Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1949)

SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, December 3, 1949 21 ^Bagdad^ Ballyhoo Covers 3 Cities Intensive promotion campaigns in Chicago, Buffalo and Baltimore highlighted the Thanksgiving week bow of Universal-International's "Bagdad." Spearheading the Chicago world premiere campaign at the RKO Grand Theatre were newspaper and radio promotions. A drug store chain featured special "Bagdad" Sundaes on its menus. The Buffalo campaign tied-in with the U. S. Army's recruiting drive. Original costumes from the picture were exhibited in David's, while the Sattler department store featured a tieup and devoted newspaper advertising space to the film's opening at the Lafayette Theatre. .\ man dressed as a sheik toured the streets in advance of playdate. 'Bagdad' Delight Soda In Baltimore a bannered sound truck helped to promote the opening at Keith's Theatre. A drug chain featured a "Bagdad" Delight soda in special streamers, and newspaper and radio contests were used — oriental song (for radio) and coloring (for newspapers.) The Chicago campaign was handled by Harold Butchin, U-I held representative, and Jerry Shinbach and Ansel Winston, RKO representatives. In Buffalo Abe Bernstein of U-I worked with the Lafayette's George MacKenna, while in Baltimore Bernstein worked with Fred Schanberger, Jr. Greenway Uses ^Gaiden' Angle for O^Brien Film Seizing upon the garden idea in the title of "The Secret Garden," Manager Fred Greenway and Assistant Bob Gentner of Loew's Poli Palace, Hartford, Conn., sought tieups on seeds and tools for gardening. First they promoted 100 packages of seeds as giveaways to the first 100 persons attending on the opening day. A coloring contest with a seed distributor yielded plants as prizes. A treasure chest in the lobby, with 1,000 keys, only 10 being master keys to open the box, were distributed through hardware stores. Prizes were gardening tools for those who could open the chest. Parent-Teacher Associations plugged the picture ; libraries and book stores the book on which the film is based. The Margaret O'Brien dresses were promoted through Hartford department stores. Fifty flowers were promoted from a local florist to be given to the first 50 women attending the opening evening performance. Department store sales bags were imprinted with "Secret Garden" credits. Vials of perfume, labeled "Secret Garden," were promoted from a cut-rate drug concern. Practically all phases of the "garden" idea were played up, garnering publicity that reached a large proportion of the city's inhabitants. — ^HFD. Varied Costumes at Palace Halloween Party A wide range of imaginative costumes was in evidence when an estimated 2,000 children jammed the Odeon Palace Theatre in Hamilton, Ontario, for a Good Deed Halloween Party. Costumes ranged from Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny to Frankenstein and Alighty Joe Young. Following the difficult judging of costumes, the children were treated to a special kiddie show. Event rated a three-column cut and caption in the Hamilton St'cctator, local newspaper. SHOWMANSHIP AWARD. Allen A. Grant, manager of Century's Kingsway Theatre, Brooklyn, receives from Executive VicePresident Fred J. Schwartz (left) and Executive in Charge of Theatre Operation Leslie R. Schwartz (right), the A. H. Schwartz Showmanship Award for 1949. The award is made annually to the Century manager who, in the opinion of all the circuit's district managers, department heads and executives, has done the best overall job in theatre management. I.M.F.S. Member Report Rope, Sand Used In Sorkin Campaign I.M.P.S. Member Sol Sorkin, city manager for RKO Keith's Theatre, Syracuse, N. Y., used plenty of rope in his campaign on "Rope of Sand," and he hung up — not himself — but good grosses on the picture. And, incidentally, he didn't forget the sand, either. The rope was used by a boy who took a section of it out on the street and spelled out the name of the picture. Not bad, eh? As for the sand, well, don't get it in your eyes. Another boy went out with a bucket of it, stopped at busy street intersections, dumped it out on the sidewalk, then wrote the film's title with his finger. Crowds gathered around him, thus stopping pedestrian traffic. Sand was also used in a jewelry window tieup, with diamonds imbedded in it. 