The Film Daily (1935)

THE 16 Friday, Dec. 13, 1935 » » EXPLOITING THE CURRENT FILMS « n New Use for Old Marquee Channel Letters ^ UNIQUE and effective manner of using the Channel Letters from the marquee of a long ago torn-down theater in New Rochelle has been worked out by Jim Grady of Loew's in that city. He strings the letters across the top of the stage in front of the curtain, using redtopped lamps. When the house lights are extinguished the audience sees an attractive announcement of next week's showing. The coming attraction "Mutiny on the Bounty" is being played up now. — Loeiv's New Rochelle * * * "B'way Melody" in Jell-0 Tieup in Peoria (~)NE of the finest film tieups made in Peoria for some time was consummated with the General Foods Products on the Jack Benny-Jello tieup by Fred A. Bartow, M-G-M exploiteer, assisted by Leonard Worley, theater manager. The General Foods representative worked with the theater for two days getting the distributors and both wholesalers and retail merchants lined up for the maximum amount of cooperation. Of the 385 retail grocery stores in this city, 350 of them were in on the promotion of this picture and the Jack Benny Jell-0 program. Six hundred window streamers advertising Jell-0 and "Broadway Melody" were distributed among these grocers by the sales representatives of General Foods and their routemen. Three hundred stills of scenes were mounted on cardboard with the title and playdate lettered on the front of the still and these were placed in merchants' windows and on their counters. Twenty-five thousand of the Jack Benny Jell-0 program pluggers with the theater imprint and playdate on them were distributed by these merchants. A special Jell-0 counter was erected in the lobby of the Madison and two General Foods girls gave out over 6,500 samples as well as tasty bits of the made-up Jell-0 flavors. General Foods offered five prizes to the retail store association to be given to the five grocers who reported the greatest sales of Jell-0 during the run of the picture. Special promotional attention was given to Eleanor Powell. Newspapers were flooded with publicity stories, art, etc., on her. The society editor of the Peoria "Journal" was given a preview of the picture and supplied with special stills, etc., on Powell and special art and stories about her appeared on the society page each day for a week in advance. Art and stories broke in all papers each day for four days in advance. On the opening day, the "Journal Transcript" ran a full eight-column art layout of Eleanor Powell doing some dance steps. The "Sunday Star" ran a five-column layout devoted exclusively to the picture. Block & Kuhl department store ran a two-column ad on hair dress in which they featured one of the hair dress stills of Eleanor Powell. "The Peorian," a publication of newsy bits about the theater, local society, etc., ran a cover page on Eleanor Powell two days before the picture opened. Fourteen music stores in Peoria and suburbs gave window space for a display on the sheet music from the picture as well as art displays on the picture. The theater furnished each store with wrapping paper cut especially for wrapping sheet music, gratis. The theater imprint with the title of the picture and the playdate was on the face of each wrapper. A tieup was made with the street car company whereby all one had to do in order to get a return car ride gratis was to have their street car ticket (transfer) stamped at the boxoffice when they purchased a ticket. In return for this the theaters operated by Great States here carried street car ads on their screens for the two weeks the arrangement lasted. — Madison, Peoria, III. * * * Varied Stunts Introduced Lily Pons to N. Y. Fans A PROMOTION campaign exceptional in its scope and variety launched the premiere of Lily Pons' first motion picture, "I Dream Too Much," at the Radio City Music Hall on Thanksgiving Day. The publicity departments of RKO Radio and of the Music Hall col Wisconsin Wisps Milwaukee — Five musicians have left Dave Miller, formerly playing the Fox circuit in Wisconsin and now booked in a Milwaukee night spot, to return to the Riverside theater in Milwaukee under the leadership of Lee Roth. George N. Blatchiord, treasurer of Fox-Wisconsin Corp., and Mrs. Blatchford and their young son, Joseph, left Milwaukee this week for a trip to Mexico and Texas, returning after the first of the year. John Scharnberg, manager of the Orpheum and Strand theaters in Madison, is convalescing from a recent operation. Ben Koenig, former secretary of the Film Board of Trade and now connected with the film business in Hollywood, was a Milwaukee visitor this week. He leaves the end of the week for the west coast with his