Movie Age (1927)

PAGE 22 MOVIE AGE Sapulpa Fire Department Exploits “Fire Brigade” Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s “The Fire Brigade” was given a very elaboi’ate campaign for its showing at the Victor¬ ian theatre, Sapulpa, Okla. A trailer was placed on the screen ten days in advance of the showing. Two thousand buttons were handed over to Fire Chief Collier, at the Central sta¬ tion, with five hundred stickers. These were placed on cards, windows, etc., Five hundred hats were distributed at the theatre on special “country night,” as souveniers to the little folks. An an¬ nouncement was made at the theatre each night relative to the “Fire Brigade” and the merits of Fire Prevention Week. A special fire prevention program also was arranged for the Lions’ Club on the opening day of the picture, where but¬ tons and hats were handed out to the members of the club. Fire Chief Collier had a truck pick up the print of the film at the depot. The truck was then driven through the business district of the city, ending up at the theatre. On the second day of the showing the entire fire equipment was placed on the streets, with sirens blowing, and with large banners on the trucks. Window Cards Exploit “The Magician” in Okla. An M-G-M exploiteer assisted Mana¬ ger H. A. Williams in putting over an effective campaign for Metro-Goldwyn’s “The Magician” for its showing at the Palace theatre, Lawton, Okla. A special lobby display was created and presented. Special hand-lettered one-sheet cards were placed in the lobby with stills of the stars worked into the cards. A twenty-four foot banner was strung across the front of the theatre, with a small banner placed in front of the marquise. Hand-lettered half sheets were placed in hotels and drug stores. Manager Will¬ iams arranged with various drug stores to letter the back bars with a special design and a small scenic effect. This proved very attractive and caused much favorable comment on the production. The Lawton Constitution, a local news¬ paper, carried a story each day in ad¬ vance of the showing, with local columns of small teaser ads. The regular amount of newspaper space was used in advance of the play date. A trailer was placed on the screen seven days prior to the engagement. Clothier and Jeweler Aid in “Collegians” Contest A new version of the “most-popularathlete contest,” which has been used so successfully this spring in connection with the showing of “The Collegians,” the Universal Junior Jewels was worked out by Tom Blair, manager of the Rialto theatre in Tonkawa, Okla. He took a full page in the Tonkawa News to tell his fellow townsmen that he, to¬ gether with a local jewelry store and the Hart Shaffner and Mark dealer, were seeking to determine the most pop¬ ular athlete in the three Tonkawa schools. The theatre was giving a silver loving cup, the jeweler a watch and the haberdasher, a $35 suit of clothes to the winning athlete. To make sure that the contest was well taken care of in the News, one of the judges was a member of the staff and the' other two were faculty men from the schools. The jewelry store dis¬ played the silver loving cup during part of the time and the contest was running against a background of lobby cards, “Collegians” pennants and tie-up cards, and the rest of the time the men’s fur¬ nishing store used it in a window of col¬ legiate clothes. Here, too, pennants and cards plugged the Rialto and “The Collegians” series playing there. Indian War Dance For “Drums of the Desert” E. P. Briggs brought big business to his Rialto theatre, Colorado, Springs, Col., during the presentation of “Drums of the Desert.” Briggs got six real Indians to give a war dance in front of his theatre. The Indians drew a big crowd around the lobby and the result was entirely satisfactory at the box of¬ fice. Briggs states that the cost of the stunt amounted to a free admission to each of the Indians. Bakery and Blondes Put Over “Midnight Sun” During the run of “The Midnight Sun,” the Universal production with Laura La Plante at the Lyric theatre, Tiffin, Ohio, Manager Otto Moutrie, as¬ sisted by Universal Exploiteer A. J. Sharick, tied up with a bakery which gave out 5000 coupons with their pack¬ ages. These coupons were good for 10 cents on the admission price at the Lyric and brought advertising on the picture into practically every home in Tiffin. Much additional business was traced to this arrangement. A press book stunt for this picture gave the theatre a story and art in the Daily Advertiser. The story announced that at the request of Miss La Plante, all the blondes (feminine) in Tiffin were invited to a special Monday matinee to which they would be admit¬ ted free. This matinee got word-ofmouth advertising on the picture started and created good-will toward the theatre on the part of the blonde population of Tiffin. Colleen Moore Cut-Outs “Orchids and Ermine” was well ex¬ ploited before and during its perfor¬ mance at the Empress, Owensboro, Ky., by M. M. Clark. Clark used a cut-out of Colleen Moore, a 12-foot double illuminated banner, and a six-sheet lighted billboard on top of the marquee. On Sunday be¬ fore showing, and during showing, a beaver board cut-out of a huge orchid carried the head of Colleen Moore cut from a three-sheet. This was backed on an easel and was used about the lob¬ by. Plays Up New Star John Creamer of the Orpheum, At¬ chison, Kas., took advantage of Billy Dove’s rise to stardom by playing it up in a lobby display during the showing of “The Tender Hour.” Setting up against a big head of Miss Dove was a large five-pointed star announcing that “Billie Dove, the new star in “The Ten¬ der Hour” is appearing with Ben Lyon.” An attractive shadow box display or¬ namented the lobby.