Motion Picture Herald (Apr-Jun 1931)

72 MOTION PICTURE HERALD April 11, 1931 New York Paramount' s Dispensary Rates Patron Praise! Too much cannot be said about the excellent service given patrons of the Paramount Theatre in New York City by the hospital dispensary on the ninth floor of the building. Here emergency cases are taken care of, and the dispensary is equipped to perform all sorts of minor operations from taking a cinder or a piece of dirt out of a patron's eye, to relief from fainting spells; the latter being one of the most common cases. So courteous and efficient are the nurses in charge that praise of their work is often heard on Broadway. The Paramount is to be complimented on this invaluable service. Hartung Staged A Treasure Hunt To Sell "Tom Sawyer"* Having read, no doubt, of the successful treasure hunts that have been staged in the past by his fellow members of the Managers' Round Table Club, J. A. Hartung, manager of the Stratford Theatre in Poughkeepsie, N. Y., ran one in conjunction with a clothing dealer on "Tom Sawyer." The treasure hunt started from the merchant's store and finally ended in a parking space near the theatre where the treasures were hidden. The boys carried banners and placards announcing that "Tom Sawyer" was being shown at the Stratford. The treasure hunt was preceded by the distribution of 4,000 heralds and 6,000 throwaways — describing the Treasure Hunt as well as copy about the picture, theatre and playdates. The treasure consisted of two "Tom Sawyer" suits, two "Tom Savi^er" shirts, two "Tom Sawyer" blouses and a few guest tickets to see the picture. The merchant had an excellent window display with a set of 14x17 photos and window cards announcing the attraction, etc. This merchant also ran several large ads in the morning and evening papers in which he gave the picture and theatre the greater portion of space. With the exception of the guest tickets, all of the above material, including printing, etc., was paid for by the merchant. We want to thank Hartung for passing along this account of his work as we are sure that it will receive the favorable reception which it merits. Keep us posted on your future work, too, "J. A.," so that we can let the rest of the Club see the live-wire work you are turning out in your section of the country. ^^^=^=^^=^=^^^=^= An advance plug that was Slee Landed Grand °f biggest ever given n 1 w n n ^ showman in Allentown, Pa., Break In Faper t or was obtained recently by War Three Days In Row ^f" A siee, manager of the ^ Colonial Theatre, who pulled ==^==^^= the stunt in conjunction with his showing of "Scandal Sheet." "Scandal Sheet," featuring George Bancroft, has as its story background a newspaper office and a hard boiled managing editor. It is the credo of the editor that anything of news value is fit to print, be it clean or sordid. Well, as an advance plug for the picture, Slee contacted the local editor of an Allentown paper and managed to secure a teaser streamer on the bottom of the 3rd page, 1st section, stating: ' SCANDAL SHEET EDITOR ARRESTED" (Story on Page 13). On Page 13 Slee landed another teaser, this time in the form of a publicity story headed: "Scandal Sheet Editor Is Jailed; Says He Doesn't Care If It's Fit to Print Or Not." These two breaks were the first of the series of three, the final one stating the picture and playdates. But here's how Slee managed to land such a corking break. A few days before, a certain Scandal Sheet, read by a great majority of persons, was acquitted in a libel case against a party of local importance. It was a sure thing then, that anything appearing in anotner paper and bearing, to all indications, something on the recent legal entanglement, would most assuredly be read. Neither Slee nor the editor were wrong in their deductions. Slee asks us for our opinion of the gag, but in keeping with the "All for One and One for All" policy of the Club, we submit the question to you. Write in, if you like, and tell us about it so that we can give your views on the subject. Thanks, Warren, for keeping us posted on your work. We are glad to note that you are continuing the activity that has characterized your work to date and we are sure you'll keep it running along on high. Right? "The Shoppers' Tribune" of Proof Positive Paper St. Louis, Mo. is, we prer» 11 r» sume, a paper that is distrib Fossesses Full Fower uted direct to the homes of the St. Louis residents. It contains ads and shopping news on and of the various stores of the Missouri city. The editors and the showman handling the Loew's State Theatre got together recently and decided to stage a stunt in order to test the pulling power of the ads. Tlie picture playing the theatre at the time was "The Devil to Pa>," and the showman agreed to donate, as part of his campaign for selling the show, free tickets, to those readers of tlie "Shoppers' Tribune" sending in the best criticisms of the ads run in the paper. We are showing a photo of what happened when the paper announced the contest. Over four thousand letters were received ! That's what happened. Can Be Seen In Photo SHOPPERS TRIBUNE Here's a stunt that you might be able to work in conjunction with your own local newspaper. Offer free tickets for the best criticisms received of the ads that are run either in the regular section or the amusement page of the paper. It is also possible that you can tie up the local merchants on this stunt. Give it a little consideration and if you think it will prove of aid to you in grabbing publicity and building business at your house, make use of it to suit local conditions. Oke? Plugging the Organist A showman offers the suggestion that organ solos can be given considerable plugging through a tie-up with a local paper whereby the theatre offers free tickets daily for the best "nonsense verses" sent to the paper to be printed there and then turned over to the theatre to be included in the next week's organ presentation. The organist can very easily use tunes that will fit the "nonsense" verses providing they are of four lines each and not too long. They can also be written so as to touch on subjects of local importance, local personalities, and those in the papers frequently. The contest is a natural for a three-weeks break in any paper. Should the showman be located in a town where the paper is a weekly, this should not hinder him from using the stunt. As a matter of fact, a "Request Numbers" column can be run weekly, and patrons can check off the musical numbers they wish played as part of the program.