Moving Picture World (Nov-Dec 1927)

CR[SCtHTMIL!i^Jt>> ON THORNY TO THE CRITERION THEATRE 10 see "The CAT ^CANARY December 24, 1927 MOVING PICTURE WORLD Here’s An Actual Milkman’s Matinee Confederates and Vets Enjoyed the Big Parade Needs a Flash Adapting the Amos idea, T. R. Earl, of the Imperial theatre, Asheville, N. C., u-ed a shadow hand on The Cat and the Canary. A spot threw the shadow on a cage containing a good singer. It would have been even more efffective with a flasher As it was the singing bird got attention that was passed on to the picture. Both World War veterans and old soldiers of the Confederacy were invited to be the guests of the management when The Big Parade opened at the Strand theatre, New Orleans. Manager Marian Farrera got the Item to sponsor the invitations, and this helped to get four large busses, bannered, to bring the men from Algiers, across the river from the city. They were met on the New Orleans side of the ferry by the Public Service Band and escorted to the theatre, led by motorcycle police. The lobby had been lavishly decorted with flowers, supplied by a local florist, and at the conclusion of the party these were loaded in the busses and sent to those whose infirmities prevented their attendance. The stunt cost the theatre nothing but the seats. At the commencement of the second week an orthophonic phonograph and loud speaker were used on the marquise to play the theme song and other appropriate music and a large piece of ordnance was parked at the curb, with rifles and tin hats in the lobby itself. Overseas caps were given the newsboys, and a heavy poster and tack card campaign helped to get them in. A Real Teaser When he came to play the Fox picture at the Rex theatre, Spartanburg, S.C., went into teh classified ads with “Two Girls Wanted ” The newspaper didn’t think so much of the idea as bunches of girls called or phoned to ask where they were wanted. Sprinkle three or four of these three-word ads in the classified section and see what happens in your town. It worked for Me Koy. Made an Isabel j Isabel, you may recall, is the name of Chester Conklin's pet locomotive in Tell It to Sweeney. N. Prage made an Isabel for the lobby of the Hippodrome theatre, Fort | Worth, Texas. The boiler was an old metal oil drum, the cylinders were from old cans, the cab from old scraps of compo board, and a joint of stovepipe was the stack. Cigarette stubs, incense and punk were variously used for smoke. A cord running to the box office was used to ring the bell, which was a cowbell and not the regulation engine bell, though sometimes you can borrow one of these. FOR YEARS WE’VE KIDDED ABOUT MILKMEN’S MATINEES Here’s a real one. There is a comedy milkman in “The Cat and the Canary” and the Criterion, Los Angeles, invited the milkmen to attend a special performance. It made a lot of talk and help to get fresh interest for the picture. ARMY RECRUITERS HELPED DRESS PARADE IN PROVIDENCE The entire recruiting staff turned out to help Foster Lardner put over the Pathe West Point feature at the Albee Theatr. The band from Fort Adams played in the lobby. Maybe you can’t see them, but perhaps you can hear them. A Good Organ The Crystal theatre, Ottawa, Kans., is getting out a very profitable eight page house I organ each week. It is nothing elaborate, but it carries ample reading matter and with a circulation of 3,000 gets enough outside advertising to make it self supporting. If you yant to get hold of a good cheap model, send a stamp to the Crystal. What we particularly like about it is that the editor does not smear the program over all eight pages. What we don’t like about it is that the programed days are not dated. It’s always better to say “Thursday, December 1” than just Thursday. There is only one December 1 and 52 Thursdays. Get the idea? For Magic Flame Emil Bernstecker, of the Lyric theatre, Jackson, Term., used two candles on the marquise for The Magic Flame. These were made of compo board, six feet tall and eighteen inches across, with tongues of flame, done in flame colored bulbs. These flanked a cutout from the 24-sheet with the title on either side in yellow letters edged in red flame, red, yellow and flame colored lamps being used. Displayed for a full week in advance, the marquise did most of the selling.