The box office check-up of 1935 (1936)

-AND THEN THEY HAD TO BE SOLD [Continued from page 108] turned out to be a cageful of monkeys for a build-up on "Baboona.” Neither birds nor fish are immune to exploitation as witness Max Cooper's annual lobby exhibition at the Fox, Hackensack, N. J., of animals, fish and birds native to the State, put on in co-operation with the New Jersey Fish and Same Warden Association. Canaries, too, have given their all for ballyhoo — Jack Simons at the Poli, Hartford, Conn., put on a concert of the singing birds for "Naughty Marietta," naming the canaries after the stars in the picture. The influence of the motion picture upon style trends, and the general adoption of keen showmanship in merchandising outside the theatre, is indicated in the scores and scores of tieups made by theatre men with their leading merchants. Evidence of this is presented by the excellent grosses gathered on "Roberta," for example, in all parts of the country, due in part to the fashion shows arranged in conjunction with the individual showings. Inauguration of seasonal wear is oftimes spotlighted by theatre tieups, such as straw hats stunts on the recent Chevalier picture, and what can be done to put over a merchandising drive is illustrated by Manager Billings Booth's "Uptown Color Week" campaign in Jamestown, N. Y., to build up interest in his showing of "Becky Sharp" at the Winter Garden theatre. All merchants in the theatre block combined with Booth to stress color fashions of all kinds, and of course carried theatre publicity in every medium of their advertising. The above instances are just a few of the hundreds of reports that first come to mind. Theatre men responsible for them have reached into different fields and contacted various mediums to put over their exploitations, but what distinguishes each stunt and tieup, what they all have in common, is definite box office showmanship, an exploitation skill that causes two admissions to grow where only one grew before. This rare and much discussed talent of showmanship is also exemplified in the accomplishments of the winners of the Silver and Bronze plaques given monthly as the main prizes in the Quigley Awards sponsored by the Managers' Round Table Club. The plaques, First Mention and Honorable Sheepskin Certificates voted theatre men, go in every instance to the entrants illustrating in their campaigns the keenest ap preciation of the virtues of showmanship — the snaring of that unusual ticket-selling slant. As, for example, the personal-column idea used by J. Lloyd Dearth, of the Capitol, Vancouver, B. C., on "Kid Millions" wherein this showman ran a series of personals from a fictitious couple stemming supposedly from an accidental meeting, the boy and girl exchanging messages in the papers finally agreeing to meet at the corner of the theatre. Curious crowds gathered, only to discover via Dearth’s posters that the couple had gone to see the picture. The city was excited for days. Listed high must also be the campaign offered by Manager Fred Souttar, of the Lincoln in Belleville, III., who organized a civic celebration in the form of a Dickens Day on "David Copperfield." The city fathers got behind the stunt enthusiastically because Souttar discovered that in 1842 Charles Dickens himself had spent the night in Belleville during his tour of America. The essence of showmanship is indicated also in Sig Solomon's angle of hiring a Mae West proxy to serve for the star in a highly publicized tour of Newark, N. J., as part of the build-up at the Regent on "Goin' to Town." The proxy visited the Mayor, was guested at luncheons, ball games and the center of attraction at the picture's Hollywood showing. GUY S T A CAR 99 NOW AND FOREVER LIVES OF A BENGAL LANCER ANNAPOLIS FAREWELL PARAMOUNT PICTURES THE BOX OFFICE CHECK-UP OF 1935 149