, so Mr. Harfcred indi\idual passes for uncompleted liresponse to this offer he got hundreds of lisifurnished valuable data for guidance in bi> ing policy. A surprising turn in the contest as expothe answer was the wider knowledge of stars than of the men as displaxed b\ •hi lestants, most of whom were women. Mr. Hanson declares that the contest has r nished him with an absolute guide as to what r and class of productions are most interesting t< i motion picture patrons of Creston, and that he a standard by which to judge productions w liu offered him for use in the Adams Theatre. Only one player appeared on every list mitted : that of Charlie Chaplin, whose pi graph is shown, was, however, not in characl Stage setting for " In Old Kentueky." designed i>y H. J. 1 iiaeiier. maiinger of the Siraiia niea' Salina, Kan.