Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1939)

EXHIBITORS GENERALLY NOT ALARMED OVER RADIO CASH GIVEAWAY, CONSENSUS INDICATES Hits Radio Contests Chains Are Watching "Pot O' Gold" Idea Over the Country New York — “No damage, or anything to be alarmed about, although we are watching it,” is the consensus of national circuit executives over competition allegedly being felt in some areas by the Tuesday evening “Pot O’ Gold” airshow with a $1,000 cash giveaway as bait to keep potential consumers of Turns at home. Apparently, the only genuine concern over the broadcast revolves about it setting a precedent for others to follow, which, if it should grow substantially, would constitute a sizeable menace, it is felt. As matters stand, the only appreciable criticism seems to come from midwestern theatre operators, although affiliated zone managers are inclined to feel the stunt is not doing business much good. The show’s sponsor offers $1,000 in cash to the telephone subscriber whose name is picked at random providing some one is at home when the phone rings. A spokesman for the advertising agency handling the program says the subscriber does not have to be at home to be eligible to win the money: “he can be out of town, in a theatre or anywhere, just as long as the phone is answered.” However, if no one responds, the subscriber receives $100 instead of $1,000, the balance of $900 going over to the following week when the award becomes $1,900 to the person answering the ring. If, on the second occasion, there is a similar experience as the first, the third week’s tally becomes $2,800, and so on. This is said to be the inducement to keep persons at home. Going over the air from 8:30 to 9:00 p. m., Eastern Standard Time, the program might conceivably hurt central theatre areas where the first evening show at theatres begins between 7:30 to 8:00 p. m., which coincides with the “Pot O’ Gold” broadcast in those territories. Yet, offsetting this possible competition is the observation of a circuit executive who declares: “The program does not cut off both shows. There is nothing to stop those who listen to the broadcast at home from going to the second show, which is usually about 9 to 9:30 p. m.” Theatre executives aver there is no apparent competition from the broadcast in the east, “and certainly not on the coast, where the show goes out between 5:30 and 6:00.” Additionally, as pointed out at Peiber & Shea, it is estimated that in towns where the circuit operates, from 25 to 30 per cent of the people do not have telephones, which precludes them from participating in the stunt. At Paramount and National Theatres spokesmen declare none of their theatre Lincoln — Bob Livingston, Capitol exhibitor, after watching the squawks of his brethren against radio competition go by the boards, took a step in his own behalf this week, when he bought six column inches of space in the local papers to crack at “Turns Pot O’ Gold” radio show. It’s the program which places long distance calls to people, and if they’re home they win a big check. Livingston, feeling his boxoffice was reacting to this radio bait, slapped this ad in the newspapers: ATTKNTION, RADIO FAN.S! Do you lijiiten to Tunis Pot O’ Gold contest each Tuesday evening at 7:30? NOW You no longer need to stay fit home beside your radio to ivin! WHY NOT? Because, if you are in attendance at the Capitol Theatre during the program, and no one is at home to receive the contest winning phone call WK WITT GTVK YOC $1,000 Before writing the ad, Livingston checked with the attorney general, who said there could be no objection to it as a lottery. Livingston doesn’t know whether it’ll do any good, but it’s a good gamble, anyway. partners is squawking about the situation. Neither Loew’s nor Warner are concerned, although a zone manager for the latter circuit felt business was dropping Tuesday nights as a direct result of the air show. When a home office checkup was completed, figures in this zone were said not to have wavered to the extent that it could be traced to the “Pot O’ Gold.” Almost identical is the view of large circuit operators that to attempt to buck the program would only call attention to it. It is largely this attitude that is responsible for turning down Pete J. Wood, business manager of Allied of Ohio, for a cooperative affiliated-independent plan that would offer $2,000 to a winner of the “Pot O’ Gold” show if he or she was in any Ohio theatre participating in the Wood plan; thus providing an incentive for patrons to attend theatres rather than listen to the radio at home. Harry C. Arthur this week instituted a This Is One Way to Stop "Lifting" New York — NBC is understood having a tough time warding off advertisers from using the same stunt as Turns, which awards $1,000 a week to the telephone subscriber, chosen at random, who answers the telephone when called. It is stated that in order to discourage others from employing the idea, NBC tells its accounts Turns has an exclusive and no one else can use it. Attack Plan Originator Says Many Showmen Join for Combat counter stunt in 30 St. Louis F&M and St. Louis Amusement houses whereby a double award is being offered to the person called on the “Pot O’ Gold” program if the winner is in one of the circuit’s theatres at the time. The award could run as high as $8,000, Arthur states. He figures the chances of a winner being found in one of his houses are 12,000,000 to one, on the basis of that many telephones in the country. Before E. L. Alperson rejoined National Theatres as assistant to Harold J. Fitzgerald, operating head of Fox Milwaukee Theatres Agency, he proposed to Spyros Skouras and some independent circuit heads a plan whereby a localized “Pot O’ Gold” could be held in various towns, the award contingent on the number of houses participating. In his plan, Alperson made it all-inclusive for the circuit adopting it. More Join Attack Via Theatre Award Offer Lincoln — From Bob Livingston’s oneman attack on radio’s stay-at-home influence— the Turns Pot O’ Gold show, which places long distance calls and pays off $1,000 if the person called is home to answer the phone — the reaction has been national. So far, more than 1,000 theatres in the United States are using the plan conceived here by Bob Livingston for his Capitol. Livingston guarantees his audience against loss, that is, he’ll pay the $1,000 if the person is called and is NOT at home, but in his theatre. There are many new joiners for the plan. Up in New England, dozens of theatres banded together in a mutual aid scheme, each underwriting their portion of the pot, with the payoff to be split if anybody is caught. P. J. Wood, secretary of the ITO of Ohio, longdistanced Livingston with news that the ITO there is going for the idea with both barrels, and is making up a pot and advertising not only to pay an equal amount to the program’s giveaway, but to double it if the person called was in a member theatre. The Ohio group also has sent a committee to the Warner and RKO circuit heads to get them in on the plan and widen the base. Fox-Intermountain Theatres, covering the whole Rocky Mountain area under Rick Ricketson, also joined, with Ricketson of the opinion it is the best anti-radio giveaway stunt conceived thus far. J. M. Savage for the Crescent Amusement Co., Nashville, Tenn., with theatres throughout the south, wrote for full details of the stunt, and asked for tear-sheets (Continued on page 22) BOXOFFICE : : December 9, 1939 5