Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1961)

UA Demonstrates Living Pressbook On 'Naked Edge' in 12 Key Cities NEW YORK— More than 100 metropolitan area exhibitors and the New York trade press attended the first of United Artists’ “The Naked Edge” living pressbook demonstrations at Loew’s Sheridan Square Theatre Tuesday (20). A similar demonstration was held the same day at the Viking Theatre, Philadelphia; Loew’s Grand. Atlanta; the Village, Los Angeles; the Penn, Pittsburgh; the Orpheum in Boston; the Majestic, Dallas; the Palm State, Detroit; the Roxy, Kansas City; the Paramount in Denver and the Odeon in Toronto. “The Naked Edge” living pressbook demonstration was held at the Carnegie Theatre, Chicago, Wednesday (21). Fred Goldberg, UA director of advertising, publicity and exploitation, and his publicity and exploitation personnel took over the Sheridan in New York’s Greenwich Village in early morning and equipped the house with “The Naked Edge” posters and marquee and lobby material as though the picture were already playing there. Inside the Sheridan, Goldberg addressed the audience and told them about the flashing red suspense light which signals the start of the final 13 minutes of “The Naked Edge,” during which no patrons will be seated, a stunt similar to Paramount’s highly successful “Psycho” stunt in 1960. He then showed the several types of TV teaser trailers, the longer theatre trailer and, then, the short radio spots, all of which played up the suspense light and the “no one seated during the final 13 minutes.” This procedure was followed in the other demonstration points. Exhibitors attending were also handed a pressbook supplement which told how to adapt the living pressbook ideas on “Edge” for drive-in showings during the summer months. “The Naked Edge,” which stars Gary Cooper and Deborah Kerr, will open in New York at the Victoria Theatre in Times Square and the east side Trans-Lux 85th Street June 30 and will be released nationally in July. KANSAS CITY IS AN EXAMPLE— Using the lobby and foyer of the Roxy Theatre, Ralph Amacher, UA branch manager, shown partly at extreme right, and Bernie Evens, UA field representative, at left center, displayed the materials provided for the unusual exploitation campaign for the Gary Cooper-Deborah Kerr starrer and set forth the ways to use them. Shown in the photo (1. to r.) : Shelby Bourne, Commonwealth Theatres, Columbia, Mo.; Elmer Bills sr, Bills Circuit, Salisbury, Mo.; Don Ireland (partly hidden), Fox Midwest Theatres booker for Wichita, Kas. ; Evens; Ralph Buhrmester, manager Roxy Theatre, Kansas City; Everett Seibel (partly hidden), Minnesota Amusement Corp., Minneapolis, Minn. ; Matthew Plunkett, Richard Durwood, Durwood Theatres, Kansas City; M. B. Smith, advertising director, Commonwealth Theatres, Kansas City; James Lewis, general manager, Fulton Theatres, Kansas City, Kas.; Hugh Siverd, manager, Fox Plaza Theatre, Kansas City; Ralph Adams, film buyer, Fox Midwest Theatres; and Amacher. Photo in upper right shows how marquee and front was dressed for the occasion. Loew's Promotes Baker As Aide to Emerling NEW YORK — Don Baker, manager of Loew’s 170th Street Theatre, Miami Beach, Fla., since the theatre opened in 1958, has been promoted to serve as special assistant to Ernie Emerling, national director of advertising and press relations for Loew’s Theatres and Hotels. He will be succeeded by Joel Poss, presently assistant manager of Loew’s 170th Street. Baker, who began with Loew’s in 1950 as a floorman at Loew’s State in St. Louis, later became manager of Loew’s Orpheum in that city. In his new assignment. Baker will work with Russ Grant, who is in charge of publicity for Loew’s out-of-New York operations. Ted Arnow continues as ad-publicity di rector for the New York metropolitan area. Don Baker More Companies to Offer 'Operation Big Screen' NEW YORK — Columbia Pictures’ “Guns of Navarone” trailer which tells audiences that they can get the greatest enjoyment out of pictures by seeing them on the big theatre screen may have set the pattern for similar trailers by other companies. The “Operation Big Screen” trailer was advocated by Theatre Owners of America. According to TOA, five other distributors have expressed interest in providing similar trailers; namely, American International. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Bros.. Paramount and 20th Century-Fox. TOA expects to announce the next one in its project shortly so that on a relatively sustained basis, and using scenes from a forthcoming picture, exhibitors can tell their patrons of the advantages of seeing pictures on a big screen instead of on the “postage stamp” of television. Special 'Navarone' Radio Spots Available Gratis NEW YORK — Special radio spots for “The Guns of Navarone” have been prepared for Columbia Pictures by the Gordon McLendon Organization of Texas and will be made available to exhibitors at no charge. The radio spots are in 15, 30 and 60second recordings and feature the McLendon voice, excerpts from the sound track and the music. Promotheus to Produce 'Magic' in Chicago NEW YORK — Promotheus Productions, which produced “Something Wild” for United Artists release, has purchased “Magic,” an original screenplay by Alex Karmel, for its second picture, to start shooting in Chicago in March. “Something Wild” was produced for Promotheus by George Justin and directed by Jack Garfein with the latter also doing the screenplay with Karmel. 20 BOXOFFICE :: June 26, 1961