Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-03-24

X<HE frequent references In the Exhibit
ofx Forum to distinctive publicity work
~ BY Gordon F. Fullerton Of the Liberty
eotre. Seattle. and Ralph Ruffner, Of the
&torty Theatre, Spokane, in promoting Tri.
1o1e pictures have led to number OF
9quests that the real press agent stunt
<4y discussed In detail in these columns
xnere have been plenty of other examples
','of splendid Triangle promotion, but these
I'VE gentlemen have kept up the pace so
S, oonaistently that letterwriters insist that
& ehsy must have system"
They would doubtless reply that the secret
N Nee In hard work, the real genius in any
Z line; and that is precisely what IT is. There
y habit of mind to which they have
ochooled themselves that translates every
Wing that comes to their attention in terms
~ advertising.
To Illustrate this point 1t is pertinent to
toview few Of the big press agent stunts"
|<ok recent years. Creative press work in
motion pictures Is phase Of advertising
y that 10 comparatively new. so there are not
y many notable instances to which one may
K point However. in the regular theatre
\ there 10 a wealth Of advertising traditions,
\ The force Of which applies quite as well to
= this newer amusement.
The reader may have forgotten certain
eopical song called SISTER Suse's Sewing
4 0hirts for Soldiers that ran like wldfire
ever the country at the outbreak Of the
European war Its sudden popularity was
. made by a well-known theatrical press
agent, whose extreme modesty forbids the
use Of his name, who was engaged by the
publisher to set it going. The agent had
Already represented hair tonic. big
4 oonstruction company, a world famous cleo
trical concern, several politicians during
electoral campaigns, an insurrecton in Mex
10 and had been editor of one of the
important sections Of a great New York
daily. With all this background to his ex-
perience, he examined the general news
situation and concluded that the foreign
state Of AFFAIRS Commanded most interest.
Running then over his list of miscella-
noous acquaintances, he selected gentle
man whose every move and act proclaimed
him an Englishman. This Briton, duly
Instructed, was placed upon TRANSATLANTIC
liner arriving at New York from Liverpool
on morning when ship news was scarce;
and. when the reporters met the passengers
at the dock this gentleman stood forth with
fascinating human-interest account of how
Londoners were reconciling themselves to
war with Germany. "One thing impressed
me IN particular" he said. "Just as Ameri-'
can. at the time of the Revolution adopted
Yankee Doodle just as the Union soldiers
sang John Browns Body 80 the English
have seized upon the one tune that ex-
Dresses their national sentiment and are
singing Sister Suse's Sewing Shirts for
0oldiers.'"
The story was carried on the front page
~ the New York Herald. one of the most
eonservative papers from that standpoint
IN the city, and in important positions In
various other dailies throughout the coun-
efy. And the entire stunt cost the agent
perhaps IS. for the Englshman was put
upon the ship that very morning when 1t
atopped at Quarantine before continuing its
"Trip to the dock Press agency" as Rem
ntiA Wolf has said, 'is like burglary-lucra-
i've till caught"
The instance illustrates two points in par
ecu1ar; first. that the stunt" must be
founded upon something that occupies a
leading place in the public mind in other
words. supplied with news" interest; and
then that the press agent must not ap-
parently be associated with the affair for
fear Of arousing very natural suspicion
that the matter is not legitimate.
In an article entitled Press Agents and
Press ACCENTED" in the old New York Press,
sasly in 1915. Allen Sangree related
incident from the life Of Walter J. Kingsley,
general press representative of the Keith
Vaudeville Circuit, that indicates just what
- needed to turn the commonplace into
news
An old walter who long had served news
Dspermen at Sam Martins restaurant in
New York was dying. and sent for the
boys" to give him a good obituary. kings
by. then newspaperman himself. was
commissioned to the task" says Sangree,
hut there seemed to be absolutely nothing
on which he could base yarn. for the old
waiter was absolutely commonplace. Fin
ally, in a splash of inspiration, Kingsley,
loaning low over the old chap. who was
almost gone. told him. You invented the
xrisd-egg sandwich, didn't your Yes
easped the dying waiter. his CLASSY eyes
sverr Next day the papers carried half
column stories o. the inventor of the fried
egg sandwich. The yarn was copied from
Portland to Portland and Sam Martins
cid waiter died happy"
Many a commonplace fact becomes in
vested with the news angle when shaped
On the potter's wheel In the publicity de-
Dartment. Thus. Marie Dresser. In March.
1915. at tho Thirty-ninth Street Theatre,
New York. has SO many requests to come
TO Philadelphia and cheer up her friends
Who are in the dumps because of Billy Sun
days harangues that the kind and jovia
eouf-reported by the late Acton Davies
'hes decided to take her farce, "A Mix-Up,'
there, to begin an unlimited engagement
beginning March 2e"
'Evidence." as a British play that
ehanced to receive its first production in
America is commonplace bit of news
out as the first instance of the shifting of
the theatrical producing centers OF Europe
70 New York because of the war, IL becomes
rather more important Grace George, de-
cltning to play Pretty Peggy at the Grand
operA House, Chicago on a Sunday because
eight performances a week was the limit
Of her endurance and she neeGeG a rest was
exite information but when Charming Pol
lock. as press agent. gave forth as her rea-
oon that she did not believe in Sunday the
atricals, newspapers dscsused the matter
edftorially. and Pretty Peggy" was pub
licly Endorsed by the ministry The same
publicity man gave the news angle to the
heed In September, 1902 for a thousand
gtrls at the Women's Exhibition at Madison
Square Garden. New York Without a
word to the editors. he merely inserted in
Ne classified advertising columns. Wanted |
--lo00 women at Madison Square Garden |
~ = p. m. on Friday" The army OF appli- |
Do,1ts brought another army-of newspaper
eoporters and photographers
Theatrical news rides into print SO much |
more readily on the strength Of other news |
" oeneral interest that the press agent ef-
~ y constantly devoted to linking the |
no Even the coming of the spring sea-
- of 1915 was SUFFICIENT to impef Mitzi |
~ In Pom Pom" to offer n prize OF