The Moving picture world (September 1923-October 1923)

September 22, 1923 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 335 Production Hints from Edward L. Hyman Managing Director, Mark-Strand Theatre, Brooklyn Got Laundry Insert with Trailer Films When Enemies of Women came to the Strand Theatre, Louisville, H. T. Snowden assisted the Strand management in doing their stuff. One new idea was to run a one reel advertising production, A Laundry Quandry, evidently a local production, in the neighborhood houses for two weeks before the showing, which persuaded every laundry in town to tell, through package inserts that the washtub is one of the enemies of women. Another good idea was to place three wrecked autos with signs to the effect that careless drivers are enemies of women. This was the hub of a big safety first campaign which included tagged automobiles and semaphores. Nine drug stores blazoned the fact that poor complexions are Enemies of Women and offered remedial agents and 242 groceries sold wrapped bread which proclaimed that hot ovens are enemies of women. Snowden found so many enemies that it is a wonder that any Louisville women are alive, but they still are and most of them saw the picture. Confirmed Report slips for Southern Enterprises carry the statement at newspaper advertising can seldom sei nore than twenty per cent, of the business. Now and then this statement is questioned, chiefly by managers who are exceptions to the rule. This week we were chatting with the exploitation manager of a chain of vaudevillepicture theatres. It was not a formal interview, but merely a chance meeting on a street corner, and the statement was casually made that the newspaper appropriation this year would be cut eighty per cent. The explanation was very simple. It was found that a ballyhoo costing only a few dollars would sell better than newspaper work costing ten times as much. The manager was inclined to credit house tradition with the bulk of the sales, with ballyhoo and billboards for the direct appeal of the current attraction. This seems to be a complete confirmation of Lem Stewart's theories, and the manager had never seen the Stewart statement. Variety was the keynote of the program which Edward L. Hyman of the Brooklyn Mark Strand put on with Universal's "Merry-Go-Round." This was attained by outlining a show of seven units or incidents, and building up around the atmosphere for the feature picture. This "atmosphere" was lifted direct from the picture so far as setting was concerned. A special back drop of a general view of the amusement park showed a merry-goround, ferris wheel and other devices. Transparencies in the drop, with lights behind, gave the effect of strings of bulbs. As the set was lighted as for night this flash was very attractive. Tables were in the foreground, and three characters from the picture were seated at these. Two dancers made up as children, and a violinist were added, as Hyman introduced a violin solo, "Liebesf reud," and a dance, "Viennese Polka," in addition to vocal numbers, "Auf Wiedersehn" and "The Old Refrain." A scrim caught the motion picture as the stage characters were picked out by spots from behind and the screen was lowered. The overture, to contrast with the heavy nature of the film, was a musical novelty, This Exhibitor Was Different Just to be different, J. H. Stelling did not offer to rename Main Street when he played the Warner feature at the Rex Theatre, Spartanburg, S. C. Instead of that he used a modified Safety campaign with red and white posters reading "Be careful on all streets and watch for Main Street." He worked the same idea on 1,000 doorknobs, which were placed on doors instead of automobiles, as is the current fashion. He supplied the library with book markers and got several signs in the reading room suggesting a visit to the picture, and gave tickets with each copy of the book sold. As they have a Main Street, he tied twenty stores to "this is the best on main street," filling in the blank with the name of the business. "Around the World with Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Shean." Specially arranged for Hyman, but easily available for any orchestra, this carried the Gallagher-Shean tune aboard ship and to various countries, and back again. With the overture was a set of trailers on the screen, written in comedy vein. Typical Hyman lighting was used, and at the finish the silver draw curtains closed in. Gems from "Pagliacci" in special staging made up Incident 2, with tenor, baritone and soprano in the familiar roles of Canio, Tonio, Nedda and Silvio. The Prologue and three selections were used, closing with the well known "On with the Play." The setting was the conventional tent-stage of the opera. Following the Review a contralto appeared under spot on the apron, singing "By the Waters of Minnetonka," by Lieurancc. The silver draw curtains of the presentation stage were lighted by amber, green and magenta arch spots, with light blue x-rays and amber foots. Fabric columns right and left were light pink. Kliegl flood from booth, light blue. The organ recessional was "Fanfare," by Lemmens. Sport Writer Covers a Fight in Spoilers In several cities there have been advance showings of The Spoilers to newspapermen, and particularly to the sporting page men. In Cleveland one of the papers detailed one of its staff to "cover" the fight and it was written up in the same style as though it had been a local mill. There is a good angle here for any town with a daily newspaper and a two day run. Regular Fellows Fearing that eventually the theatre-going populace would rise in revolt over the newsboys matinees, the Rivoli Theatre, Baltimore, set out to find a set of false whiskers for the old stunt. It found it in a Regular Fellows Club, sponsored by the Baltimore New? and American. According to these papers it was nothing short of a crime to keep any small boy from seeing Penrod and Sam. So it formed the club and accepted for membership any kid who did not have the price of admission. They even went after the orphan asylums and the hospitals for children. It brought in the money, just as the other scheme used to, and it looks newer. Jones Joins Raymond B. Jones, whose live-wire exploits in the Middle West have been set forth in his department pretty regularly, has been added to the staff of Howard Price Kingsmore, at the Howard Theatre, Atlanta. It looks like 50-50 in the matter of congratulations, for both sides have reason to consider themselves fortunate. Their methods are similar and Jones will do a lot to further Kingsiuore's efforts. Watch for more smoke from Atlanta. In Altoona, Pa., a simple sidewalk painting opened a teaser campaign on Three Wise Fools. For three nights the sidewalks were chalked with "Y Y Y Fools" and one inch singles ran in the papers with the same cony, and a special 24-sheet was also painted witli tlu rebus. Presently larger newspaper spaces told that it stood for Three Wise Fools. A First Sationnl Release THE AMERICAN MUST BE ON A ONE WAY STREET Only one cutout and sign were used for "Penrod and Sam" at the American Theatre, Butte, Mont., and the First National slogan, "The Yell of the Year" was made equal to the title. Evidently the bulk of the travel is from one direction in Butte.