The Moving picture world (August 1921)

August 6, 1921 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 605 Selling the Picture to the&Public, "Wise Fool" One Sheet Gives an Easy Hook-up Albert S. Nathan has found it easy to land stores in the New Haven Paramount district, by passing up the one sheet cutout with hand lettering and a display of guitars and banjos. NATHAN'S MUSIC STORE HOOK-UP It made a very effective display, and it helps the merchant as well as the attraction and so helps to sell him on a more pretentious tie-up next time. That's one of the chief advantages of a small card. You get in, prove your proposition, and are in a position to ask for more next time. Had Police Permission to Copy Their Summons Albert S. Nathan hooked the New Haven Automobile Club to the "Too Much Speed" and then the Paramounteer obtained permission from the police to duplicate the red tags they tie to steering wheels to summons owners who park their cars beyond the time limit. There was a perfect copy made except that the word- ing was changed to read, "You are Summoned to appear at the Rialto Theatre, New Haven, to answyer for not attending regularly to see the most wonderful show in town." This fol- lowed the lines of text in the official card, but it would have been better had the card read that the recipient was summoned to attend the Rialto to witness a performance of "Too Much Speed." A Better Wording A good wording would have been: "You are summonded to appear at the Rialto Theatre any day this week to witness a performance of "Too Much Speed" and the title should appear in almost as large a type as the "summoned" which is the one big line on the card. As it was the "Too Much Speed" appeared only on the back of the card, and there was no direct hook-up. Kicker in Stunt E. E. Collins, of the Opera House, Green- ville, Texas, used the thumb print stunt for "Outside the Law," letting the Chief of Police award a six month's pass to the person whose print most nearly resembled that of Priscilla Dean. Lots of others did that, but Collins put a stinger in by following with a humorous story in the local paper telling how crime had de- creased in Greenville now that the Chief had the thumb prints of most of the population. That part of it is new. Kilted Distributor Told of Barrie Play Max Doolittle, Paramounteer in Des Moines, suggested to Robert Worl, manager of the Rialto Theatre that he get a Scotch boy to dis- tribute cards for "Sentimental Tommy" and Worl put over the scheme in real style with a well dressed kiltie, who handed out cards read- ing, " 'Sentimental Tommy,' the most unusual lad you ever saw. The Rialto Theatre, all next week." That got the crowd and the better class of patrons, teachers, professional men and women, and the library list were reached through the appeal of Barrie's name. THE KILTIE DISTRIBUTOR Doolittle doesn't claim that it broke all house records, for he knows we know from recent experiences that they don't break records out in Des Moines when it is hot, but he says that it made the best showing that any picture has done in some time in the superheated section. The sun makes the tall corn for which Iowa is famous, gain its height, but it does not build up box-office receipts. Amateur Nights Help the Summer Business A number of Southern houses are reporting good business from amateur nights, one house writing that it more than doubles summer re- ceipts, and packs them into the capacity. Amateur nights are good for a time, but the straight amateur night is going to make trouble in the long run. Some fifteen years ago there was a craze for these affairs in the vaudeville houses. Here in New York the amateur night had been confined to the Bowery burlesque houses, and to go to see one was regarded much as a slumming trip. Then someone started them uptown, in the better class of houses, and they were a tre- mendous hit for a time, but one of the shrewest managers in the business admitted to us that he had made a mistake. The trouble is that it encourages ribald com- ment which, in the course of time, extends to the rest of the program until presently every- thing comes in for adverse comment. The use of local talent is one of the best bets in the show business, but local talent is one thing and amateur night is another, and the latter is to be classed with the "Country Store" and lottery schemes as reactionary in the long run. THIS SIGNBOARD FROM BOSTON WILL BE GOOD FOR PARAMOUNT WEEK It was designed by E. G. Epperson, of the Boston Paramount exchange, to show managers what Paramount was doing; but it makes a fine hook-up with the national advertising for the special week. Get the magazines then and use the idea