Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1941)

Page 10 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW October 11, 1941 Idea for Football Schedule/ Gardner Ties In With Church, Stoltz Novelty a Sensation! A LITTLE joke we heard recently may help you some time to determine whether or not your patrons liked the show. We won't tell the joke in its original form — we'll just apply it to your situation. Suppose that after the picture is finished, half of the audience applauds and half hisses. Will that mean that half liked it and half didn't? How can you determine just exactly what the patrons' reaction is? Well, when a similar situation happened in the joke we heard, it was decided that one-half of the audience was applauding the other half for hissing. Consequently, no one liked the performance. And now, having dispensed with that, we can energetically and enthusiastically report that the weather is cooler these days. If your town is back on standard time, business in the evening is probably increasing. Anyway, the number of programs reaching this office is increasing, if the pile here on our desk can be used for evidence. So we're going to plow through them right now. Football Season Starting First, however, let us remind you that the football season is upon us, and that many wideawake exhibitors have already printed and are distributing football schedules. Typical of these "official programs" is that issued by the Warners' Beverly Theatre, Chicago, on behalf of the neighborhood Morgan Park High School. We'll try to describe it briefly to help you in preparing your own : Printed on cheap cardboard stock (we hope that's right), it consists of four pages. The dimensions, when folded, are 4% inches by 5% inches. On the front page is this Members Added This Week Lee Stern, Schine's Empire, Glen Falls, N. Y. Ray M. Couch, Dream Theatre, Sedro Woolley, Wash. copy: "Official Program — Morgan Park High schedule and score card — 1941." Included also is an illustration of football players in action. (You could probably obtain a similar cut or mat from your newspaper.) Most of the second page contains the players' names and numbers, as well as the schedule of games, and most of the third page contains the score card, with spaces for fans to write -Your Application BlankClip and Mail Now! STR Program Exchange SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW 1501 Broadway New York, N. Y. Dear "Chick": — I hereby apply for membership in the 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 obligation. Name Theatre City State Street Scene In Utica Directly above is pictorial proof that those novelty parachutes used by Arnold Stoltz on RKORadio's "Parachute Battalion" actually work. Members of the Avon house staff are shown releasing them from a building in Utica, N. Y. (Passed by Avon Theatre censor, who's all "up in the air" over the splendid results of the stunt.) in the results of each quarter and the final score. Across the two pages, at the bottom, is a box containing this copy for the theatre: "Relax and enjoy our well balanced single feature programs." Also included is the theatre's name, address, manager, assistant manager, etc. The back page starts off with this copy, "Let's go to the Beverly — after the game, for a perfect evening of entertainment," and then continues with a list of coming attractions. Dave Magleora of the Rialto Theatre, Windsor Locks, Conn., whose programs have been absent from our desk for some time, has started sending them through again. Dave still adorns the back page of his program with good institutional copy welcoming new patrons, announcing a reduction in price for all men of Uncle Sam's armed forces, etc. One line is timely : "A visit to the Rialto is a sure way to completely forget the turmoil of the outside world." Urges Church-Going Our new member, Jimmie Gardner, manager of the Ritz Theatre, Beaumont, Texas, is putting the front page of his program to good use. Recently he urged patrons to "go to church every Sunday morning . . . nowhere else will we find the spiritual solace and relaxation for the soul except in Church." At the same time, he suggested that on Sunday afternoon "let's all go down to the Ritz Theatre for complete relaxation of our minds and bodies . . . nowhere else will we find so much entertainment for such a small price." In this copy, Jimmie has made a dignified and sensible tieup between the church and the theatre — a tieup that is allimportant in every community. Harry Hobolth, of the DeLuxe Theatres, Imlay City, Mich., warns his patrons that "through no fault of ours, the United States Government has passed new taxes that will hit our Monday and Tuesday shows. Until further notice, our Family Night prices will remain at 10c, and no matter what happens, we know you will take it as we do — with a smile." By this time, we imagine, Harry has found it necessary to increase his admissions, and we're sure his patrons have taken it "with a smile." Up in Danvers, Mass., the Orpheum Theatre management was on his toes when he recently advised patrons to set their clocks back one hour in order to be "all rested up to see 'Moon Over Miami'." So far, we haven't seen evidence of any other theatre tieing in with the switch from daylight to standard time. There is timeliness and good advice in the institutional message used by Will Briemann in the program for the Ambassador Theatre, Baltimore : "The United States ... is 'all out' for defense to preserve its independence. And every American is working with more diligence than ever before. In order to function more efficiently and forget the everyday perplexities, greater relaxation is needed by everyone. Let motion pictures serve as your relaxation. Come often to the Ambassador and be entertained by the fine pictures created for your enjoyment. They give you so much for so little." Tissue Paper Parachutes The best and only novelty of the week would, of course, come from Arnold Stoltz, and this novelty, believe you us, is a WOW! He used it on behalf of "Parachute Battalion," and whether it came "ready made" as a press book service or originated with Arnold himself makes no difference, it's still a WOW! It's a miniature parachute, with tissue paper serving as the 'chute. Strings attached to the tissue paper lead to a card announcing the picture. Any tieup? You know darn well there was. 'Twas with a clothing store, and the copy reads: "For a Fine Fall, Drop In to See Maher Brothers, etc." Honestly, Stoltz has more energy and initiative than any other ten showmen we know. To prove the miniature parachutes would work, he sent us a photo, which we've reproduced on this page. "The stunt 'Crete'd' a sensation," says punster Stoltz. We welcome Lee Stern of Schine's Empire Theatre, Glen Falls, N. Y., as a member of the Program Exchange. But more about Stern next week. Our make-up man is getting stern right now as he tells us we've used enough space. So — we'll see you next week. 'Election' Banner Sells 'Kane' Capitalizing on the political campaigning of the title character in Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane," RKO-Radio release, Manager Mickey Gross and Publicity Director Ted Halmi of the Orpheum Theatre, Denver, engaged a young man to carry an "election" banner through the business district.