Motion Picture News (Jan-Feb 1922)

1234 Motion Picture News Elaborate Fashion Show Presented George Dumond, Loew's State Theatre, Cleveland, Originates Fine Prologue The fashion show, with some notable additions and innovations, served as a prologue number and audience magnet to “Love’s Redemption” when this picture played Loew’s Statd theatre, Cleveland, Ohio. A stage setting was provided by Managing Director George Dumond that was an exact duplicate of one of Cleveland’s popular restaurants. There were the high arched windows, paneled walls, fresco trimmings and side bracket lights. The right side of the stage was devoted to an orchestra. The left side of the stage had tables and chairs arranged just like any restaurant. Beautifully gowned women and sartorially correct men were seated at the tables. A novelty dancing act was introduced, just as if it were a cabaret show in a real dining room. A dainty little girl then sang “He’s Making Eyes at Me.” After this there was a display of gowns. The mannikins walked around the stage, and out over the runway, which extended twelve rows out over the audience. The runway had footlights. The table guests got up and joined the parade of gowns. Others then sat down at the tables. After a few minutes of this display, a “colored” waiter did a clever negro character song that made a big hit. More dancing. This time a Spanish dance in costume by a troupe of eight, all in regular Spanish costume, with many-colored silk shawls, castanets and gay head dresses. More gown displays, all artistically done both on the stage and on the runway. A tenor solo, again carrying out the cabaret idea, followed, in which the male chorus joined. Again more gowns. Then a pause. An announcement. Monte Blue would appear in person. He entered, to tell a funny story or two. Then he introduced to the audience Miss Tave Danor, Harrison Fisher’s favorite model, in gowns made for Mae Murray to appear in “Peacock Alley.” Low lights. Miss Danor appeared in the gown in which Miss Murray is seen in the beginning of “Peacock Alley.” A dainty little page in a gown made all of pink ostrich feathers carried the gorgeous peacock tail. All thfs with the lights subdued. Miss Danor strutted across the stage, peacock fashion, out over the runway and back again. With the lights up again, the audience was treated to a charming soprano solo waltz song, with “The Sheik” as an encore. In the meantime, the table guests kept changing. The waiter poured water. New guests arrived. Again a display of gowns. Two little pages who had announced the numbers then sang a little Irish ballad called “Peggy O’Neil.” Once again Tave Danor appeared in a Mme. Peacock gown. This time it was the sequin gown. Lights were turned on her so that she Chariot ballyhoo for " The Queen of Sheba ” used by the Sun theatre, Omaha Lobby Displays ARE important in selling the picture to the public. Thousands of dollars yearly are paid to experts in this line for their services. They are as necessary to the theatre as the window dressers are to the big retail dry goods houses in artistically presenting their merchandise. THE BOOKING GUIDE and a file of “MOTION PICTURE NEWS” puts them at your service without increasing your payroll. was resplendent with color. She was greeted with breathless applause. Another specialty flower dance by six dainty misses, and a grand finale in -which the entire company participated. This dancer presented a prologue for “Peacock Alley” at the Auditorium theatre, Dayton, O. Builds Lobby Display on “Old Oaken Bucket” FOR his showing of “The Old Oaken Bucket,” manager Guy A. Kenimer of the Imperial theatre, Jacksonville, Fla., used newspaper advertising and the regular billboard screen to exploit this picture A frame was built in the lobby, on which canvas was stretched and painted to look like a house with vines and flowers. Opposite the box office and next to the curb was placed an old wellhouse with the curbing painted so it looked like stone. An old-fashioned well pulley was hung in the top of this wellhouse and a rope run through it, on one end of which was fastened an old oaken bucket. So many people stopped to look and see what was down at the bottom of the well that Manager Kenimer placed a large card there reading, “ Way Down East ” will play a return engagement next week. This cut illustrates the accompanying story relative to the prologue number for “Love’s Redemption ” presented by George Dumond, managing director of Loew s State theatre, Cleveland Well Dressed Lobby Sells “Three Musketeers” When Manager Schreiber of the Blackstone theatre, Detroit, booked “ The Three Musketeers,” he went to a great deal of trouble and some expense to properly exploit this feature. His lobby and theatre front were exceptionally well-dressed. Above the qntrance, on the front, was a huge banner sheet, announcing the title of the picture, with a big head of Fairbanks right in the center, and on each side smaller cut-outs of Fairbanks as D’Artagnan in his duelling scenes. On the house front proper were big displays of one sheet posters, surrounded by lobby cards. Inside the lobby were frames containing twentytwo by twenty-eight cards and black and white stills. The whole made a most attractive display. It meant a lot of work, but was not very expensive. Newspapers Help Tynes Put Over “Hail the Woman” By tying up with the leading merchants and the newspaper and arranging a private screening in advance, to which leading citizens were invited, Fred N. Tynes, manager of the Columbia theatre, Portsmouth, Ohio, conducted x most successful campaign for the showing of “Hail the Woman” in that city. Invitations to the private screening, which was held several days in advance of the showing, were sent out to a list of several hundred persons, including ministers, school teachers and club women. They had the appearance of personal letters to the individual, each being typewritten on the theatre’s letterhead and signed by Mr. Tynes personally. The advertising manager of the Portsmouth Sunday Sun-Times became interested in cooperative advertising campaign and through his efforts a full page of advertisements appeared around a special ad for “Hail the Woman” in the issue of Sunday preceding the showing. The merchants proclaimed the week of the showing “Hail the Woman” Week for Portsmouth and offered special bargains to women during the week. In addition to these advertisements, a “Hait the Woman” advertising contest was conducted by the newspaper and the Columbia theatre, the prizes being ten sets of tickets of admission to the theatre during the showing. These prizes were awarded to the ten persons finding the phrase “Hail the Woman” the largest number of times by using the letters in the advertisements appearing on “Hail the Woman” page. The screening with the comments of those who viewed the picture in advance and the advertising contest provided plenty of publicity ammunition ahead of the showing and the feature played to exceptional business as the result.