Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1959)

/ 'torn thumb' Gets Solid Saturation Despite Strike From its eye-catching lower case title to its giant-sized kiddie potential, MGM's "torn thumb" had been groomed for one of the most extensive advertising and promotion campaigns in the last few years. So when the New York Above, midgets wearing "canape size" sandwich boards get set to patrol Times Square area to bally "torn thumb." newspaper drought closed the door on the important avenue of advertising, it followed that Metro would be ready to fill the breach with the smartest of stunts and ad placements. The drive had been geared to a Christmas opening, and the wheels had to be kept rolling. So the brunt of the load was shifted over to a saturation TV campaign on every leading children's show, and radio spots in Long Island land Westchester. That was in addition to the New York part of the nationwide Bosco chocolate syrup tie-up, featured on 1 1 key shows in the Metropolitan area, and offering a "torn thumb's tune" record to the kids. With the film scheduled to open in neighborhood theatres, MGM also arranged for ads in the top nabe and suburban papers. Special "word-of -mouth" screenings were held for elementary school teachers, nuns from the Archdiocese of New York and members of the press and their families. And special filmed segments of the picture on the "Ed Sullivan Show" and "Captain Kangaroo" ushered "torn" into some 20,000,000 homes. Loew's Theatres pitched in, too. It distributed, in its houses and via the "torn thumb" float touring the city, the "torn thumb" News — a four-page tabloid including a cartoon "torn thumb" coloring contest that featured prizes ranging from $175 to Lion Records "torn thumb" albums and guest tickets to the nearest Loew's theatre to see the film. In addition, MGM and Loew's combined to send midgets bearing tin)' sandwich boards into the Times Square area to plug the film. life' Says Movies Are 'Main Hope' of Entertainment Movies are still the number one item in the entertainment world — at least as far as Life is concerned. The motion picture drew the big play in the national picture magazine's giant, colorful U. S. Entertainment issue, plugged by an editorial which says: "It is certainly the motion picture which is the main hope for leading the way toward setting those higher standards which can help keep the United States the world leader in entertainment . . ." 'Sinbad' Proves Exhibitors Still Want Promotion— Jackter If you think exhibitors have lost interest in promotion don't tell Columbia vice president and general sales manager Rube Jackter. He'll point to "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" to refute the charge. For one, he said, the overwhelmingly positive reaction to an offer he made recently merely proved how promotion-minded theatremen are today. Jackter told his branch managers to alert houses booking "The 7th "Sinbad" that they could obtain a single Colpix record as an exploitation aid. And more than 500 requests for the record — the film had only 400 Christmas playing dates, but many exhibitors wanted the disc for both lobby and intermission use and for planting with disc jockeys — cascaded into the company office in a happy stream of letters. Shortly thereafter, more than 100 executives, promotion men and house managers from five Metropolitan New York circuits gathered at Columbia's home office for advertising, publicity and exploitation seminars on "Sinbad." The discussions, led by vice president Paul N. Lazarus and Jackter, followed screenings of the picture and covered all phases of the various campaigns for "Sinbad," including national material easily altered to fit local dates. Columbia's Rube Jackter address group at second of two merchandising sessions in New York. Seated from right, first row, are Emanuel Frisch, Seymour Florin, Jules Legget, Harold Klein. Second row, Adrian Ettelstein, Ben Gladstone, Harold Rinzler. 'Red Carpet' Works for Schine Jack Mitchell, Schine circuitman of Glens Falls, N. Y., staged a benefit showing of "To Paris With Love" which was so successful that now women of the town are anxious to get a look at some of the upcoming Hollywood product. Mitchel rolled out the red carpet, literally, for the American Association of University Women. There was the usher opening car doors at the curb; coffee served in the lobby; organ music before the curtain went up; all of the female employes in cocktail dresses, and paintings from well-known area artists on display. "Giving this personal touch to your theatre operation ... is one of the best means of getting people back to the theatre," concluded showman Mitchell. SEPARATE TABLES. (Top) Two models display special placards employed by United Artists to offset New York City newspaper strike's effect on promotion of "Separate Tables." (Center) Sig Sakowicz, Chicago radio man, hosts 200 women attending a preview of "Separate Tables" designed to spread favorable word-of-mouth. (Bottom) New York disc jockey Paul Sherman autographs copies of Vic Damone's recording of "Separate Tables" at special teen-age screening of film. Big Magazine Campaign Boosts 'Furlough' Pre-Sell Armed with the results of vast readership research, Universal-International's admen added a national magazine weapon to their already well-stocked pre-sell arsenal for "The Perfect Furlough." The magazine campaign was designed to reach some 56,000,000 readers, with ditlerent ads for each important specific group, vice president David A. Lipton announced. "Completely different ads, each designed for a specific group, have been placed in magazines known to be widely read by the respecti\e groups," Lipton said. "In this way we .ire reaching a total of 56,000,000 readers with ads that we believe will have a special 'tailored' appeal for each of them," he added. Redbooi was chosen to attract young adults; Seventeen, teen-age girls; 'Teen and Dig, high schoolers; PL/yhoy, the college set; fan magazines, the frequent moviegoers, and True Story and True Confessions, the housewives. Film BULLETIN January S, 1959 Paqe 17