Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1942)

November 2 1, 1942 MANAGERS' ROUND TABLE 53 Selling Points ON THE NEW PRODUCT [The material below reflects press books now in preparation and represents the point of view of the distributors' exploiteers about the selling points and special merit of these pictures.] ROAD TO MOROCCO (Paramount): This is a comedy, so all selling should be along comedy lines. Any attempt to tie up the title with current events in Morocco, which is an excellent idea, must be accompanied by copy to sell the comedy lest the public perchance think that the picture deals with the current invasion. For the lobby a novel twist on the old laugh meter idea is suggested. Wheels, gears and debris can be littered around the bottom and copy can read: "Bell rung and sprung by 'Road to Morocco' ". Reminders of the previous "Road" pictures would be appropriate, since they were successful, and this is a logical follow-up for them. On display board, sur-1 mounted by a "Stop, Look and Roar" sign, stills can be arranged with correlated lines underneath. To add to the proper atmosphere in the theatre, you can drape your house staff in Arab costumes with the girls wearing veils, etc. Turbans and fezzes are easy to make out of cardboard. There is a fourday contest in which various previous Hope pictures must be identified, together with the songs from them. There is also a one or more days' newspaper contest in which certain streets, for instance those between the theatre and the newspaper office, are called "Road to Morocco". One of your staff, dressed in a burnoose, travels this route and anyone who taps him with a copy of the newspaper gets a pair of guest tickets. Alternatively this can be run by the newspaper, with a reporter asking passersby if they are on the "Road to Morocco". If the answer is affirmative, the statement in the current day's newspaper can be produced for evidence; the reporter awards them the free tickets. Because Dorothy Lamour wears a turban in several scenes, of which stills ar available, tieups can be made with milliners, using the line: "We found these terrific turban toppers on the 'Road to Morocco' ". A beige outfit can be sold with the line: "Sands on the 'Road to Morocco' inspired this color". Morocco leather and jewelry can be as easily sold. A suggestion is made that drinking fountains be tagged with appropriate copy about the film. Among other ideas are to stencil sidewalks in the vicinity of the theatre with the title; a ballyhoo, with two men and a girl all clad in burnooses and each bearing one word of the title on their backs; renaming a main street "Road to Morocco" for the run of the picture, with a prominent girl dressed as a member of a harem to perform the ceremony. Among the more novel ideas is to auction off the men, just as Hope is sold by Crosby in the picture. If the number of males is dwindling, contact a nearby Army camp and let local ladies bid for men in terms of War Bonds, their purchasers to escort them to the opening of the picture. There are several songs in the picture and they can be sold in the usual way with tieups with music stores, transcriptions on the local radio stations, getting local orchestras to play them, and stocking juke boxes with the tunes. Since Crosby and Hope are both well-known radio stars, spot announcements are indicated to precede and follow their network programs. Paramount has several radio sales aids available. There is a gag map of a coast line available with all sorts of crazy place names, in keeping with the spirit of the picture. This would be great stuff for the Sunday movie page, for a blow-up in the lobby, as a contest per suggestion in the press book and as one side of a herald with playdate, etc., on the reverse. There's another piece of art available in mat form which is useful for giveaways. With extremely elongated letters, making it look like Arabic, the herald can be read by holding the edge toward the eye. There's a series of teaser ads available which are interest-provoking, since they tie up with the two previous "Road" pictures. Radio Coverage Features "Moon and Sixpence" Arranged by Ted Teschner at the Esquire theatre, in Toledo, for "Moon and Sixpence" was a quiz contest over WTOL, which offered a twenty-five dollar Bond as a first prize and guest tickets to runners up. Questions and answers on this popular Home Builders show gave the picture excellent representation in addition to straight plugs. A second contest for tickets was based on movie titles containing the same number of letters as the picture ; the contest continuing throughout the week. Courtesy spot announcements worked into established programs starting three days ahead. Displays were planted in the main library and fourteen branches ; bookmarks distributed by the library system and numerous windows promoted. Newspaper coverage included art break in the woman's section ; art and reader currently in 20 papers within a radius of 50 miles of the city and an advance story by Lucius Beebe in the Toledo Times. Animated Lobby Display Sells "You Were Never Lovelier" An animated lobby display which proved an attractor for Les Pollock's opening of "You Were Never Lovelier" at Loew's theatre, in Rochester, consisted of a nine and one-half foot high setpiece on a cylinder base of Rita Hayworth and Fred Astaire in a dancing pose. A juke box in the lobby played hit tunes from the picture as well as Xavier Cugat recordings. A contest was planted in the Rochester Sun on the naming of four dancing partners with whom Fred Astaire has played in previous pictures ; guest tickets were awarded here. Two windows at a local music shop were promoted featuring sheet music and records, while one of the five and dime stores which was celebrating the opening of its new record department also tied in. Numerous cooperative ads were landed, including coiffures, hats, dresses and furs. Fisher's Aviation Contest Aids "Flying Tigers" Date Open to all boys and girls under the age of eighteen was Ed Fisher's aviation contest in connection with "Flying Tigers" at Loew's State, in Cleveland. Running three days in succession in the daily was a jigsaw puzzle, with the children invited to correctly assemble the parts of planes. Fifty dollars in War Stamps and a Bond were awarded in addition to ten tickets to see the picture. Followup was also run in the paper with the announcements of winners and plug for the picture. Collection of Dutch Shoes Sells "Seven Sweethearts" Joseph S. Boyle, reporting on the engagement of "Seven Sweethearts" at the PoliBroadway, in Norwich, Conn., says his assistant, Matilda Pysyk, constructed a novel lobby display ahead of the date. A small display case was placed on the table in the lobby, the background of which featured scene stills ; in the case were several miniature pairs of wooden shoes, following a seciuence in the picture which was devoted to Dutch shoes. Collins-Tuttle Promote Phonograph for Armymen An excellent tieup was arranged ahead of "Springtime in the Rockies" by Kenneth Collins and Len Tuttle at the Indiana, in Indianapolis, when they promoted the local Columbia recording distributor for an electric phonograph plus an album of Harry James' recordings. Both of these were presented to Lt. C. J. Allen, press officer of the 83rd Division on stage for the men at the newly constructed Camp Atterbury. The Lieutenant, a brother officer and four enlisted men were invited to the theatre for the presentation. Advance stories were planted with all three newspapers. The stories covered the stunt and the copy included a request for patrons to augment the gift by contributing records for the men. The Columbia distributor serviced all juke box operators with hit tunes from the picture, also inserts that carried picture and theatre credits. A large window display was promoted from a local piano store and the Canadian Pacific Railroad Company loaned the boys a large picture of Lake Louise for this display, which also included blowups of Betty Grable and John Payne. Record tieups were also effected with department stores and five and dimes.