Moving Picture World (Nov-Dec 1927)

MOVING PICTURE WORLD November 5, 1927 32 Made a Black and White Lobby Play up Feature Production Hints from Edward L. Hyman Managing Director, Mark Strand Theatre, Brooklyn A Light Rally Using a pair of French Legionaires in proper uniform in Beau Geste, Charles H. Amos, of the Florida Theatre, St. Petersburg, did not manner them. Instead their capacious pockets were stuffed with the card matches available on this picture, and they handed them out instead of heralds. Because “Seventh Heaven,” the William Fox production, used up 1 hour and 53 minutes, it was necessary to shorten the time usually given to presentations. Rarely does a program at this theatre run over 2 hours, thus for this , week there was time for only 2 stage presentations and the Topical Review. The latter was given 6 minutes, while each of the stage numbers took 4 minutes. The house orchestra started each de luxe performance with a brief prelude. which was lighted from the dome by 2 Mestrum floods of amber covering all musicians and the side drapes and draw curtains over the small production stage. From this prelude the orchestra swung into “Dancing Tambourines,” which was presented on the production stage by 12 Mark Strand Dancing Girls. The dance was done in Tiller fashion in front of the gold draw curtains and with 6 amber spots from the bridges crossing on the pleats of these curtains ; magenta * and deep blue borders, light blue foots. After the Mark Strand Topical Review came the prologue in full stage, special setting, for “Seventh Heaven.” The set showed the big window of “Chico’s” attic room with the skyline of Paris in the background and stars in transparency sky. Edgar Wallace, tenor, as “Chico,” was standing by the window and took up the verse and chorus of “Diane,” the theme song, written by Erno Rapee. At the finish of the chorus, Eldora Stanford, soprano, and “Diane” in the wedding gown shown in the picture, made her entrance through the window and took up the verse of the song and was joined at the chorus by the tenor for a duet finish. As the duet finished, a band was heard outside of the window playing the French marching song and the couple went through the business of bidding each other farewell and the tenor making his exit through the window as the curtains closed on the prologue. The New Desk Set Building Theatre Patronage is not something to read over once. It is a book to be kept on the desk, to be picked up whenever inspiration is needed. The wise manager will use it a dozen times a day. That’s why it is so well bound, to take a lot of hard use. Your supply man sells it for five dollars. Costs twenty cents more by mail from this office. Swing Low Frank J. Miller used two chariots to exploit Ben Hur at the Imperial theatre, Augusta, Ga. One was the compo board structure on the front wheels of a truck, which perambulated the streets. The other was on the marquise as a cutout. The wheels were geared to a motor and Ben’s garment fluttered in the breeze created by a hidden fan to add the suggestion of speed. Won College Paper Manager Hunter, of the Luna Theatre, Lafayette, Ind., worked a good stunt when he hooked The Big Parade. The college paper was running an Ask Me Another department, and four ticket prizes got six questions about the M-G-M picture. It sold the student body at a very small cost. Paid and Pleased L. A. Chatham, publicity man for the Momand Enterprises, Oklahoma, got out a special four sheet newspaper on The Great Mail Robbery at the Savoy theatre, Shawnee. It carried screamer heads and in addition to planting one in every residence he had ten boys crying the paper on the streets the three days of the run. The paper was about fifty percent trade ads and while no profit had been considered, the revenue from these foreign ads netted a neat profit and the merchants were pleased to get such a thorough distribution. The merchants are all set for Mr. Chatham’s next scheme because this worked so well for them, so he’s sitting pretty all around. Was a Pipe Jack L. Hobby used a Scotch bagpiper to double outside and in on the run of Annie Laurie at the Tampa theatre, Tampa, Fla. The man paraded in front of the theatre for two hours both afternoon and evening, in addition to supplying the music for two little girls who did a highland fling as a prologue to the picture. It attracted no little attention. Played Up Black Most managers avoid much black in their lobby work, preferring the gay colors. But for Easy Pickings black was the foundation color in the lobby of the Orpheunt theatre, Everett, Wash., to emphasize the mystery angle. And because it is so seldom used, black had an attraction value of its own. A 24-FOOT BANNER ON GLORY USED BY E. R. ROGERS This was used at the Tivoli Theatre, Chattanooga. A mounted 24-sheet was used over the marquise and spotted by an 8,000,000 candle power lamp across the street. Eight troopers were on duty in the lobby and the militia worked the sound effects.