Movie Age (1927)

PAGE 20 MOVIE AGE Here’s a Poem for Users of M-G-M Newsreels Exhibitors who use the M-G-M News may find this little poem suitable for program copy or newspaper advertising. The poem was written by Rose Pelswick, motion picture critic on the New York Evening Journal. Credit should be given Miss Pelswick. I never did know where the mango trees grow, My data on deserts was vague. I knew little or less about Eskimo dress Or the traffic in Dublin and Prague. I had thoughts as a child that the Zulus when riled Had a habit of fighting with sieves. But now M-G-M News Shows me round-the-world views — And I know how the other half lives. I can go to the bat about this, also that; Fve seen igloos and minarets, too. Pve been shown in the reel an Arabian meal And the Shriner’s parade in Peru. Was a time when I thought that the grape-fruit was caught In the half that the restaurant gives. But now M-G-M News Shows the fruit’s cut in twos — And I know that the other half lives. Animated Cardboard Cats Make Good1 Lobby Display An elaborate lobby display which brought a great deal of attention at a surprisingly low cost was promoted by Mrs. Killough of the Erie Theatre, Hugo, Okla., for “The Cat and the Can¬ ary.” The lobby was dressed up with a large white sheet. A green spotlight was thrown on this sheet giving it a weird effect. A canary cage was hung in front. Two large black cats made of compoboard with paws working up and down by means of mechanical anima¬ tion, were placed beneath the cage. The title of the picture in cardboard letters was attached to the curtain. Banquet and Theatre Party for “Fighting Eagle” Advertising “The Fighting Eagle,” distributed by Pathe, with Rod La Rocque as the star, John F. Royal, Keith’s Palace, Cleveland, found a dozen local members of the intelligence department during the war and enter¬ tained them. A dinner was given at the Statler Hotel, followed later by a the¬ atre party. “The News” told stories about these men and what they did for a week before the opening of the show. Twenty thousand bookmarks were dis¬ tributed by the library, which also dis¬ played books written by Sir A. Conan Doyle. An. AD-itorial By E. L. DELANEY M-G-M Exploitation Representative The surest way to CASH IN on any particularily good picture is to go out and TELL YOUR PATRONS ABOUT IT: Boost and EXPLOIT to the LIMIT of your advertising budget and potential receipts. The surest way NOT to cash in on any picture is to advertise, boost and exploit it in exactly THE SAME MAN¬ NER as you did the one that preceeded it LAST WEEK or last MONTH. Sterotyped EXPLOITATION is almost as bad as NONE AT ALL. Those who see the WOOLWORTH TOWER or NIAGARA FALLS for the first time get quite a KICK out of it, — but the ‘natives’ who see them every day fail to be impressed. You have to GIVE THEM VARIETY,— something different to GET THEIR ATTENTION. If you splurge on NEWSPAPER SPACE one week, — you may perhaps cut down on OUTDOOR ADVERTIS¬ ING, novelties, etc., for that week. If you put out hundreds of half-cards or sheets of paper this week, — perhaps you can switch to BALLY-HOO or DIRECT BY-MAIL next week. If you arrange TIE-UPS with merchants or business concerns this week, DON’T KILL THE IDEA by doing it again next week. The merchants don’t like to be PLAYED TO DEATH and it will go FLAT AT THE BOX OFFICE if the customers see it’s a COMMON STUNT. LINDBERGH crashed all the front pages for weeks because he was the CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS of the air. The last few who flew over didn’t get much more space than the CHANNEL SWIMMERS who followed ‘TRUDY’ last summer. When you have something to give the public that is the REAL GOODS, — for heaven’s sake DON’T KEEP IT A SECRET. Shout it — ADVERTISE IT, bally-hoo and PAPER THE TOWN with the glad tidings. The Sesqui-Centenial in Philadelphia was the “PRIZE FLOP OF 1926” — because the promoters over¬ looked the value of EXPLOITATION AND PUBLICITY. Millions never knew there was an exposition there until TEX RICKARD discovered they had a stad¬ ium suitable for the DEMPSEY-TUNNEY fight. They’d been KEEPING IT A SECRET for months. If your coming show is ONLY AN AVERAGE PICTURE— or in other words, “Just one of those things” — don’t go out and advertise, exploit and PRESS AGENT it like you would a better pic¬ ture, — thinking that you will PUT IT OVER that way. Such mis-leading methods MAY get them in for that par¬ ticular picture, — but you WON’T GET THEM NEXT TIME when you have a REAL SHOW, — and you probably ex¬ pect to stay in business. Remember, LINCOLN WAS RIGHT: you can’t FOOL ALL THE PEOPLE ALL THE TIME. When you think you’ve USED UP EVERY IDEA in the world — and you don’t see anything suitable in the press books, — get in touch with the office of the producers, — perhaps they can DOPE OUT A NEW ONE FOR YOU. Mysterious Bugler Exploits Coogan’s “The Bugle Call” Following is an article which ap¬ peared in a Davenport, Iowa, news¬ paper, giving the details of an exploita¬ tion stunt used for “The Bugle Call,” an M-G-M picture, starring Jackie Coogan. “A mysterious bugler travel¬ ing in a high-powered green closed automobile will arrive in Davenport early tomorrow morning in advance of Jackie Coogan’s new picture, “The Bugle Call,” which comes to the Gar¬ den Sunday. This bugler should bring joy to the hearts of Davenport’s little boys and girls for he will distribute hundreds of free tickets to the Jackie Coogan movie. At each stop the bugler makes, he will sound his bugle for five minutes after which he will distribute free tickets to all the boys and girls who respond to his calls. The approxi¬ mate time and places at which he will stop are (names of nine different schools).” The picture was shown at the Garden Theater, Davenport. “After Midnight” in Tie-Up With Style Show The Tivoli Theatre, Chattanooga, Tenn., advertising “After Midnight” distributed announcement cards from house to house. This is what was said: “Announcement of an early showing of fall styles by Schwartz Bros, at the Tivoli in connection with Norma Shearer in “After Midnight.” The way the matter was handled in connection with the show resulted in Schwartz Bros, agreeing to stage a Palm Beach sport and bathing suit revue in Janu¬ ary. Piece of Grass Shows What Clara Bow Wears in “Hula” Just a piece of grass was pasted on a card to show what Clara Bow wears in “Hula.” On an envelope to be used as a throwaway was printed: “The Rea¬ son Why Everybody’s Flying to Hawaii.” Fourteen window displays also used colored photographs in frames covered with yellow ribbons imprinted in black with the words, “Clara Bow in ‘Hula.’”