Motion Picture News (Jan-Feb 1922)

612 Motion Picture News Illustrating the accompanying story relative to the “tab” version of “ H. M. S. Pianafore” used as a prologue for “A Sailor Made Man” at the Brooklyn Mark Strand theatre H. M. S. Pinafore ” Introduces ‘ ‘ Sailor Made Man ’ ’ at Brooklyn Strand Gilbert and Sullivan’s most enlivening numbers from the comic opera “ H. M. S. Pinafore served in a dual capacity at the Brooklyn Mark Strand, where an elaborate stage presentation of the old favorite not only served as a big advance notice for the coming of “ A Sailor-Made Man,” but Managing Director Edward L. Hyman attracted many of the old Brooklyn admirers of the Gilbert-Sullivan variety of entertainment. Mj\ Hyman employed many striking comic opera sea costumes for his short version Pinafore,” as well as a novel ship set and a number of operatic stars. The Mark Strand ballet corps and chorus also augmented the cast. Young Induces Shoe Store to Help on ‘Enchantment” THE “Cinderella” contest idea with a few alterations was used by E Forrest Young, publicity director of the Majestic and Rialto theatres, Louisville, Ky., to aid in putting over “ Enchantment.” A tie-up with an exclusive ladies shoe store was effected whereby the store was induced to arrange an especially attractive window display and sponsor the giving away of a pair of “ Marion Davies” shoes to the girl with the most perfect foot. Much free space in the papers resulted from the stunt and the amount of word of mouth advertising was correspondingly large. As consolation prizes for the ladies whose feet were not judged perfect, free tickets to the Rialto where “ Enchantment” was playing, were given out. Transformed Lobby Into Oldfashioned Farm House Living-Room For “ Exit the Vamp,” which he played Christmas Week, Manager Jack Kaliska of the Rialto theatre, Atlanta, transformed his lobby into the livingroom of an old-fashioned farm house — the lobby proper was the living-room, with two or three old-fashioned horsehair chairs, with embroidered “ tidies.” The box office was masked behind a big, open fire-place, a little cubby-hole over the mantlepiece being left for the sale of tickets. There were old-fashioned family “portraits ” around the walls, and on either side of the fire-place were wide windows, which had, as a background, snow-covered landscapes, with a real pine tree or two in the foreground, liberally sprinkled with artificial snow. Local Bank Helps Snell on “The Sheik” A herald on “ The Sheik ” enclosed with all the Xmas week mail of the First National Bank was a good stunt by Manager “ Billy ” Snell of the Imperial theatre, Gadsden, Ala. As there were 1,800 checks going to members of their Xmas Savings Club, that bunch alone made a good boost. Gummed labels and banners reading “ The Sheik Is Coming ” were plasted over town thoroughly. Another unique idea was the “ wigwagging ” of four Boy Scouts, two of whom were placed on the street, another on top of the theatre and the other on the Post Office roof, all covering two long main blocks, and attracting much attention and questions — to all of which the answer was “The Sheik Is Here.” By actual count, they told this 1,000 times. A local boy sang “ The Sheik of Araby ” in the lobby — completing a many angled campaign which got the business. Auto Dealers Help Put Over “ Burn ’Em Up Barnes ” Manager B. C. Steele, manager of the Capitol and Lucier theatres, Cleveland, had the entire West Side sitting up and taking notice last week, when he pulled off a great stunt in connection with his engagement of “ Burn ’Em Up Barnes,” at the Lucier. Steele tied up with the Lakewood branch sales office of the Dodge Motor Car Company. He got thirty Dodge touring cars all lined up in a parade. Every one of the cars was flanked with a red placard announcing “ Burn ’Em Up Barnes ” at the Lucier theatre. The procession was headed by a Dodge that was stripped and fixed to look like the racer that Johnny Hines uses in the picture. This parade of cars traveled all over Lakewood and covered the entire section from which the Lucier draws any patronage. But that wasn’t all. The Dodge Motor Car Company bought a thousand tickets from Steele for a performance of “ Burn ’Em Up Barnes.” They mailed these thousand tickets to a thousand prospective Dodge buyers. Of the thousand tickets sent out, 971 were turned in at the Lucier box office, so Mr. Steele says. The result was the biggest crowds of the year both at the Lucier theatre and at the Dodge salesrooms. In reciprocation for the co-operation of the automobile concern in putting over the exhibition, Manager Steele ran a short reel which showed a string of automobiles climbing over, under and around practically impassable barriers. Although it did not bear any trade mark of the Dodge Motor Company, the reel intimated that they were Dodge cars. Stern Uses Inexpensive but Effective Exploitation^ As exploitation for “ The Sheik,” Sam Stern, manager of the Regun theatre, located in New York’s Harlem, dressed up a “sheik” and paraded him about the section from which the Regun draws its patrons. Mr. Stem also made a huge cut-out from a poster and mounted it above the Regun marquee. Both stunts were entirely satisfactory business getters so Mr. Stern affirms. Another of the attractive crayon pastel drawings by E. R. Rogers, managing director of the Tivoli theatre, Chattanooga, Tenn.