Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1943)

14 SHOWMEN'STRADEREVIEW October 9, 1943 Current Programs Described/ Travel Show Inspires Idea/ Ye Ed Basks in 'Coo/ Winds' It's cool this morning. On mornings to come, it will be even cooler. As a matter of fact, on some of the mornings between now and next Spring we imagine it will be right chilly. But it's a pleasant coolness this morning. The air is exhilarating. We found ourselves skipping merrily along the street, doing the light fantastic as we gaily descended the subway steps, waltzing into the train that would bring us to this desk to begin this week's discourse of the Program Exchange. That couldn't have happened in the Summer time. The oppressive humidity would have retarded our progress. We can just picture it now : With drops of perspiration on our forehead, with our clothes adhering to our skin like a postage stamp, we would have trudged wearily along, stopping occasionally to mop our perspiring brow with an already saturated handkerchief. That's the way it is in the Summertime. But this morning — ah, it's wonderful ! And now we shall turn our attention to the programs at hand. Our initial joy turns to disappointment as we study the calendar forwarded by Tom Edwards, manager of the Ozark Theatre, Eldon, Mo. Tom's down-to-earth, humorous copy, which usually takes up the space on the back, is completely missing. We hope that next month the congenial Ozark manager will be writing some copy again. We feel sure his patroiiS must miss it too. Harland Rankin, who holds forth at the Plaza Theatre in Tilbury, Ontario, Canada (he relinquished his Centre, Chatham, post to devote full attention to the Tilbury house) put out handbills advertising the serial, "Captain Midnight." Copy was simple and to the point: "Follow the famous Captain Midnight Serial at the Plaza Theatre, Saturday Matinee 2:15. This exciting serial is shown only at the Saturday matinee." Rankin figures that's probably all the copy that's necessary — just enough to let the youngsters know that a serial is playing. They'll do the rest. Plenty of appeal in that program from the Uptown Theatre, New York. Attraction advertised was "Stormy Weather." Front cover was a halftone montage of singing, dancing Lena Home, with Fats Waller and Bill Robinson sujierimposed against a background of Katharine Dunham's dancers and Cab Calloway. Inside spread was devoted to an eye-catching advertising layout on the same attraction, with space in the lower right-hand corner selling the second feature, "Bomber's Moon," and a March of Time, "Inside Fascist Spain." Way down in the corner was an appeal to "Back the Attack, Buy War Bonds Here, Immediate Delivery." On the back page were two one-column ads, each tilted slightly to permit inclusion of the playdate between them at the top. Pictures advertised were "First Comes Courage" and "Mr. Big." And at the bottom of the page was a coupon on which patrons could order the program mailed to them at their homes. All in all, it was a program with strong appeal for the optics. From Imlay City, Mich., and Milan, Tenn., come programs of the same type, both printed by a national program-printing concern. Only the covers are the same — the inside pages, naturally enough, are different, because two theatres so far apart wouldn't be playing the same attractions on the same days. Anyway, the cartoon on the cover shows a hefty farm woman pulling a plow guided by a farmer. On the other side of the fence is a neighbor. Says the farmer to the neighbor: "Yep, we had to convert . . . old mule was drafted." Humorous. Above the cartoon is this copy : "Rest her up at the movies." A good way to sell the theatre as an institution and to make the patrons laugh at the same' time. Last week .we reported that the Palace The atre, Greenfield, Tenn., had inaugurated a new type of program. It was temporary. The Palace has reverted back to its usual weekly publication. An artistic cover carries copy urging patrons to buy war bonds and to attend the War Bond Premiere which was held on Wednesday night, September 29. That picture of the War Bond Baby which STR published a few weeks ago in the On the Patiiotic Front section has again been reproduced, this time by Manager Thomas Di Lorenzo of the New Paltz Theatre, New Paltz, N. Y., on the back cover of his program. Of course, there are other sources from which Manager Di Lorenzo could have procured the picture, but we like to think he saw it in STR. But then, regardless of the source, it's an effective bond-selling appeal, and we hope lots of exhibitors used it during the Third War Loan. A program from the 48th Street Theatre, New York, apprises us that that home of Swedish films will show "Swedish Rhapsody," made up of a number of travelogues showing the beauties of Sweden. Seems that when the first of these feature-length travelogues was shown at the 48th Street sometime last year we made the suggestion in this column that some enterprising manager could make up a novel and entertaining program featuring travelogues of sights right here in our own United States. Such a collection of travel reels could supplement a main feature and take the place of the customary second feature. So far, we haven't heard of the stunt being tried, but we're hoping that down in Texas, where the Interstate theatres make bids for extra patronage by arranging short subject unit programs from time to time, it will be attempted. What is that old saying about "nothing attempted, nothing gained"? That exhilarating feeling we mentioned at the start of this discourse has left us. Here we are, all worn down to a frazzle. We thiiijc we shall stop now, although we'll be back next week. Multi-C ity Premiere Held for ^Rising Sun' A fifty-cent premiere launched RKO Radio's "Behind the Rising Sun" in the Philadelphia territory on Wednesday (29). Under the sponsorship of Radio Static WCAU, and with the Stanley, Philadelphia, a the pivot, the premiere was highlighted by a series of promotional activities which included personal appearances by Margo, star of the picture, James R. Young, author, and Gwen Dew, writer and editorialist on Far Easter topics. Among the cities participating in the premi ere were : Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Hazelton, Pottsville, Shenandoah, Williamsport, Bloomsburg, Danville, Sunbury, Berwyck, Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, Harrisburg, Reading, Shamokin, Mahanoy City, Mt. Carmel, East Stroudsburg, Lancaster, Tamaqua, York, Lewistown, Pa. ; Trenton, Wildwood, Ocean City, Cape May, Atlantic City, Tom's River N. J. ; and Wilmington, Del. Fashion Note: 'Destroyer Gray' As part of his impressive campaign to ballyhoo "Destroyer," first Columbia picture to play Loevv's Colonial, Reading, Penn., Manager W. B. Whitbeck arranged for the Croll and Keck Department Store to devote several windows to ladies' apparel of a gray shade which Whitbeck had the store call "Destroyer Gray." Make Good Use of It Remember that, he gets added authority who first proves that he can make good use of it! GUNS .AND COURAGE iVE..,IHEr FOUGHT! FRIDAY to MONDAY SEPTEMBER 24-25-26-27 MONTGOMERY ANNABELLA . in "IO0N» Added MARCH CF TIME "Inside Fascist Spain" sur WAR bonds] HERE) THEATRE ♦ BROADWAY at 170IK SI. Phoac: WA. ■-U50 ♦ Dailr Olfici Op.f. 12 No«n ♦ LATI SHOW SAT. NIGHT Just to let you see for yourself how that inside spread on 20th Century-Fox's "Strrmy Weather" looked in the program for the Uptown Theatre, New York, we've reproduced it above. An excellent seat-seller.