How To Lose Your Job As A Motion-Picture Exhibitor


Exhibiting life was a Ton ‘o Fun in whimsical 30's day, as Big Mamas pictured here found when clever-as-a-fox (as in Fox Theaters) Jim Clemmer teamed with  "publicity director"(bigger venues had them in those days) Vic Gauntlett to stage what trades generically referred to as "the old fat woman’s gag." I know this appears made up, but we are on the level here. Seattle, Washington still bears the scar of it. The pitch was that every femme who could tip scales at 180+ got free admission to see Reducing, starring those two immortal "blues-chasers," Marie Dressler and Polly Moran. The clincher was scales located at the front door of the theater, contestants having to walk through  boxoffice throngs to get to them. Most women today wouldn’t submit to that in a doctor’s office. Maybe folks regarded it different in those days, or blame ol’ man Depression, because Jim and Vic handed out over 1,000 free ducats. "Quite evidently, fat people are not adverse to enjoying a little fun as the number of free admissions indicate," sniffed the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. So could fat folk in 1932 so readily laugh at themselves, or was inducement of a free ticket what it took for them to do so?  "Clemmer and Gauntlett more than proved that a good ballyhoo will create interest any time. Granted the free admission cost them quite a bit, but the publicity attained was worth it." Imagine "publicity" a theatre would get if they attempted such "ballyhoo" today.