Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Mar 1954)

COMMUNITY SPIRIT 80 Disc Jockeys In Iowa Salute "Glenn Miller" MUST BE You’ll find Tom Muchmore’s Christmas Parade on the picture page in this week’s Round Table, but it takes discussion of an affair like this to bring out the salient facts. We have been listening for the inevitable question from those who can’t believe that this is of importance to themselves. In the first place, Tom Muchmore is an accomplished publicist and promotion man, and a member of the Round Table since 1936. He stepped out, three years ago, to take the Sonja Henie show, but now he’s back in our business. A year ago he bought the Canoga Park theatre in a suburban town of 10,000, outside of Los Angeles. Perhaps it was one of those desirable theatres that had to be divested, and it gives him a chance to demonstrate what he so firmly believes, that the theatre in a local trading area must be the center of community events, if it is to survive and prosper. His Idea Was to Build Community Service His first move in public relations was to run a co-op campaign for the Catholic Youth Foundation, which returned $600 for their benefit and was profitable to the house in dollars as well as in diplomacy. Then, he did the same thing, in a variation, for the Boy Scouts, which netted them $195 for their own purposes. Then, he donated the use of the theatre on Sunday mornings to the Baptist Church, until they were able to build a new church. So, in a year, he got around over the community and managed to make friends in all quarters, and for all and sundry of the groups involved. Then, came up this matter of the Christmas Parade, to stimulate business for Canoga Park merchants, and to inaugurate the Christmas season. There were 108 merchants who belonged to the local Chamber of Commerce. They were all “willing” — but they weren't pulling together, and there was no leadership, nor showmanship. That’s where the theatre manager fits in. It required his personal effort, and an obligation on his part to see it through, to get things going. Now, these same merchants can gloat over the fact that the parade was the best ever, but when the idea was born, they were dragging their feet. The pictures show how excellently he has used horses as a theme, in much the same way that Willis Shaffer has done it in Kansas. There are other Round Table members who have overcome the lethargy of moribund Chambers of Commerce and Business Associations — for their own profit. One is Harry Wiener, who staged a great Christmas event when he was located at the Smalley theatre in Johnstown, N. Y. Those merchants had nothing to start with — they wound up with a “Santa Claus Workshop” that was a huge success, and they raised $4,000 by their inspired efforts, to trim and CREATED decorate in a town that was languishingafter 18 months of strikes and depression. It was all in the personal energy and enthusiasm of the theatre manager. Dan Dandrea, one of the very best who ever tackled a community job, did it at the Stanley theatre, in Bridgeton, N. J. His Chamber of Commerce was dead on its feet. It was hard to get more than four members out for a meeting, although they had a large membership of ostensible members, waiting for somebody else to move. Dan created the idea of breakfast meetings — and the Business Men’s Association picked up the check for each man’s breakfast, at a cost of eightyfive cents each. It was remarkable what a free breakfast did for the turnout ! Soon they were having capacity meetings, on the way to work in the morning, and the treasuary was running over with funds for things they planned and executed, under the leadership of a natural showman and a manager. Tom Muchmore enters his campaign book on the Christmas Parade in Canoga Park as an entry for the Quigley Awards, which is welcomed. He says, “The theatre is a part of the community, it belongs to them, to be looked up to. It must be part of all charities, all club and organization activities.” He has no teen-age problem, because they respect the theatre. He has a substantial Saturday morning show, and on Friday nights the teen-agers get special concessions for their good conduct. He suggests that his fellow theatre managers go into their own houses “as a customer” — and they may be surprised, and scared, to find how many things are wrong, from the patron's point of view. Running a theatre is a responsibility to the community which pays off in sustained business at the box office. Neglect the community angle, and you fight every kind and sort of competition. Eighty disc-jockeys in the sovereign state of Iowa have formed a special network to exploit “The Glenn Miller Story” in the state’s radio stations. Ray Starr, of station KWWL, Waterloo, is the chairman of the statewide committee. More than forty of them are scheduled to attend the “Glenn Miller Day” ceremonies at Clarinda, Iowa on Wednesday, January 13th, and to see a special preview of the Universal picture at the Clarinda theatre. State and civic leaders, headed by Governor Beardsley, will participate in a special network hookup. Must be Glenn Miller was an Iowa boy, and we’ve been told that Jimmie Stewart looks like him. Duane Marks Tells Managers How He Sells Shows Duane Marks, manager of Schine’s Strand theatre, at Senaca Falls, N. Y., tells how he provided the sponsorship for his two Christmas shows, on December 21 and 22. He sold 44 merchants on the idea of subscribing $7.50 each, for the cooperative advertising value that would accrue to them. Each show was to consist of either Roy Rogers or a western, plus eight cartoons. The total underwriting gave him $330, which he applied as being his receipts ot $150 for each show, with $30 overage for advertising materials. What makes this a better story is that he had already sold two previous shows, for December 19 and 24, one to the Souhan Dairy and the other to Sylvania Products, both outright, and for similar revenue. Schine showmen have set a new record for sponsored Christmas shows. Charles Tamme, manager of the Kent theatre, Kent, Ohio, has just signed the first one for Christmas, 1954. Can anyone beat that? T W. S. Samuels, from his new location at the Rita theatre, Longview, Texas, submits bigger and better examples of his distinctive roto-process heralds. 3 lore "Lucky 7" II i utters We are happy to introduce, at left above, Ted Irwin, manager of the Electric theatre, Larned, Kansas, receiving his $100 check as the winner in small situations for Metro's "All the Brothers Were Valiant" contest; next, Jesse B. White, good Round Table member, gets $250 as the winner in the middle category, towns of 10,000 to 100,000 population. Jesse is city manager for Martin theatres in Columbus, Ga., and he has the congratulations of Judson Moses, MGM field man in the Atlanta territory. And at right, Matt Saunders, manager of Loew's Poli theatre, Bridgeport, is handed a $500 check by Phil Gravitz, MGM manager in New Haven, for his prize campaign in large situations. 40 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JANUARY 2, 1954