The Moving picture world (May 1922)

May 20, 1922 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 283 Selling^ the Picture to the^Public How to Make Money by Spending a Little If a man came and offered you 39 one-dollar bills for a ten spot, the chances are that you would make the buy — if the bank said the bills were good. That's what C. A. Crute, of the Lyric Theatre, Huntsville, Ala., did on Saturday night. The still panels cut a portion of the lobby into a bathroom with everything except hot water. He did some other stunts at a total cost of a little less than $10. His receipts went $39 over the top, showing a profit of $29. 15 TODAY A Paramount Picture. MR. CRUTE'S BATH The other stunts were to hook up a display of kitchen cabinets — "so your wife won't feel tired Saturday night" — bath supplies in a drug store, two banners and a float. That kitchen cabinet line is a gem. It means something. Cyclorama Effect on a Lobby Lighthouse For "Moran of the Lady Letty" De Sales Harrison, of the Howard Theatre, Atlanta, worked the usual stunt of making a display in the foyer a week in advance and taking it to the outer lobby for the showing. In this display the stunt was a lighthouse with a flasher in the lantern in the center of a seascape. When this was moved to the front lobby, a second lighthouse some fifteen feet high was placed on the sidewalk, and here the foot of the structure was banked with real stones to suggest the rocky base of the beacon. This was also a flashing light, and it pulled a lot of business. Special paper was printed giving Valentino a larger mention than the stock paper allowed him, for down South he is as much an attraction as is Miss Dalton, and Mr. Harrison felt the cost of the special paper would be returned in the attention the name would draw. Real Service Jasper Emanuel is helping to put over the Dempsey-Carpentier fight pictures for the Philadelphia Metro exchange. He has rigged up a prize ring on the back of a goofy looking automobile and has added papier-mache figures of the two scrappers. This will be sent over the route the fight films take, to help managers put over the stunt. Jasper has added some unbreakable pocket mirrors to his line of exploitation novelties. They are made of polished metal, similar to that used for trench mirrors during the war, with a protective blotting paper cover that slides around. When Jasper gets three more novelties they are going to let him open a bargain basement in the Metro, exchange, but they certainly are selling the Metro specials to the exhibitor and patrons alike. Jasper is the best little one-man exploitation department we ever heard of. Preview Spectators Selected at Random In giving a preview of "Hail, the Woman," the Liberty Theatre. Zanesville, Ohio, not only invited the usual leading lights of the club world, but elected a certain number of patrons at the previous attraction to be guests at the special performance, in order to get the most widespread word of mouth advertising. The result was so gratifying that the idea will be used on subsequent previews, it having been demonstrated that these spectators will distribute endorsements more widely than the more select group of clubwomen and educators. The Liberty also gained a double truck on the title, a bank hailing the woman, with perfect banking service and a baker with perfectly planned loaves. Serial Helped Most managers do not look to serials to increase business, but to hold it. Charles E. Sassen, at the Tremont Theatre, Galveston, made "Hurricane Hutch" show a ten per cent increase. He got sixteen motorcycles of the brand used by Hutchinson for a curb display and then hired a local daredevil to do a couple of Houdinis in front of the house. It cost only $12.60 and brought in real coin. Prizes for Deportment Was "Penrod" Publicity One of the earliest stunts suggested by this department — more than ten years ago — was a class ticket prize for behavior to be offered by managers to the schools. It worked well for most managers, though one man reported that the local ice man had cut off his supply because the latter's son had never been given a prize. Later the idea was incorporated into Picture Theatre Advertising. Now Allen's Theatre, Calgary, has worked it with all the trimmings, and Manager Price got the entire school system to plug for Penrod. THE PENROD DIPLOMA A special diploma was printed up, which was to be given the best kids in each classroom, and this was accompanied by a pass admitting the pupil and his parents. This permitted the children to retain the diplomas, and more than one of these has been framed, to form a permanent advertisement, for Mr. Price spent enough money to make them look like something. It is one of the oldest schemes in the business, and still is one of the best. Mr. Price also worked the freckles stunt, giving passes good any time to the boys with twenty or more freckles, and a pass for a special performance to the few who could not show the required number. HERE'S A PRACTICAL WORKING OUT OF A LIN DEAR LOBBY It is from S. Danz, of the Liberty Theatre, Astoria, Oregon, and shows an illuminated Coney Island, with a cutout from the 24-shcet lighted by a special concealed spot. It cost less than ten dollars to put up, but looks more than that