'Stable' Previewed By Massena Clergy Xuns and priests in Massena, X. Y., attended a special screening of "Come to the Stable" before it opened at Schine's Massena Theatre. This gesture, arranged by Manager Les Coulter, was good for an article in the local gazette ])lus the potential influential word-of-mouth. Coulter also sent 1500 cards to Catholic and public schools advertising a special matinee, used a page from a Catholic paper in composing a 40 X 60 for his theatre front, and got the local radio station to credit the theatre and playdate and plug the film tune. Through a Long and Sleepless Night, on a record program. Woman-tO'Woman Angle Used by Bill Straub The cashier of the Colonia in Norwich, N. Y., was set by Manager Bill Straub to calling the members of th business women's club "woman to woman" about "Not Wanted," the unwedmother film. Bill also distributed a handbill ( "Ladies, here is a story that you never expected to see"), had his candy girl push a "Not Wanted" baby carriage around town and persuaded the Boy Scouts to make a collection of "Not Wanted" magazines and newspapers for a w'orthy cause. THE NEW PRESS BOOKS The return of Rosalind Russell to comedy "with a BANG!" keynotes Columbia's press book for "Tell It to the Judge." No chance is overlooked to suggest its comedy angles and the laughs to be had from it. Pictorially and in text alike the prepared ads are de.signed to give newspaper readers the firm impression that they are in for a hilarious time. Who, yearning for entertainment, wouldn't be intrigued by the often-used catchlines: "The most riotous honeymoon a bride ever shared with two husbands;" — "The three-on-a-honeymoon howl of the year!" and "She should have known from their first honeymoon what crazy things would happen on their second!"? One of the fun-suggesting cuts employed in the ads shows Rosalind falling prone, arms and legs extended in the air, the other showing her flat on her back in a rowboat, feet in the air, with Robert Cum.mings smugly watching her from another boat. The posters use the same laugh-provoking illustrations. Many of the newspaper articles in the press book suggests the film's appeal to the risibilities, and there are also several suggested e.xploitation tieups along that line. '■i * Allied Artists approaches "There's a Girl in My Heart" from the romantic angle in its press book. Ad illustrations play tap the romance, the singing and dancing angles, "Sparking with song hits," "Loaded with love an' kisses," "Crammed with euties." The main, oft-repeated catch phrase is "It's a sweetheart of a show." Story's action taking place in the late '90s, there is a nostalgic appeal in the listed oldtime songs and in the costumes worn by all cast members. Posters and lobby display cards pictorially serve as "come-ons" for the film's romance and nostalgia. The "leg art" appeal of the "euties" receives a play in the scene cuts for newspaper publicity as well as in the ads and posters. Entire appearance and message to the public in the press book is that they will have a romantically enjoyable time when they see "There's a Girl in My Heart" and that was the intention. An unmarried woman on the prowl for a rich husband is the theme of RKO's "Bride for Sale" and likewise the theme to which those in charge of the press book hew close to the line. Their task was to promote, through ads, posters and other accessories, the expectation in moviegoers that, by seeing the picture, they would treat themselves to an hour and a half of relaxing and restful laughter. And that idea has been handsomely put across. "Just for laughs" is the big-type headline over a number of the ads, posters and cards. Other catchlines that promise to increase the number of laughs per reel are: "She'd love to say yes to a man with a million," — "Take our word for it . . . any resemblance between this picture and insanity is absolutely intentional." Pictorially, the ads and the posters make good use of the oldtime and surefire laugh-getter, the prattfall. Angles to appeal to the women are the romantic love interest suggested by all the publicity media, and the money-bags that erupt in hearts and dollar signs. A Play for Italians With the Italian picture. "Outers-" as his coming feature, Manager Bill Hurlbert of the Hippodrome, Gloversville. N. Y., made a play to attract patrons from the 10,000 Italian families living in the community through window cards in Italian stores, trailers in Italian and a bid to the members of the Italian-American A''eterans Club.