Motion Picture News (Jan-Feb 1922)

1117 February i 8 , i g 2 2 This attractive lobby display on “Rip Van Winkle” was originated by W. h. Drumbar, manager of the Riviera theatre, Knoxville , Tenn. Whopper Campaign Put Over at Dallas Johnson’s “ Child Thou Gavest Me ” Exploitation Is Veritable Wonder rp HE Child Thou Gavest Me ” was made the pivot of the most sensational exploitation campaign ever staged in Dallas, Texas. A “perfect baby” contest, which resulted in the finding of a hundred per cent child in the Texas metropolis, was conceived by J. L. Johnson, of the Palace theatre, and had the cooperation of the Mayor, Federal, State and City health officials, with the result that an advertising scheme was turned into a big civic event. Johnson began his campaign a week in advance of the showing by arranging to hold the contest under the auspices of the Dallas Council of Mothers. The Mayor was so strong for it, he permitted Johnson to stretch a banner across Elm street, the main stem of Dallas, and also donated the Municipal auditorium as the scene of the tests. Lobby display on “Don’t Get Personal” by tire Standard theatre, Cleveland, described in the accompanying story Pyle Exploits “Don’t Get Personal ’’ in Novel Way THE accompanying cut and the following text will explain a clever exploitation and lobby display idea put over for the showing of “ Don’t Get Personal ” at the Standard Theatre, Cleveland, O. The idea was originated by Norman Pyle, manager of the Standard, and consisted of two wooden boxes with a slit on the top, like the penny slot machines they used to have in the amusement parks where you dropped a penny and looked at the pictures in the machine. One box had a sign over it reading: TAKE-A-PEEK, but DON’T GET PERSONAL. Underneath there were the words, FOR MEN. The other box, right next to the first one, was just the same, only .it .was .labelled, FOR WOMEN. Inside the boxes were lights, and whoever took a peek saw the stills of Marie Prevost in “ Don’t Get Personal.” Leading merchants of the city also joined in the spirit of the contest donating prizes ranging from lockets and baby rings to cedar chests, thermos bottles, baby carriages, silk carriages, silk dresses, blankets, comforters, robes, photographs and a $1,000 life insurance policy. Prizes were displayed in the store windows and at the theatre. To create interest in the coming contest, Johnson, the week preceding the opening of the picture, gave away the tags with Kewpie dolls attached, and also employed twenty-four sheets, heralds, snipes and street car hangers. Four newspapers carrier stories of the contest daily. As the result of all this exploitation, more than 600 babies were entered in the contest, the mothers obtaining entrance blanks at the theatre. The contest was divided into four classes : — A, boys under 18 months; AA, girls under 18 months; B, boys 18 to 36 months; BB, girls 18 to 36 months. Prizes were awarded by the the atre to three in each class, a gold medal for first, silver medal for second, bronze medal for third. Judging was conducted daily at the Municipal Auditorium, morning and afternoon, for five days, examinations being made by leading specialists, trained nurses, physicians and health officers. This probably rates as the biggest thing a theatre has done in that territory and Mr. Johnson has pointed the way for other managers— -not because baby contests are new, but because he went at it with such thoroughness and made it an official enterprise, conducted along dignified and scientific lines. Some Australian Exploitation on “Scrap Iron” In putting over “ Scrap Iron ” at the Theatre Royal, Perth, Western Australia, the manager organized an amateur boxing tournament a week previous and entered the best boxer in town under the name of Charles Ray. He carried off honors easily the same as did the picture a few days later.