Motion Picture Herald (Apr-Jun 1931)

78 MOTION PICTURE HERALD April 4 , 19 3 1 Notice to Members PLEASE be sure to notify the Chairman of any change of address. —THANK YOU. Since he has been located at Lights strung Across *=„A-ch. ~;,e uf Street Plugged Film den, manager of the house, has For Holden & Bailey ^^^7 '^'"'"^.u f ""^l^l!? apple into the center field ========== bleachers week after week. He hit the town a terrific wallop on "Cimarron," Arkayo's film story of the Oklahoma land rush. For the first time in the history of the city administration, permission was granted for the stringing of three-foot high cut-out letters across the main street of the city. Permission for the stunt was obtained by Nathan Bailey, Holden's assistant, who followed right after the civic body until he secured permission for the gag. The letters could be read in both directions and seen for a distance of three blocks. They were outlined in silver metallics, and at night street lights played upon the tinselled surface. This proved an excellent aid toward the success of the entire campaign. Holden used an effective stunt, too, as an advance plug on "Dance, Fools, Dance." A week in advance window cards were distributed bearing copy: $40,000 REWARD For the Murderer of BERT SCRANTON Reporter On the EVENING HERALD KILLED BY GUNMEN Enroute to His Office to Reveal Inside Working of VICE AND RACKETS Phone West Palm Beach 8872 The theatre name, as will be noted, was not mentioned. The phone number listed in the Arcade Theatre. Persons calling up were informed that Bert Scranton is a character in "Dance Fools, Dance." Newspapers also ran similar copy. The stunt was one that excited a great deal of interest and as a result meant something at the box-office. Good work, Earle. And that goes for Bailey, too. Kuehn Contacted A Local Drug Store; 5,000 Powder Kits When it comes to making promotions there are many showmen in the Manager's Round Table Club who are certainly artists in the art of securing merchandise for ========== nothing. We have among our promoters, Sid Lawrence, Howard Waugh, Jack Kaplan, Louis Orlove, Bill Levey, Frank Boucher, Bill Brown, Wally Allen, Jonas Perlberg and numerous others whose names we do not, at the moment, recall. And oh yes ! there's Rudy Kuehn, managing the R. K. O. 58th Street Theatre in New York City. It's about Rudy's latest tie-up that we are going to say a word or two now. When "Millie," the film vvitli Helen Twelvetrees portraying the title role, played the theatre Kuehn contacted one of his neighl)orhood drug stores on a tie-up on the picture. The druggist agreed to furnish — and did — 5,000 samples of face powder which were enclosed in small envelopes carrying copy relative to the theatre and the store and distributed at theatre and drugstore. They made quite a hit with the women of the neighborhood. Kuehn didn't shell out a cent, all of the advertising and printing being paid for by the druggist. This tie-up was followed by another on the vaudeville show running with "Millie." The headline act was Doctor Rockwell and the vaude comic made up a number of heralds plugging his act. The druggist distributed 5,000 of them at the store. They went like hot cakes, as they were amusingly written. That's what Rudy is doing along the lines of merchandise promotion. Keep your eye on the Club pages and see what else he is doing. Quint Keeps An Eye On Kid Biz. To See That It Hits Mark In his town, Marshall E. Quint, manager of the Colonial Theatre in Belfast, Maine, displays a lot of activity. And it's helped him plenty in getting additional business into ====== the theatre. Recently he started the serial, "The Indians Are Coming," and to give it proper plugging he placed a special banner outside of the theatre as an advance plug. The banner was constructed of compoboard and contained cut-out metallicized letters. To further stimulate interest a kid club was started, based on cards carrying an announcement to the effect that if all numbers on the cards tlie serial. Kids were given membership (designating chapters) were punched, a free pass would be given to the theatre. The kids were more than enthused over the idea. Quint is a showman who has had quite a bit of experience in the show game. Since he is, as we said, active in his town, we are sure that he will keep us posted on his future work so that we can pass it along to the rest of the Club, and let the other showmen see what is going on up at this section of New England. Oke, Marshall? CLUB PIN!!! ^WILL IDENTIFY YOU AMONG THE WHOLE SHOW WORLD AS A MEMBER OF THIS GREAT ORGANI^ ZATION AND A REAL LIVE^WIRE SHOWMAN! Use This Blank: Managers' Round Table Club 1790 Broadway, New York Kindly send me, postpaid, Club pins, for which I enclose payment at $1.00 per pin. Name of Member Theatre Address City State