Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1962)

• ADLINES & EXPLOITIPS • ALPHABETICAL INDEX • EXHIBITOR HAS HIS SAY • FEATURE RELEASECHART • FEATUREftEVIEWDIGEST • SHORTS RELEASE CHART • SHORT SUBJECT REVIEWS • REVIEWS OF FEATURES • SHOWMANDISING IDEAS THE GUIDE Fun Show Series^ Attended by 23,000, Helps Put Theatre Gross Far Ahead Paul D. Flowers, manager of the Loyola Theatre out on Sepulveda boulevard in Los Angeles for Fox West Coast Theatres, looks back with particular enjoyment on the Loyola’s summer season. Closing his books for the fiscal year. Flowers found the last quarter was really a “summer of fim and profit.” The balance sheet showed $12,000 over average for the period, putting the Loyola gross income for the year ahead of the 1961 fiscal year, which was a good one. Like a good showman. Flowers’ pardonable pride soon turns to a critical roundup of reasons for his summer of success. OTHER REVENUE BOOSTERS First, he places his “Summer of Frm” sponsored matinee series. Other activities adding to gross revenue, and profits, were. ^ ^ • Mink stole giveaway (via coupon dis ) tribution through local furrier, and drawing) as a “That Touch of Mink” promotion. “This not only increased our gross on the night of the drawing by 50 per cent but the advertisingpublicity of the event stimulated our whole run,” Flowers reports. • Constant distribution of handbills, window cards and bumper strips on many attractions. • Tomring jeep which carried “Hatari!” promotion to shopping centers, schools, neighborhoods, playgrounds, etc. • Concession drive and contest. • Weekly staff meetings. • Community activities, such as membership in Chamber of Commerce, Businessmen’s Ass’n. These brought in several benefit showings. The Loyola’s Summer of Fim shows just finished their fourth year with the same sponsor, the Marina Federal Savings Bank, just a block from the theatre. In 1962, two showings became necessary each Tuesday, June 19 through August 21. FROM HUMBLE START Flowers relates the series originated very humbly five seasons ago when he had one school’s-out and one back-to-school show. , The series is based on tickets, specially ) printed and handed out at the Marina bank and its two branches on request of parents. Each ticket, bearing a numbered stub for theatre prize drawings, admits a boy, girl or parent. The theatre turns in tickets taken in at the door to the bank at a set price. “Our big problem in planning om' summer shows this year,” Flowers relates, “was to create new interest and cope with the tremendous amount of competition from other forms of entertainment; also this was the fourth year of our shows and they could become ‘old hat’ to the children. Another problem we faced was the fact that our shows had been creating an interest among the adults as well (25 per cent adult attendance) . “We overcame the first problem by keeping the same slogan as in the past, ‘Loyola Summer of Fun Shows,’ but developing a new format for contest and giveaways, including a Smile of the Week contest. At each show — one at 10:30 and one at 1:30 — we took pictures of boys and girls at intermission and from these pictures would select the boys or girls with the biggest smile on their faces. They would identify themselves the following week from the blowups in the lobby, and the winning boy or girl would win a transistor radio (ten were donated by local merchants) . “Between the feature and the cartoons we held our weekly contests — pie-eating, balloon-blowing, cracker-eating, etc., with prizes from the local merchants. TALENT SHOW ADDED “Every third week we held a talent show which lasted approximately a half hour. “Another new interest stimulator involved popcorn boxes and drink cups. The youngsters were asked to take their boxes and cups with them when leaving the theatre, when we checked them for a Lucky Niunber. There were ten lucky numbers each show good for prizes. “This contest also helped keep the theatre clean and neat. “While our basic pinpose was to select films for the children we also wanted to secm’e an interest for the adult attendance. 'This we did in selecting Danny Kaye and JeiTy Lewis films, etc. “Many of the boys and girls started lining up extremely early (the morning show started at 10:30 and the doors opened at 10). The lines started forming as early as 9. Our answer to this was sidewalk contests which went over with a big bang. We started a “skip-a-hoop” on the sidewalk which became an immediate success. This started at 9:30 and 12:30. “Our summer shows played to over 23,000 children and adults, and grossed an average of $500 each day in concessions and mer Manager Flowers examines the mountain of sponsor tickets taken in during his Summer of Fun shows. When lineups began to form for the Loyola Theatre Fun shows. Manager Paul Flowers provided entertainment for the patrons waiting in line. Shown here is a skip-the-loop contest. chandise, totaling around $5,000 for the series. We received hundreds of letters from parents and children thanking us for the shows. “From a business and a community standpoint, we feel these sponsored shows by Marina Federal Savings Bank were a complete success. Marina has given us the go-ahead for their Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s shows. Obviously it was successful for them, too.” BOXOFFICE Showmandiser Nov. 19. 1962 185 — 1