Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1956)

An International Association of Motion Picture Showmen — Walter Brooks , Director FRIENDLY PERSUASION — Good Selling Approach jL LLIED ARTISTS have a good picL\ ture, with a provocative title, in X A. “Friendly Persuasion” — which is the Thanksgiving attraction in 250 firstrun theatres across the country, including the Radio City Music Hall. The new Gary Cooper picture, directed by William Wyler, will not only make friends and influence people to “go out to the movies” — and like it, but the inference in the title is conducive to good sponsorship with cooperative advertisers. There are a lot of things you can do with “friendly persuasion” — including the selling of theatre tickets at the box office wicket, and convincing local merchants and organizations of the wisdom and necessity of tieups in which they participate with your theatre. Gimbel’s have already led the way with their array of cooperative newspaper pages in the metropolitan press — all aimed at “friendly persuasion” in seeing their point of view. The pressbook and sales kit at hand show that the policy of “friendly persuasion” began with the notion of persuading Gary Cooper to sing — and he does! And then, more seriously, there are suggestions for cooperative newspaper pages and for merchant tieups that will click in any community. “Friendly Persuasion Week” can be the most unique business week your town has ever had. There is much to be gained in proving that your town is a friendly town— which will be reflected in sales personnel and even your cashier, or that man who stands in the lobby, supervising everything, can be equally friendly, in keeping with a nice ocassion. Product, as a problem, is being solved by processes now under way, with big and little pictures more numerous and the lists growing from hundreds of independent sources. Plant, which includes the physical theatre, is improving, of necessity, for the grim fact is that the public won’t go for outmoded presentations— which date back twenty or thirty years. And, the one way in which the manager can be secure in his situation is to culti NEW ENTERPRISE Something new in the “Friendly Persuasion" pressbook from Allied Artists, which attracts special attention in this corner. They engaged the services of a national promotion organization, Ruder and Fink, who maintain 35 publicity and merchandising representatives in as many key cities, for public relations and tieins at the local level. We recall that these partners came out of picture business. By signing up a complete national organization with their first motion. Allied Artists gained a lot of ground in obtaining this kind of coverage from scratch, which is now augmented by their own field men, engaged in exploitation for current playdates on a national basis. We glance over the list of 35 representatives for Ruder and Fink, and many of them seem familiar names— such as, for instance, Mr. Nathan Wise, in Cincinnati, who is a Quigley Grand Award winner—and there are others. We've always believed that there should be a national affiliation of thoroughly experienced publicity and public relations people, who know our business and are proper showmen, that could take assignments such as this, and also be able to convey our skills, to other lines, for proper fees. We have the know-how, and we need the way to broaden out, and to provide a backlog for post graduates in our school of experience. As we grow up, we have old grads looking beyond their horizons. vate exactly those community relations which are won by “friendly persuasion.” As we contemplate our mail, and the reports of good showmanship from 7429 active members of this Round Table, we grow more certain that it is the personality of the manager, in contact with people, that will keep the theatre above board and operating profitably. VIRGINIA Motion Picture Theatre Association, meeting in convention in Richmond on January 16th, will have “Why the Picture Did Business for Me” as a topic of discussion — and that is of interest here, because the Herald, since 1916, has had a department of exhibitor comments — the original — entitled “What the Picture Did for Me.” And the Round Table, in its entirety, five pages a week, fifty-two weeks in the year, is a description of “What I Did for the Picture.” We compliment another exhibitor group for putting showmanship front and center in their annual meetings. HERE’S a happy gift for children, advertised in national magazines. It’s “TV Joe” — a coin bank that sits on the television set at home, so the kiddies can come along and drop in their pennies, probably to pay the installments on the set, when they fall due. Perhaps Father won’t tell them all the story — but he may tap Joe’s bank when it’s time to dig down — and the whole idea is a foot in the door towards Toll-TV, which will require another slot, when the youngsters have the habit, and you can convince them about the price of tickets. We’re in favor of “TV Joe” because he may also prove to the small-fry that even the home movies aren’t free. OUR FAVORITE children’s charity— the Foster Parents’ Plan, which Bing Crosby and others embraced during the promotion of “Little Boy Lost” — has received an urgent cable from Hungary, asking “Please airship 1,000 diapers sorely needed by Hungarian refugee babies. Others need blankets, towels, sheets, but diaper situation is desperate.” And so, with the active cooperation of Jack and Jill Diaper Service, and Eliscu Pins — the needed diapers were delivered in Hungary the very next day, and even that was none too soon, but wonderful response to an urgent cable, from little ones in need. — Walter Brooks. MANAGERS' ROUND TABLE SECTION, DECEMBER I, 1956 45