The Moving picture world (June 1921)

506 MOVING PICTURE WORLD June 4. 1921 Selling the Picture to the^Public Dogs for Kazan Harry Gould, of the Hippodrome, Fort Worth, Texas, has a full exploitation staff. When he played "Kazan" his relief operator, Hobson, suggested borrowing police dogs from the Glen Garden Kennels, and made the touch, Curtis Felder borrowed the show cage frames from the Cyclone Fence Com- pany, Alexander borrowed the chicken net- ting to complete the frames and the porter dug up the sawdust. That's what you might call teamwork. They showed about $10,000 worth of imported dogs and got a three column cut in the local paper and more word-of-mouth advertising than they counted on. It really smashed a record. Has False Lobby Walls for Special Effects At the bottom of this page you are shown two unusually interesting pictures, because they illustrate a good idea in lobby work. They are from the Strand Theatre, Ashe- ville. N. C. and show J. C. Duncan's utili- zation of a scheme suggested by Lem L. Stewart when he had that house last year. It will be seen that there is a stairway at the right, leading to the business offices, which makes it awkward to dress the lob- by. And it is also not easy to get an effect without painting the walls in water color and then washing them down after the display. Mr. Stewart planned to have a falsework of beaverboard made, but was called to take charge of the exploitation department before he could put it into work. Mr. Duncan has taken his suggestion and has put into effect the idea. In the display on the left is seen a garden effect, witll this falsework painted to suggest brick. This was shown for three days to advertise "While New York Sleeps." The same sand was left down, but the rest of the properties were removed, the false- work was ta'<cn away, a canvas front put up and the last half of the week the lobby advertised "Skirts." For this the regular lobby walls were Hyman's Novelties at the Mark Strand Because the \veek of May 28 includes Decoration Day, Edward L. Hyman has arranged a better than usual program at the Mark Strand, Brooklyn. He does not figure on a "grind" show for the holiday, which might make a few extra dollars. He figures that a good show will bring them back and prove the better investment in the long run. He opens with a duet from "Sweet- r^nw 1 uv\i4\ hearts," by Victor ]Jm.L.mMA\ Herbert, for tenor and soprano. For this is used a neutral blue drop with moon cutout, two hedge- rows and tree leg drops right and left, a rustic bench in the centre. Singers in steel blue spot from overhead, strip lights half blue and half red. The overture is the second number, for Hyman doesn't care where he plays the number. It is an arrangement of the airs of North and South, concluding with "Dixie." At the close the curtains part to disclose a portrait layout with Lincoln in the centre, flanked by smaller portraits of Grant and Lee. Six veter- ans from Grant Post, G. .A. R., will serve as a color guard, wearing their G. .\. R. uniforms. A flag is shown on which is trained the breeze from a large fan. The lighting will be in blue. This is followed by a bubble dance, in which the dancer works to the music of Brahm's "Valse." \ red cyclorama w-ill be, caught up at the sides to dis- close a woodland backing. Blue spots on the drop and magenta and orange spots on the sides for the dancers, who according to Hyman. will be attired in a Grecian scarf, but perhaps she will wear a little more than this. The first film follows; the Topical Re- view, which gives place to "Songs and Dances of Sunny Italy." The selections are "O, Sole Mio," for tenor and quar- tet ; "Ciribiribi." sung by the soprano; Neapolitan dances, "Mari, Mari." for baritone, and "Funiculi, Funicula," sung l)y the quartet, with the dancers working. .\ Venetian drop is used, with balus- trade and gondola, and a water ripple on the canal areas. Moonlight effect. .All in Italian costume. ' A Sport Pictorial comes next with a prologue to Charles Ray in "Scrap Iron" following. This shows the interior of a blacksmith shop, a three-wall interior, with a quartet, dressed in rural cos- tumes. One man works the forge, with a flame effect. The interior is dimly lighted with blue from above and red from the hearth, with amber on the back- ing to the doorway. "Moonshine," a Mermaid Comedy, comes next and the bill closes with "Love's Dream" as the organ postlude. It forms an exceptional program. used, but the front was masked in, to sug- gest a circus entrance. The tiger in the background is stuffed, but he is a realistic brute and the entire display is above the average. Mr. Duncan made it a big week, and the stunts did not cost as much as they look. If you do much exploitation, there is nothing more useful than these panels, unless it be two sets of panels, that one set may be painted while the other shown. being Garden Scene Not Sharp The garden scene does not come up as sharply as it should to give the full sugges- tion, but it will serve as a hint and you will find that the attention it attracts is well worth the cost. THESE TWO ELABORATE FRONTS WERE SHOWN WIT HIN THE WEEK AT THE STRAND. ASHEVILLE, N. C. They were planned by J. C. Duncan, house manager. The handsome garden setting is for "When New York Sleeps," while the circus front is to give emphasis to "Skirts," another Fox feature, which seems to be winnimi the southern patrons in droves. The set on the left shozL's the lobby zvith the beaver-board panels to be painted. On the right are the natural walls