Paramount Pep (1923)

PARAMOUNT PEP 7 The Accessories Manager’s Dream By Samuel Cohen — New Jersey Accessories Manager It was all Herb. Elder’s fault in the first place. He called me into his office to show me his pipe. “There’s my idea of a real pipe,” he boasted; “take a couple of puffs and see how it draws.” I did as I was told. After that I seemed to have a hazy idea that someone called out that I was wanted in the accessories stock room and I hastened to see what was what, absent-mindedly taking the pipe with me. The hum of voices in the far end of the stock room reached my ears. Exhibitor: Where is the Accessories Manager? One-Sheet : Oh, Sammy is around somewhere. Three-Sheet : They are having him paged outside. Six-Sheet: Huh! If he is an Accessories Manager, I’m a Fanfoto. Exhibitor : Why, what’s the matter ? I thought he was pretty good. Six-Sheet: He thinks he is good, but as a matter of fact he doesn’t know his business. Take me for example. Here I've been lying in this bin for six whole weeks. Another guy in his place would have sold me long ago. Exhibitor : Perhaps the picture isn’t being booked. Six-Sheet : Don’t try to alibi him. One-sheets and three-sheets are being sold regularly on this picture. Exhibitor : A lot of exhibitors haven't got a six-sheet board. I haven’t. Six-Sheet : That’s true ; but did you ever stop to realize that you can make a dandy cut-out of a six-sheet and that it will attract even more attention in your lobby than a six-sheet pasted up in the ordinary way ? Exhibitor: Say, that’s a good thought. Funny it never occurred to me. I'll have to remember that. Three-Sheet: How do you like the quantity price schedule? Exhibitor : I haven’t had much use for it as yet. Three-Sheet: How come? Exhibitor : I — er — that is — well — I don't buy my paper and photos here, only slides. Chorus: You don’t? Exhibitor: You see — the advertising — er — I mean — the expense. Chorus : Advertising isn't an expense, it’s an investment. Exhibitor : I know that ; but the posters and photos I get from the movie poster company are almost as good as the fresh material front here. Chorus : But it’s second-hand stuff. Exhibitor : What of it ? One-Sheet : Your lobby is to your theatre what the show window is to the department store. Suppose the proprietor of a department store should put a lot of seedy, second-hand articles in his show window. Do you think people would be drawn there to buy? Of course not! Three-Sheet : To a great extent your success depends on the general appearance of your lobby. If you put out a dirty, torn one-sheet ; if you display things which are inferior to what you have to sell — you cannot blame the public if they refuse to buy. You may be showing the best pictures on the market, but there is nothing in your lobby — your show window — to indicate it. Six-Sheet : Pay more attention to your lobby and your lobby will attract more attention to your theatre ! Exhibitor : Well, I’ll be blowed ! No one ever presented that angle of it to me in just that way. You fellows have shown me the error of my ways. Here’s where I reform. Six-Sheet : Didn’t I tell you that this so-called Accessories Manager of ours was n. g. ? Say, that guy was good when Bryan first started running for President. Three-Sheet : Oh, shut up, Six-Sheet, you’re always crabbing. One-Sheet: Well, Mr. Exhibitor, that quantity price schedule will come in mighty handy to you now. Exhibitor : I don’t know about that. It’s a great idea for the big exhibitor but we little fellows can’t take advantage of it. One-Sheet : I don’t see why not. For instance, can’t you use ten one-sheets? Exhibitor : No, I’ve got room for only about six. Three-Sheet : Why don’t you post the other four around town? Exhibitor: What’s the use? I'm right on Main Street and everybody who comes to town necessarily passes by the theatre. One-Sheet: What do you charge for admission? Exhibitor: Twenty-five cents. One-Sheet : Six one-sheets is costing you ninety cents. Ten one-sheets would cost $1.15; in other words the additional four one-sheets would cost you but twenty-five cents. If they brought you in only one extra patron they would pay for themselves. Exhibitor : Holy mackerel ! I never figured it out that way, but I’ll tell the world you are right. Six-Sheet : By the way, do you use the Paramount trademark and the line “A Paramount Picture” in your advertising? Exhibitor: What for? That doesn't do me any good. Six-Sheet: It doesn’t? How do you get that way ? When you book a Paramount picture we know it is a Paramount picture and you know it is a Paramount picture but does your public know it? Not unless you insert the line “A Paramount Picture” in your advertising. Three-Sheet : And when you stop to consider that for more than five years Paramount National Advertising has hammered home to the millions in America the fact that “A PARAMOUNT PICTURE means it s the best show in town,” you can easily see what that line means to you in dollars and cents. One-Sheet . This one fact alone should encourage ( Continued on page 8)