Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1921)

10% Motion Picture N e Schmidt Strong for Desert Island Lobbies • Manager George Schmidt, who combines "house-managing" the Strand Theatre, Atlanta, with exploitation direction of the Forsyth and Rialto, Atlanta, is long on "desert-island" lobbies, which fact he proved once more, when he played a return engagement on "The Woman God Changed," at the Strand. The lobby of the Strand is circular in shape, and the whole wall was covered by a big circular painting, depicting the meeting of sea and sky. The lobby-floor itself was a desert island — covered with white beach-sand. There were several tiny palm trees on the island, and about half a dozen big shells such as "nigger-toe nuts" grow in, were half buried in the sand, with a cocoa-nut here and there. There were some beer bottles, only two or three buried head down, in the sand, and in the center of the island was a "brush-wood fire," made of drift-wood, supposedly (red electric light shining through bona-fide drift-wood, making an effective and realistic fire). Perched precariously on this fire was a battered and blackened coffee pot without a top. On the left, as one entered the theatre, was a big tableau-light, green in color, which threw a weird, greenish light something suggestive of moonlight on the scene. The box-office was hidden by cane brush, only a tiny space being left for tickets to be purchased, and the entrances were concealed by the painting, so that there was no jarring note to spoil the illusion of a desert island. While the whole thing was tremendously effective, and Mr. Schmidt asserts that it was not at all expensive. Manager Clark Finds Merchants Week" Success Manager Jess Clark of Strand theatre, Salisbury, N. C, stimulated dull business by putting over a " Merchants Week " for a fat total. He ordered a hundred thousand special tickets and about fifty thousand hand-bills explaining the idea. The tickets were sold to merchants in blocks for five to twenty dollars and were given away free with even small purchases. They were good at the Strand anytime during the week for half the prevailing admission, thus getting a big total for the week but giving the public something too. A double-page tie-up in the daily paper had ads for all the merchants who were giving the tickets, completing one of the broadest publicity campaigns ever attempted in a small town. Welch Has Clever Lobl Display Idea One of the most novel lobbies ever ranged for a picture recently was used T. Welch, manager of the limpress tt tre, Calgary, Canada, for his showing ■' Once a Plumber." The name of the feature was made ii jointed pipe and hung across the front the lobby. Various plumbers tools, pij joints, valves, etc., were displayed in lobby, the front of which represent© plumbers work-bench. Comedy caption cards were put up n the box-ofifice, among them, several re ing as follows : " If your pipe bur >, open your windows, move everything o p the lawn — then phone the plumbers," Cut-outs of Eddie and Lee were sea j on the plumbers bench. Caption ca r also were used to tie-up the showing w j a local convention of the B. P. O. E. ■ The central effect of the lobby, howe ^ was a " Laugh-o-meter." It consisted f a dial, cut from the compo-board, ab t five feet in diameter. Around its • ;i which was divided into four section^, w ; the four words " Laughing — Roarini Screaming — Hysterical." A pointer \ r pivoted in the center of the dial so tha f could be moved by the girl in the 1x1office. As she heard the audience lau ing, roaring or screaming inside, would move the pointer to indicate > passers-by, how much those inside w ■ enjoying the comedy. This Laugh-o-meter was a sure patr< puller. Cowboy Rides Buckin Auto as Exploitation Clayton Tunstill, manager of the Tiv theatre, Beaumont, Texas, advertised showing of "A Big Town Round-Up " a street ballyhoo consisting of a racing ( on the rear end of which was a cowt seated in a saddle. The stunt attracted a great deal of tention and was the means of increasi the Tivoli's business on the picture n terially. "Sky Pilot" advertising by the Empress theatre, Slieitaiidoah, Lrwa