Moving Picture World (Nov-Dec 1927)

December 17, 1927 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 39 Walter McDowell Shows a Pretty Use of White Sells Comedy Feature With Simple Display J. J. Dempsey uses only half the team to sell Rookies to the patrons of the Strand Theatre, Brockton, Mass., but he gets sufficient out of the picture of Dane to carry a comedy suggestion that amplifies his six lines of sales talk. And since he gets enough in his two fives, it would have been waste to have taken more. LOOK out for a gas-attack— laughing gas. For hero comes one of the funniest pictures ever made — and featuring the greatest comedy team In'the history of motion-pictures. You'll le£rn* about laughing from — KARL DANE GEORGE K. ARTHUR mm mmBmm — Popular Prices— 10c up to 6 P. M. After B P. M., 10c, 15c Thursday only: 2 shows at noon and 2.30 p. m. Evening performance at 8. p. m.. John McCormack Concert. WORKING ONE CUT Mr. Dempsey has adapted George Planck’s idea of circular signatures, but makes his an oval, which works as well and gives a slightly larger display. The value of the circle or oval over the obling lines is the fact that it will work into a space better because the rounded edge is less uncompromising. The oblong signature must be worked in with care or it seems out of place. These ovals will ride anywhere in the space from the centre to the outside line and look as though they belonged. This layout seems to have been adopted as standard by the Strand, and it is a nice utilization of a small, but well balanced proportion. Gets a Attractive Display In a Paneled Four Wide Walter McDowell, of the Strand Theatre, Syracuse, sends in a four fours on Camille that makes full use of white space to enhance the appeal of his arguments. He drops as 1 low as six points for one of his small banks, but he gets every word over because the six point is double leaded to make it readable and the six is used to get contrast with a twelve point in the same panel. It may not sound convincing, but in contrast with the twelve the six gives better display than a secI ond bank of twelve would yield, and McDowell knew it. He takes three of the panels for the picture, a fourth for the other features and utilizes a narrow margin for the underline, with a single small cut from the press book for his attractor. The last is an exceptionally good name plate in that it throws the star and title into strong relief without getting too prominent. The face inset into the panel also contributes to the effect, and the whole forms one of the best drawings First National has offered in a long time. That same space with half a dozen adjectives thrown in would have been utterly useless. The value of the cut lies in its simplicity. In this instance it rides very well with the Strand’s reverse signature, and both gain through the absence of full face lines which would weaken the appeal of the cuts. We think this one of McDowell’s best displays. The title is letter spaced, which gives it dominance and lets it stand out more boldly than proportion would normally bring. The two lines at the top are not as good, but they are not hurtful. The panel at the left probably would have been better if set in italic or a light bold italic. There are too many lines of upright boldface. The cut is not particularly clean, but this is the fault of the press and not the cut itself, and it is not too dull to lack value. Taken by and large, it is a good display for The Blood Ship. Plenty of Bold Faces Escape Blackness Here This three fives from the Hippodrome Theatre, Cleveland, is an exception to the general rule that too much black face should not be used in a display. It is practically all bold, but the distribution saves it from being too black. The Picture That Made Such a Phenomenal Hit at the Roxy Theatre, Hew Vorfr City THE BLOOD SHIP" The Mightiest ol All Seo Dramas f HOBART BOSWORTH JACQUELINE LOGAN RICHARD ARLEN BLACK BUT LIGHT The trick is turned by using leads between the lines. Those three star names, if set unleaded would be a smudge, but with a six point reglet between the lines, they are held far enough apart to avoid confliction, and the suggestion of lightness is furthered by letter spacing. There is a four-to-em space between each letter and a full em quad instead of the three-to-em between the words. The result is that the lines are open both ways and do not appear to be as heavy as they really are, while they still gain the blackface display. Characteristic Design Iis Help to the Display Here is a 50x2 from Chicago that uses a characteristic design for both attraction and emphasis. It is natural that a pennant should be used for The College Widow, and making it a black pennant gives a nice reverse panel in which to announce star and title. A CLEVER CONCEPTION The black triangle gives emphasis to the white space, as well, and lets the Vitaphone have the space to itself so far as display goes, while still taking all the space for the feature. And the Vitaphone section is intelligently set in type instead of being lettered by hand. That’s something you do not often see. MAKE it a Merry Christmas. Get a copy of Building Theatre Patronage. NEXT WEEK “ The Rough Riders ” for years the world’s outstanding stage success! forever Norma Talmadge’s greatest Contribution to the screen! All the beauty of costumes and settings that art and millions can A Modern Version of Dumas’ world-famous drama of the one mighty love of Paris’ most notorious beauty. WEBER-FIELDS *0E LEW The German funsters EDDIE PEABODY In " Banjomania" STRAND ORCHESTRA ERNIE MILLS AT THE ORGAN A NICE SPACE FROM WALTER McDO WELL ON CAMILLE