Motion Picture News (Dec 1920-Feb 1921)

January 22, i g 2 i 841 UDetails for Peaceful Valley" Prologue 1 With the opening of its third week, the Branford theatre, Newark, N. J., has 4 taken its place among those theatres that 1 have developed prologues to a high point ' of artistr} and efficiency. Beginning on Christmas Day this new theatre presented to its patrons a prologue made up entirely of scenic effects which attracted wide attention. The prologue was entitled " Evening in Peaceful Valley," and was used in connection with " Peaceful Valley." The effects were gained chiefly through the unusual design of the scenery employed, the clever use of lights, and three simple mechanical devices. The setting consisted of a back drop and three perspective floor sets. The nearest of the perspective sets, or ground rows, was two feet in height, and contained painted scenery depicting a miniature railroad track and trestle bridge. The second set, four feet in height, showed several houses and general rural suggestions and the third carried views of distant hills and a general fade-away effect into the back drop of clear sky color. Blue lights, dimmed, were used in back of each of the floor sets, and the effect gained was one of nearly immeasurable distance. The mechanical devices consisted of a miniature lighted railroad train, a moon set and a shimmering moving river. The river was merely a strip of blue silkalene set on rollers originating in back of the ,„ middle ground set and terminating in back of the foreground set. The silk shimmering in the softened glow of the blue lighting, and moving slowly over the rollers, gave a very realistic effect of a lazily flowing stream. ■ The miniature railroad train was merely a shell with a row of two candle power incandescents affixed to the back. The description of the moon sounds almost ludicrous in connection with the effect gained by it for it was merely an incandescent light, hung in a tin pan with orange tissue paper pasted over the front. A line through a staple pulled it up slowly from behind the back perspective set and in front of the back drop. The action was merely the passing of the train through the foreground, and the rising of the moon before the curtain was lowered on it. IVorkiuQ script for a prologue to "Peaceful Valley" as staged by the Branford theatre, Newark. N. J., and explained by the accompanying story Girls used on the streets of Boulder, Col., to advertise " Idols of Clay " Prizma Film Given Novel Presentation at Capitol A NOVELTY ballet number is being staged at the Capitol theatre, New York, for the current week. Mile. Gambarelli and a quartet from the Capitol ensemble present a dance adapted to Grieg's " Papillons," while a prizma film showing varioushued and shaped butterflies is projected on a net hung in front of the dancers. A black drop is used for a backing. The dancers are attired in the usual robes for esthetic numbers. This Idea Worked Well at Boulder, Col. Mae Murray personally invited the inhabitants of Boulder to attend the showing of " Idols of Clay " at the Curran theatre, Boulder, Colo. * A team of four girls had been engaged by the exploitation man to provide the fireworks prior to the picture's run. The girls went around the streets of Boulder distributing calling cards for " Mae Murray." On the reverse of these cards the copy read : " I will be at the Curran theatre today, Tuesday and Wednesday. Come and see me in ' Idols of Clay.' A Paramount Picture." Seven hundred cards constituted the first printing order ; but so successful was the dodge in arousing interest and causing comment that the manager of the Curran theatre had a repeat order filled and the girls, who had exhausted their supply by noon, were kept busy the remainder of the day. The girls wore pennants pinned across their shoulders with Idols of Clay " for the stunt, "and this little touch alone aroused sufficient patronage to repay the management. Mitchell Originates New Exploitation Stunt In the next column is shown a cut of one of W. Grant Mitchell's exploitation stunts in the interests of " In the Heart of a Fool " when this picture played the Majestic Gardens theatre,. Kalamazoo, Mich., of which Mr. Mitchell is manager. The horses did all manner of tricks, standing on their hind legs and lying down with the riders, and when performing about the Kalamazoo streets attracted great crowds. Another stunt which Mr. Mitchell used for the " In the Heart of a Fool " engagement was to have fifteen thousand paper bags, furnished by a grocer by the way, printed with an announcement of the showing dates for the feature, with* a small ad for the grocer. These bags were distributed by the grocer in the usual way. The merchant was one of the largest in the city, operating several stores. Ballyhoo used by W. Griffith Mitchell, manager of the Majestic theatre, Kalamazoo, to put over "In the Heart of a Fool"