The Moving picture world (October 1920)

October 16, 1920 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 933 Selling the Picture to the Public $v EPES WINTHROP SARGENT Worked Big Swimming Contest to Boom Western Opening of "What Women Love that any newspaper that is not dead will get behind a circulation scheme which will bring in new readers or help to retain the old ones. ALTHOUGH it is getting a bit late in the season for swimming in the open they are still at it in Los Angeles, and Maurice Meyers, of the Lesser forces, hooked up the Examiner to a big swimming contest when Annette Kellerman in "What Women Love," opened at the Kinema. Sol Lesser wanted to put it over with a splash, and that is precisely what Meyers did — a lot of splashes. First he got Dick Spier, the Kinema publicity man, to go down to the Examiner with him and get the paper interested. The paper was interested. Most live papers welcome good circulation schemes. Then the L. A. A. C. The next step was to insure regularity by bringing the stunt under the auspices of the A. A. U., so Fred A. Cady, swimming director of the Los Angeles Athletic Club, was interested and engaged to take charge of the event. The club is in charge of most of the events held in Southern California. Cady arranged a program of seven races, three for men and four for women. A canoe tilting contest was added for the men to make things even up. The leading events were handicapped to bring out large fields, for the idea was to get as large an entry list as possible. Open to All To this end the events were open to all, and while most of the coast champions took part in the events, the handicaps were so arranged that even the second flight of swimmers felt that they might have a chance, so large fields started in every event. With the Examiner behind the scheme it was comparatively easy to get the use of Westlake Park, which has plenty of room, and all that remained was the question of prizes. Miss Kellerman offered a bronze and silver loving cup for the woman scoring the most points, and the manufacturers of the Kellerman swimming suits offered garments as other prizes for the women, donating the prizes through a local department store which carried the line. The paper offered medals for the men swimmers and a club member loving cups for the canoe tilting contest. Held Back the Picture The stunt was started ten days before the contest with a big double column story, with daily follow stories and pictures of Miss Kellerman, Cady, Mayor Snyder, who was one of the honorary judges, and others. Not much was said about "What Women Love" until the day before the contest, and the announcement of the play came apparently as a tieup. It was too late then for interest to be killed. No one cared if it was a publicity stunt. It was a first class swimming meet under A. A. U. auspices and they wanted to see it — and they did. Got Sign The judges stand was a band pavilion in the centre of the park and it carried no advertising at all other than a sheet about twenty-four sheet size, urging the reader to go see Miss Kellerman, at the Kinema, after the races. Outside of that and a few pictorial sheets and some handbills, advertising was conspicuously absent, but most persons got the message even at that. But there was pictorial matter all over town, and no one went without the good word, even if they stayed away from the park. Some people did stay away, because they had to run the street cars and keep the stores open and operate the telephone exchanges, but the park was crowded and it was a regular event. Taking Account The show opened that evening and it played to crowded business, for the entire town had been jazzed up. The Examiner played up a big Sunday story for a farewell kick, and the other papers gave space to the results as a matter of news, and they could not leave out Miss Kellerman, for she was one of the honorary judges and was right there in the stand, and they could not well leave out such good advertisers as the Kinema. It was a good stunt all the way around, and if there is a swimming pool in your town you can follow this up and have a little affair of your own that will sell a lot of tickets at little cost, if you remember James A. B letch Is Dead News sometimes travels slowly even in these days of the telegraph, and we have just learned with regret of the death of George A. Bleich, of Ownesboro, Ky. Mr. Bleich was one of the real men of the exhibition game, square, active and public spirited. He was no notoriety seeker and what was learned about him came piecemeal from exhibitors in other towns who knew and respected him. He went into Owensboro to manage a single house. At his death he was only waiting for the building inflation to subside to put up his fifth. He owned the town, for no one could see the chance of competing with him. He was the first to apologize to his public for a film which did not measure up to standard and for nearly ten years "Bleich says so" was his trade mark and his patrons followed his advice more generally than they consulted their own inclinations. If he said it was good, it was. If it was not good he either coasted or frankly said that it was not up to the mark. An example of this was his handling of the Caruso film. He said that it was not much of a story, but perhaps his public would li'-e to see the man who made their phonograph records. He was one of the very few exhibitors who suffered no comeback on this operatic venture. And he was something more than a theatre manager. He was one of the leading citizens, foremost in war activities and in the van for any public movement of merit. He was one man among thousands, and we can ill spare him. APPEALING TO TUB FLOATING POPULATION When the Kinema, Los Angeles, started in to boom Annette Kellerman in ■•What Women Love it borrowed a municipal park, got the swimming director of the L. A. Athletic Club to prepare a card of aquatic events, and every one •who sa<w the races saw that sign. Good work.'