The Moving picture world (November 1922-December 1922)

December 30. 1922 MOVING PICTURE ]V 0 R LD 863 A Fox Release THIS MIGHT BE ANYWHERE IN THE U. S. A. BUT IT ISN'T This is the lobby display from the Strand Theatre, Perth, Australia, for "A Connecticut Yankee." It shows a very handsome banner and the perambulating Sir Boss, anJ a set of escutcheons just below the banner for Arthur's Knights Adapted Idea Recently Hcrschel Stuart, in charge of the Missouri Theatre, St. I-ouis, used a headline from the local paper for the frame for his advertisement. It linked up to the feature being advertised and gave him art work at no cost. Now comes Amike Vogel, Pittsburgh Paramounteer, who nearly swooned with joy when he picked up the morning paper and found a screamer across the page reading "Motorists Indicted on Manslaughter Charges." He tore out the centre of the page, framed in an announcement for the De Milie picture and is using a reproduction for heralds all through his district and is even shipping to other territories. It works better than the stock herald and costs only $15 a thousand imprinted. Picture Drew More Than a Vaudeville Pantages Theatre, Minneapolis, is a vaudeville house with a film feature, and generally the film gets the short end of the stick. But in the case of the imported production of "The Prince and the Pauper," J. J. Cluxton figured tliat he could get more out of the celluloid star and he went after it like a hound after a jack rabbit. He gave a preview to all the school teachers in the "Twin Cities," to capitalize on the Mark Twain angle, and hooked the book stores. The cut shows a department store window in which the picture was made the basis of a display which included a number of other juvenile specialties handled by the store. The chief attractor was a pair of absurd dolls, set well to the fore. They got attention which was passed along to the general display. Three book stores also hooked to displays of Mark Twain's works. Accident Helped And as a reward for all of this effort, the gods willed that one of the local papers should run a Sunday syndicate feature in which Chauncey M. Depew gave his reminiscences of a dinner at which Mark Twain and the then Prince of Wales were the guests. This was purely an accident of chance, but it worked over to the film, and helped to ma'-e business. And the business was so much above the average that it would seem that the film can bring in more than the vaudeville, when it is the right sort of picture. Two Trains Generally a miniature train is supposed to be able to get all the money in town, and usually it does, but the Park Theatre, Franklin, Pa., made assurance doubly sure. It set up the toy train in the window of a store, with the usual scene made up of toy train accessories, but the store had a smaller window and wanted something for that. .'X freight and a passenger train were piled ui) in an apparent wreck and a placard st'ited that "The Fast Mail" was never wrcc ed. It put in two good punches for I he Vox special and sold even better. How would it do to stage a wreck every fifteen minutes the first time you get a picture witli a wrec'; scene, and theii advertise the fact. It will l)c a little extra trouble, but a small boy will cost little and the stunt will work largely. Several of the Universalists are women, and one is Miss Hattie K. Morrill, who works out of Washington. She persuaded the Liggett & Myers Company that the cigarette of "Under Two Flags" was the natural exploitation for a new brand of paper smokes. The tobacco company supplied the cigarettes and Miss Morrell distributed the cigarettes in the Foreign Legion uniform. She also got windows all through that territor}-, which covers the Virginias. Made Triple Tie-up for Armistice Day Lem Stewart, of tlie Southern Enterprises, advised all of his managers to tie up to .\rmistice Day where possible, and all through that territory the response was prompt and profitable. Memphis, with three associated houses, used a joint display with a ribbon across the top telling that three unusually good plays had been obtained. The Palace had "The . Eternal Flame," the Strand used "Burning Sands" and the Majestic offered "The Man who Saw Tomorrow." At an additional cost of the! seven inches for the top all three were put into a special class, and were put over to unusual business. The same idea is as useful for any holiday where there are two or more houses in town. Clothing Hook-Up Donald W. Bonstein, exploitation man for the Third Street Theatre, Fasten, Pa., sold off a clothing store on a four xolumns full for "Rags to Riches." He got hold of Benjainin B. Belfer, who does the advertising for Mintz, a clothier just across the street, and Mintz came out with the big display on the theatre page announcing that "you do not have to go in rags and do not need great riches to avoid them if you buy your clothing at Mintz's." Apparently Mintz took about three-fifths of the space above and below the theatre announcement, and both got value of the full space for the hook-up. This should be made a standard stunt where the Warner production plays. Jazz Got Thirty Jazzing up his campaign on "Flesh and Blood" brought a thirty per cent, increase to H. J. Gould, of the Hippodrome Theatre, Fort Worth, Texas. He started his screen work ten days in advance and a week ahead used a lobby miniature, later changing this for a larger display showing Chancy leaving the jail. This was built in several planes to give perspective— and importance — to the display. A number of drug stores permitted fountain painting, and a float reproducing a scene from the play was sent out. At night this was lighted by red flares. Armistice Day the float trailed the parade, and ushers accompanied it, passing out some 2,000 heralds. He not only built up business, but by making it important, he drew a number of letters favorably commenting upon the picture. An American Release SELLING THE PARENTS THROUGH AN APPEAL TO CHILDREN How a Minneapolis department store put over "The Prince and the Pauper" for Pantages and at the same time sold its own selection of juvenile books and toys. The Golliwops down in the lower right hand corner were the real attractors