The Moving picture world (January 1922)

414 MOVING PICTURE WORLD January 28, 1922 Selling the Picture to the^Public Made a Big Appeal With a Back Number It does not matter how old a picture is if it is new to the town where it is playing. Pictures do not have to be first run to appeal, and Nick McMahon knew that "Forbidden Fruit" was a bit old when he booked it into his Marlowe Theatre, Ironton, Ohio. He also knew he could put it over with exploitation. IVHAT McMAHON DID He copied one of the windows used in the earlier runs, and he did just as much business as he could have gained with a pre-release. He made a display in a soda shop with apples and oranges cutout of cardboard to match up with the store's display of candied fruits and both the theatre and the store profited. Went Through the Mails Because the Lyric Theatre got into a jam with one of the two newspapers in Lexington, Neb., when the editor refused to publish any readers about "Over the Hill," the theatre with- held its paid advertising in that sheet, used larger spaces in the more friendly organ and took the rest of the money for a mailing list. In some way they got hold of the names, of most of the subscribers to the recalcitrant sheet, and circularized these with postcards and a form letter. The second Battle of Lexington was as successfully fought as the one in 1776, although Lexington had been moved west in the meantime. Made Rope Substitute for Evergreen Bands Evergreen decorations were a part of the lobby displays of most theatres during the holidays. W. H. Larned used vines and red and green lights to top his screen frames, but he worked a new idea for the lettering. He took new rope of the cheapest sort and dyed it red and green, using this for the lettering of star and title, as well as around the insert cards and the cutout from the one sheet. Around the latter he added tinsel, which showed up brightly in the lights which top the frame. A sheepskin rug was placed at the bottom to give the suggestion of warmth, and the small signs on either side of the rug were prepared for a greeting. They were not used both at once. The Christmas greeting was shown until that holiday was passed and then the other was set in its place. Mr. Larned writes that he can trace a part of the material increase in business for the attraction to the interest displayed in the frame. The use of rope as decorative material on lobby frames is not new, but to use it as a substitute for evergreen rope is a new touch which managers who have tried to form letters out of evergreen will appreciate. Employed His Marquise for a Pre-announcement George J. Schade, of the Schade Theatre, Sandusky, thought so well of the money-making possibilities of "Over the Hill" that he turned his marquise over to the Fox attraction a week in advance of the run. He worked up two twenty-four sheet cut- f)uts into awning announcements, and put them up a week in advance. THE SCHADE MARQUISE It is his rule to hold the house announce- ments to the "today" event, but in this case he was convinced that he would make more money preparing the way for the big feature, so he slid on the current show and spent more of his energy on the bill for the following week, and he made extra large "next week" cards, so there would be no error. Classified Kidding Most newspapers are always glad to exploit their classified advertising, and will work in with any manager who gives them a lead. Knowing this, the Century Theatre, Baltimore, inserted this advertisement in a local paper: For Sale .^ double dingle, the rarest bird ever brought out of the wilds of Africa. Captured by an .'\dmiral of the African Navy. For terms address J. Rufus Wallingford, Century Theatre, Baltimore. That was only the first act. The next was to supply the paper with letters purporting to have come in reply to the advertisement. Just a few of these were the product of the press agent. The rest came in from the same class of persons who make life easy for the column conductors. As soon as they saw the paper printing kidding stories, they piled their answers in. No prizes were offered—naturally—but had there been one it should have gone to the man who offered any money if the bird was a male as he had a female he wanted to breed to. A stunt like this— Helps the play, which was Paramount's "Get Rich Quick Wallingford." Advertises the classified advertising. Makes good reading. r-ral)s free space. There you have the scenario. Now write the continuity yourself. YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAVE THIS UNTIL CHRISTMAS W. H. Larned, of the Vict oria Theatre, Tamaqua, Pa., dyed rope red and green and used that for the ornamentation and some of the lettering on his Christmas offering. It attracted so much attention that he feels that it more than paid