Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1939)

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Facie IS SHOWMEN'S T R A D.E REVIEW October 7, 1939 HOLLYWOOD CAVALCADE' (20th Cent-Fox) Rarely does a theatreman get the wealth of show-selling angles he will find in this powerful box office picture dealing entertainingly with the growth and changes in motion picture production. Endowed with beautiful Technicolor which gets the benefit of frequent changes from black and white to color, and thereby makes the color stand out even more, the story wends its way from "away back when," through the expansion and improvement in production periods, into the sound era. There is no questioning the box office appeal of the title plus the two top-stars. But its greatest punch will be found in its audience appeal and from which it should gain a tremendous amount of favorable wordof-mouth comment pointing towards build-up business for your run. Every conceivable element of entertainment is packed into this picture and if one is to judge from the reactions of the trade screening audience then it is safe to assume that the fun and belly laughs of the old Keystone Comedy chase are going to prove a funfest for your patrons. "Hollywood Cavalcade" is recommended to exhibitors as a potential record breaker the sum total of which must be gauged by the amount of smart show-selling they put behind it. Clay Theatre, Green Cove Springs, Is Sold to Fain Circuit in Florida Frank Bryan, well known exhibitor in Florida, has relinquished his holdings in Green Cove Springs to the Fain Enterprises, Inc., one of the largest theatre chains operating in the southern state. With this purchase, the number of houses now operated by Earle M. Fain totals 11, all in Florida. Others in the same circuit are located in Leesburg, Dunnellon, Wildwood, High Springs, Inverness, Apopka, Williston, Bushnell and Zephyrhills. Smile — Or Refund Admission "Smile Week" was observed recently in Interstate Circuit's neighborhood houses in Dallas, Texas. Members of the staff were urged to smile, and if any customer encountered a staff member who didn't greet him with a smile, he was entitled to a refund. Springfield's Abraham Lincoln Association To Plug RKO Film Fifteen hundred units of the Abraham Lincoln Association of Springfield, 111., will cooperate with RKO Radio and theatres in the popularizing of the forthcoming "Abe Lincoln in Illinois." The organization, pleased with the faithful reproduction for the screen of the life and undying drama of the Great Emancipator as depicted by Robert E. Sherwood's Pulitzer Prize stage hit, will assist in the dissemination of information concerning the elaborate production starring Raj'mond Massey. News features, pictures and other data are being forwarded regularl}^ by RKO Radio's publicity department to the Association's societies throughout the United States. RKO Radio's far-reaching tie-up with the Lincoln Association will be highly beneficial locally to theatres during playdate time in addition to valuable advance national promotion. Kisses From "Lady of Tropics" Distributed in Springfield, Ohio Scoop! We have absolute proof that kisses from Hedy Lamarr were received by hundreds of ardent fans in Springfield, Ohio, recently. No, not real kisses, but candy kisses, promoted from the local F. W. Woolworth Company five and ten cent store by Managers M. H. Chakeres of the Regent Theatre as a promotion stunt for "Lady of the Tropics." The kisses were in envelopes on the outside of which was printed this copy: "A Kiss from the 'Lady of the Tropics' (theatre and playdate)." There was also a picture of Hedy. Copy on the back plugged "Perc Westmore's new Color-Filtered Makeup used by all the stars in this picture, on sale at F. W. Woolworth Company." Woolworth's furnished the kisses; Chakeres furnished the envelopes and imprinting; the success of the stunt furnishes a good reason why you should try it yourself. Novelty Mailing Piece A novelty mailing piece which when opened gives animation to a skating figure of little Irene Dare for "Everything's On Ice" is a unit in the mailing campaign for the Sol Lesser production currently distributed through RKO Radio Pictures. The action folder has been designed by Leon J. Bamberger, sales promotion manager, to stress the skating episodes in the production as the ice season approaches. Point of Sale Advance Extensive coverage in the muguzine press is the basis of this eye-arresting display in the Radio City Music Hall lobby, prior to the opening of RKO Radio's "Nurse Edith CavelV. Mounted on 40 X 60 compo-board, the layout consisted of "breaks" from the following magazines: Life, Screenland, Motion Picture, Silver Screen and Hollywood Movies. Loar Sugar in Envelopes Adds a Sweet Note to Cottrall's Campaign A sweet note was introduced into the campaign of "Fifth Avenue Girl" at Colorado Springs, Colo., when Manager Don Cottrall of the Chief Theatre distributed large quantities of loaf sugar done up into neat little envelopes. The message on the envelopes was: "Ginger has a sugar daddy now. She hits the high spots in love and laughter in 'Fifth Avenue Girl', with Walter Connolly, Verree Teasdale and James Ellison at the Chief Theater." These little envelopes were passed out by pretty girls on the street corners and in stores throughout the downtown district, and created a great deal of comment. Added newspaper art was secured in the Gazette for the Sunday prior to the opening and the theatre used increased advertising displays. Several attractive cooperative window tie-ups were secured and a special lobby display was built, using attractive stills as a basis. National Tieup on PostToasties Made for "$1,000 A Touchdown" In connection with its forthcoming football comedjr "$1000 A Touchdown" starring Joe E. Brown and Martha Raye, Paramount has completed a national advertising tie-up with Post Toasties. Both stars in the Paramount feature will be featured in a series of three 800 line newspaper ads appearing in leading key cities plugging both the breakfast food and Paramount comedy. Live Wire Publicity Features the Cirscy Promotion for "Name Only" Live wire exploitation featured the campaign arranged by E. V. Dinnerman, director of publicity of the Albee Theatre, Cincinnati for "In Name Only." Highlights of the campaign included numerous special window displays in drug stores, department stores, restaurants, millinery shops, beauty salons, jewelers and florists; an announcement in "What's Doing in Cincinnati" crediting attraction, theatre and playdate; daily broadcasts over radio station WCPO and special feature stories and art layouts in the Post, Times-Star and the Enquirer. Perdue Scores With Swell Stunts on "Wings" Here's a pictorial record of some of the stunts used by Barnes Perdue, publicity director, for the engagement of Columbia's "Only Angels Have Wings" at the Lyceum Theatre, Clovis, N. M. (Left) Panels in doors and poster glued to lobby floor; (bottom, center) a darn good plug; (top, center) a 10 20 banner hoisted in the air by a box kite: (right) a i-by 80-foot banner on the Hotel Clovis tallest building in New Mexico. Congratulations to Perdue for a swell job.