Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1962)

ITUST! A MOTION PICTURE THAT DELIVERS. JUN! HOW TO KEEP YOUR PIGEON HAPPY IN ONE EASY LESSON COURTESY OF ’’GERONIMO" THE PIGEON TIUTTOOKROME DON'T Lo.s't You) l*]fiee in Your Favoiitc Book while you Go Sir the Funniest Pictine of 1962 ! ! ! I'll tell you what I think about THE PIGEON THAT TOOK ROME This picture is lor the peopieT (ill the people" Starts THURSDAY October 18th You, Too, Con Write Your Own Ad Copy The three ads reproduced above — two 2 -col. and a 1-col. layout — are examples of what can be done with pressbook material and newspaper service mats (usually free) in composing original ads. These come from the Pitt Theatre in Lake Charles, La., through the office of Earl Perry, general manager of Pittman Theatres, in New Orleans. The original part of the ads, of course, is the leading copy. At right, top, is the front page of a booklet made up of five 4V4x5-inch sheets, printed on one side and stapled. The inside sheets contained star illustrations and such copy as “The ‘Pigeon’ Hunter . . . Charlton Heston . . . The Star of ‘Ben-Hur’ and ‘El Cid’ Switches from Chariots to Comedy,” with an illustration of Heston. Some 1,500 of these booklets were distributed at shopping centers and at the college football game on the Saturday before opening. A like number of the bookmarks, also reproduced above, were distributed at schools and the high school football games. Perry reports that all radio spots were in Italian except the film title, star names, etc. Twenty spots were used on the day before opening. A live pigeon in a cage, properly bannered, was used in the lobby and in front of the boxoffice prior and during the engagement. Honor Salutes to Three Texas Managers Girls Admilfed Free If Triplets lo See 'Girls' Eddie Miller, manager of the Paramount m Buffalo, promoted a stunt on radio station WGR through which he offered to admit gratis all giid triplets of any size or age to see “Girls! Girls! Girls!” The radio copy read: “Calling all girls. Calling all girls. Calling all girls. That’s right. Girl triplets is what we’re looking for. Girl triplets of any size or any age. We want you to be our guests to see Elvis Presley in ‘Girls! Girls! Girls!’ the new Technicolor movie which starts Friday at the Paramount Theatre in downtown Buffalo. If you qualify, all you have to do is to send WGR a card or letter and we’ll do the rest. ’The address: Frank Dill, Station WGR, 2065 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo 7, N.Y. You don’t have to do anything else — just be a girl — and a member of a girl triplet family.” Miller also had a contest on radio station WEBR in which guest tickets were offered to persons who sent in the longest lists of pictures in which Elvis Presley has starred. Name-Dog Contest Wins A Trip to Disneyland Six-year-old Jimmy Bayer was declared winner in a highly successful name-the-dog contest at the Cooper Foundation State Theatre in Omaha, Neb., for “Lady and the Tramp.” Jimmy’s winning name was “King Arfer” and it brought for him a jet plane trip for two to California and a visit to Disneyland. The Pard contest winner said he will take his mother on the trip, which will be made in January. It will be a thrill for his mother, too, who has not seen a brother in California for 15 years. The jet trip and $150 in spending money will be provided by Swift & Co. Jack Klingel, Omaha city manager for Cooper Foundation Theatres, said the response for the contest was great and had much to do with the successful four-week run. Lion Is Going Into Stores With Release of 'Lion' A national tiein with the Sterling Doll Co. was effected by 20th-Fox whereby replicas of the lion who appears in “The Lion,” will be featured in stores across the country. Called King Zamba, the lion, which is manufactured in all sizes and poses, will be displayed and sold in toy stores and major chain outlets, including Kresge, J. C. Penney and W .T. Grant. Sterling Doll is cooperating on special window displays, in store displays, newspaper ads and giveaways on local television programs. The film is being prereleased at Christmas time prior to its general February release. Bounty at Philadelphia City representative Fredric R. Mann was named an honorary captain of the HMS Bounty, by the master of the vessel, Capt. Ellsworth T. Coggins. The Boimty arrived in the port of Philadelphia November 13 to herald the opening of “Mutiny on the Bounty.” A recent issue of Weekly Digest, Interstate Theatres booklet for managers, honors Jim Tharp, manager of the Bowie Theatre in Brownwood, for the high concession average he has maintained; Till man Bond, Arcadia at Temple, for a fine newspaper story and art on the opening of his operetta series, and Clay Fluker, Palace at Corsicana, for same as Manager Bond. Interstate operates theatres in Texas. BOXOFFICE Showmandiser : Dec. 17, 1962 — 203^ 3