Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1962)

Wisconsin Allied Names Henry Kratz As Successor to Harold Pearson The “Four Horsemen,” who contributed much to the success of the Wisconsin Allied convention in Milwaukee, were, left to right, Edward Johnson, president of the Wisconsin group; Ben Marcus, president, Marcus circuit; Milton London, executive secretary. National Allied, and Sig Goldberg, director, National Allied. (Continued from preceding page) decision, and we won out. So, you see, it pays to stick it out.” He pointed out the importance of watching the shifts in population. “Keep your eye on entertainment, and don’t let some one else provide it; that’s your business. Keep posted on new equipment. Attend the trade shows.” He reported the group life insurance project with Prudential was working out very well, and to date no one has been turned down. He commented that pay TV did not appear to be economical, and so far it is not a financial success. Goldberg talked on market research, and hinted that no one seems to know what is needed, particularly, the distributor or the producer. He said the national organization is going to look into the matter but that it would cost some money. “I got my flwflih \^ou wlien WAHOO is the ideal boxofFice attraction to increase business on your 'ofF-nIghts". Write today for complete details. Be sure to give seating or car capacity. HOLLYWOOD AMUSEMENT CO. 3750 Oakfon Sf. • Skokie, Illinois self involved in a new business,” said Sig. “Outdoor advertising! It concerns what image we are trying to get to the public, same as we have to do. I’m impressed, and I am going to do a lot of things at my drive-in to get that image across.” Ben Marcus of Kansas City, Colmnbia regional manager, jokingly claimed he owned the name longer than the Milwaukee Ben Marcus. He remarked he went to the bank as often as the Milwaukee Ben did, withdrawing the money that the exhibitor Marcus put in. Of course, the distributor Marcus spoke a few words about his product, then said, “Will the real Ben Marcus stand up.” The “real” Marcus, owner of Wisconsin’s largest theatre circuit and of other businesses, emphasized that the motion picture future held plenty of opportunities. “I feel I have a right to the type of merchandise I have to share with my customers, more so than any star in Hollywood, or any director or producer who tries to impose his ideas of product upon me and my patrons. HEEDING PUBLIC DEMANDS “Fortunately, some people in Hollywood are beginning to realize what the public wants. We’ve got to go back to the idea that there is a crying need for more family pictures. And to prove it, Walt Disney knew this, and made pictures that were blockbusters at the boxoffice. Now why didn’t other producers take a leaf out of Disney’s book? They have the same chances and facilities. “So, what’s to be done? I think that public opinion is the greatest weapon we have. We’ve got to keep it. Another thing, if you think of a likely spot to build a theatre, go ahead and build it. You won’t regret it.” He concluded with the hope that the association would receive more help and cooperation in the days ahead, and named the tax fight, the Will Rogers Hospital and othermatters. James W. Brown, district manager for the Curtiss Candy Co., explained the tiein on “Gypsy” to be an all-out promotion with Warner Bros.: We are spending $3,000,000. See it in the September 28 issue of Life magazine. There will be prizes for the patron, dealer and exhibitor, three-day allexpense tours to Hollywood.” He invited every exhibitor to look into the opportunities involved in playing the picture. Nathan Jacobs, representing Movie Guide magazine, called the publication an excellent public relations program periodical for the motion picture industry. “There will be no TV advertising of any sort in the magazine,” he said. “Everything will be devoted to the movies — stills in color, reviews and contests ... a series of them involving over $250,000 in prizes — plus built-in features which are ideal for theatre promotion. We will try to get five prize winners for each local theatre if they cooperate, and all we want are the names of the winners. JUDGES ARE PLENTIFUL “Judges are easy to get, librarians, editors and so on. The prizes can be displayed at your theatre, and you can give them out on your stage. We’ll give scholarships for manager’s children. Time does not permit me to go into detail, but you can be certain that Movie Guide magazine is a movie exhibitor’s magazine.” Henry Toilette, general manager of Marcus Theatres, said he merely wished to “jog your memory” on a few proven approaches. He suggested taking one morning each week to whip up something new to increase the patronage at the boxoffice. “Let’s say you have a contract for a onea-day radio message,” he said. “Junk it! And buy 30; run it for three or four days on one picture, and then hold off for awhile. We’ve found this system very effective. Then there are mailing pieces; send out a thousand or two on a particular attraction. Or, give a season pass to the superintendent of schools. Try TV saturation . . . This works wonders. “Get some rentals for your houses on commercial meetings. Holidays are always special for the theatres. I don’t know how you can pass them up.” He concluded with the thought that in other cities, newspapers provide far better movie pages than does Milwaukee, and trusted that in time, something could be done to improve the situation here. WATCH PROJECTION IMPROVE IT with ECHNIKOTE S PRODUCTS SS Now/ — The Only SS ANTI-STATIC SCREEN ^ XR-171 Peori • Repels Dust P Available from your authorized Theatre Equipment Supply Dealer; Export— Westrex Corp. I TICHNIKOTE CORP. 63 Seabring St., B'kiyn 31, 5 Theatre Announcements Made to Order Specials Merchant Advertising Trailer Daters * Slide Materials b KANSAS CITY SLIDE CO. “ 3608 Woodland, Dept. B, K.C. 9, Mo. NC-2 BOXOFFICE :: October 8, 1962