Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1938)

Record Details:

Something wrong or inaccurate about this page? Let us Know!

Thanks for helping us continually improve the quality of the Lantern search engine for all of our users! We have millions of scanned pages, so user reports are incredibly helpful for us to identify places where we can improve and update the metadata.

Please describe the issue below, and click "Submit" to send your comments to our team! If you'd prefer, you can also send us an email to mhdl@commarts.wisc.edu with your comments.




We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.

Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.

PRACTICAL IDEAS BY PRAC T I C A L SHOWMEN Selling Seat5 Getting Most Out of Your Theatre Front How to get the most out of theatre fronts, front cases and other display pieces is the problem of every exhibitor. Here are a number of suggestions offered by leading showmen. (a) The theatre manager should get out in front of his theatre every day of the week, step across the street, and attempt to see how these set-ups appear in the eyes of the people who pass his theatre. He should stop these passers-by and ask them; after all, it is these very people whom we seek to impress. Always look for the little things that may be killing the effectiveness of these displays. (b) Look for the things that might stop customers from coming in; they are of as much importance as the points that may bring the patrons to the boxoffice. Dust or dirt on glass, heralds, cashier’s window, etc., are unforgivable. Look also for any still that might have been better left out of the display. (c) Study stills carefully. Though they are not as important today as they were in the past they do nevertheless heighten a passerby’s interest in a picture. If a still cannot do that in one’s eyes it has no justification in being set up on the house front. (d) Don’t neglect displaying paper on the shorts being shown; today they are of as much importance as features in pulling in the passerby. Many house managers have cutouts to stand beside the boxoffice for leading cartoon characters and every wise showman always tells his public either on posters or on the marquee itself just what shorts are on his bill. Many a coin has been brought to the boxoffice because a favorite comic character has been labeled on the bill. (e) Leave plenty of room for people to move about the theatre front or through the lobby. Many theatre men make the mistake of over advertising in these spots, cluttering up passage ways with advertising, showcases of related items, etc., giving people no room to move about. Make it easy for the prospective patron to step up to the boxoffice, and easy for them to get in and out of the theatre. (f) Never overlook the fact that the best place to show “next week’s attractions” is where the patron will see the poster on his or her way out of the theatre, after they have seen the current feature. Every house should have a one-sheet board at some spot in the lobby where no patron can miss it as he or she leaves the theatre and that board always should advertise the feature attraction for the next week, not “coming” or many weeks hence. (g) Cleanliness and brightness is of the utmost importance. Every theatre front in the country should always have a spotless appearance and appear freshly painted. This costs money, but if we Always Ready RED CROSS ROLL CALL Nov. 11-24, 1938 Your memberships given NOW assure prompt disaster relief , help for disabled veterans, and life saving and first aid training. Motion Picture Group NEW YORK CHAPTER AMERICAN RED CROSS 315 Lexington Ave. New York study theatre operation closely we will notice that the “money” houses are those who adhere to this rule. " Breaktast Show " Helps Utica House Bally Film Utica, N. Y. — Apparently utilizing the time-proven adage that the early bird catches the worm, the Avon here inaugurated a “breakfast show” with the theatre serving breakfast as an advance campaign for “Garden of the Moon.” Two weeks before the opening, the Avon started to stimulate interest in the earlybird show. Radio and newspaper ads carried the news while stores and the trucks of a local bakery were used for display purposes. For breakfast, the theatre served tomato juice, doughnuts, coffee, gum, mints and cigarettes to the early risers. Spots Flagpole Sitter Kalamazoo, Mich. — A dummy flagpole sitter atop a tall pole erected on the theatre canopy was spotted by Manager Pat Heavey of the State as part of the campaign on “Room Service.” At the bottom of the pole there was a large sign with the wording: “I won’t come down until the Marx Brothers in ‘Room Service’ arrive.” The dummy was erected two weeks in advance of playdate. Gets Ad Series Break New York — Douglas George, former Warner publicist in Philadelphia and now working in Oklahoma City, was able to place a series of ads gratis on “Motion Pictures’ Are Your Best Entertainment” in 22 papers around Philadelphia. Letter-Front Money Lure Oliver Thomas, house manager of the State in San Antonio, went gargantuan in his exploitation of “13 th Man.” Taking his cue from the title, he had 13-foot letters and numerals placed on the curbstone in front of his theatre. Visible for blocks, they were prepared at very low cost. BOXOFFICE :; November 5, 1938 30-G