The Moving picture world (February 1920-March 1920)

March 27, 1920 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 2117 This Is the Banner Press Agent Stunt (llllllllllllllllllllllllllinilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll^ ' iiiiniiiiiiiiimii Ill iiiiiiiillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll^ A Sheik in Search of Sari Stirs Town Like Milk Baths Did in Good Old Days VEILED ladies have nothing on Sarisearching Sheiks when it comes to putting it over on the daily press, and it does not really have to be a real put-over to get in, for if the story is picturesque and good reading it will be run, even if the reporter mutters "Allah is wise — all knowing" as he writes the story, which is the oriental equivalent of admitting that the story isn't true. To boom "The Virgin of Stamboul," which opens at the Broadway Theatre next Sunday, the Universal put over a real press agent stunt of the sort the Associated Press falls for and cleaned up columns of space in New York, and put the story on the wires for the benefit of other managements. I Like the Good Old Days. The story went over like the Anna Held milk bath stunt of twenty odd years ago. The New York papers "ate it up" and it spread to the out-of-town sheets ; and yet it was very simple in its working. Sunday, March 7, two weeks before the opening, five Arabs, one of whom was dressed in native costume, while the others wore the conventional frock coats and fez of the Turkish diplomat, drove up to the Majestic, one of the semi-family hotels. With the utmost deference the four in European dress ushered the leader of the party into the lobby, and with effusive eastern compliment approached the clerk on the subject of rooms. A lot of picturesque stories "break" from the Majestic, and perhaps this was why the party experienced no difficulty in securing rooms when most transients start in by demanding the bridal suite and wind up by paying seven dollars for the privilege of sleeping on a billiard table. Tipped the Reporters. Perhaps this is also the reason why a hot tip shot into the newspaper offices that the Sheik Ben Mahomet, brother of the Amir of Hedjaz, was in New York in search of Sari, fiancee of his brother and daughter of Hadahismo, who had lately died, leaving Sari about $100,000,000 (Turkish). According to the story Sari, who was known as the Virgin of Stamboul, eloped with a United States Marine shortly after the armistice, and was believed to be in New York. The reporters, overlooking the fact that no follower of Islam would affront the Prophet by using the feminine spelling of his name; with an "et" instead of an "ad," hotfooted it for the subway and presently were in the august presence. They had not the slightest difficulty in gaining an audience. Telling the Tale of Woe. Mohammad spoke a little broken English, a lot of French and still more Arabic and between the quintet they managed to tell the reporters all about it. There were hints of a visit to Washington to interest Secretary Daniels, a suggestion that the Sheik would dine with Morgenthau, the former Turkish ambassador, and the story of a landing in Halifax, to throw the ship news reporters off the track. Monday morning is always the best time for press stories, because news breaks badly on Sunday, and practically all of the New York papers did a two-column head or better. The Times had almost a column. the Tribune a two-column, "kidding" the story and printing Morgenthau's denial that he knew the dusky visitor. They Joked, But Printed. Most of the papers scented the hoax, and the Times even hinted at the forthcoming release of the Universal production of "The Virgin of Stamboul," but the Sheik was picturesque, and a man who threw the beds and chairs out of a hotel suite and made the reporters squat on the floor in default of a leewan was worth a column on a dull night, and they gave it to him. If he was on the level it was all right, and if he was not it was at least darned good story, and they let it go at that. The party was posed for the International News and the Kinogram camera men, and the next day their pictures were thrown on the screen at the Capitol and Strand. Underwood and Underwood shot some stills (which were less suspicious than stills which might have been offered), and a large number of U. & U. prints were sold on telegraphic order to the out-of-town papers. Keeping in the News. Tuesday's papers carried the story that a private detective agency had been retained to make a search and Wednesday the eager reader was informed that Sari had been found in a tenement in the Syrain quarter. Thursday's papers told that the Majestic, deploring the publicity the Sheik had gained (though they have an active press man of their own), had requested him to give up his apartment, which provided a graceful "out" for the end of the story. Meanwhile the Broadway had started a teaser campaign, which left the reader in doubt as to whether the story was .a press fake or whether the house had simply ridden the news, and these teasers worked into more definite advertising as the playing date approached. The Lowdown. It was about the best planned fake ever put over for a picture, in that it held up consistently to the end. The Arabs were picked up on Washington street and carefully coached in their parts. The Sheik was a splendid type and played his role with a gravity and dignity convincing and effective and never stepped out of character. His retinue carried off their minor roles with equally good effect and they got a four day run in the New York papers without once making a false move. One New York paper, the Mail, even made editorial comment on the visit, and hundreds of columns of out-of-town mention were added to the metropolitan mention and. draining the story to the dregs, the final kick was a Sunday feature story telling how the stunt was put over, good for the better part of a page. Barnum never did better. Saenger Uses New Publicity Angle in Booming Director SOMETHING new in star directors was dug up by the Saenger Strand Theatre in New Orleans, in paving the way for "The River's End." The house was offering "In Old Kentucky," which also was made by Nielan. It was a corking good production and the management fig ured that it could be made to work for the next show, so on the same program page of the Saengerette using the current announcement of "In Old Kentucky" appeared this paragraph. In view of the credit being given directors who produce the master achievements of the screen we wish you to remember Mr. Marshall Neilan as director of "In Old Kentucky," for from this young genius is due to come for presentation at the Strand the week commencing Saturday, March 27, the greatest of all pictures to date, a production of James Oliver Curwood's thrilling, fascinating romance, "The River's End" — first of Mr. Neilan's own unhampered, independent productions. It was figured out that without a pronounced star in the first independent production the good work done for Miss Stewart in the Dazey play could be made to work for the director and get interest in the forthcoming production. The idea is worthy of imitation, for some directors are as surely stars as the leading players. This Is a Kalogram, If You Know What Kalograms May Be THIS, gentle reader, is a Kalograrri. There used to be lots of Kalograms before July 1 of last year, but they are almost as extinct as the dodo these dry, degenerate days. This Kalo was hatched and hand-reared by E. A. Crane, of the Hodkinson Detroit office, who got the egg from the Hodkinson plan book. He got George Guise, of the Miles theatres, interested in the bird, and it was adopted for the Majestic Theatre, where "The Lone Wolf's Daughter" was to have its opening. This is a Kalogram ? It is a cryptic message 7 Can you read it? Watch this Soace tomorrow— The Opening Kalograph Announcement. It was caged on the home page of the Detroit Journal and $10 split into prizes of $5, $3 and $2 were offered for the persons who gave the neatest solution of the puzzle, which is that the design forms the letters of Louise Glaum, who stars in that play. The reproduction does not show the prize offer. That came the second day, and by the third it seemed almost impossible to over look the hint, for the text told all about the "Lone Wolf" and his daughter, but at that the 1,873 answers received ran all the way from Mae Marsh to Theda Bara. Many of the replies were in colors and some were really handsome.