The Moving picture world (November 1922-December 1922)

December 23, 1922 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 767 would get a better display in type, for we take it that Mr. Hiehle wants display and not merely a picture. The design obscures the name and makes even the title less prominent, and this is an instance wherein both name and play title have a value. Clearness is to be preferred to prettiness, and the cut is not even pretty because the drawing is too close and it looks more like 15c 40c HIPPODROME -XODAY 1:30 3:00_^-^5Ca5^^,^ 15c 4dc The greatest photodrama, ot Norma Talmadge's career — The masterpiece of love eternal — youth supreme, Comn smilin' through the gates of gladness — to find all that the screen can givel Movie ' Chats Added You'll Love Norma Talmadge in "SMILIN' THROUGH" Foiif Shows DaUy A First National Release A CONDENSED CUT a smudge than a design. This "Smilin' Through" advertisement could have been pulled in by a third with no loss of appeal by cutting out the title design and setting this in two lines to the left of the cut, retaining the present selling lines. In the main, the printer seems to run too much to panel work. A little of this is good for a change, but most of the displays are ruled Hippodrome NOW SHOniNG l;30-3:00-7:00"S:i:, Hippodrome NOW SHOWING Children 15c. Allulls 33c Mae Murray in "Fascination'' A BriUianl Drama i>I a Girl Who Panccil V. uh D inp. Depicting a Girl's Great Adventure Between Dawn ami Dawn You Will Rejoice in the Beauty of Mae Murray's Clothes, xurs. Hat* and Short-Seeining Shoes Sxtra Todiy! 'Tox News" Extra Today! PeRfty Paiffe Fashion Film By Tumer-Ebinger Co. Extra Today! "Snub" PoHard .4. Metro Release A DIFFERENT HANDLING off in somewhat similar manner and the idea becomes monotonous. The device should be saved for use where two or more program units are to be put over equally, as where Barthelmess in "Sonny" and the "Buffalo Bill" serial are given a joint showing. Here two paneled cuts and two panels for the titles work better than they would loose in the space, but this does not apply to the two examples shown, where dropping some of the rule work would have given a more airy and inviting display. For Mr. Hiehle's benefit, we like very well his display for "The Four Horsemen" and do not like the fussy display for the last day of "Smilin' Through." Here the cut is a detractor. They did not think that the plan book suggestion for a hook-up page on "In the Name of the Law" would suit the local merchants, so the local ad man got up his own hook-in lines and found no difficulty in selling the merchants by displaying the matter ready to go into the form. This very greatly simplified the matter of selling off the page, and is a hint to others who may experience difficulty. Show them just how it will look. Don't bother to set up, but show the rough pencil sketch. ~P. T. A.— Thanks An Exhibitor for Capital Copy A. O. Gill, of the Erie Theatre, Hugo, Okla., sends his thanks to Hayes, of Hillsdale, Mich., for the reader reprinted in this department for October 21. Mr. Gill writes that he thinks it hard to beat, so he copied it off into his own display, as the larger of the two advertisements shows. He realizes, as does Mr. Hayes, that he can advertise something besides features and that an occasional little comment will do the house infinite good. He is getting nice results ERIE THEATRE ""fhe Am ashmen I 'Uab" of Soti(htaj)ltTn OblBhnniB For Your Pleasure J, THEATRELAND o TOMORROW and TUESDAY Itfi* L l^k) prceciYU "Is Matrimony a Failure?" -wrTB T. ROY BARNES ULA, LEE LOIS WILSON WALTER HIERS WED.NBSDAT— TOURaDAV AGNES AYRES In ••BORDERLAND" MARY PICKFORD "THE LOVE LIGHT A Paramount Release PLEASING THE PUBLIC from his printer and this paneled advertisement for "Is Matrimony a Failure?" gets nice treatment, to match his carefully written copy. The proportioning of the types could not be much better done, and yet it will be recalled that Mr. Gill's debut in this department was to get a criticism he could shoot into the printer. Evidently the suggestions were accepted, for since then the Gill advertisements have been decidedly good. He writes that he is cutting down his displays. The display for "Is Matrimony a Failure?" occupies a three sixes, but in another sample he puts over a last day and an ERIE THEATRE WALLACE REID •TOO MUCH SPEED" "BOUGHT AND PAID FOR" m L'ltramount Releases A REDUCED SPACE underline in just half that space and does it adequately. For the matrimonial picture he saw his chance for more good copy, so he took more space and added the Hayes reader. For "Too Much Speed" and "Bought and Paid For" he figured that he would be able to put them over with less talk, so he cut down his advertising space. He seems to reason along the Lem Stewart lines that large displays are of no value unless they get over better copy. Of course you cannot cut it too much without getting the paper busy with the blue pencil on readers, but you can effect a gradual reduction that will bring your advertising down to more reasonable limits, and then you will have more money with which to splurge on a big special. Figure on just how little the paper will expect and then make that your usual space; building up on this only when you have more to say or wish to say it more importantly. The idea that a three nines will sell twice as many seats as th ree four and a halfs is fundamentally wrong, else you could take all full pages and crowd the house at extra performances all the time. There is no magic in newspaper advertising save that you put in it yourself with smartly written copy. Mr. Gill also reports that he got good results from a program appeal to patrons to check their preferences on a blank which listed "Society drama, society comedy, love drama, tragedy, classics (from books), comedy drama, slapstick comedy, western." Were also four lines for favored stars, and spaces for the name and address and telephone number. This is old stuff, but once or twice a year you can dig up the copy, run it and not only get a line on your patrons' tastes, but you can verify your mailing list and at the same time persuade them that you are giving careful attention to your programs. It would be good work, from this latter angle, even if you threw the replies in the waste basket. It would have a definite moral value, but no wise manager will basket that stuff until he has taken off the results, and if he gets the favored stars checked, he can use the telephone numbers to good advantage. ~P. T. A.— David Horsley Runs Theatre in Hawaii David Horsley, who figured prominently as a producer in the good old days of the M. P. Sales Company, is now conducting the States Theatre in Honolulu. He writes that he is coming to New York to make additional contracts, but meanwhile he sends in samples of his advertising. These are on pink paper and cannot be reproduced, but they are interestin<^ examples of what can be done in Hulaland" t-vidently he is also connected with the First National exchange there, for one of the ads— on Jim the Penman," urges the reader to demand the States program at his own theatre which may account for the large spaces taken tor all of the advertisements. They seem designed to sell the program as well as the house His display for "Go and Get It" is a six htteens, and for Norma Talmadge in "The Sign on the Door" is even deeper— about a seventeen. This lists twenty-one houses playing First Nationals in the Territory of Hawaii It IS evident that he has not lost his skill as an advertiser and «e regret that the tint of the paper prohibits reproduction, for they are interesting examples and show none of the amateurishness which too often marks the territorial wt^rk. This miKht have been set in any fily m the States. —P. T. A.— 'All Wet'' Because there was a flight aviator in l?^"'itl Harris, of the Arcade Theatre, Fort Myers, Fla., swapped a slide for an aerial bill stunt. Fifty passes were thrown from the plane while it flew over the main streets. Ten went into the river, but it is still warm down in Florida and small boys dived in and rescued them. With window cards, extra stills and general jazz, combmcd with the air stunt, Mr. Harris played Blood and Sand" for three days, where two days was supposed to be the limit for this town.