The Moving picture world (November 1925-December 1925)

670 MOV I NG PICTURE WORLD December 19, 1925 Made an Impressive Don Q Foyer With Paper A M ctro-Colilwyn Release WHERE THERE'S WILL THERE'S A WAY TO LOBBY DISPLAY That's poor poetry but sound fact. C. B. Stiff has small lobby space in the Imperial Theatre, Columbia, S. C, but Sun Up is a play of particular appeal in Carolina, so he made what he could out of the lobby and pulled a big crowd. Worked Many Stunts With Pony Express J. p. Harrison put in a lot of special work when he put over The Pony Express at the Hippodrome Theatre, Waco, Texas. The week before the showing there was a round-up drive of the Y. M. C. A. and a preview of the picture was given the Friday evening before the opening to the Y officials. It had previously been announced that the boys with the highest scores also would be permitted to attend this special. This not only had the kids hustling for the honor, but those who saw the picture naturally bragged it up to those of their acquaintance who had not been in the audience, and the result was an unusual amount of verbal advertising in addition to the newspaper story. The newspapers not only wrote up the show, but mention was made daily in the running story of the drive. Much on the Streets An old buggy drawn by two veterans of the old stage routes, 27 years old, made a good ballyhoo and this was supplemented by an auto with painted compo-board sides. These were kept out for several days. On Sunday twenty-six boys and girls who had their own ponies escorted the prams about town, the riders being dressed in western outfits. When they had covered the city they hitched their ponies in front of tlie theatre and went in to see the show, while the string of ponies ballied in the passers-by. Then they took another half-hour ride before they went home, and figured they had been having a lot of fun. Sawmill slabs transformed the house front into a log hut, and a western old time saddle, tied to a hitching post, contributed local color. The entire county was covered with advertising, with special letters to the school teachers in all the towns. The Right Word Several contests for the best criticism on some picture to which it is desired to draw attention have flopped. Generally the reason is that most persons think criticism and faultfinding synonymous and the picture came in for undeserved slams. C. W. Hallock, of the Victory Theatre, D( nver, offered cash prizes for the best expressing of the impressions of The Pony Express, and this gave emphasis to the fact it was a good picture. Made His Display Against Handicap Because the lobby space is limited in the Imperial Theatre, Columbia, S. C, C. B. Stiff does not usually try to put over a dressed lobby, with the result that when he does pitch in, it has much more than the usual eflfect. He felt that Sun Up, a story of the mountains, should get more than usual business if properly advertised, so he slabbed his box office and tied a couple of pine trees to the lobby posts. A final touch was a bench made, mountain fashion, of half a log with saplings for legs. A banner describing the play as "A picture of the Carolina Mountains" completed the appeal. The entire display cost less than a dollar, and it brought in an extra large business through the emphasis it gave the locale. In some places it is impossible to get business without a good lobby, but in Columbia since lobbies are largely impracticable, their lack is not severely felt and their use is a direct seller. Added Guy Kenimer knew that the Postal Telegraph had tied to The Pony Express for a window card showing and that every station in Jacksonville would flash the card when the feature came to the Arcade Theatre. Knowing that, he figured that they might be ripe for scene stills, so he passed them out, and every office manager said "yes." Those Postal frames do not have much display value, for the frames are in constant use and the change in the cards is not sufficiently marked to get attention. The stills not only did their own advertising, but they called attention to the Postal signs. A United Artists' Release A SPANISH CORRIDOR ON DON Q MADE FROM CREPE PAPER Streamers of yellow and red transformed the inner lobby of the Plaza Theatre, Asheville, N. C, the week before the Fairbanks picture, and made one of the strongest appeals of a good campaign. If you have a strong foyer this will work nicely.