brother, William Koenig, who is en route from New York. laborated to get the diva's screen debut off to a flying start. Numerous window displays in Fifth Ave. shops featured handsome blown-up portraits of the star. The Lentheric perfume salon dedicated a new gardenia scent to Miss Pons, and introduced it at a reception and fashion show at which she was guest of honor. At the ceremonies in Rockefeller Center Plaza formally retiring the last opencockpit mail plane in active service, Miss Pons presented a placque to the pilots who have been flying the little ships and spoke briefly over a nationwide NBC network. These ceremonies were covered by the New York press. On the eve of the Music Hall opening, the first facsimile Western Union telegram was sent to Miss Pons from Buffalo, congratulating her on her debut as a screen star. Over 4,000 mats showing Miss Pons reading the message were distributed nationally to newspapers, and the picture was on display in all Western Union offices. A special preview of "I Dream Too Much" was held for music critics, and considerable space thus obtained. Through a tie-up with the Dell Publishing Co. in connection with its "Radio Stars" magazine, 200,000 de luxe color pictures of Miss Pons were distributed nationally by chain stores. One of the most unusual publicity arrangements was made with the General Electric Co. Miss Pons made the first public demonstration of the company's new process by which the voice is not only recorded but actually "seen" by means of light rays. The demonstration was held before a large gathering of scientists and technicians. The four songs written by Jerome Kern for "I Dream Too Much" won immediate acceptance on the air. The entire score was Baltimore Bits Baltimore — Bids have been received by the Lord Calvert theater for a new house at 2444 Washington Blvd. and the contract will be awarded in a few days. The building will be of brick and cost about $40,000. Frederick E. Beall is the architect. Baltimore's new tax rate of $2.49, effective next year, is an increase of 16 cents over the 1935 rate. It brought about a sharp fight in the City Council. Samuel Isaacson has been reelected president of the Motion Picture Theater Operators' Union, Local 181. The Rex theater has volunteered to donate half of its total receipts on Dec. 20 to a Christmas fund being raised by the local Hearst newspapers. broadcast for the first time by Fred Waring and his orchestra. Prior to the opening, music from "I Dream Too Much" was played on 58 radio programs. Window displays were arranged in many New York music shops, featuring large portraits of Miss Pons. Osgood Perkins, featured in the cast, performed a scene from the picture on the Socony-Vacuum Hour on the evening following the premiere. Specially prepared feature stories, fashion bulletins and selected stills were distributed to more than 500 important national newspapers covering the highlight of the production. The campaign closed on the night of the premiere with the star as guest of honor at a reception held in the Radio City Music Hall studio by Managing Director W. G. VanSchmus, with scores of New York's leading figures in attendance. — Music Hall, New York. * * * San Antonio Radio Stations Plugged "Barbary Coast" "D ADIO and a wide coverage through tie-ups and the distribution of novelty heralds were among the exploitation ideas put over by Manager William O'Donnell of the Aztec theater, San Antonio, for the premiere of "Barbary Coast." The special radio transcription was used five days in advance over Station KM AC; three days later over Station KABC, and five daily plugs were given the attraction over Stations WOAI and KTSA. All local stations featured the orchestrations on their programs. Through loudspeaker equipment, the picture received many plugs at local boxing and wrestling bouts. All local hotels were lined up, the orchestrations being featured at each hotel, six 40x60 art cards were placed in the lobby of the six leading hotels and 2,000 cards, reading "The Management of This Hotel Recommends That You See . . . etc." were distributed in all guest key boxes. A 200-foot banner was planted in front of the Gunter Hotel. Cards were placed on all local trolleys. Five thousand "Daily Reminder" heralds were circulated throughout the business districts of the city, and 10,000 pamphlets were distributed at hotels and filling stations. A tie-up with the Ten-Ten Cigar accounted for streamers mentioning the picture, with photos of Robinson placed in windows at all United Cigar and Sommer Drug Stores. The Weiners News Agency decorated 20 newsstands with title sheets on the picture, and 200 copies of "Screen Romances Magazine" were distributed on opening day. — Aztec, San Antonio.