The Moving picture world (May 1922)

May 13, 1922 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 181 Selling the Picture to the^Public A Sensational Exploit on All's Fair in Love D. H. Stark pulled a real one in Houston for the Liberty Theatre lately. One afternoon there was a terrible outcry that attracted the attention of hundreds of pedestrians. Looking up they saw a woman's body half out of a fourth story window, her hair hanging loose and her face contorted with agony as she struggled with a man. The braver men rushed into the building, quickly followed by two policemen, while an ambulance dashed up and backed to the curb. Presently the woman was taken in and then the police carried her to the ambulance, but the thrill was gone, for the cops and the lady all carried signs. One read "All's Fair in Love, Even This." "Was the Lady Really Hurt? Come to the Liberty Theatre and Find Out," was another. The man with the rope sneaked it back to where he had found it, and gradually the crowd drifted away, but it was talked of all the afternoon. Stark had it fixed with the police and two officers were told off to do the rescue, while the woman was hired to carry out her part. It made more talk than a Presidential election. If you try it, be sure to have the matter arranged in advance or the police may carry you instead of the woman out, and it will be a patrol buggy that will be waiting if you get a ride at all. Played Up "Penrod" on a Newark First Run The Branford Theatre, Newark, took to "Penrod" like a tramp to the free lunch counter, and worked it up from all possible angles. The Branford does not make lobby displays, but it put the title in five foot letters pendant from the marquise at both entrances, the awning being high enough to permit this without running the risk of taking off the hats of six footers. The makers of the Penrod suits for boys sent over to help get the window displays, and there were several in addition to this shown, which is in one of the largest stores. Penrod suits were also given two mem Hyman's Novelties at the Mark Strand Edward L. Hyman is getting more into his stride after the Lenten let down and his musical program for the week of May 7 shows its old-time smartness. His overture is Liszt's Preludes, played straight, but with lighting ef^ fects. His second number is Tschaikowsky's Nutcracker suite, with four danc ers. The Chinese Dance comes first, with a solo dancer. The setting will be a black cyclorama, with a EDW. L. HYMAN scrim front on which will be thrown several lines of Chinese ideographs, which will supply the decorative effect. The same set will be used for the Dance of the Sugar Doll, but the decoration here will be a number of inflated balloons of varied colorings, which will lend color and life to the dead black of the set. Air balloons are used and are suspended from a batten by threads of varying lengths, to give an unstudied effect. For the dance of the Flowers the cyke will be caught back in the centre to disclose a window backed with a flowering garden. On the scrim a flower film will be run. Four dancers are employed in this number. The lighting for the Chinese dance will be red, the doll will be blue and the flowers a light pink. The Topical Review gives time to set for Hope's cycle. The Garden of Kama. Settings will be changed for the four num bers used here, but the curtains will not be dropped, the scrim being faded to disclose the sets. During the brief intervals required to change the settings, a Greek "chorus" in the person of Omar Khayam will recite the opening lines of each song but the first, the singer taking up the words with melody as the setting is lighted up. For The Temple Bells are Ringing, a wood set will be used, with the singer spotted white and a dancer in amber, who will interpret the song as it is sung. Less than the Dust will be sung by a contralto, seated, who holds in her lap a huge scimetar. She is lighted by red and amber spots from opposite sides. Two large jugs, one on either side, will be bathed in amber from above. For Pale Hands I Love the moon drop will be used, a large moon transparency on blue. Amber lighting will be used throughout. In Till I Awake shows the singer in the light of a blue spot, with two dancers in white costume and spotted with white do a dance about the recumbent form. A scenic film will break the setting of A Musicale in Danceland, which will show the gold cyclorama brightly lighted with gold lights. The number will employ four singers and four dancers, and will run : Beautiful Lady, from The Pink Lady, with baritone and two dancers; My Hero, from The Chocolate Soldier, with a soprano and dancer; the Merry Widow Waltz with a contralto and dancer, and Kiss Me Again, from Mile. Modiste, employing all eight. The feature and comedy follow, with Mansfield's Concert Scherzo for the organ postlude. bers of the Newark Safety Patrol. This is an organization of boys who do traffic duty near the schools before and after the sessions, replacing the usual traffic police.' The entire patrol visited the theatre in a body as guests of the management and the suits were given two boys who had earned mention for heroism in saving younger children from the untamed automobiles. The newspapers played up this visit and both the theatre and the store donating the suits were in the linotype limelight. There were tieups with the plugger song, and a florist offered a Penrod tulip, while you could buy Penrod sundaes at most of the fountains. Managing Director D. J. Shepherd, Production Manager Gordon Reid and M. J. Cullen, the advertising agent, were all on the job and team work put the stunts over. First National Release HOW THE BRANFORD THEATRE. NEll ARK, PUT OVER "PENROD" ON HOUSE AND IN STORES The theatre front used letters about Ave feet high. They look in the cut as though they had been dropped in the mud, but this is because they are two-color letters, blended, and the color does not sho7f in the photograph. The clothing display -.cas made by the largest store. Note the intelligent use of copies of the book to put over the suggestion of the origin