The Moving picture world (November 1923-December 1923)

136 MOVING PICTURE WORLD November 3, 1923 A Universal Release A CUTOUT EFFECT FROM THE MAJESTIC, AUSTIN, TEXAS en *j .Rol>.erts offered a somewhat different handling of the poster at his theatre, and filled in with broad bands of colored crepe papers. This merely served to supplement some novelty stunts that sold The Merry -GoRound to a thirty per cent, increase. Sparks Flew for Compson Feature Making the tableau of Betty Compson about to open the safe in The Woman with Four Faces, C. A. McFarland, of the Queen Theatre, Houston, Texas, arranged it so that the electric drill in Miss Compson's hands would spark when touched to the door of the safe. A buzzer was employed to imitate the whirl of the motor and give a sound attractor. The ushers were masked as were the cashiers and doormen. Pined for Kola Clayton Tunstill, of the Rialto Theatre, Chickasha, Okla., hooked The Trail of the Lonesome Pine to a new Kola drink and gave a bottle to eacli patron, dispensing the samples from a special booth just outside the lobby. You could drink it there or take it into the theatre with you, the ushers collecting the empty bottles. He disposed of 1,500 bottles in two days and got an increase of business at no cost. Roses Made Business A production which brought a lot of extra business for an entire week was lately tried out by George E. Brown, of the Imperial Theatre, Charlotte, N. C. The previous week a baritone had been employed to help put over a picture for a full week in a three-change town, and he was kept on to sing "Love Brings a Little Gift of Roses." At the chorus two little girls rose from their seats in the front row and slowly walked up the aisles of the darkened house, handing out roses from baskets to the women on the aisles. Flashlights in their baskets lighted their heads. During the week some 1,200 roses were passed out, the novelty being put on three times a day. The only cost was for the children, and the $10 apiece paid them went for the purchase of the dresses they wore. The flowers were donated. The local papers carried several stories and the stunt helped to put over three different pictures. On His Way In addition to a showing of the new model of a make of automobiles with the suggestion that such a car would have been a luxury in the Klondike rush of the period of The Spoilers, the Rialto Theatre, Charleston, W. Va., used a good ballyhoo. This was a miner with a pack burro. The donkey was hung with signs reading: "I have come a long way to see The Spoilers at the Rialto Theatre." Three on One That the people of Dallas might know of the coming of Main Street to the Palace Theatre, Bruce Fowler, City Manager, and Raymond Willie, the resident manager, posted street sides of the local flatiron building with huge signs telling the world it would miss something if it did not see Main Street. It made a nice flash at a small cost. Offered Free Taxis for Merry -Go-Round Through the efforts of Universalist Jack Meredith, Manager E. B. Roberts, of the Majestic Theatre, Austin, Texas, took out rain insurance with a local concern on The Merry-GoRound. This led to another and much more novel stunt. A local taxi company was induced to gamble on the weather and advertise that in case of rain on the closing Saturday, its fleet of cabs would bring anyone to the theatre free, the argument being that no one should miss this attraction. But Mr. Roberts did not stop there. He pasted a 24-sheet to the lobby floor for advance work and them made a cutout of another for use as his chief display at the showing. The floor poster was spotted by overhead lights. A special billing location was the top of a new hotel next door to the theatre. This fine structure is the pride of Austin and its erection is watched with interest. If they saw the hotel they had to see the posters. Numerous window displays were arranged and 250 letters were sent the local Elks reminding them that Mary Philbin was the winner of the beauty contest at the Elks' convention and urging them to get behind the choice of the Order. All it cost was $20 over the average and it ran business up nearly one third. That's a pretty neat profit. Large Souls Getting a fence around a construction operation, the Vendome Theatre, Nashville, Tenn., covered nearly a city block with Souls for Sale in five-foot letters with house and date in smaller letters on either end. Practically all of the cars of the street railway system pass the block, and there was a heavy automobile traffic in addition, so it was difficult to overlook the sign. First in N. Z. First National Publicity claims on behalf of O. N. Gillespie, head of its New Zealand exchange, credit as the first picture publicity promoter to use radio broadcasting for advertisement. He had a well known soloist sing Smilin' Though and then he horned in (literally) with a brief chat. A First National Release WHAT YOU CAN GET FROM PENROD WITHOUT HAVING TO PAY The makers of the Penrod Suits are following the film in the eastern territory and have effected more than 150 hook-ups to date without cost to the houses. This showing was worked for the Playhouse, Passaic, N. J., the two boys being winners in suit contests.