The Moving picture world (November 1922-December 1922)

Selling thePicruRE to the Pubuc EDITED BY EPES WINTHROP SARGENT How An Exploiteer Feels About Eggs; Pathetic Letter From a Field Worker ABOUT two weeks ago Harold F. Wendt, now an exploiteer for F. B. O., dropped into town and of course came in for a call. And one of the things he wanted to know was why business was so patchy. "I hit one ton," he explained, "and things could not be better. Ten miles away and they have crepe on the door and immortelles on the box office. Another fifteen miles and business is good again." We explaned that a great deal depended upon the manager, particularly in a onehouse town. One man makes business; the other kills it. Hence These Tears And a couple of days later Max Rosenfield was showing a letter from a field man to the home office explaining why he did not get results in a certain town. It is so typical of a certain type of alleged manager that we got permission to publish it, without identification marks. The exploitation man had jumped forty or fifty miles to help a smaller house put over "When Knighthood Was in Flower." He had with him a doll used for contest schemes, and an abundance of pep. When he sat down to type his letter to Leon Bamberger, he still had the doll, but his pep was exhausted. Tfiis house is in the average sized town able to support two newspapers. It has established industries and a largely nonforeign population. The reason business was poor is shown in this letter: A Tale of Woe "I got there around ten o'clock Thursday morning — with the doll — my head full of ideas, and all cocked and primed to 'put 'er over.' There was no one at the theatre. I waited a few minutes and then got to scouting around on a little 'asking for the manager' trip and found that he had gone out of town for a few days. I wrote him a Behind the Bars for Thirty Days Mindful of the success of the "Gilded Cage," the Paramount lobby suggestor repeats the idea for the new feature, "Thirty Days." Just why the box office should be put in convict stripes is not apparent, but the black and white is not going to hurt the effect in the least. The ticket box and the doorman are done up to match. The beauty of the idea is that it makes a good flash at a very small cost. The sawmill can supply the rods cheaply, or you can plane down one by twos to get eight sided rods that will be close enough, and the lumber can be stored and used again in slightly changed form for other pictures. Of course the sign is changed to suit the name of the town. Naughright is merely put in as a horrible example. It is too small to have even a lockup, let alone a picture house. If you want to build up the idea you can put in cells with cutout star prisoners and introduce other small refinements. Paramount merely offers the bare idea. letter asking him to give me a little co-operation, almost one week ago. His landlady told me she knew he was gone for over Sunday. "The theatre is run by two men and I then tried to locate the other one, but no luck, so I sure had to do some thin'<ing. I had been there before and I knew how tight he was and I thought it best to get his or their authority to spend a little money. Know Nothing Usher "Finally the usher came around and I asked him about getting hold of the operator. He was dumb. Had been there all his life and did not know where we could find the operator. Well, to make a long story short, I fooled the entire morning away trying to get started, so by afternoon I was absolutely disgusted, but I took it upon myself to spend some money for him. So I arranged with the evening paper for that resemblance contest, giving away prizes of $5, $3, $2, and a couple tickets. That is not much of an inducement, but I was afraid to say more for fear he would object. "Next I got the Superintendent of Schools and found that they were having a teachers' convention. Teachers from the county there, so I had them arrange their schedule so as to be the guest of the theatre for Saturday morning. I knew how he was on tickets so I didn't do a thing with the newspaper ad or the doll. Both Hard Boiled "About four fifteen the OTHER manager came down and to begin with he said he was too busy to monkey with me. Finally I got to talk with him and tried to explain the thing to him. He said he couldn't do a thing without , the one who is away. I talked with him for some time and he assured me of the fact that they would not buy the doll, and that they would absolutely not give away any, ANY free tickets. So at last I sprung the screening on him, and you should have seen and heard him rave: 'NO, I WON'T have them in my house. WHAT, that many people to see a picture when we are trying to get all we can.' There would have been possibly sixty teachers. "I tried to show him the value of the advertising from newspapers and etc., but he said: 'NO, he WOULDN'T have such a thing.' So all I could do was to forget the screening. I am very hard to get sore but from then on in my Irish-Scotch or whatever it is, was up. I realized that I was up against some miser, and a damn fool. They may be getting business but why not try to get more. Took An Appeal So at last I thought I would go over his head and I had the operator try to find the other man. I thought perhaps he would give me authority for something at least. I talked to him for about five minutes and he said he could not do a thing while he was away. "I am not trying to spend exhibitors' money and I always prove to them that I am not, but you know there are times when a man must spend a little. What could a fellow do when you were working with a man who wouldn't spend twenty dollars and a few free tickets and his house for a screening for a picture like 'Knighthood?' So all I did was to arrange the resemblance contest and I have my doubts that he will carry it through, because the paper he does all his advertising with would not take it so I went to the other paper which liked it fine." A Week for a Day When David Chait, of the Palace Theatre, Flemington, N. J., saw that he was playing "The Song of Life" during "Apple Week," he hooked the First National to the campaign. Repeating the slogan that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, he announced that all patrons must bring three apples, which were donated to a Children's Home. ^ ^^.^^ = ^ ^ 1 A Paramount Release A SUGGESTION FOR A LOBBY DISPLAY ON "THIRTY DAYS" It is merely the gilded cag'e with the gilt taken off, and you can build up the idea with many touches according to your familiarity with penitentiaries. Your own town should be lettered instead of Naughright on the banners.