Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1930)

No; b c r 19 30 M o t i o n P i c t it r c N e w s 65 MANACeKJ' ROUND TABLE CLUB Novel Signs On The Columbian Marquee Sell Attractions Taking advantage of space on his marquee, Sam J. Wheeler, advertising manager of the Columbian Theatre in Wamego, Kan., placed cutouts on it to dress it up. " We are showing a couple of photos of the finished product so that you may better see what we are endeavoring to stress. The frame of the large sign, "Common Clay," is 70 inches high and 180 inches long, and is made of one by two-inch cypress lumber. The frame is made by cutting two pieces, measuring 15 feet, for the top and bottom rails. The two ends are next cut. They measure 70 inches long. All pieces should be mitered at 45 degrees to insure a good joint. When the pieces are nailed together, place an eight-inch brace across each corner to prevent their falling apart. Next cut and fit in the long centerpiece, which should measure 176 inches. This may be done by using a one by two-inch piece of thin, white pine lumber as a splice, which serves to keep the face of the sign smooth. Starting 45 inches from the end, put in three rib braces, keeping them 45 inches apart. The braces should be about 32 inches long and spliced with a one by two-inch piece of thin white pine. A good piece of cheese cloth or canvas should then be tacked on. It should not be stretched, but have plenty of play. It is sometimes advisable — and we have found this from experience— to put wrapping paper on the frame before the cloth is tacked on. The poster is wet by unfolding each section and letting water enter it two days before use. The poster is not touched again until it has dried thoroughly. The poster is laid out on the frame before it is cut. Plain parts of the poster are used to match in the spaces. A medium thick paste is the best mixture to use. Smooth out the paper, also. You will find that your cloth will stretch when it is wet, but after drying will return to normalcy. Do not place the cloth in the sun to dry. The head is made of insulite, nailed on 16-feet-long legs, which are three feet apart and firmly braced. Insulite is placed on the frame or top part of the legs, six feet wide and nine feet high, to allow for 18 inches of leeway above the frame so that a keyhole saw can cut around the head. Two sets of braces are placed on the head, once set 18 feet; the other, 14. A guy wire runs from the big sign up to the window. The wire is 45 inches back from the end. Two wires on each side of the sign, attached to the sign and top of the window, prevent the sign from swinging. When using other 24-sheet cut-outs, lay out the poster before wetting and measure the head to see how wide to place the leg supports. Sometimes it is possible to cut the old one down, or salvage the insulite and frame. These signs get the business when others fail. They can be used on almost any 24-sheet. It is illuminated with three 100-watt bulbs in a reflector. An 'All For One And One For AW WATCH THOSE DRAFTS! It might be a good plan for you to try sitting in various parts of the house during the course of a performance and see if you feel any drafts. This troublesome annoyance can hurt your theatre as much, or more, than rotten entertainment. It drives patrons away and keeps them away. Yet, unless someone calls your attention to this condition you may never know that it exists. Once a person gets chilled in a theatre and has to put on a coat, they rarely every warm up again while in the house. Therefore it is important that the house be warmed up sufficiently before the doors are opened to the public and a careful watch kept on the heating plant. If drafts are found they should be traced to their source and corrected immediately. Make sure that they don't occur again. Entrances, such as lobbies and foyers, must be kept warmer than the auditorium on account of opening and closing of doors to the street. This creates a cold breeze through the lobby and into the rear of the house. If the lobbies are kept good and warm you will not be troubled in this respect. Drafts from back stage particularly should be watched as they are the tricky ones which are hard to trace and harder to eliminate. Make certain that your stage skylight is not open or too much wind coming through. Modern theatres carry heating coils around the skylight on the stage so this evil is minimized. This angle requires a most careful check-up. See that it is not overlooked or entirely left to others. other reflector containing a 500-watt bulb is also used. Well, there's the whole low-down. Look it over, and if you think it means anything in your town, you can give it a break. This is Mr. Wheeler's first contribution since joining the Club and if he continues his activity we think that he'll be listed as an active member. Let's have your views, Sam. Fred Perry Turned Out Fine Campaign On Recent Picture With Fred Perry giving the films that play the Strand Theatre in Binghamton, New York, a royal send-off in the form of knockout exploitation, it was a certainty that when ~ "Our Blushing Brides" blush ed into the house, everything would be rosy at the box-office of his theatre. Special stories and art work were landed in all of the daily papers on the Wednesday before the opening date. Two special style stories were landed on the Women's Page of the Sun. The leading department store in the town gave Perry a window, in which was placed stills of the production and a notice of the special style show the store was featuring. Two thousand tabloid stories on the picture were inserted in all packages and shipments leaving the store. The tabloid stories bore an imprint calling attention to the style show being given by the department store. The store paid for the imprinting. A want ad was run on the classified section of the two local papers, for two weeks in advance. The ad requested that all girls contemplating marriage during the current month communicate with the theatre, where they would be given information on receiving valuable gifts in connection with "Our Blushing Brides." The campaign clicked with every angle that was used. We are glad to see that Fred is still displaying that live-wire showmanship which has characterized his work ever since he has been in show business. Keep it up Fred, and remember to keep us posted on the rest of your work.