The Moving picture world (September 1923-October 1923)

Selling the Picture to the Public EDITED BY EPES WINTHROP SARGENT Play Old Favorites on Productions and You Can Repeat Them Every Few Months Congratulations I WHEN in doubt, play Victor Herbert," seems to be Edward L. Hyman's motto in his productions at the Mark Strand theatre, Brooklyn, and he has found that the old favorites can come back every few months and find a warm welcome, but Herbert is by no means the only favorite, and the deathless music of Gilbert and Sullivan should also find a place in the production library. In addition to this there are a number of long-forgotten operas, the books of which may still be had. There are a number of good selections in The Black Hussar, Erminie yields the famous Lullaby in addition to several other good selections that may well be revived, and going further back there are The Chimes of Normandy, Maritana, 'Merry War, Fatinitza, Boccacio, Falka — the list might be continued for half a column, and most of this music is new to the present generation. Useful Guides The record catalogues of the leading phonograph companies will give a good line on the old favorites, since they naturally list the most popular selections, and the Victor Book of the Opera should be on every producing manager's desk. None of these selections call for elaborate scenery, and yet many of them can be nicely dressed at small cost. Excerpts made up of from three to eight selections will yield a good feature number and the individual songs can be used as solos. Don't leave it all to your leader. Know what you are talking about when he talks things over with you. Getting Artists In the smaller places you do not have to hire professional talent. Most music teachers —and no town is too small not to have at least one, will be glad to supply the singers, often at no greater recognition than a bracketed (Pupil of Mrs. Sarah S. Smith). She will coach the pupil and often provide you with several, who may be used in rotation to give variety to your program. If your house is comfortable, it might prove practical and profitable to permit the teacher the use of the auditorium in the mornings. This is even more desirable in the case of dancing teachers. Dance Numbers Choreographic numbers are very simple. There are few styles of dances, the ball ■ room, toe or ballet, barefoot or iinerpretivc, the step dancers and the almost forgotten "essence." These can be worked up into a variety of numbers with very little trouble, and kept so well disguised that there is not a sameness; which is the great thing to be guarded against. You will find that you will get good cooperation from the teachers, since you are opening a market in their own town. Costuming need not be elaborate. Try Tryouts If you have any trouble connecting with the teachers, try a series of tryout nights. Take pains to hold down any tendency to •guy the aspirants and presently you will have built up a little stock company. This is particularly good in the larger towns and for neighborhood houses, but it can be worked even in the smaller places and will, in itself, hold up one of the weak nights. Keep an eye on the work of others and read the metropolitan papers for hints. Keep in touch with the popular numbers, but you will find that you can give just as satisfactory a show with non-royalty numbers as you can with the taxed selections. Get Variety. Avoid the danger of sameness. Do not always have one singing and one dancing number. Omit the dance at times, and use a second vocal number instead. Get other ideas. Work in your orchestra, even though it may be small. You cannot achieve symphonic results with from three to five pieces, but you can pick out trick stuff that will please, and often a selection with a lot of drum traps will give better satisfaction to your patrons than a more pretentious selection. Avoid the highbrow. People do not, as a rule, come to the picture theatre for classical music. On the other hand, don't get the idea that you have to play down to them. Give them good music, popular music and plenty of variety. In the course of time you will develop a reputation that will sell better than the film features; though don't get the idea that you can do away with good pictures through the use of other numbers. Supplement, do not supplant. People primarily come to a picture theatre to see good pictures. You cannot expect otherwise, but you can get more than your share of the business than the opposition if you give a better show. Because Jack Holt is building himself a following in the South, H. B. Clarke, of the Garing Theatre. Greenville, S. C, slid on extra advertising where it cost money, but put the name over on the soda bar mirrors and on free car cards, and got the coin. The congratulations and good wishes of Moving Picture World are extended to J. M. Edgar Hart on the arrival of a daughter at his home in Dallas, August 18. This properly belongs to the regional news, but we know Edgar and Smithie doesn't, so we are cribbing it for this department. Not to overlook the press agent possibilities, J. M. Edgar is manager of the Old Mill and Queen theatres, Dallas, a Paramount production. With a Kick House organs are a costly luxury unless they are good, but when they possess individuality they are worth a lot of money to a house. E. E. Bair has started a half-size four pager for the State Theatre, Uhrichsville, Ohio, that is going to be worth more than a mile of 24-sheets to the house. It has punch and personality and is our idea of good reading matter. It is about forty per cent, attraction, twenty per cent, house and the rest film news and generalities. There is a little more than a nage of trade advertisement, so it probably has the additional advantage of being self supporting. If Bair can keep on bringing out issues as good every two weeks, he will presently have a very valuable advertising medium, for if they like the paper, they will follow its guidance. We think he will be glad to send a copy if you will supply the postage. It's worth looking at. A QoULwyn Release A SIMPLE FRONT FOR LOST AND FOUND IN CHATTANOOGA C. B. Stiff did not spend much money on the South Seas story because he did not need to. A little foliage and a tripod and campfire was just as good for bringing business as an elaborate painting would have been. That's good enough.