Universal Weekly (1923-1926)

VOL. 22, No. 5 Universal Weekly 33 Boat Excursion Brings Resorters To “Hunchback” Amateur Kodakers ’ Contest Used For New Denny Picture THE Star Theatre in Arnold’s Park, la., recently reversed the Sunday custom of towns near bathing beaches. Instead of losing its patrons to the beaches on a fine August Sunday it “dragged” them all in and collected those from other resorts on the lake as well. The house record was broken by 100 per cent. The picture was “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” Jack Edwards, Universalist, came from Des Moines to put on an exploitation campaign and the first thing he did was to make a tieup with the Okoboji Steamship Company, which operates on Lake Okoboji, for a joint lake excursion and theatre party. Special tickets were printed giving purchasers a reduced rate of 70 cents for the lake trip both ways and theatre admission. Tickets were placed on sale at the Manhattan Beach Hotel and The Inn with special announcements on bulletin boards and advertising matter placed in all key boxes at both hotels. All of the company’s boats carried advertising matter on the excursion. But not content with pulling in most of the hotel guests and cottagers on Lake Okoboji, Edwards and Manager Rehfield journeyed four miles south to Milford and five miles north to Spirit Lake to tack cards all over town. They used a ballyhoo truck covered with banners for this trip. The only newspaper published in Arnold’s Park is the weekly “Bulletin,” an 11 x 7 1-2 inch affair. The Star Theatre uses half of the back page of this publication for its ad. Mr. Edwards made arrangements with the editor to lift the ad from the back page after the regular run was off the press and to place it on the front page together with a publicity story on the “Hunchback” engagement and the steamship excursion. One thousand of these were then run off and placed in key boxes at resort hotels and distributed in automobiles in Arnold’s Park, and Spirit Lake. Through a tie-up with a local bakery heralds on the picture were wrapped in all bundles sent out by the shop. Edwards also made a personal call on the minister of the Community Church and “sold” him on the picture with the result that he endorsed the production from the pulpit on Sunday morning. The Catholic priest of the parish also recommended the picture to his parishioners. Roy Slentz, Fort Worth, Texas, recently hung real estate for sale signs on doors reading: “For Sale — 500 cool seats for ‘Head Winds’ — Capital Theatre.” The novel lobby display arranged for the showing of “I’ll Show You the Town” at the Temple Theatre, Toledo, Ohio. Seattle Theatre Ties With Taxis THROUGH a tie-up with the Seattle Taxicab Co., Robert Bender, manager of the Columbia Theatre, Seattle, secured banners on the doors of all Yellow Cabs in town and editorial and advertising space in the company’s paper, “The Yellowgram,” which goes to taxi cab patrons announcing his showing of ALL the amateur photographers of Toledo, Ohio, were out to win the $50.00 camera and carrying case which the Gross Supply Co. offered as a prize for an “I’ll Show You the Town” contest at the instigation of A. J. Sharick, exploitation man from Universal’s Cleveland Exchange, when the Reginald Denny picture was about to play) the Temple Theatre. The contest was for the best set of photographs by an amateur photographer showing the main points of interest of Toledo. The Chamber of Commerce became so interested in Sharick’s contest that the secretary appointed a special committee to decide which set of views was the best. All three newspapers gave publicity to the stunt. The kodak store mailed out 1,000 cards telling about the contest and incidentally something about the picture. They also gave a big window display with the prize camera the center of attraction. In a comer of the Temple’s lobby, Sharick and Manager Fred Walters arranged a very clever display, which is shown in the accompanying illustration. A triangular lobby stage draped with curtains was set with a miniature 24-sheet board at one side and cut-out figures of Denny and three girls walking along in front. Cut-out trees, miniature yellow cab taxis, and a toy aeroplane in the sky completed the novel set. “The Last Laugh.” The banner read: “25 cents Off on all Yellow Cab fares to ‘The Last Laugh’ at the Columbia.” The doorman gave passengers coupons worth 25 cents. The Temple Theatre in Toledo, Ohio, has two very attractive 6-sheet boards on the front of the house.