Motion Picture News (Dec 1920-Feb 1921)

I a n u a r y 22, i g 2 i 847 ip*. 'ff^BSCBSXi' • — —— — .'■\ " Kinq of the Circus" lobby display by O. L. Mcistcr, inaiiagcr of the Whitchouse theatre. Milzcaukce. prior to the opening of the first episode Saengers Originate Two Kiddie" Stunts For the purpose of motion picture exhibiting the old adage about taking care of the pennies and the dollars will look out tor themselves, might be humanized and l)araphrased to read " interest the kiddies and the adults will turn out for the show." Appeals to the youngsters have often been made and just as often have resulted in crowded houses for the theatres using ihem. The Saenger Amusement Co., New Orleans, have originated two " kiddie " stunts which have been used with great Miccess all over the territory by exhibitors in connection with showing of " Dinty." One of the novelties is in the shape of a throwaway. Across the top of the sheet is the question : • Well, Well, Who Have We Here? " Immediately, below the question is an apparently meaningless spread of 215 dots each one of them numbered. Instructions are given on the sheet to start at dot No. 1, draw a straight line to dot No. 2, and then to dot No. 3, and so on, until the 215th dot has been reached, when the lines drawn take the form of the face of Wesley Barry, grin, cap, and all, as he appears on the one sheet posters on Dinty." At the bottom of the throwavvays is the wording: " If you have been careful not to miss any of the dots you'll have a nice cheerful smiling picture of Dinty. What ? You don't know Dint\ ? Then you better get acquainted. He will be at " and then space for the name of the theatre and the date. The proper tracing of the 215 dots is a pretty complicated task and usually as amusing to grown-ups as it is to the youngsters to whom the throwaways are distributed. It means that the circulars WeD, Well, Who Have We Here? •1 «»'jV*V*7 H IS "1 It) Here is the piiccle. Sacnger's puc::le, for "Dinty" as explained in tlic accnmpanying story are taken home and the family knows about the attraction. The second novelty is a tie-up with local merchants in an award offering contest for the boy or girl under fourteen who has the most freckles. The judging takes jilace either in the theatre or privately, but the bestowal of the awards is always a public event on the stage and consequently a wide attention-attracton The novelty of the freckles getting a person anything of value has appealed to a. number of the newspapers in the southern territory as being interesting reading with the result that many of the contests have been accorded the best sort of publicity. Some More Good Stuff on "Dinty" Although there have been scores of novel and clever stunts to exploit " Dinty," great credit must be given Tom H. Boland, manager of the Empress theatre, Oklahoma City, Okla.. for the keen showmanship that inspired him to so carefully work out the plans for a " Dinty Day '' in connection with the showing of this feature. By interesting the Oklahoma News in a plan whereby the newsboys of the city would be encouraged to increase the street sales of the paper, Mr. Boland secured the co-operation of practically " all newsboys, former newsboys and boys who wanted to be newsboys " so the announcement said. As a result of Mr. Boland's planning, the great majority of newsboys selling papers on the streets of Oklahoma City wore bright red tags pinned to their coats. The tag was similar to that used by express companies and carried the following reading matter : " Buy Your NEWS From Me. I Want TO Win a DINTY DAY Prize By Sellik<; the Most NEWS Today. See ' DlNT^■ ' at the Empress Theatre." As a reward for the newsboys selling the greatest number of papers, the theatre and the paper agreed to give $5 in gold to the best seller, $3 to the second best seller and $2 to the third best seller. Cutouts mounted as banners and a variety of posters enabled the newsboys to hold several parades boosting " Dinty " and create sufficient local excitement to cause pedestrians who hadn't knovv^n of the feature through other advertising methods to inform themselves.