Select Pictures Magazine (1919)

/ SELECT PICTURES MAGAZINE Page 11 A Hint To You, Constance Talmadge and Mr. Exhibitor “Happiness a la Mode” ■ ^IND woman: arouse her curiosity"—is the advice one of the oldest and best moving picture trade journals in the A country gives you —The Moving Picture World. That’s your cue in playing up "Happiness a la Mode.” “Empty seats in a theatre is a certain proof that the showman- salesman does not know his market,” says the World. “His market is every man, woman and child in his community—and very often in surrounding communities. Therefore it follows that to be able to offer on his market what his market demands, the showman-sales- man not only must know his public, but he must also know how to tell them that he has what they want. A close study of newspapers —particularly evening papers—will give a fairly comprehensive idea of what interests people. By that is not meant specifically some one thing that is wanted but what emotions, what appeal, can most successfully be used in getting folks interested in your pictures. “Psycho-analysis of the widely-circulated evening newspapers and weekly and monthly magazines must prove to the showman that it is to the woman he must direct his advertising appeal. It is the woman who holds the purse strings; who controls the dimes and quarters that pay admissions for the family; who is the head of the house always when it comes to a question as to what movies her family is going to. And there is an unfailing method of reach- ing woman through advertising—arouse her curiosity and your sale is made. “The eternal feminine has not changed since Eve’s time. It was Eve’s curiosity that impelled her to pick the apple. Later on, in Greek mythology, Pandora was the woman who again proved the lengths to which a woman would go to satisfy her curiosity. It was she who, having been warned, opened Pandora’s Box and loosed on the world all its evils. Helen, of Troy, was a woman, and her curi- osity as to what the mysterious white horse contained resulted in the fall of Troy. All through the ages we have proof that a woman can be relied upon to seek to satisfy her curiosity. The response of woman to curiosity is unfailing and can be relied upon. It is an appeal that can be coupled up with all the emotions that a human is capable of. “It therefore follows that an exhibitor dealing in a commodity that plays upon every emotion in the category of sentiment, must make his big appeal to women. And his biggest response will come when he arouses their curiosity. “Often the mistake is made of telling too much about the picture you are to show. While in this manner several additional admissions may be obtained from those who want to see the picture because they know so much about it, it is a better scheme to make them just interested enough to want to know more—to come and see the fdm for themselves.” Here’s your tip, Mr. Exhibitor. Play it to the limit. "Happiness a la Mode” is the kind of a picture that can be wonderfully adapted to such a plan. Arouse the curiosity of your women folks. In your ads, your handbills, your program and the placards you paste in front of your theatre—appeal to the women. Ask them if their husbands are unfaithful. Tell them to come and see “Happiness a la Mode” and learn the cure. Appeal to the young married woman. Tell her to find out how to hold the interest of her husband. Ask her if she has a rival for the love of her husband or does she want to learn how to make her husband happy. Speak to the girl who intends to marry soon. Ask her if she knows enough about married life to take the step. Tease them—pique their interest—do every- thing to arouse curiosity but don’t tell them the story. “Happiness a la Mode” is a wonderful picture, which will bring you wonderful business if you exploit it in the right way. Your opportunities are plenty. Study them and take advantage of them. C ONSTANCE TALMADGE, the essence of pep, jazz and youth—the girl who has captured the hearts of thousands of screen patrons with her joyous, vivid, rollicking, enchanting personality—will undoubtedly shackle with fetters of iron the rest of the thousands of film fans who have been wavering in the balance, trying to decide whether to adopt Sheeza Bare or the fair Constance for their idol. Never has she been cast in a better role than that of Barbara Townsend in her latest Select Picture, “Happiness a la Mode,” in which she is presented, as in all her other Select Pictures, by Lewis J. Selznick. Happiness—that elusive maintenance of life—was a darn nice word, which when sampled, gave pleasant, thrilly results until they tacked on that little French a la mode. But then that was to be expected. They’ve “a la moded” about everything else under the sun so you couldn’t expect them to show any partiality and let that perfectly good word, happiness, go untouched. So now we have “Happiness a la Mode,” which means nothing more or less than up-to-the-minute happiness—the latest thing in happiness, as the saleslady would tell you if the goods were marketable. They couldn’t let the good old-fashioned happiness alone; they had to go and look for a new kind. Well, they found it—and then they lost it again, accidentally on purpose. Young married couples seem to have more trouble being happy than all the other people in the world put together. The reason of that is because they are continually looking for it. If they stopped in their search for one minute they would find that they had captured the bird in a golden cage. It was Mr. and Mrs. Newlywed who discovered “Happiness a la Mode” and found it to be a fizzle. It didn’t work because She believed the surest way of being happy was to let Him have all the freedom he wanted. He thought that She was indifferent in her efforts to corner the little God of Happiness in their downy nest and result, trouble, more trouble, “lots of trouble." And it’s their troubles that will cause your sides to ache with laughter in “Happiness a la Mode,” which can be seen on at the — Theatre. Barbara Townsend did not believe in tying hubby to her apron strings. Too many of her friends had told her the result of such a marriage. But she forgot that there was a happy medium. She made the leash too long and the result was that the astonished little bride soon found hubby asking for a divorce. He had succumbed to the wiles of another woman. A frame-up was arranged whereby hubby got his divorce and the Mrs. was given three months in which to file her final decree. Wifey was just clever enough to realize that the way to win back her man was to trade places with her rival. The other woman was now the promised wife and she was now the “outside” girl, the romantic sweetheart. Her plan worked, and during the three months which were to elapse before the final decree was to be filed, hubby was ever at her heels. This was exactly what the foxy lady wanted, but she refused to resume her former status as his wife. Her plans are brought to a fruitful conclusion when she invites him to dinner and pretends to have a nervous breakdown after the meal. He takes her home and sends for the doctor. While hubby is tenderly caring for her, the feminine rival appears on the scene and seeking to win the sympathy of the man, starts to weep. But little wifey is not to be outdone and also bursts into a flood of tears. The best weeper wins out and peace is once more restored in the newlyweds’ domicile. And the a-la-mode is banished, leaving the plain, ordinary, old-fashioned happiness to rule the home. “Happiness a la Mode” was directed by Walter Edwards. Popu- lar Harrison Ford plays the leading role cf the husband, who first realized how much he loved his wife after he had lost her. Others in the cast are Betty Schade, Myrtle Richelle, Paul Weigel, Thomas D. Persse and A. Fremont.