Business screen magazine (1958)

i.w>v.. Sir I luiiita.s Lipioii's famed Sluvnrock IV" with which he made his ourth try for the America's Cup in 1920. ponsor; Thomas J. Lipton, Inc. "itle: The History of the America's Cup, 11 min., colon produced by Transfilm, Inc. • The world's most famous sporting trophy, le 107-year-old America's Cup, is the gleamig star of a new 27-minute color documentary lotion picture produced by Transfilm for homas J. Lipton, Inc. The History of the America's Cup covers e excitement and tense moments in the first S years of competition for the gaudy trophy. Ithough the Cup's intrinsic value is probably ^s than $100, about $30 million has been ent by British yachtmen who sought to rern it to the land of its origin and Americans 10 so far have managed to keep it here. Originally, the trophy was won from the jyal Yacht Squadron in 1851 by a syndicate American yachtsmen who owned the >kmerica." Since then. 16 challenges have en made by English. Irish, Scotch^and Cadian sportsmen in vain attempts to return ; trophy to the United Kingdom. T. O. M. Sopwith, British aeronautical manicturer. made the last attempt with his ndeavour 11" in 1937. September 20 of s year saw the start of another series of allenge races for "the ould mug." Sir Thomas Failed in Five Tries Best remembered of all Cup challengers unubtedly is Sir Thomas Lipton, who made i unsuccessful tries for the trophy with his lous "Shamrocks" between 1899 and 1930. hough he never succeeded in turning the :. his great sportsmanship gained for him everlasting admiration and respect of the lerican people, and a $16 thousand solid d cup donated by public appeal, t is Lipton's great sportsmanship that proes a theme for The History of the America's 0. n the film, a boy sailing in a weekly regatta Js for the fifth time in a row and returns to yacht club locker room, discouraged and dy to give up racing his sail boat forever. adult member of the club sympathetically -s him in hand and tells him the story of Lipton^s Film Tie-in With Sailing Classic "History of the America's €'up'* the America's Cup — and of the man who "won by losing," Sir Thomas Lipton. The boy, called Tommy in the film, thereafter recaptures his interest and failli in sailing competition. Eastern Clubs Featured in Scenes Location shots were made at the New York Yacht Club in New York City and the American Yacht Club in Rye, N. Y. The New York Yacht Club houses the largest collection of memorabilia connected with many years of competition for the America's Cup, including the Cup itself and perfect scale models of the challenging and defending yachts. At the American Yacht Club, actual sailing scenes were photographed during the past summer. The film script was written by Fred Freed from original research by Jerome E. Brooks. Thomas Whitesell is the producer, and Shepard Traube the director. The History of the America's Cup will be shown on tv. in theaters and to interested clubs and organizations throughout the United States. Distribution will be handled by Association Films, Inc. via nationwide offices. »■ now Promotion Builds Xow Film Audienees Audience Results Like These Launch a 'Xnp" Film's Career it The History of The America's Cup already has had an unusual "career" as a sponsored film: ... it was ordered for a premiere showing on the first day's operation of a tv station located on the Isle of Wight, where the first America's Cup Race was held in 1851. ... it was "sneak previewed" at the Grand Central Newsreel Theatre, complete with trailer announcement and audience reaction cards. Viewers liked it well enough for the theatre to book the film for an additional four-day run on the eve of the race. ... it has been shown all summer long to Naval cadets in training at Old Mystic Seaport, Connecticut. ... it was shown in three theatres on Martha's Vineyard as a special featurette, as a result of a yacht club commodore's request for a place to show the film to fellow yachtsmen and vacationers. ... it was scheduled by ABC-TV for a network play on some 20 to 30 stations in early September. . . . it was previewed initially in June to 500 special guests, sports writers and yachting enthusiasts in New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, and introduced by actor Hume Cronyn. ^ by Robert Finehout Director, Advertising and Pronnotion Association Films, inc. ABOUT Three Months ago we saw The . History of The America's Cup for the first time, in a small mid-town Manhattan screening room. As the lights came up after the showing, all in the audience knew they had seen a winner. Big, handsome, colorful, exciting — blending the historical with the nautical, the dramatic with the documentary, this one had audience-appeal written all over it. The film would be in heavy demand, anytime. But this year, perhaps more than at any other time, it offered a special challenge: 1958 would mark the resumption of the sporting classic, the America's Cup yacht race. The release of the film was timed to coincide with this great event, recognized by many sports writers as the sporting event of the year — or 21 years if you're a yachtsman who has waited since 1937 for this water-bound "world series'" to be resumed. Aim Picture at Selected Audiences A film that can boast so many ingredients: adventure, thrills, timeliness, and above all. newsworthiness, deserves, even demands, extraspecial handling. Our problem was how to reach maximum audiences at the time when interest in the Cup races was reaching a crescendo, but when many normal sponsored-film outlets (schools, clubs, etc.) were inactive. In consultation with representatives of the sponsor, Thomas J. Lipton, Inc., we decided to concentrate on television, yacht clubs, and selected motion picture theatres. A pattern of tv release was formulated, akin to the selected pre-release engagement plans used successfully with such theatrical attractions as The Bridge on the River Kwai and The Ten Commandments. In other words, we worked out a "roadshow-on-tv" pattern, with priority given to the major stations in the top markets in the country. This was the "premiere phase" of the program. Premiere Showings on 51 Stations Major network and independent stations in the 70 largest markets were offered the film for televising during the period July 15 to August 31. Fifty-one stations booked the film for showing during this premiere period, in such major audience markets as New York City, Chicago. Los Angeles, Boston, Detroit and Washington. D.C. This six-week period had special significance: interest in the race was heightened each day as four American yachts competed against each other for the honor of defending the "ould mug" against the British contender. Sceptre. The tryouts were covered by all major news services, the networks, and national magazines. (CONTINUED ON PAGE FIFTY-EIGHT) BUSINESS SCREEN MAGAZINE