Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1949)

SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, October 22, 1949 13 Selling the Picture News and Ideas Concerning Profitable Advertising, Publicity and Exploitation Finds a McCoy, Gets News Break When it comes to drumming up publicity-, Lawrence Lehman, manager of the RKO Missouri Theatre, Kansas City, Mo., likes the real McCoy. So when he played "Roseanna McCoy" recently, Lehman went out and found the real thing in the person of Miss Jo 2^IcCoy, a Kansas City resident and a bonafide descendant of the Hatfields and the McCoys. The young lady's life story reads like a sequel to the Goldwyn film, since her mother was a Hatfield and her father a McCoy. All of which makes her neutral on the subject of the historic feud. Lehman found Miss McCoy on her job as a senior clerk in the general offices of MidContinent Airlines, and interested Landon Laird, Kansas City Star "About Town" columnist in the human interest story. Laird devoted his entire column on Saturday of the week during which the film played to Jo McCoy and her story. She was born on the Kentucky side of the Tug River, and as a girl waded in Peter Creek and Blackberry Creek, around which much of the early action of the film swirls. The episode made excellent reading for Laird's followers and good publicity to the Missouri Theatre, which was duly credited in the column. News Roto Section Devoted to Industry As the result of arrangements made several weeks ago bj' Russell Stewart of MGM's publicity department, the New York Daily A'ru's last Sunday devoted its rotogravure section to the motion picture industry, carrying 32 pages in a variety of colors featuring various attractions of eleven distributors. MGM was represented by 218 inches or 28.4 per cent of the total amount of space. Next was 20th Century-Fox, with 167 inches or 22 per cent of the total. Then came Warners with 80 infhes, followed by Republic with 60. Columbia with 41, United .\rtists, 38; L'niversal-International, 38 ; Paramount and RKO, 36 each ; F.agle Lion, 33, and J. Arthur Rank, 13. Manager Writes Column, Costs Paper Nothing Al Hutchins of the State in Fostoria, Ohio, sold the publishers of a weekly newspaper on the idea that he could write them a good column that would cost them nothing. He's done so well writing of production facts or other sidelights on the movies at his theatre each week, that the publishers ran a contest to name the column. The winning name was good for a two-year subscription to the paper : Human Angles of Hollywood with Al Hutchins. 'Bride' Bike Ballyhoo A parade of miDtorcycles, bannered with film and theatre copy and loaded down with cans and shoes, greeted "I Was a Male War Bride" in Cumberland. Md. Manager Johnny ^lanuel of the Strand arranged the aflfair with a local cycle club. SNAKES ALIVE! But they proved better off dead when the banks in Wellsboro, Pa., offered a bounty of $1 for each rattlesnake killed. Well, 1,500 were turned in, and Manager Larry Woodin of the Arcadia Theatre Co., offered a season ticket for the biggest one. You see it above — 59 inches long. Lawrence Franklin and Alfred Comfort, the snake killers, got duplicate awards from Woodin (right) on the Arcadia stage. The event packed the house. Brochure Outlines TheatrePromotion A brochure outlining the problems and techniques of motion picture theatre advertising, publicity and exploitation is being offered free by McLaren-Andersen Associates, New York City film publicists. Titled "What Does the Public Know About Your Theatre !", the fourpage mimeographed pamphlet quotes UniversalInternational President N. J. Blumberg in his recent declaration that the exhibitor must get back into the ad-pub business. The agency's discussion then proceeds on a breakdown by firstrun, art and subsequent-run houses. Recommended for all situations i.s complete coverage in the trade press in order to build the name and reputation of the theatre with an eye to both promotional and future sales value. 'Seabiscuit' Will Bow in 255 Houses -V live-state simultaneous premiere covering 255 theatres in Lidiana, Kentucky, North Tennessee, East Illinois and West Virginia has been set for Warners' "The Story of Seabiscuit,'' on Nov. 2. These states will be blanketed by a special territorial advertising, publicity and exploitation campaign which has already been put into operation by Mort Blumenstock, vice-president in charge of advertising and publicity. The campaign includes elaborate press and radio coverage not only in the situations where the Technicolor film is scheduled to premiere but also in surrounding areas of over 200 mile.' of each premiere theatre. To take full advantage of the effects of the campaign, the picture is scheduled to open in over 200 neighboring cities within 10 to 15 days of the premiere. Highlights of the campaign include the following : Special premiere area cooperative ad which will include all theatres and towns participating in the event ; a blanket radio coverage campaign with special transcriptions keyed to the premiere ; theatres, towns and playdates will also be mentioned over the air on selected local radio stations. Special Hollywood interview transcriptions will be provided with two interview records, one with Shirley Temple and another with Di rector David Butler. Special 40 x 60 lobby piece has been prepared for use in all premiere theatres ; special premiere kit is being forwarded to each of the theatres with all material slanted to the premiere event. Special advance premiere announcement trailer to be shown well in advance in each of the theatres, and special radio commercial transcription announcement of the event. Blumenstock is also sending a special exploitation crew headed by Herb Pickman and Bernie Serlin from New York and George Bannon, from the company's Dallas territory, to coordinate publicity, advertising and exploitation in the entire area. IT WAS EASY TO ENTER THIS FLOAT IN THE PARADE. After aU, it was the annual Columbus Day parade, and the float was advertising a timely offering: namely Universal-International's J. Arthur Rank Technicolor film, "Christopher Columbus." So North Coast Theatres in San Francisco realized a good measure of cooperation and exploitation through this showmanship. With large color stills from the picture, which opened that day at the Orpheum, mounted on a truck, the theatre circuit gained maximum display. — SF.