Moving Picture World (Nov-Dec 1927)

36 MOVING PICTURE WORLD December 31, 1927 A Man Monkey Is Obvious for The Gorilla AN AIRPLANE CAR WAS FRANK J. MILLER'S BEST BET This was loaned the Modjeska theatre, Augusta, Ga., by a local repair shop, the wind spread being kept in to permit it to pass through traffic. A plane under the marquise also helped to sell “The Lone Eagle” profitable. Awarded a Cup To High School Hero Getting in with the local High School put over High School Hero for Warren Irwin at the Carolina theatre, Charlotte. There were two angles to the stunt, the first being an advance prolague used three days. For three performances on each of the three days the coach came out in one and announced that the team had seen a preview of High School Hero and regarded it as an entertaining picture. He further announced that the theatre and a local jeweler had jointly offered a cup to the high school hero doing the best work in the game against Georgia Tech, the award to be made by the contest officials, and the presentation to take place on the Carolina stage on Monday following the game. Then the drop was taken up to display the team, the members bearing cards which spelled the name of the picture. When the coach asked what they were going to do Saturday, the cards were reversed and showed “Beat Tech.” It helped to advertise both the picture and the game and all of the school crowd came down to cheer for the team, paying their way in. Meanwhile the co-operating jeweler blew up the cup with a full window display for the game and the picture. Of course the picture deals with basketball, but the football team was more in the limelight. Paid for Going It’s old stuff on other pictures, but new on Miserables. In Houston, Texas, public school teachers announced that all pupils in the literature and French classes would be given credit for attending the showing at the Kirby theatre. This was the direct result of a special preview' given by F. F. Smith to the school and University teachers. Spent Sixty Cents It cost Edgar Hart just sixty cents to put over The Masked Woman at the Hollywood theatre, Portland, Ore. He bought masks for the cashiers and four ushers and had them wear them while on duty. As the box office is at the street line, the cashier drew in the business. For The Bugle Call he had an army bugler one dajr and a boy scout the next, both contributing their services in return for tickets. As they tooted every ten minutes, they' blew in a lot of extra patronage. Sold More Tickets With Personal Invitations Here is an angle on mass invitations that should interest yrou. It comes from H. B. Howard, of the Rex theatre, Sumter, S. C. Mr. Howard sent a ticket to each Spanish War veteran in Sumter with a personal invitation to come and live the campaign over again by enjoying a performance of The Rough Riders. It would have been the usual thing to have invited the local post to attend in a body, with the inevitable parade and all that sort of thing, but Mr. Howard had the picture for only' two day's, and he craved action. He figured that if he invited the veterans in a body, they would turn out for a parade, but many' of them would leave the folks at home. On the other hand, with a single free ticket, the recipient felt that he must, in decency, bring the family'. Generally the single ticket will bring in from six to eight paid admission for each ten tickets, but in this case Mr. Howard found that each ticket brought from one to three paid admissions. And making admission good for any performance assured the use of all the tickets. It’s a good thing to keep in mind when you are planning a parade. It is doubtful if a parade will influence as many ticket sales. Still Going E. E. Bair, of the Cuyahoga Falls Amusement Co., sends in his Christmas issue of the Falls Theatre News, just closing its third year. Mr. Bair started with a rather meagre four pager and has run it up to an eight, full newspaper size, with plenty of merchant advertising to prove that it has a worthw hile circulation. It’s a nicely made up issue, and well edited. MAN-MONKEY PUT OVER THE GORILLA IN MACON, GA. J. L. Cartwright used a monkey masquerade costume for his perambulator on the First National picture at the Capitol theatre, using him for three days in advance of the showing and during1 the run — six days in all.