The Moving picture world (May 1926-June 1926)

May 22, 1926 Moving Picture World 331 Storin Adds Local Beauty to His Fashion Show Storin Adds Beauty to His Fashion Show Taking a leaf from the Paramount, book, Harry F. Storin, of the Leroy Theatre, Pawtucket, R. I., has improved the always reliable fashion show by making "Miss Popularity" his star. Storin wanted to pull something that would brisk up his Lenten business, and figured that a fashion show would be about the right idea for the pre-Easter event. The outlook did not look very rosy. The local paper is not what might be called lavish in handing out publicity to its stores, even though they advertise. Deaths, marriages, failures and fires are about the best ways to break out space for a store, so Storin went over and talked the paper into a "Miss Personality" contest. That's a good name. It takes it out of the hackneyed ■"beauty" class and gives it a new sound. The paper gave stories for sixteen days, with a daily ballot. It even gave the front page to the announcement of the winner, and the front page is as easy to win as a five dollar tip from a miser. It was Storin's debut on page one. The votes were counted by the secretary of the Chamber of Commerce and 62,274 single ballots were cast. For the size of the town this is a wonderfully good showing. Professional models, under the management of a former Ziegfeld chorine, were employed with the winner and runners up in the contest also appearing, and seats were scarce the entire week. It was a big thing for the theatre and an even bigger stunt for the Lind and Murphy Co. They were tickled pink, and Storin likes to remember that in A First National Release WE'LL ADMIT THAT BLUEBEARD WAS A GOOD PICKER H. C. Farley, of the Empire Theatre, Montgomery, Alabama, used this effective combination for his lobby display on Bluebeard's Seven Wives and did not slight a single wife. You can count them for yourself if you will. wrapping in the same store to help out the Saturday rush at 75 cents for the entire day. Try a contest with your next fashion show. It's a fine tonic. And get this new idea, too. Storin's opening scene was a drop with an advertisement for the store so large that the cut. She was posed in a recess in the drop. At the rise of the curtain she stepped from the page, told of the coming of Spring and the reason for the show and then stepped back into her niche as the curtains closed in. That gave the store real value and yet it did not look like advertising. his kid days his first paid job was bundle prologue girl was in proper proportion for a Handy Frames Edgar Hart writes that he is getting good results from permanent window frames for the Colonial Theatre, Portmouth, N. H. These are neat affairs that look well in any window and are made to carry cards announcing the starting times of the feature, which is changed weekly. So many persons consult these cards that the merchants find it advantageous to place their specials at the base of the frame to share the attention. Naturally this helps the frames to hold their places in the windows. A Mctro-Goldwyn Release A SPANISH PRAM ON KEATON'S SEVEN AGES How the Pathe Cinema, Barcelona, put over Seven Chances, renamed "The Seven Occasions." The 24-sheet provided the pictorial material, but that was just the starter. This is good enough for a parade float. Circused the Horse Using stock cuts, the Lyric Theatre, Blue Island, 111., made a very effective two-side circus herald for The Iron Horse that was a strong help to a three-day run. Most of the text as well as the cuts was taken from the press book, but it might have been written especially for this throwaway. Managers are too apt to regard a newspaper cut as a newspaper cut and nothing else. Most cuts will serve a diversity of purpose. Start a scrap book of the new ideas in this department. You'll find it handy to look over when you need an inspiration.