The Moving picture world (October 1920)

October 16, 1920 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 937 Use Rubber Tipped Fingers for Back Scratching This Circulation-Promotion Scheme Makes a Good Tie-up with Editor, Won a Double Kick from the Usual Red Ink Extra LIVE managers are always looking for chances to tie up with the newspapers and save money by paying for publicity in idea instead of hard cash. And the funny part is that live newspapers would rather have the idea than the cash — up to a certain point. Lately the Kinema, Los Angeles, the First National house, was tied up with the Evening Express in a simple scheme which means money for both house and newspaper. Here's the Scheme Right after the schools opened a photographer put in an appearance at the different schools at the noon recess and just as school let out. Two helpers were along and they lined the boys up against the wall and the cameraman shot them with the same sangfroid that Villa used to show when he had his victims in a similar position. And as soon as the shutter clic ed and the kids were told that they could go, there came the usual "Mister, where can I get one of these?" and "How much do they cost?" When the men said they were not for sale the kids couldn't quite make it, but they went home and told their folks and got them wondering, too. The Blo<woff Then came the Express with the announcement of a "Hey Skinn-a-a-y" contest. Starting Monday they would publish the picture of a schoolboy and all he had to do to see the show at the Kinema was to go and ask for a pair of seats. It sounded too good to be true, But it was true, as the first boy to apply found out. The picture was cut from one of some 200 group pictures made. A slide was also made and Monday the Kinema and the Express showed the first boy. On Tuesday there were two and by Saturday six, then the useless slides were given the kids and a fresh lot made for next week. The stunt will be continued as long as it proves a paper seller, for there are several thousand pictures of boys on hand. And Heaven alone can help the photographer who goes near a school about recess time, for they will all want to be photographed and the camera man will be mobbed. Simple and Effective Of course the kids are wise and every last one of them wants to see the Express each evening. And the lucky ones drag their families and friends down to see them on the screen. And every last one of them knows all about the Kinema and is a personal press agent. The pictures did not cost much and it costs little to run the stunt. The newspaper has ample photographic facilities and all the theatre has to do is to supply the six pairs of seats each week in return for daily mention, and of course the mention has to tell how good the show is, or the stunt would lack value. Other Schemes There are lots of stunts to be worked with a kodak, such as the back view guessing contest in which prominent persons are snapped and the slides shown in the paper or on the screen, prizes going to those who name the largest number. Another idea is to shoot the patrons of a certain store and hook up with the store, while it often pays to snap off-hand and offer tickets to the originals. A clever photographer can get some highly interesting shots and make such a contest a readable feature for weeks and by shooting an unfilled camera after his roll of film is exhausted, he can keep the excitement running high. The Papers Like It It means more readers for the newspaper. It means more persons interested in the theatre and it means literally columns of reading matter which could not be purchased for several hundred times the ticket values. Best of all, from the theatre's point of view, it booms the house and not any one particular film attraction. It is permanent popularity and not merely a flash for a night of a week. Think it over, or read Picture Theatre Advertising, and see if you can't get in the local paper. You'll probably find that you can. Advertising you don't have to pay for is generally the best, not because it is free, but because it is different. P. McConville, out of the ParaBuffalo office, was helping the Binghamton, put over "Humor John mount Strand, esque." One of his stunts was to red ink a few hundred copies of the Morning Sun. All he was thin cing about was getting what he could out of the inked copies. But the next morning the Sun rose with a front page wail about the piratical press agent who had smeared its nice, clean face all up with red paint and it made so much noise that it got the rest of the town sitting up and taking notice. Now when you use the red ink extra be sure to go around and jolly the editor into ma ing a fuss the next morning, and get double value from the one stunt. It's Good, But Ifs Old Thomas D. Soriero, of the Strand, Lowell, Mass., is the latest to use the red ink overprint. From the glowing press story he sends in we gather that he thinks it original, but the idea has been worked steadily for several years now, and always with more or less success. He is over sangunine in claiming originality for the idea at this late date. Told the Elks' Parade about Beauties of "Scratch My Back" H. M. Randa, of Ascher's Merrill Theatre, Milwaukee, declared in on the Elks' Industrial Parade, and as the next attraction was Goldwyn's "Scratch My Back" he built his float around that. It was a lengthened automobile truck with a proscenium and a screen on which was lettered the display. The orchestra was a band of loud players and a mas<ed woman sat in an orchestra chair and had her back scratched by the man behind her, while two girl ushers looked on without calling the bouncer. The float made one of the hits of the parade, and to drive in the idea the ushers threw out match scratches built on the lines of the Denver America's scratchers, but on a smaller scale, the cards being about two by four inches, but with the same text and the "if bashful scratch here" just above a block of sandpaper. BEST PICTURES FOR THE BEST PEOPLE IS ASCHER'S SLOGAN The truck float prepared by Ascher's Merrill Theatre, Milwaukee, for the Elks Industrial parade. The poor girl who had her back scratched oyer the entire line of march thinks she got a raw deal, and next time the chap will have to -wear rubber finger-tips.