The Moving Picture Weekly (1916-1917)

54 -THE • MOVING PICTURE WEEKLY A DEPARTMENT OF ADVERTISING SUGGESTIONS FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL EXHIBITORS This Week: Special Advertising Stunt for the Universal Serial Glorious, "LIBER TY^' IF there is a company of the National Guard of your state in your town, send to their commanding officer an invitation for the entire company to attend your theatre on the opening night of the serial, "LIBERTY." Dress a girl as Liberty and have her sing patriotic songs before the opening of the episode, and at the end let her come out waving a big American flag and sing "The Star Spangled Banner," asking the audience to join in the singing. Dress your house front up with red, white and blue and American flags for the occasion. Advertise the performance as a big attraction and you will pack them in and start the first episode with a whirlwind of enthusiasm. On the day you show each episode of "LIBERTY" have a bugler in regulation U. S. Army Uniform stand in front of your theatre giving bugle calls at intervals. Always dress up your lobby with American flags and red, white and blue drapery. You will find it more economical to pay a trifle more and get a fair quality of fast color bunting, than to buy the cheap stuff, which looks bad and cheap after it has been up for a day, and which will not stand rain at all. With the better quality you can always make a swell front every day you show an episode of this patriotic serial, "LIBERTY." You can attract a lot of attention by having a good looking, well built chap dressed in reg^ular army khaki do sentry duty in front of your theatre on each "LIBERTY" episode day. Get a small army dog tent; stack army rifles in front of it; swing some canteens from them; make a campfire just as you would out camping and put an electric light bulb under some chunks of red glass beneath the sticks. The effect will look like a regular fire and attract a lot of attention. Get a man for your sentry who has had military training, if possible. Nothing is more ridiculous than a man of poor physique, roundshouldered and careless of carriage, in military unform. He is simply a laughing stock for passersby, whereas nothing is more attractive than a smart, military looking figure. Get one. is a stage in your house let the boys give some sort of an exhibition, such as first aid treatment, wig-wagging, etc. Use them to distribute your heralds, throwaways, programs, etc. Have them go around in pairs, one of the boys carrying a flag, the other the printed matter. If there is one of the youngsters who blows a bugle, so much the better. You can also have the boys parade and attend the first episode in a body. You will find them loyal little boosters and they all have plenty of friends and relatives to spread the news and to pay admissions. If there is a Girl Scout camp in the town use the girls the same as the boys. DAUCHTSa OP THE ULTA. WEEKr ZO 4-0 MEL/* «0 MAWS VWU-CAMr -IDPII POLO AND A BniU-IANT CAXT €0 PlAVCRr-AN AS«OMIN« m AMEBICAN LIPE-O* N IU>»tANC.B-VOVto m AW» AOVKTUI— Decorate an automobile with red, white and blue; if you can get red, white and blue flowers the effect \vill be greater. Make a float of the car, that is, have it completely hidden by the decorations. Arrange a throne seat at the back and have a beautiful young woman dressed as "LIBERTY" sitting on the throne. At either side of her have two little boys, one dressed as a sailor and one as a soldier. Each should have an American flag and an Uncle Sam on the seat with the driver could distribute printed matter. Have banners announcing the first episode of "LIBERTY." With your theatre name and date, mention stars and number of episodes. Get the prettiest girl in your town that can ride a horse; dress her in a regulation cavalryman's costume. Give her a flag with a stiiff long enough to rest the lower end in the stirrup. Have her ride through the streets, and if possible have a cavalry bugleman follow^ her, blowing bugle calls at intervals. Have the saddle blanket a dark blue with a red and white border, and an announcement of "LIBERTY" in bold letters. Properly done this can be made extraordinarily attractive. There is no doubt a Boy Scout Camp in yoiw neighborhood. If so, there are many ways that you can use the boys to boost for "LIBERTY." Give the boys free admissions and they will do anything you want them to. If there Offer prizes to school children for the best essay on "LIBERTY." Give a free admission to every child who sends in an essay, whether they are entitled to one of the special prizes or not. Take this up with your newspaper editor. Have him appoint the judges and make the announcements. Have him publish the prize winning essays in his paper. It is a good circulation scheme for him, and he should give you close and hearty co-operation. Announce the contest on slides in your theatre, and advertise it in the newspaper, as well as haviag the same announced by the editor in the news columns.