Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1962)

Year Zero!' Swells Cuba Events Stress Sometimes the best promotion is a cui-rent event. When the film is right, speed in exploiting the connection is important. C. V. Mitchell, manager of Ai-mstrong’s State Theatre at Fostoria, Ohio, was watching a television newscast at his home one evening when a bulletin came in about the tense Cuban situation. “The fhst thing that came to mind,” showman Mitchell relates, was an attraction I was soon to show at the State, “Panic in Year Zero!’ It happened it was a cofeature; however, I knew a little about the story from reading the tradepapers, and was able to recognize its timeliness with today’s headlines.” His first step was to write a summary of the “Year Zero!” story. In addition, Mitchell talked up the film with everyone he met in business and social calls. "I even mentioned to the priest in my church,” he relates, “the shattering events that take place in the film, and much to my UA Is Busy Campaigner For The Candidate' United Artists fieldmen all over the nation were among the most active campaigners prior to the November 6 elections. Their “candidate” was “The Manchmian Candidate,” which was released around election day. Indicated above is the intensive campaign conducted by UA to tie in the film with the peak of political interest. By large ads, by posters, by banners, etc., UA urged, “Don’t VOTE for THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDA'TE. SEE IT.” For example, large ads in both the Knickerbocker News and Times-Union of Albany, N. Y., just before the election, and the opening of the picture at the Palace Theatre there, had only the “Don’t Vote” copy with a relatively small illustration. In other cities across the nation, posters bearing the words were sniped next to political signs by UA fieldmen. In the accompanying photo, a model dubbed Miss Manchurian Candidate pins a political button on Jerry Baker, RKO Keith’s manager at Wa.shington, D. C., to launch a lobby stunt. Boxoffice When Bomb Horror sm'prise a mention of ‘Panic in Year Zero!’ appeared in our chm’ch bulletin, with a suggestion that people be sure to see it.” In the regular theatre ad on the film Mitchell inserted this copy: “This could happen here . . . One family’s struggle for survival in a world gone mad . . . The nuclear blast unleashed human emotions more devastating than the bomb itself.” What were the results? The cofeature became the top attraction and the State enjoyed the best gross by far in many weekends. “You never know what gimmick, bit of promotion or just plain talking about a film will do for your boxoffice,” Mitchell says. “It was very gratifying to see so many people coming in and talking about this film, and the wonderful remarks they would make when they left the theatre. I am sure they told others about the attraction, which also boosted my boxoffice on Sunday, when we had many family groups attending.” Book Drive on 'Quare' Astor Pictures and Grove Press are launching a national merchandising campaign keyed to local engagements of the motion picture version of Brendan Behan’s explosive “The Quare Fellow.” The promotion will focus on Grove’s hard and soft cover editions of the Irish playwright’s drama and will include window and counter displays at bookstores, magazine shops, libraries and all retail book outlets. Each display will feature local playdate information and scene stills. Store Hosts Children Grant’s store sponsored a 56th Anniversai*y Sale Kiddy Show on a recent Tuesday morning at the Penn Theatre in Washington, Pa. A two-column, ten-inch ad insti'ucted children to have their parents pick up “your free ticket” at Grant’s candy or stationery counter. On the screen was “King Kong,” plus 17 cartoons. A Break for 'Music Man' Dick Williams of the Ritz Theatre, Tiffin, Ohio, was finally able to put a window display in the largest department store in Tiffin. This window is the best location in the city, and the display on “The Music Man” which Dick set up was nothing but beautiful. Kid Shows for $500 Jim Tharp of the Bowie Theatre at Brownwood, Tex., has sold five Christmas kid shows to the Chamber of Commerce for $100 each. They are scheduled for the mornings of December 8, 15, 21, 22, 24! HMS Bounty in Stores MGM and Revell, Inc., have completed a nationwide tieup with 100,000 department, hobby and sporting goods stores to feature the Revell’s HMS Bounty kit during the release of “Mutiny on the Bounty.” Oxford Riots Pay Off With a Promotion Bit Leon Rountree, Holly Theatre, Holly Springs, Miss., is only a few miles from Oxford where riots occurred when James Meredith, Negro, was registered at the University of Missippi. Thousands of troops poured in. They were everywhere. The entire population stayed home and watched television for news of what was going on in the community. “There I was with a theatre and picture and no patrons,” Rountree related at the recent Tristate TOA convention in Memphis. “So I went over to military headquarters and told the man in charge I would be glad to admit the soldiers off duty free,” he recounted.” “He said he wouldn’t permit a free movie but I could charge a dime and he would let them go. “I had a theatre full of soldiers that night. After that they came back in large numbers at regular admission prices.” Front Page Spotlights Jungle Fighter Film A two-column ad on “Merrill’s Marauders” in the Barbouiwille, Ky., Mountain Advocate advised readers to read on the front page about Clarence Ossie Burch, local National Guard commander, and the famed band of Burma jungle fighters. On the front page were approximately 30 inches of copy and pictures (two) headlined, “Ossie Burch in World War II Now Depicted in Movie at Theati'e.” Burch, it was related, served as a captain in the group famed as Memll’s Marauders. The timely and promotionally valuable hookup was the work of Paul T. Mitchell, proprietor of the Magic and Mitchell theatres and Faulkner Hotel in Barbourville. The film was on the Mitchell screen four days, November 9-12 through Veterans Day. Live Sad Sack Peels Potatoes for 'Sad Sack' “Sad Sack” and “Delicate Delinquent” got a big push from a potato-peeling stunt in front of the Holland Theatre, Bellefontaine, Ohio. Manager Gary Bigley had his own “Sad Sack” sitting by a 40x60 giving playdate and times, and peeling a mountain of potatoes. The potatoes were obtained gratis from the local A&P and needless to say, this stunt was quite an attention-getter ! ■When “Tales of Terror” and ‘"The Dead One” played at the Holland, Gary made up a casket for display in the lobby and in front of the theatre, complete with a mannequin head supplied by a local store. Kaufmann in Photoplay Christine Kaufmann, who plays opposite Tony Curtis in “Taras Bulba,” is profiled by Betty Etter in the October issue of Photoplay. Jocmne Woodward in Post Joanne Woodward, star of “A Woman in July,” was profiled by Lois Dickert in the September 15 issue of Saturday Evening Post. 2 — 198 — BOXOFFICE Showmcmdiser :: Dec. 10, 1962