Motion Picture News (Jan-Feb 1922)

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January J , 1922 405 Baltimore Merchants Exploit “ Connecticut Yankee” Paper bags imprinted with an announcement of “ A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court ’’ and distributed by a number of grocers and butcher shops with sales made, was an angle of exploitation recently utilized by the management of the New theatre, Baltimore. Further exploitation included attaching string tags to automobiles and door-knobs throughout the residential districts of the city. By publicizing the week’s program among the automobilists many persons were attracted to the theatre despite the fact that they did not live within short distances. The lobby of the house was decorated with board painted to resemble the castles and parapets of royalty in the days of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Ballyhoo used by Manager Chas. F. McManus of the Colonial theatre, Tacoma, Wash., for his engagement of “The Idle Class” and “Wedding Bells ” Puts Banner Across Street It has been written somewhere that all there is to Pulaski, N. Y., is Main street, so Manager Doc Seagle of the Elk theatre strung a banner across the street, and Doc informs us that all of Pulaski’s 4,500 persons knew what his bill was. Log Cabin Lobby Front for “ Snow Blind ” John M. Anderson, manager of the Princess theatre, Boone, Iowa, prepared an effective and inexpensive theatre front display for “ Snowblind.” The display was built entirely by Mr. Anderson and his staff, and it aided materially in drawing extra business during the showing of the photoplay. The title of the picture, in large, white, cut-out letters, extended clear across the front of the theatre directly under the marquise. An imitation log-cabin was built around the ticket booth. Two cards of stills, with cut-out pine trees in the sloping, tops of the large pieces of cardboard, stood against the wall at either side of the entrance. Other posters and frames flanked the log-cabin box office. The display was the centre of much attention all the time that it remained in the lobby. Window display on “Dangerous Curve Ahead ” by A. C. Walterhouse, pub. director for the Post theatre, Battle Creek, Mich., and described in the accompanying story Walterhouse Has Real Idea “ Great Moment ” Exploitation Interests Post Theatre Patrons FOR inexpensive and original exploitation the following stunt put over by A. C. Waltei'house, advertising manager of the Post theatre, Battle Creek, Mich., for “ The Great Moment ” draws first prize. Some time prior to the opening date of the showing Mr. Walterhouse sent out an alleged copy of a letter from Gloria Swanson stating that she was mailing two dozen rings made from her hairpins, like the one used as a wedding ring in the picture. Some thousand persons were reached with this letter besides copies that were posted in public places. The next step in the campaign was to insert an ad in the “ Lost and Found ” columns of the local papers which read as follows : “ Lost — Somewhere between the G. T. Depot. and Sanitarium a lady’s ring of peculiar design and workmanship. When lost the ring was placed in a small pasteboard box addressed to the Post theatre, Battle Creek, Mich. Finder please return to Post theatre and get reward.” Then, a few days after the ad had been run, twenty-five boxes that would answer the description of the ad and each containing one of the hairpin rings and a slip of paper explaining that the inclosed was a duplicate of the ring Miss Swanson had worn in the picture were distributed on different streets in the city. The box also carried the information that the finders were to keep the ring but that on returning the box to the theatre it would be good for admission to see “ The Great Moment.” Twenty-four of the boxes were turned in and the stunt caused no end of comment. Another of Mr. Walterhouse’s exploitation achievements was a lobby display on “ Dangerous Curve Ahead,” a cut of which appears on this page. The engine shown in the foreground is not a toy but an exact duplicate of the type of locomotive used on the Michigan Central R.R. in 1911. The display was placed in one of the largest store windows in the city and drew great crowds. The Post theatre is owned by H. E. Lipp and G. A. Cross.