Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1963)

Vocalist... Press Car Are Promotion Musts The seclection of a Miss MGM Musicals, who should be a vocalist, and car dealer tieup for the use of a convertible as a "Press Car" are two musts in promotion of the MGM Famous Musical Hit series. Test campaigns worked out by MGM's Special Sales Unit promotion director Si Seadler and publicist Morrie Steinman in cooperation with local managers have launched the series to big grosses in Grand Rapids and Flint, Mich., and Columbia, S.C. Left above, vocalist Lynn Hart and Allen Johnson of the Eastown Theatre presents MGM musical hits albums to Mayor Stan Davis, center. Grand Rapids. Right, Miss MGM Musicals at Columbia rides the Press Car with columnist Bob Talbert of the StateRecord. weekly gross, promotion director Seadler sent Morrie Steinman, veteran publicist, to assist in the campaigns for the series test openings in Grand Rapids, Flint and Columbia. At Grand Rapids, Allen Johnson of the Eastown Theatre and Steinman worked up nearly a big-profit house for the Thursday opening of “Till the Clouds Roll By,” the first of the series. Promotions included a fire-red Plymouth convertible provided by George Weiss of Imperial Motors. Banners on the sides designated it as a “Press Car,” and proclaimed: “MGM Pictures Presents the World’s Greatest Musical Hits . . . Coming to the Eastown Theatre Exclusively . . . One Day Only ...” plus titles and playdates. Giving credit to the dealers was this banner: “This Car Courtesy Imperial Motors . . . The World’s Greatest Automobile Greets the World’s Greatest Musical Hits.” In the beautiful car was a beautiful girl, Miss Lynn Hart, a vocalist with local bands who was dubbed Miss MGM Musicals. The colorful combination toured Grand Rapids and vicinity for ten days, making the shopping centers, supermarkets and the main streets, and stopping at intervals to give a “concert” of songs which are featured in the musical series. Miss MGM Musicals also was featured on radio and TV interviews. Five thousand heralds and 300 window cards were spotted, concentrated on banks, shopping centers and supermarkets. Radio stations WOOD, WJEF and WGRD not only spotted the music from the soundtrack albums daily but also held memory contests involving titles on the records. Valuable prizes were promoted by Johnson. Music stores selling the MGM record albums featured complete window displays of material on the motion picture series and the records. The Grand Rapids campaign was a winner. The grosses on the World "SiNGIN' IN THE RAIN" . . . Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O'Connor Famous Musical Hits series were twice that of the operetta series, tops for a series until then. Simultaneously in Flint, Lewis Kervan, top-level showman of the Butterfield circuit, got on the ball selling the series there at the Della Theatre. Assisting in the campaign were Henry Cabogna, ad-publicity manager for Butterfield, and MGM’s Steinman. Early in the promotion surge, Kervan phoned Steinman in Grand Rapids and engaged Miss MGM Musicals. She was introduced at a luncheon arranged for newspapermen and radio and television personalities at Cromers cafe in Flint. Miss Hart presented Mayor George Paulos the LP soundtrack albums of the series, and he in turn gave her the key to the city and made her an honorary citizen. Her “royal coach” in Flint was a Buick Wildcat convertible furnished by the Buick people fresh out of the Buick plant there. She was the honored guest at a luncheon given for her by the Buick company at the plant cafeteria, then escorted along "THE BAND WAGON" . . . Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse the mile-long asembly line where she was seen by 40,000 employes. As in Grand Rapids, she was featured on half a dozen radio and television interview shows, getting nearly two hours of gratis exposure on these media talking about the musicals. The 16mm print of the announcement trailer, furnished gratis by MGM, was shown on a portable screen at many meetings of service clubs, at shopping centers outdoors, women’s clubs. At each showing, leaflets plugging the series were passed out. Kervan distributed 8,000 copies of the flyers in the Flint vicinity, with the local FM radio station mailing 2,000 of them in one of its own promotions in connection with the series. Kervan personally covered a 16-story medical building, putting in flyers in every doctor’s office. On the Della Theatre marquee on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, dark nights at the house, Kervan had this copy: (Continued on next page) "BECAUSE YOU'RE MINE" . . . Doretta Morrow, Mario Lanza, James Whitmore BOXOFFICE Showmcmdiser : : Oct. 21, 1963 — 167 — 3