Universal Weekly (1920, 1923-27)

46 Universal Weekly January 2, 1926 UIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIJ I Pittsburgh Smoke } m ™ rilNliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiMWiiiiiiiiiiiii; WONDER if Santa Claus remembered all of you. We hung up our Holeproof and someone gave us a lead pencil. This ended the capacity for receiving gifts. * * * JACK WEISIAN, former theatrical agent, is now managing the Capitol Theatre in New Castle. Jack is a thorough showman, and Owner Burke is to be congratulated on procuring such a high-power executive. * * * THE taking over the management of the Cameraphone Theatre by Dick Brown has created a new atmosphere at that attractive East Liberty playhouse. Dick’s charming personality has made many new boosters for the Cameraphone. We overheard a lady trying to get by the theatre exclaim to her friend, “Oh, lets go in here, they have the nicest manager and he always seems to take such an interest in you that its getting to be a habit with me to watch that young man smile every week.” * * * GEORGE WILSON, salesman, commutes up and down the main line greeting the exhibitor. We doubt if there is another man in film business who can call as many exhibitors by their first names as George. In ninety per cent, of the theatres he visits he fills out his own contract because he has the confidence and trust of the theatre owner. * * * Mike wintergratt of the Majestic Theatre in Rochester, Pa., is doing his best to make Rochester a regular town. Mike is a regular fellow and when he walks up and down the street you would think he was the Mayor as he knows everyone in the town and they all know and like him. * * * THE good business being done by the Majestic Theatre in Jeanette is easily explained after five minutes with that human dynamo, Mike Rosenthal. This writer trailed Mr. Rosenthal one whole day with the result that before going to bed there was much applying of Tiz and rubbing with alcohol to ease the tired feeling so we could sleep. * * * THEATRE Managers reporting bad business throughout the country will find their opinions altered by making one visit to the delightful centre district of Wheeling. Theatrical business is booming and all the theatres are packing them in both day and night. This is easily explained with Chas. Feinler, Louis Feinler, Chas. Feinler, Jr., of the Virginia Theatre, Clinton Botsford of the Colonial, Geo. Zeppos at the Plaza and Rex, Geo. Shaffer of the Court and Victoria and James Velis, handling the managerial reins at the Liberty and Lyric Theatres. Here is a line-up of hustlers who refuse to become discouraged, who never admit they are licked and who have never substituted wailing for rustling, and by consistent plugging, have built up a clientele for their theatres that cannot be surpassed. * * * PETE GORIS, Mayor, Chief of Police, Alderman, Councilman, Sheriff, Constable and Manager of the Liberty Theatre, McKeesport, these titles are bestowed on Mr. Goris after a visit to McKeesport. We found Pete could perform any of the duties heretofore mentioned and whether or not he has been elected by the peoples of McKeesport to the above offices he has at least convinced us that he should be. Floral Lobby Draws Crowd To Denny Film UNNY CALIFORNIA” was transported to the lobby of Keith’s 105th Street Theatre in Cleveland during the week that Reginald Denny in “California Straight Ahead” was playing there. Assisted by Andy Roy, publicity man at Keith’s, Andy Sharick, exploiteer from Universal’s Cleveland Exchange, constructed a novel lobby that had them all talking. First he borrowed 80 feet of lattice work and sufficient artificial vines and roses to cover it from the Furniture Mart and then he rented 200 feet of artificial autumn grape leaves and 20 bunches of grapes. The Sunkist Fruit Company contributed four crates of oranges and a sheaf of California advertising, and various stores and florist loaned a dozen large palms. With this material Roy and Sharick, aided by the Keith ushers and stage hands, built a bower that Pasadena itself might envy and used it as a background for “California Straight Ahead” advertising. For a street ballyhoo, Sharick dug up a 1901 Ford in good condition. With the brass work polished up and a banner on one side reading, “This car led the Ford migration to California in 1901 — see Reginald Denny make the trip in ‘California Straight Ahead’— Keith’s 105th— NOW,” the car bounced around the streets to the great benefit of Keith’s box-office. Detroit News Reprints Tab On "Phantom” IN Detroit, Raoul Cleaver, Universal exploiteer, placed the serialization of “The Phantom of the Opera” in the News to run just prior to the opening of “The Phantom” at the Broadway Strand. “The Phantom” proved such a popular feature that back numbers of the paper were soon as scarce as the pi'overbial hen’s teeth. Cleaver, therefore, suggested to the News that they reprint the first dozen instalments in tabloid form so that readers who had not gotten in on the start could pick up the story, and a run of 65,000 was made. The theatre distributed 6,000 copies of this with the “Phantom” rotogravure herald which the Universal Exploitation Department prepared. During the period that the “Phantom” was running in the News nearly all the newspaper’s wagons were painted “Phantom Red” and 200 of the wagons carried “Phantom” advertising for a week. Evevy Month is LAUGH MONTH TO ME BUT WATCH MY SPEED IN JANUARY/ Charley Puffy « Bluebird Comedies ■ Also starring Arthur I.ake. One reel each — flftytwo a year. More fun packed into one reel than you ordinarily find in three. AT yOUR UNIVERSAL EXCHANCE