Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1921)

2000 Motion Picture N e % "Dream Street" lobby decorations used by Manager Edward Weinberg of the Mark Strand theatre. Buffalo Goldman Gets Local Prize Beauty for Personal Appearance A beauty contest recently conducted by the St. Louis Globe-Democrat has had the attention of residents of St. Louis for weeks and resulted in thousands of people becoming directly interested. This fact was known to Managing Director William Goldman of the Missouri theatre, St. Louis, and when the winner of the event was finally announced plans were already made to capitalize thereon. Mr. Goldman immediately got in communication with the winner, a resident of Moberly, Mo., and made arrangements for her personal appearance at the Missouri. Goldman ran advertisements a bit larger than usual in all the daily newspapers carrying the pictures of the Venus of the Middle-west. On Monday 2.500 printed post-cards were dispatched through the mails to the names on the Missouri's mailing list. Stage-director Charles Dahl had already constructed a special setting for the young lady's appearance, and canvass signs were thrown over the entire neighborhood of Grand and Olive, the city's center of motion picture activitv and night life. The results were big. Every one in St. Louis wanted to see the girl who was adjudged the " best looker " in many states, and the crowds that jammed the doors contained many unsuccessful ])ersons whose efforts to get past the crowded lobby were futile. Another success due to keen wittedness. Picnic for Kids, "Phantom Foe'' Exploitation To give "The Phantom Foe," a big send-ott, Manager Ford of the Marple theatre, Wichita, Kansas, gave the boys of the city a picnic. There were 500 watermelons, other eats, races for which prizes to the winners were provided and other entertainment features. The stunt was engineered in conjunction with the Wichita Eagle which gave the plan publicity. In the afternoon the whole crowd was marched to the theatre where the first episode of the serial was shown. The boys and their picnic with the attendant publicity the stunt received was instrumental in giving "The Phantom Foe'' record houses for the opening number. Manager Ford is immensely pleased with his plan and figures that the cost of his picnic was Httle when the results were viewed. Weinberg Builds Attrative Dream Street" Lobby Display One of the most attractive lobby c plays seen in Buffalo in many months v ; that which \i. O. W einberg installed front of the Mark-Strand last week, di ing the presentation of Dream Street. The feature of the display was a lai boxed scenic billboard which was plac in the center of the lobby in front of 1 box office. The whole thing was tat from a six sheet. The characters W( cut out, mounted on beaver board a placed in relief in front of a large Dre. .Street. The Strand artist went over 1 letters spelling Dream Street. A Ian ])ost cut from the cut and put on bea'' board was surmounted by a lamp m< ^ in the Strand art shop. An electric lij was placed in the center of it. .Soft b1 colored bulbs were connected along 1 1 inside of the top and bottom of the frar! their light throwing a dreamy hut c ■ the scene. The frame attracted a lot attention. The Buffalo office of Uni: Artists thought so much of it that th purchased it to rent to other theatres ^ the city and territory. It will next go the Victoria, a Buffalo neighborhr house. The frames at the side and t of the lobby was also unusually attracti These were a combination of views in the sheets with the background and lett ing painted in by Strand artists. Grysline Uses Cut-out i Good Advantage ]\Ianager Crv'sUne, of the Modjes Theatre, Augusta, played "The Sting the Lash," recently, with a lobby that w the height of simplicity, yet one of intere A cut-out of Pauline Frederick, 1 star, was made from a twentyfour she and mounted. This cut-out showed M Frederick, with a huge "black-snak whip, poised as if about to lash out w it, and the effect of the startlingly life-1figure, with the threatening attitU' caught and held the interest of all \\ passed. , The cut-out was backed up with 1 usual lobby-frames, posters, etc. 77ii.s ballyhoo for " Over the Hill " icas us sed at the nezi.' Tiioli theatre. A, )'.^rk I