Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1921)

Qtob er 2 2, I 9 2 I Swimmin' Hole " lobby decorations used ;/!<• Princess theatre, Henderson, S. C. Hrris BiUs *'01d Nest" in Great Style The Old Nest " had a full measure of tation at Little Rock, Ark., under liding hand of Saul Harris. Western Union and Mackey iph companies had cards in their \vs reading: "This is "Old Nest ' wire your mother." In the lobby theatre was a beautiful frame, a :ind telegrams, and the words on the A ere : " After seeing ' The Old Nest ' e sure you will wire your mother, e right here." look-up window with Kress had a ith an old nest in it, and featured the ' The Love Nest." ie-up with a furniture store, had a w showing a cozy room, reprethe sitting room in " The Old lorist fixed up a garden with a tree est in it. lepartment store featured records of ng " The Love Nest." Stellings Pulls New One for "Love Special" Ernest G. Stellings, manager of the Grand theatre, Wilmington, N. C, whose clever little novelties have helped put over many a picture playing at the Grand has originated another stunt that stamps him a genius. Air. Stellings was playing "The Love Special" and wanted an inexpensive exploitation stunt. He found it in a railway time table. Wilmington is a Coastline railroad town with office, round house and shops located there. The Seaboard Air Line is another railway running into Wilmington. It was to the Seaboard people that Mr. Stellings went with his idea, which was that the railroad should furnish 5000 of their red covered multiple page time tables for distribution about the city, on which had been pasted some "Love Special" advertising. The railroad advertising department jumped at the chance of publicising the route and all that Mr. Stellings did was to furnish his sticker advertising for the front page in the shape of a herald worded as follows : "The Love Special. Running from all points agd taking all passengers to Lover's Paradise. The Love Special will arrive in Wilmington over The Seaboard Air Line R. R. at 11 :oo A. M. Friday, Aug. 5, and will carry passengers daily until Saturday, Aug. 6, at II P. M. when it leaves. Wallace Reid, Engineer; Theodore Roberts, President; Agnes Ayres, Passenger. Tickets will be sold at the special station located at the Grand Theatre for the round trip. Fare: Day, 17c.; Evening, 22c. New seats every hour and 20 minutes starting at 11 :oo A. M. each day. In Wilmington. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 5 and 6 only !" Other exploitation devised for the showing consisted of a special lobby display in which the front of the theatre was covered with painted scener}^ representing a railway station. This of course made a hit in a railroad town. 2163 Here is a window display for "Reputation" secured for the showing at the De Luxe theatre. Ulica. N. ¥., of which Nathan Robins is manager New Kind of Tag Day Originates in Baltimore It was tag day in Baltimore but it did not cost the citizens anything. Four nice old ladies were placed at the principal street intersections and " tagged " every man that passed. The button-hole ornament of a paper flower on a wire stem. There was a little tag dangling to the stem reading : " Plucked from the Primrose Path at the Centurj' Theatre." This was part of Albert Boasberg's exploitation for " Experience " playing at the Century theatre. The Paramount exploiteer found that the cost of the flower, tag and all was less than one cent. The stunt was 100 per cent effective. The boutonniere was unusual and the men naturally read the tag to see what it was all about. Secretary Edwin L. Hall of the Whitehurst Enterprises that control the Century is now completely sold on " exploitation." ^ ',H .liSlMOANA. AVODELS 'EXHREUCE' This window display for " Experience " was secured for the showing of this picture at the Circle theatre, Indianapolis