Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1949)

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22 Veterans^ Fathers Sponsor ^Menace^ Solid exploitation embracing the use of many varied slants was used by James C. Skelly, manager of Warners' Ohio Theatre in Sidney, Ohio, in his campaign on "The Red Menace." Skelly arranged for the production to be "sponsored" by the Dads of Foreign Service Veterans in Sidney, and E. W. Moon, president of this organization, provided valuable assistance in obtaining publicity breaks and merchant cooperation. A gratis two-color co-op page advertisement publicizing the picture was provided by local stores as a patriotic gesture. In addition, the Dads of Foreign Service Veterans arranged for an advance ticket sale, with tickets available at banks. Savings and Loan associations, restaurants, insurance agencies and the Shelby County Fair. A stunt that garnered lots of attention was worked by having the film met at the railroad station by an escort of policemen, who delivered it to the theatre with a procession of sirenscreaming police cars. A newspaper photographer waiting at the theatre took a shot of the mayor. Manager Skelly and the armed guards which was printed in the next day's paper. Members of the National Guard in full uniform patrolled the lobby and guarded the projection booth during the run of the picture — an angle good for town-wide word-of-mouth publicity. Strong support for the campaign was also registered by religious groups in town. A Roman Catholic Church released students from homework to see the picture and make a written report on it for school study. The local Methodist and Lutheran churches plugged it in their church bulletins. Letters were sent to all ministers in Shelby County requesting their support of the picture, and they unanimously responded by encouraging their congregations to see it. Mayor Helps Open New Show Season Nothing like inaugurating a show season in style, with no less than the mayor participating ! That's what William Monnat did at Darnells Rialto Theatre in Massena, N. Y. You see, Monnat prevailed upon Mayor Jerry Reagan to oiTicially open the Rialto's "Only the Best in Motion Pictures" season. How was it done? Well, Monnat posed with the mayor in front of the theatre while the mayor apparently carried a container with a print of the Rialto's first film of the new season, "Sword in the Desert." The title was clearly painted on the container. A local newspaper photographer was on hand. Result : a newspaper publicity photo captioned "Mayor Opens New Picture Season." Good publicity, and something you ought to be able to do, too. Goes All Out for 'Love Happy' in 'Frisco The United Artists Theatre in San Francisco went all out on extensive tieups for the Marx Bros, comedy, "Love Happy." Included were personal appearances of Harpo and other stars at the opening of the new section of the Macy Store, radio announcements and commercial tieins. COLD SEAT. I.M.P.S. Member Joe Brite, manager of the Rialto, Alamosa, Colo., had a happy promotion idea when he placed on a 300-pound ice cake in front of the theatre a cut-out of the eye-appealing, bathing-suited figure of Esther Williams from the "Neptune's Daughter" six-sheet as the basis for a guessing contest for that MGM picture. Ten pairs of passes were offered for those guessing nearest to the day and time of day when the 300 pounds of ice would melt away. Closest guess was but two hours ahead of the actual melting time. Series of ^Battleground' Premieres Start Nov. 9 The invitational preview-premiere of MGM's "Battleground" at Loew's Capitol Theatre in Washington on Nov. 9 will launch a series of other premieres of the film. First showings to the general public will take place simultaneously in New York, and Bastogne, Belgium, on Nov. 10. General Maxwell Taylor, commanding officer of American troops in Europe, has been invited to attend the Bastogne openings at the General Patton and Ardennes theatres. On Nov. 11 four cities in the Belgian area menaced by the Germans in their Bastogne drive will start the picture. These cities are Liege, Antwerp and Brussels, Belgium; and Luxembourg, Luxembourg. Producer Dore Schary, Writer Robert Pirosh and players Denise Darcel, George Murphy and John Hodiak will be guests at both the Washington preview premiere and the American premiere in New York. Director William A. Wellman is unable to leave Hollywood, where he is making "You're Only Young Twice." Schary will be in New York about two weeks during which time he will meet with trade paper editors and reporters and speak at a seminar at Town Hall for the Jewish Theological Seminary of America He will also take part in a Town Hall meeting on another visit there. While in Washington, Schary will address the National Women's Press Club and also attend a dinner at which Eric Johnston, MPA president, will be host. Registers Out-of-Towners For His Mailing List A small table with a note book has been placed in the lobby of the Meriden Theatre at Meriden, Conn., by Paul S. Purdy, general manager of the Kournaris-Tolis-Ulyssis Theatres in Meriden and Newington as a means of keeping outof-town patrons in touch with the attractions at the Meriden. Near the table is a small sign requesting out-of-towners to register their names and addresses in order that the theatre programs may be mailed to them. By this method the Meriden's mailing list keeps growing, with the result that patronage from nearby communities also continues to increase. — HFD. SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, November 5, 1949 Boston Campaign Sets the Pattern {Continued from Page 20) money, that being the theme of "Trapped." Large frames depicting spurious money, borrowed from the Treasury Department for display purposes, were placed in the city's public libraries and in the lobbies of both Lheatres which drew crowds throughout the day and evening, studying the various samples of counterfeit money. Double-page photo layouts appeared in the Boston newspapers as well a.~ editorials, in addition to the usual stills and announcements. Radio st'-tion WHDH got a luggage dealer to sponsor a contest for the best letter detailing the moment when "you were 'Trapped' without your luggage," offering more than 100 pieces of luggage as prizes. "Down Memory Lane," a feature reviving several old Mack Sennett comedies including the early Bing Crosby two-reelers, gave full scope for zany exploition stunts, such as outlandish costumes, five men on stilts dressed as were the Sennett Keystone Cops placed at strategic street intersections, and the oldest jalopies to be found in Boston which were filled with bathing beauties in the period costumes of around 1920. The bathing beauty motorcade proved a traffic-stopper. Newspaper feature writers seized upon these old nostalgic screen comedies to prepare features on the stars of the old comedies embedded in "Down Memory Lane," and did not overlook the chase which was featured in most of them, nor the custardpie slinging which evoked guffaws from movie patrons of that day. Radio lent a hand by playing the early Crosby recordings of songs with plenty of credits to "Down Memory Lane." Critics Invited to N. Y, For 'Samson' Preview Drama and motion picture editors and critics of nine cities east of the Mississippi have been invited to New York by Max E. Youngsteim, Paramount director of advertising, publicity and exploitation, for a series of preview showings of "Samson and Delilah" and interviews with Producer Cecil B. DeMille. Two screenings have been set for Nov. 11 and 14 at the Museum of Modern Art — the former for the press, the latter for radio people. Editors and critics from the following papers have been invited : Buffalo Courier Express and News; Albany Knickerbocker News and Times Union; Boston Globe, Herald Traveler, Post, Record American and Advertiser ; New Haven Journal Courier and Register; Philadelphia Inquirer, Bulletin and News; Baltimore American, News Post and Stin; Washington News, Post, Star and Times Herald; Cincinnati Enquirer, Post and Times Star; Cleveland News, Press and Plain. Dealer. Bregoff Dines Aides Who Helped Win Drive Award Manager Spencer Bregofif of the Fabian Palace, Port Richmond, S. L, who won the second award for the metropolitan district (Brooklyn, Port Jervis, Middletown and Staten Island) in the Fabian Theatres 35th anniversary jubilee during the month of August, recently gave a dinner and party at Gus's Restaurant in Port Richmond to his entire staff of 18, including projectionists, who helped him put over the many attendance-promotion stunts that won second prize for him.