Motion Picture News (Jan-Feb 1922)

e b r u a r y 25, 1922 1235 \ibovc — lobby display on “Molly” built by the Strand theatre, Seattle Wright Builds Attractive Lobby Front The accompanying photographs show two of the many ways in which Manager H. B. Wright jlof the Strand theatre, Seattle, put over a three (weeks’ run of “Molly O” a few weeks ago. The first photograph shows the attractive lobby display used by the playhouse. It was merely a black and white stripe effect but showed the lobby up very effectively both day and night. Each panel of the door showed a silhouette of Miss Normand, and also had a cutout from one of the scenes of the play. The two stands in the foreground, also carrying out the black and white idea, featured the Strand orchestra, under Director S. K. Wineland, and the Emerald Trio, who furnished the prologue. The second photo shows the trio in the costumes in which they appeared in the prologue. They sang popular songs, featuring the song “Molly O,” which was used extensively through out the city of Seattle during the “Molly 0“ engagement at the Strand. |hext .WEEK Window display on “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” originated by the Strcund theatre, Stubenville, 0., of which A. Constant is manager San Diego Exhibitor and Evening Sun Co-operate Manager h. h. homer of the Colonial, San Diego, Cal., made a tie-up recently with the publishers of the “ Evening Sun ” whereby every youngster who clipped a coupon which ran certain days in the paper could get admission to see Jackie Coogan in “ My Boy,” without a cent of charge, and the Colonial, by actual count, had 1,700 children present the coupons, making it necessary for some of the youthful holders to come back the second day, as the capacity of the Colonial was taxed by the influx. Window Display Helps “Connecticut Yankee” Showing A display representing a stage and its performers constituted a unique window decoration installed in various stores in Steubenville, Ohio, by Manager A. Constant of the Strand theatre during an engagement of “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.” The affair was constructed from cut-outs of posters, at a minimum of cost. The front framework of the miniature stage was made of beaver-board and placed against the glass of the window. The sides were made to represent drawn curtains and over the top was the name of the production. Above all was a round cutout of Mark Twain’s head with the letters S-T-R-A-N-D resting on it. The base bore the legend “Laugh and the world laughs with you,” under a cut-out of the Yankee and the heroine of the picture seated at the wheel of a flivver. •On the stage proper stood small figures of “Sir Boss” hypnotizing the sun into an eclipse in the presence of Merlin the magician and the heroine. The background was done in green and flooded from above with red light, producing an effective picture. The whole display attracted large crowds during the entire week prior to and during the run. Sliozving the artistic stage setting provided recently by George Rotsky, managing director of the Allen theatre, Montreal, as a background for a Russian dance act Left — Characters appearing in a prologue for “Molly 0” presented by the Strand of Seattle “Mother o’ Mine” Campaign Includes Speech by School Principal Here’s an exploitation campaign which put over “Mother O’ Mine” for Capt. B. B. Osborn, manager of the New Liberty Theatre, Cincinnati, in great style and at a total cost of less than $10, including printing and distributing of two styles of heralds. Announcing his feature a week ahead of the play date, the exhibitor had printed 1,000 card heralds in which he called upon his patrons to make the event an “Honor Your Mother”" neighborhood party at his theatre. The heralds also were distributed to school children of three schools in the neighborhood. Taking advantage of the elocutionary ability of one of the school principals, Capt. Osborn prevailed upon that gentleman to appear at his theatre on the night of the showing and recite Kipling’s “ Mother O’ Mine.” He also gave the other recitations from the poems of James Whitcomb Riley. This fact was announced on the card heralds and also in circulars distributed to patrons at the theatre. Announcement was made also that all mothers over 70 years old would be admitted free to any performance. The exhibitor arranged to give these specially selected seats. With this momentum the feature went over ira a big way and gave full satisfaction to the patrons of the neighborhood house.