Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1962)

CITATION WINNERS FOR OCTOBER 1962 Earl Holden, manager of the Lucas Theatre, Savannah, Ga. Taking a Motion Picture Ass n of America release, showman Holden obtained the cooperation of his fellow managers and got a big splash on upcoming film releases in an amusement supplement of the Savannah Evening Press. \ INCENT Blais, proprietor of the Phillips Theatre in the Forest Park section of Springfield, Mass. For his success in reviving the neighborhood house he leased about a year ago. E. J. Smith, 303 Drive-In, Orangeburg, N.Y. For his original ballyhoo in behalf of “The Premature Burial.” • Bob Fridley, owner, and Peter Frederick, manager, Capri Theatre, Des Moines, I oil a. For their potent campaign on “El Cid.” Edward Miller, manager. Paramount Theatre, Buffalo, N.Y. Campaign in behalf of “Hatari!” Charles M. Pincus, 7’&Z) Theatre, Oakland, Calif. Papier mache and frame elephant ballyhoo he designed for “Hatari!” Larry Morris, B.S. Moss Theatres, New York City. For standout promotion of “The Sky Above — the Mud Below.” 0. E. Scott, owner, Scott Theatre, Odessa, Tex. Striking lobby display for “Hatari!” Sam Mitchell, manager, DeWitt Shoppingtown Theatre, Syracuse, N.Y. His intensive campaign for “The Music Man.” Will Rogers Drive Honors to Joe Andrek Top honors in the Albany, N.Y., area for a strong, imaginative campaign in behalf of the annual Will Rogers Memorial Hospital collections go to Joseph Andrek, owner of the 250-car C-Way Drive-In at Ogdensburg, N.Y. Andrek hit the publicity bull’s-eye in the Ogdensburg Daily Journal and the Advance-News on Sunday. The former published a two-column photo showing a C-Way patron making a donation to two caped nurses from a local hospital. The Advance-News ran a five-column layout on page two, showing the Will Rogers Hospital exterior, a patient in one of the rooms and a group of medical workers in the Robert J. O’Donnell research laboratory there. Accompanying the pictorial layout was a story detailing the hospital’s purpose and services as recounted by Richard F. Walsh, lATSE president. The Journal also reproduced an aerial shot of the Saranac Lake hospital with the Walsh statement. Andrek had Marty Martel, western and folk song singer, and the Flames, a local dance combo, spotlighted in ads during the collections. Andrek’s wife was a patient at Will Rogers last winter. He donated one night’s receipts to the hospital fund. He believes that active participation by exhibitors in the Will Rogers fund drive is “effective public relations for the industry and for themselves.” A Miss Boccaccio '70' With “Boccaccio ’70” opening simultaneously at the Uptown and the Charles theatres in Baltimore, both of the JF Theatres chain, Ted Schiller arranged a Baltimore model to be “Miss Baltimore Boccaccio ’70.” 'The day before opening she arrived in a limousine wearing a swim suit, and divided her time giving out “Boccaccio ’70” heralds. Not Beginning, But End! 'The Norwalk at Norwalk, Conn., urged patrons to see “The Notorious Landlady” from the end instead of the beginning. The gimmick,” which proved a conversation piece, of course, amounted to this: “Get to the theatre 20 minutes before the end . . . Did she or did she? Sit thru the whole picture again and see the chase twice ! — The New Yorker.” Big Radio-TV Contest Supports 'Landlady' “The Notorious Landlady Lucky Lease Sweepstakes,” in which “1,000 Fabulous Prizes” were offered, was set up by the Columbia Pictures exploitation office for the bookings of the picture in Los Angeles. The contest was a large-scale television and radio station promotion staged by KHJ radio and TV. The promotion resulted in 120 promotional TV spots, many during e of prime evening time. Both the TV and radio stations hammered at the viewers and listeners to participate in the contest by simply writing their name and address on a piece of paper and depositing it at any theatre playing “The Notorious Landlady.” The theatre managers report they were flooded with entries. Included among the extra impressions received on KHJ-TV were a regular contest trailer and a special video tape created by the station. The TV station also featured a full week of Fred Astaire movies and cross-plugged Astaire as starring in “The Notorious Landlady.” Free Night at Drive-In Courtesy of Baby Girl Admission at the Outdoor Theatre on Highway 17 south of Bartow, Fla., was free the night of August 30, courtesy of Roxanne Raulerson, one day old. Her father James manages the drive-in. A twocolumn ad in the Polk County Democrat that afternoon read: “The Raulerson Company Proudly Presents Its Latest Production of IT’S A GIRL . . . Produced in Bartow, StaiTing Roxanne Theresa . . . Produced by Annette, Directed by J. W. . . . To Commemorate This Premiere, EVERYONE Is Invited to Attend the Outdoor Theatre Tonight Free, I Courtesy of Roxanne.” P Skip Film at Late Show And Stage Acts Continue Clay Fluker of the Palace Theatre in Corsicana, Tex., has had tremendous success with special live stage shows. For his latest one, a Saturday nighter (11:30) “Back to School Twist Party,” he booked a rock and roll featm'e for the screen, with Jimmy Velvit and band and singer Glenn Campbell on the stage. The performers were having such a fine time with the capacity crowd that they wanted to keep swingin’ and swayin’! Fluker polled the crowd and they voted to skip the feature and listen to the music. The performers played from 11:30 p.m. to 2:45 a.m. without stopping. Operettas on Screens Six operettas were presented at the Will Rogers, Nortown and Valencia in Chicago, operated by Balaban & Katz, on six successive Thm'sdays, continuous afternoon and evening perfoi-mances. They were: Sweethearts, Girl of the Golden West, The Great Waltz, ’The Merry Widow, ’The Chocolate Soldier, and Rose Marie. The “How Did They Ever Make It a Movie?” line was omitted in advertising for “Lolita” when it played the Ritz in Albany, N.Y., second run. Sid Sommers, manager, reported this film, paired with “Go Naked in the World,” proved a strong draw. 4 — 168 — BOXOFFICE Showmondiser :: Oct. 15, 1962