Showmen's Trade Review (Apr-Jun 1939)

Record Details:

Something wrong or inaccurate about this page? Let us Know!

Thanks for helping us continually improve the quality of the Lantern search engine for all of our users! We have millions of scanned pages, so user reports are incredibly helpful for us to identify places where we can improve and update the metadata.

Please describe the issue below, and click "Submit" to send your comments to our team! If you'd prefer, you can also send us an email to mhdl@commarts.wisc.edu with your comments.




We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.

Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.

Page 10 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW May 20, 1939 PROGRAM EXCHANGE From Great Britain and Canada We Get Novel Theatre Program Ideas IT'S wet and dark and dreary outside. Just why we always like to begin Program Exchange discussions with the weather is something we can't understand, unless perhaps the weather is as good a subject as any with which to start. It's important to you, too, for on conditions outside depends to a certain extent the rise and fall of your business. If it's raining pitchforks, the streets are probably deserted. And if it's a beautiful day outside, many people are basking in the sunshine who might otherwise be in your theatre. Yes, the weather is a vital factor, and that must be the reason why we give it recognition in the opening paragraph of these discussions. But now let's get down to business. We told you last week that we were going across the ocean and back again. Well, that's just what we're going to do. We believe American exhibitors are always glad to know what their British brethren are doing. And to keep you informed, our London correspondent, Jock MacGregor, sticks his nose for news into various cinemas just to learn what they're doing in the way of publishing and distributing programs. Here's his report this week: "I have sent you a selection of monthly programs issued by the Gaumont British Picture Corp. Jimmy Forsyth, the chief of "^heatre Publicity, is a great believer in New Member Added This Week Walker Noble, Fine Arts Theatre, Westport, Conn. direct mailing, and the majority of the brochures are distributed to private houses, hotels, restaurants, etc. He claims that if they are left in the vestibule, they reach only a limited number of patrons; but by mailing, the bills are brought before casual cinemagoers and habitues of other theatres. Further, by cooperating with outside advertisers, the only cost to the theatre is the postage which is less than $10 per thousand. Patrons nowadays expect this service and look for the programs on the first of the month. "Though supervised by Forsyth, the program for each house has its individual touch. The front page for the Gaumont, Hammersmith, for instance, is a line drawing of the exterior of the house, and since the month includes 'Birthday Week,' there is a special manager's message and a doublepage montage of the many stars who have appeared there; two pages and two stills -^Your Application Blank-^ Clip and Mail Now! STR Program Exchange, SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, 1501 Broadway, New York, N. Y. Dear "Chick": — I hereby apply for membership in t-he STR Program Exchange. I understand that entry of my name on this coupon signifies a willingness to exchange theatre programs with other theatres, but involves no other obligations. Name Theatre City State Some Ideas Here For You? /;( the program for the Gaumont, Hammersmith, published by the GB circuit in London, the theatre's birthday zveek was emphasized by a double-page montage of the stars who had appeared in films playing there. In the upper right-hand corner is a clever sticker put out by Frank Boucher, of the Glove Theatre, Gloversville, N. Y. In the lozver righthand corner is a section of a page hailing "the star of the month," from a GB house organ. are devoted to each bill which consists of two features and variety; on another page is a synopsis of the month's attractions. "The Gaumont Palace, Guernsey, which is, of course, on one of the Channel Isles, has for its frontispiece a battleship plowing through a heavy sea firing a salvo; the slogan is '1939 — The Great Film Boom Year.' "For the North London cinemas, GB has one program to cover seven halls. The bill for each house is given, and whole pages are devoted to the more important films shown." "Censors' particulars are given in every case, and certain houses follow the practice of printing the times of each film: a much appreciated feature, since many people dislike the 3'V2-hour programmes." And there you are. What interests us is the type of front-page illustrations — that of the Gaumont Palace, Guernsey, for example; perhaps there is some celebration, anniversary or observance taking place in your community which you could adapt as the frontispiece for your program. \]p in Tilbury, Ontario, Canada, Harland Rankin issued passes to mothers in honor of Mother's Day. Just how tliey were distributed, he does not make clear; but the copy is as follows: "Please accept this pass with our compliments to vou on Mother's Day, May 12." Tom Pringle, of the Ideal Theatre, Toronto, Canada, used a swell gag in his program, the inspiration for which he credits the Encyclopedia of Exploitation. Highlighted by the illustration of a donkey, the copy reads: "Pley Kids! I'm the only one in this district that's not going to the 'Ideal Matinee' on Saturday . . . and you know what I am." If you want to use the idea, says Tom, look under the classification, "Donkey" in the Encyclopedia of Exploitation, and there you'll find the details. And if 3'ou boys didn't know it, this showselling aid is available to you at a reasonable price through STR. (This is positive\y not an advertisement.) We' ve gone British and Canadian this week, but we promise you that come the next issue of STR we'll be back on United States soil once more. However, they say it broadens one's knowledge to travel. That may be true in this case. We hope so. Numerous managerial changes were made in the Washington zone of Warner Bros. Theatres this week occasioned by the opening next month of the Kennedy Theatre, a newly built house. CLAUDE LAND, manager of the Colonv will manage the Kennedy, when it opens. NELSON SMITH has been shifted from the Home Theatre to the Avenue Grand replacing HENRY COON, who takes over the nianagement of the Penn Theatre during the illness of DAN REYNOLDS. SIDNEY HOFFMAN, manager of the Apollo has been shifted to the Colony, replacing LAND. JAMES GLENNON has been shifted from the Seco to the Apollo. His place at the Seco is taken by RAYMOND BURCH, promoted from assistant manager of the Tivoli. FRED MacMILLAN has been transferred from the Avalon to the Silver replacing LAMAR KEEN who goes to the capitol at Winchester, Va. where he succeeds THOMAS BALDRIDGE, who resigned. MacMILLAN's place at the Avalon has been taken by THEODORE LOHMEYER who in turn is succeeded at the York by EARL HEATWOLE, promoted from assistant manager of the Metropolitan. SMITH'S post at the Home has been taken by ERNEST WELLS, promoted from assistant manager of the Earle. WALDO CHANDLER, manager of the Virginia, Harrisonburg, Va. has been shifted to the Central, Martinsburg and PETER TUTWILER, former assistant manager at the Virginia, succeeds to CHANDLER's post. BEN WESTLUND, has been appointed publicity manager of the Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco. In The Editor's Mail Bag Chick Lewis, Showmen's Trade Review. Dear Chick, I must ask for a showdown regarding your editorial in the issue of May 13th of Showmen's Trade Review. The statements made therein imply there is a secret alliance between Allied of New York and I. T. O. A. You also seem to raise the question that New York Allied's loyalty to the national organization is rather thin and, therefore, subject to criticism. Rather than create any veiled insinuations, you should have stated the facts, if you have them. If we are to get anywhere in this industry and if there are forces in it working with ulterior motives, let's get them into the open regardless of where the weight may fall. You have an obligation to this industry and it is incumbent upon you to face the issue squarely with the whole truth and nothing hut the truth, remembering that what we are mainly interested in are facts. Yours very trulj', (signed) Max A. Cohen President, Allied Theatres of N. Y. Theatreman Wins Prize Theodore G. Ehrsam, manager of the Huntington Station Theater, Huntington Station, Long Island, N. Y., of the Century Circuit, won top cash prizes for himself and Professor R. M. Smith, head of the English Department at Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa., for writing the letter judged best of thousands in the "Letters Home" contest held weekly at the exhibit of the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company at the World's Fair.