Boxoffice (Jan-Mar 1963)

Leg Work, Plenty of Prizes Plus Radio Support Assure Successful Oscar Contest ☆ Syd Freedman and a patron stand before a large panel display on the Academy Awards contest at the Studio Theatre in Vancouver, B.C. The display was put up by radio station CKLG, which conducted a 13-hour remote broadcast from the theatre lobby and promoted the week with scores of spots. Freedman is interviewing the patron on Academy Awards over a mike and loudspeaker system he set up. The best Academy Awards promotions — in the pages of Boxoffice Showmandiser, at least — have been the work of individual showmen, frequently working in a comparatively small theatre or city. Maybe group promotions, such as circuit campaigns and the like, do get the maximum coverage, but the Oscarcast campaign seems to thrive best in the hands of a lone showman or two willing to do a lot of leg work. Such a campaign comes from Syd Freedman, manager of the Studio Theatre in Vancouver, B.C., which plays selected bookings on extended rims and is regarded as an art house. It concerns an Academy Award contest he executed with outstanding success in 1962. “We were approaching Academy Award time and neither of the two circuits here. Famous Players or Odeon, or the British Columbia Exhibitors Ass’n were planning an Oscar campaign,” he relates. “I decided it was too important an event, for reasons of business, public relations and publicity, to let slip by. “I di-ew up a campaign outline and presented it to radio station CKLG. After careful study they advised me they would go along with my requests if I did all the leg work, since they could not spare the time or personnel. This I agreed to, and thus the CKLG-Studio Theatre Academy Awards contest was conceived.” Freedman made up a list of downtown merchants for donation of prizes to be given lucky contestants. These businessmen, Freedman visited personally with his plan. Only one refused, but it was easy to find a replacement. In fact, Freedman reports that when word got around, merchants phoned him to get in on the campaign. But he had to limit the number to 20 at the request of CKLG because of the lack of radio spot time. The callers were advised the theatre would be happy to use them on another campaign at some future date. The 20 merchant donors: Item Value House of Drapes Pair living room drapes . . . $75 Murray Goldman Slacks and jacket 60 Sony Radio 1 Transistor 60 Baker Drugs 35mm camera 45 Philippe Hair Stylist Complete styling 20 Hopes Furniture, Ltd. Hollywood bed 80 London Records 12 LPs 36 Roy Howard, Ltd. 12 lube and oil changes .... 66 William & Mackie Pen and pencil set 35 Moier's Shoes 2 pr. shoes 35 Heinz Studios Oil painting 50 Gurvin Jewelers Flatware 40 Oscar's Steak House 20 steak dinners 50 B. C. Outfitting Co. Ladies dress 35 Scott-Bathgate, Ltd. 25 lbs. candy 15 Mandel Dodek Furs Mink neckpiece 85 Cave Theatre Rest. Dozens of posses Isy Supper Club Dozens of passes Smythe Cleaners 52 suit presses 52 Meyers Studios 6 portraits 45 Totol $884 As seen, the value of the prizes was well above $884 since no estimate was made on 2 the worth of the supper club and theatre restaurant passes actually used. In addition CKLG donated an expense-paid trip for two for a weekend trip to the World’s Fair at Seattle. CKLG also agreed to set up broadcast facilities in the Studio lobby and do a 13hour “remote” from there to officially open the contest on a Friday (March 30) prior to the Oscar telecast on April 8 last year as this. The lobby broadcast from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. included interviews on the Academy nominees, both pictures and actors, etc.. Here Vancouverite Pam Gordon, Miss Playmate of March (1962), signs autographs in the Studio lobby during the Academy Awards contest. In the background, some of the CKLG equipment set up in the lobby for a 13-hour broadcast may be seen. — 34 — with local Who’s Who guests, managers from FPC and Odeon theatres, film exchange managers, patrons and just Studio staffers, all of whom voted for their favorites. The visiting exhibitors and exchange managers got in plugs for their cuiTent and future product. A bit of good fortune was pretty Pamela Ann Gordon, a local blonde and 39-23-36, who was much in the public mind as Miss Playmate of March (1962). She acted as disc jockey, signed autographs and posed for pictures. The radio station footed the bill for the display work in the lobby, which was quite impressive. Freedman figures he can use the large central wall display frame indefinitely. During the 13 -horn lobby broadcast Freedman was on the air numerous times getting plugs for his two nominated pictures, “Two Women” and “The Mark,” the first to open in two days and the second to follow if Stuart Whitman won. Entry blanks were available at all participating merchants, at the Studio Theatre and the CKLG studio. Arrangements were made also for a taxi company to give out entry ballots. All during the time the contest was going on, the Studio manager had a microphone and loudspeaker setup in the lobby on which he interviewed guests about the Academy Awards and the pictures. These interviews were taped so they could be replayed to the lineup outside whenever possible. During three and a half weeks before the opening of the contest, CKLG broadcast spots plugging the merchants, their prizes and the Oscar contest, and this continued until the winners were announced on the Friday following the Academy Awards presentation. More than 4,700 entries were received, BOXOFFICE Showmandiser :: Mar. 4, 1963 aul I