Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1930)

• c m b e r 8 . I 9 3 0 M o tion Picture News 73 MENACE!?!' KOIJND TABLt CLUE Fourmet's Float Was A Classy Affair for Plugging Attraction Due to his successful float, Al Fourmet is walking on air. The foregoing statement is thus phrased in order that you will pay special notice to the photos we are showing below and get a line on what this live showman and his house artist, Joe Pendleton, are doing at the Paramount Theatre in Abilene, Texas. The town of Abilene recently held a Loyalty Day Parade (and not in honor of the big league pitcher this town has landed on one of the pennant winning ball clubs) that formed part of the celebration of the West Texas Fair. Fourmet entered his contribution, which consisted, as you will notice, of a truck covered with beaverboard signs plugging the week's attractions at the local playhouse. The art work was nicely made up, all of the colors standing out very well, and, as a result, the float was the subject of many comments from the persons lining up watching the parade. At the finish of the parade, the float was driven all over town, visiting the fair every half hour. The small cost of the truck and driver — four passes — was more than made up in the wealth of publicity derived. Thanks, Al, for letting us in on what you are doing to pep up your town from a showman angle. We want to get some more from you, too, so that we can chalk up your progress on our blackboard. Oke? When Manager A. R. Tate of the Victoria Theatre, Jersey Shore, Pa., learned that the American Legion drum corps was going to stage a downtown parade on the opening night of his showing of "Anybody's War," he arranged that the corps wind up its march right at the front door of his theatre. The crowd followed them to the theatre and while the members were admitted as Legion Drum Corps Was Pressed Into Service by A. Tate guests of the management, the ballyhooed audience paid its way in. '1 rite also used cards which were tacked to all the electric light standards on the main street of the town, besides decorating his marquee with toy balloons painted black to represent Moran and Mack on which overseas hats were placed. "Masked Phantom" at The Starland Broke Pole Endurance Mark Hitting the bell ten times out of ten, Gene Bollin, manager of the Starland Theatre, Los Angeles, Calif., is keeping his house in the public's eye at a fraction of the cost that the big houses in the city pay for their ads in the Los Angeles dailies. He pulled a stunt recently that they will always remember in the neighborhood. A man, billed as "The Masked Phantom," set out to break the flagpole sitting record established by "Shipwreck Kelly." Perched on a pole atop the theatre, he sat and sat, until the record was finally broken. All during the time the attempt to break that record went on, the newspapers carried daily stories. The climax came two days after the record-busting feat. The Los Angeles fire department was called out to bring the Phantom down from his lofty perch. Newspapers carried the stories and the newsreel photographs ground away shooting the scene. To enhance the effectiveness of the stunt, Bollin put a 12-piece orchestra, dressed in convict costume, on the marquee to plug the current feature, "The Big House." A tremendous mob of persons was on hand the night the fire department was called out. The photos will give you a little idea of the size. The police department had to call out reserves to hold them back. These stunts that Bollin is pulling are keeping his house right before the Los Angeles theatre-going public, and, as a result, he is doing a corking good business. We hope that he will keep us posted on his future work, as we are sure he is going to have some excellent slants on show-selling. CLUB EMBLEM PIN!!! WILL IDENTIFY YOU AMONG THE WHOLE SHOW WORLD AS A MEMBER OF THIS GREAT ORGANIZATION AND A REAL LIVE-WIRE SHOWMAN! Use This Blank: Managers' Round Table Club 729 Seventh Avenue, New York Kindly send me, postpaid, Club pins, for which I enclose payment at $1.00 per pin. Name of Member Theatre Address City State.