Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1936)

December 5, 1936 MANAGERS' ROUND TABLE 83 King Given Top Presents So Simons Holds Wedding Jack Promotes Headman of Tribe for Gypsy Stage Ceremony Harris' "Dodsworth" Express Company Poster Harris Plants "Dodsworth" Ten Commandments Contest Highlight of Milt Harris' "Dodsworth" campaign at Loew's State in Cleveland was tieup with Cleveland News in which readers were invited to submit their own ten commandments for a successful marriage. Division manager Col. Harry Long offered a plane trip to New York and return, plus a cruise to Nassau for the first prize and a Gruen watch to the runner up. Paper ran page one box with daily stories. Accompanying photo shows 40 x 60 framed posters displayed in window of American Railway Express Company window reading "American Express Company served Dodsworth on his trip to Europe," etc., balance of poster was devoted to stills and copy exploiting the picture. Poster was displayed four days ahead. Novelty ship heralds were distributed to patrons and inserted in mail by travel agencies in Greater Cleveland, pastor of Unitarian Church delivered sermon on happy married life, mentioning picture. "Have We Your Face Photo?" Huge Floral Float Promoted for "Swing" Charlie Mensing of Warner's Empress in Owensboro, Ky., tied up with local florist who decorated a float which toured streets during "Swing Time" engagement. Float was attractively arranged with swing completely covered with flowers in which boy in top hat and tails was swinging a pretty girl a la Rogers. Three-piece colored band almost entirely hidden by flowers furnished the music and truck was well bannered plugging both florist and picture. Small swings were erected in each school yard and in public parks, carrying large signs plugging date, beauty parlor devoted entire window to Rogers stills showing styles of hairdress with entire background of window a miniature stage, showing Astaire and Rogers in spotlight effect. Good sized gas-filled balloon was anchored to top of theatre and properly spotlighted from which was hanging a swing in which dummy dressed as Astaire swung through the air; balloon was lettered with title and credits. Smaller swings were suspended from under marquee and through cooperation of local dance hall, Charlie arranged one of the scenes from the picture, dressed couple as Rogers and Astaire and had them do the "Waltz in Swingtime." by JACK A. SIMONS Manager, Poli, Hartford, Conn. The only stunt that I can point to with absolute certainty and say that it and it alone packed my theatre was a public wedding on my stage of a Gypsy prince and princess at the Capitol Theatre, Steubenville, O. It was in early June, business was not particularly good, romance was in the air, and all that sort of thing. I discovered that in previous years public stage weddings had worked out pretty well in the town, so I decided then and there to pull this gag out of the bag and put on it a somewhat different and novel dress. I knew that about 10 miles out of town a Gypsy band was encamped. So, one day, after placing my wallet and valuables in the safe, I drove out to the encampment. There I found, much to my amazement, in this band a real, honest-togoodness princess. Luck was with me, too, in that the king of the tribe, one Jewish gentleman from the Bronx of New York, was visiting there that day. Hostile at first, the balance of a pack of cigarettes soon warmed him up. While the "brats" of the tribe were letting the air out of a rear tire of my car, I sat on a rug in a stuffy tent talking "turkey" to the holy of holies. Makes Deal with the King My proposition was to have two of his tribe folk joined into one on the stage of my theatre. And all he could say in Bronx Gypsy was : "How much." When he told me that the princess of the tribe, as fair a flower as ever swatted flies under a canvas tent, was about to take the plunge with a prince in a tribe in Chicago, I promised him a slice of the moon. He added, too, that he would first have to get the consent of the prince, although being king he could swing it. The proposition he finally accepted was this : He would have first pick of all the presents we promised to promote for the couple. This, of course, was to be our little secret. The wedding was to be put on in true orthodox Gypsy style, with the full ceremo "Have We Your Face Photo?" Mi ,}ff fx* I fctffr ' 111 •V&ffijft' ill " 1 % — — — - GIANT ELECTRIC SIGN. Standing approximately ten feet high by fourteen wide and lighted at night was neat curb display used by Hal Howard, Kentucky, Henderson, Ky., for "Anthony Adverse." nial. Another inducement made to the king was that the audience would be invited to the encampment for the feast and merry making after the stage ceremony. Thus was created a fertile field for palm reading, pocket-picking and the like. Word soon got around town about the wedding, the first Gypsy wedding and of a real prince and princess ever put on on any stage, or, as I was told, ever in public. While the preparations were going on and interest was running high we were promoting scores of presents. Newspapers were carrying stories and pictures, and the wedding night was the talk of the town. Came then the wedding day and that afternoon the king walked into my office for his private share of the spoils. What he left for the bride and groom you could put in a mosquito's eye. I picked the poorest night normally of the week for the occasion. I even promoted chickens, ducks and young suckling pigs for the gala wedding supper. Anybody and everybody wanted to give something — much to the liking of the king. Hours before the ceremony the theatre was packed and jammed and with hundreds turned away. The wedding ceremony, absolutely legitimate, was one of the most beautiful as well as impressive that either I or anybody in the audience had ever seen. Every ritual was carried out and was explained in English to the audience by an interpreter. A Gypsy band, members of the camp played ; Gypsy girls danced, the mayor and other dignitaries were in attendance and all in all it was as colorful as it was beautiful and much more pleasing and enjoyable to the audience than any routine show they could have seen. And it definitely packed my theatre. "Have We Your Face Photo?" Newspapers Aid On "Come and Get It" A full-page cooperative ad from department store was promoted by Sam Gilman of Loew's as part of his campaign on "Come and Get It." The ad was run for two successive days in the News and Patriot. Gilman also plastered the title all over the classified pages of the Telegraph, inserting it under each heading, and stole a threecolumn promotional ad in the bargain. Both morning and evening papers carried the stunt. As a ballyhoo, two men and a woman dressed in costumes of the picture covered the business section. One used a triangle to attract attention while the others distributed circulars to the large crowds that followed them. Several elaborate window displays were arranged with the leading merchants, in addition to cooperative ads. Local radio stations went to town in a big way for the picture. Ed Wallace, United Artists representative, was interviewed over WKBO's "Do You Know" hour and got in some strong plugs with full billing.