Motion Picture News (Dec 1920-Feb 1921)

Motion Picture N e n^J ONE of the best New Year's overtures that have been seen in this office is the one used by Managing Director Hyman to open the program on which Charles Ray " 19 and PhylHs " was featured. The overture was conceived expressly for the New Year's week program, and the diagrams give a pretty good idea of how it was put over at the Brooklyn Strand theatre. On a stage that was half curtained, Hyman suspended a silver papered bell from the loft. In the bell was placed a 500Watt lamp, together with a cardboard trap that worked on a spring. The trap was used to hold ten snow white pigeons which were released during the playing of the overture, by the simple process of pulling a string back stage. While the Strand Symphony Orchestra was playing " Come All Ye Faithful," the bell was made to swing like a big pendulum. The efifect was beautiful and won an enthusiastic round of applause. Following is the key to the chart on this page: F— FOOTLIGHTS. In red throughout. C— CURTAINS. Green plush curtains were half closed over stage. D— DROP. A plain drop. Solid neutral blue in color. B — BELL. A silver papered bell. Constructed of wood. Suspended from stage loft on rope. Run conduit for 500Watt lamp in the inside of bell, on the rope. Place pigeons in bell and close cardboard trap after them. Fasten the trap in such a way that a quick jerk will bring the pigeons down and make them fly. GS— GAUZE SCREEN. Run this screen across close to the footlights to prevent pigeons from flying over audience. CL — CALCIUMS. Lamp on right stage to be in red. Left stage light in lemon. Frame this light so that the throw makes rainbow pattern on the neutral drop, as indicated by dotted lines on drawing. Lobby paintings for exploiting "Godless Men" by Frank Lacey, manager of the Majestic theatre, Portland, Or^. A special shadow box with eig1it \ lights produced a clever silhouette effect. The lobby was done in green trimmed with red and evergreen ropes were used. A 500 watt spot in blue' ■ on the waves of the painting and a baby spot on the skipper gave the canvas a very pretty effect Hyman's New Year Specialty ^.^oi^^'esttTsTx Complete Details Concerning Last Week's The local advertising tie-up with the Brooklyn Strand Overture Number various stores m town is by no means a new stunt, but the one engmeered by the Schine Brothers up in Gloversville, New York, for the three-day showing at their Hippodrome of " The Restless Sex," is unique in that the entire affair was encompassed into two days' work. One feature of local interest was the fact that the date of showing also marked the fourth anniversary of the Hippodrome theatre, and incidental!)' the fourth year of the S chines' arrival into Gloversville the; atricals. The big stunt was the evening paper's 1 spread. The Leader-Republican, always j alert, scouted out and with the able help | of Louis Schine, obtained two pages of advertising, making a double truck with the theatre ads totalling a page. A unique sunt was the giving of readers to each advertiser on the double page, thus inducing many who were running additional ads through the run of the paper, to come in on the deal. A double truck screamer, spreading over the two pages, reading " Schine Brothers Celebrate Fourth Anniversary Here \\'ith Week of ]\Iany Special Features in All Theatres," greeted the reader. A special article, dealing in general with the theatres, covering over one and onehalf columns, was prepared by Lewis Geffen, the Schine exploitation and publicity man. The regular readers, also consisting of more than a column, were spread on a third page. Needless to say, every ad mentioned , . ^ . , , . " The Restless Sex " in it. Some of them. ^rrL?L{T' ^'"""''"sr^'l''''' f;"^' "'^ prepared bv Geffen, laid particular stress accojnpanvmg text, luili explain hozv Manager 1 . • , . F . , „ Edward L Hyman of the Brooklyn staged his on the picture without injuring the effec New Year's overture specialty tiveness of the product listed.