Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1921)

ctob er 15, 1^21 1997 New Gotham Theatre Stages Extensive Exploitation Campaign One of the most extensive exploitation campaigns ever conducted in New York's White Light district for a motion picture was launched last week when " Over the Hill," entered the new Tivoli theatre for n indefinite run. It was planned and conlucted hy Fox exploitation representatives attached to the New York exchange. An effective street display consisted of in old lady made up to represent " Ma IJenton," the central figure in " Over the Hill," seated in an ancient victoria drawn '.v a horse in keeping. Banners on horse ,.nd carriage completed the tie-up with the picture. Colonel Green, " the man on stilts," atracted attention and transferred it to Over the Hill " signs. x\ float festooned u ith " Over the Hill " banners added color o the Tivoli's publicity circus. A neat advertising novelty was provided V 1,550 dainty handkerchiefs upon which '.as printed, " You'll need this when vou ee • Over the Hill,' Tivoli, Next Week." These were inserted in programs of the leatre and distributed to women patrons ■he week before the beginning of the -howing. Another device was an imitation theatre :cket which aparently was a pass, inclosed n an envelope marked " Free Admission." The pasteboard within read: "You'll ADMIT that ' Over the Hill ' is the greatest human interest story of all times." Vacant store buildings in the neighborhood of the theatre were utilized effectively. The windows were whitewashed, all but a small space, and behind the transparent section were placed signs such as " You can't see anything here, but you can see ' Over the Hill ' the greatest human interest story of all times, at the Tivoli theatre." White arrows painted on the sidewalk pointed the way to the peep holes. The attention-compelling lobby displax' included life-size lithograph cut-outs of the leading characters, highly varnished, mounted on easels. Here is the lobby display used by the Supcrba theatre, Los Angeles, for the run of "Desperate Trails" Manager Jess Clark Has Clover Week" Manager Jess Clark, of Strand theatre, Salisbury, N. C, recently aroused interest and increased attendance by designating '■ Clover Week " at his theatre, admitting free every child under fifteen who would bring a four-leaf clover. He advertised it for a week in advance and had the kids of Salisbury, scouring the fields and yards for the lucky four-leaf. They were not hard to find, however, and the youngsters came in droves and naturally dragged along others of the family to .swell the receipts. The novelty attracted much newspaper space, too, and a good week's business resulted at no expense. Burke Advertises "Big Prize Fight" Barry Burke, manager of the Palace theatre. Ft. Worth, Texas, had some big cards printed announcing a prize fight at the Palace for exploiting Charles Ray in " Scrap Iron." Some hundred of these were put up around the different places where the sports " of Fort Worth hang out. The wording was particularly clever and not until the very last could anyone reading it tell it was to advertise " Scrap Iron." He also had a hook-up window with a local sporting goods store, which included 3 larp-e cut-out of it was an exploitation stunt for Ray in fighting pose. Here is a lobby display arranged for "The Golden Snare" by Saxe's Rialto theatre, Milwaukee, IVis.