Moving Picture World (Nov-Dec 1923)

December 1, 1923 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 489 sell above the others that his picture should have been larger than the others. This could very easily be done without material interference with the remainder of the layout, and Arliss in this fascinating character is so well remembered from his stage presentation of the same role that not to make fullest use of both title and star is to throw away money. Apart from these defects the layout is good, and the title is not as badly displayed here as would have been the case had the artist or compositor wedged it into STtOtmAN A Perfect Contribution to the Screen’s Finest Achievements George, Arhss in w> E GREEN GODDESS Tenth "Alice Joyces and . V V David Powell STILLMAN ORCHESTRA Nauru, S filial*,. Director Fourth Symphonic Suite From "Scheherazade" -II, Rimiky Korialtou — COMING — Seventh Anniversary Stillman Theatre Norma Tahnadgc /// “ fishes of Vengeance A Goldwyn Release THE RETIRING TITLE the space with a mess of type message above and below. The handling of the type display is capitally done, though good type display is too characteristic of the present Stillman spaces to call for especial mention. This layout would be noteworthy if it came from some cities. It is not a poor display from any angle, but it -is not as good as most of the recent Stillman appeals and is capable of material improvement without much work. The selling talk is mighty nice writing. The space is ISO by 4; a curtailed quarter page. This is larger than most cities use, but Cleveland is getting back to the large spaces though it has not yet come to the half pages used a few years ago. Another Handling of Small Size Cut Loew’s Columbia Theatre, Washington, D. C., offers another good handling of a single column cut in a three column space. This is LOEW’S COLUMBIA THEATER SECOND WEEK BEG NS TODAY-SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 The Screen Sensation of the 1923-24 Sea.onl 0 GLORIA jyVANSON BLUEBEARD’S Sw WIFE' A Paramount Release HANDLING A ONE COLUMN CUT ■evidently a plan book cut. It has been set to the left of a panel because the figure faces that way, and it gives an effect that could not be bettered were the cut specially made to fit this particular space. The credit line in the circle, which has come almost to be a Paramount trademark is replaced by type where the circle would have been much better, but apart from this the result is excellent, though the cut does not come up very well. A space such as this is to be preferred to one carrying two to four single column figures. But one of these days we shall welcome with shouts of joy an advertisement in which appeal is made on Miss Swanson’s acting as well as her gowns. Her acting may have been a joke in the earlier days, but lately she has shown such decided improvement that it would be well to call attention to her work. One Cut Too Many Is Extra Expense One of the cuts used in the space of the Colonial Theatre, Indianapolis, is going to sell Rouged Lips because it is striking and characteristic. The other looks a little too involved to be good selling. It may sell. Viola Dana AND Tom Moore in a Sparkling Metro Photoplay from the Cosmopolitan stop7 “UPSTAGF' that tickled Five Million People. “Rouged T ® ” Lids Written by Rita Weiman The story of a flapped JnL with a musical comedy soul — s little butterfly who will have none of the gilded youth’s gilt, but wanted a lot of Ms love. EXTRA ADDED ATTRACTION Clyde Cook The New York Hippodrome Comedian “THE ARTIST” It's a whiz of effervescing laughs. FIRST VIEWS JAPANESE EARTHQUAKE AESOP FABLE — PATHE NEWS A Metro Release ONE CUT IN EXCESS but we think it is too meaningless to do any ticket peddling. The space might better have been used to get a larger display for the lines crowded over to the left. These are large enough to be legible as they stand but with space at command, it would have been better layout to use only the one cut and swell these lines. This seems to be an all too common error about cults. Too many agents lay out their work to get in all the cuts they can accumulate. They seem to feel that cuts will sell. They seldom do, and surely not when they do not get over a real idea. One good cut helps in that it gets attention to the space. If it is characteristic of the story, as in the present instance, it may help sell the story though its own appeal in addition to getting atten tion for the type, but it is seldom that two cuts will sell a penny better than one, and to use a second where the one is as good as the single figure is simply to throw away either money or space, or both. Get one good cut, put it where it will show to the best advantage, and then ride on that cut. It’s much the better way. Open Letter Style to Open Chicago Rose The open letter advertisement in a 100 by 2 was employed by the Orpheum Theatre, Chicago, to start off Griffith’s The White Rose. This is a “grind” house and a 200 line display is a pretty big splash, but this ! Announcement to the People \ of Chicago \ MR. D. W. GRIFFITH’S new p est masterfilm, “THE WHITE ROSE,” will be presented for the first time in Chicago at the NEW $ ORPHEUM THEATRE, on p State Street at Monroe, begin ning Next SATURDAY, QCTO* BER 6TH. P The showings will be continuous P from 9 a. m. to midnight and the New £ Orpheum’s policy of POPULAR PRICES WILL PREVAIL. “THE WHITE ROSE” is the story of a girl who couldn’t stop loving — the P glorification of woman’s eternal love. !* Critics who have seen it proclaim it the best picture Mr. Griffith has produced since “The Birth of a Nation.” THE CAST is headed by MAE £ MARSH, CAROL DEMPSTER, IVOR NOVELLO and NEIL HAMILTON. A United Artists Release THE OPEN LETTER policy will clean up a lot of money with a fifteen hour run each day, and even at the heavy advertising costs in Chicago it probably paid well. The open letter is no longer the startling novelty it was a few years ago, but it can still go into a page of small displays, in which no house gets much more than 200 lines and hog the' attention. On a crowded page, heavy with hand lettering and solid frames and all of the other devices for making small spaces seem large, this stands out like a monument on a prairie, the first thing you see when you come to the page and the last thing to be seen as you leave the division. It will be noted that there is comparatively little of the space given the story itself. The premiere, the director, the grind and the stars are all more important selling points than the story itself and so these are sold over the play itself because they will sell more through offering unknown factors. People know tne director and players and are more apt to buy them than the story, so the Orpheum puts its weight on these points, while not neglecting the plot. It is well planned in spite of its apparent simplicity. Every word is weighed, as it should be where words cost money. Get busy today on those special Christmas stunts.