Canadian Film Weekly (Feb 18, 1942)

February 18th, 1942 MGM Issues rs Shorts File Metro Goldwyn Mayer studios, recognizing the increased public terest in shorts of late, has rked out an easy way for the exhibitor and publicity man to go after patronage. Though most exhibitors are indifferent to the easily-available schemes of studio exploitation departments, short subject publicity from theatre to patron is almost a lost cause. This is particularly sad because more and more fans are discussing short subjects long after features are forgotten. Also the contact between the industry and patron is at its closest point here. The studio has issued a shorts file, in which may be placed each group of exploitation ideas and angles for a particular short. This guide to public relations has been broken down to a simple and comprehensive form. In the supplement just issued on ‘Main Street on the March” will be found the following: A series of ad and publicity mats. The story. Box-office angles. Advertising lines. Publicity matter in short and longer items to suit all demands. Publicity and exploitation is not highly-specialized task when laced in such simple form. Anyone can use it—and should. Pictures in Work At Warners “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” with James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, Richard Whorf, Frances Langford, Irene Manning, Jean Ames, Joyce Reynolds, George Barbier and Minor Watson, under the direction of Michael Curtiz. “Escape from Crime,” with Humphrey Bogart, Irene Manning, Richard Travis, Donald Crisp, Stanley Ridges, Virginia Sale, Arthur Kennedy, Susan Peters and Howard da Silva; Lew Seiler directing. “The Gay Sisters,” with Barbara Stanwyck, George Brent, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Nancy Coleman, Grant Mitchell, Ann Revere, George Lessey, Hobart Bosworth and Charles Waldron; directed by Irving Rapper. “Shadow of Their Wings,” with nis Morgan, Ann Sheridan, eorge Tobias, Jack Carson and Russell Arms, under the direction of Lloyd Bacon. “Desperate Journey,” with Errol Flynn, John Loder, Ronald Reagan, Kaaren Verne, Raymond Massey, Alan Hale and Arthur Kennedy; Raoul Walsh directing. HIS week we welcome to our working family Murray Sasloff of the Ace, Toronto, a morning-to-night house opposite the City Hall. Murray keeps his eye on the main chance and has come up with some novel programs and even more novel stunts to promote them. He was one of the first to arrange an all-laugh show, using Bob Hope, George Formby, Laurel and Hardy and Abbott and Costello. Besides his dressed-up front ! he promoted a plug by Claire Wallace in her Blue Ribbon Tea radio broadcast, the most popular program around here at that hour. He got up a clever ad featuring the comics’ faces in the paper and issued a $10,000 insurance policy to protect patrons who might die in the theatre from laughing too hard. Murray concentrates on his front because the theatre has a tremendous passing trade. His tricky stunts have won much at| tention from public and tnade. Murray never forgets to write to book clubs whenever he is playing a film made from a well-known volume. He keeps in touch with soldiers’ clubs. when he plays a picture he thinks they’d like to see. His hours are about 15 a day but he keeps working and by keeping working he keeps happy. On “Zombie” he ran a number of teasers in the papers, with explanations from different dictionaries to create interest. From O’Pee Chee gum he promoted thousands of one of their products called “Thrills’ and they even provided a girl in uniform to distribute them. The containers carried copy for both gum and picture. Murray promoted lots of free radio time. He got a local commentator to run a contest to help him select the six most popular cartoons for a show, giving away passes as prizes. Let me tell you, you are going to get some good reading from that boy. Take it from me, he’s a go-getter and deserves every success aS a man of ideas who makes them work. When in Toronto drop in to see Murray at the Ace. You'll be welcome. & & S OUG PATTERSON, Opera House, Orillia, distributed tickets for a special matinee at the schools—the showing being at 4.15, with the picture “Target for Tonight.” This is nice selling and, together with the usual run of tk Canadian FILM WEEKLY et A a RNIE WARREN, Midtown, Toronto, turned in a crackerjack campaign for Paramount's modest but timely film, ‘Pacific Blackout.” Ernie got window showings in 12 Woolworth stores, 8 Metropolitan stores, 10 Kresge stores and six Tamblyn drug _ stores. He screened the film in advance for ARP officials, movie columnists and English refugees. The film drew good notices. Announcements were made at ARP meetings all week. There was a lobby display of actual firefighting and ARP equipment. All week the doorman was dressed in a complete ARP uniform and bombs, with copy attached, hung from the ceiling. This film is made to order for Page 7 Za AX PHILLIPS, Grand, Sud bury, did some good work on the MGM reissue of ‘Treasure Island.” Personally contacted street car conductors and got them to pass around his heralds. The rest—2,000—were rushed into offices, stores, etc. He staged a treasure hunt in the theatre for passes at the Saturday matinee with excellent results. Good work, Max. Come again. s a | Pppeeeked GURR, Century, Hamilton, had seven window displays on “The Corsican Brothers.” He had a swell tie-in with the Hamilton Public Library, giving away thousands of a novel bookmark with copy on it. The bookmark was shaped like a sword. Lloyd, in the proper co-operative spirit, sent the idea on to Ernie Warren of the Midtown, Toronto. You can have it too by asking. Players Win espteration, Go to work om | Magazine Awards JOE PAUL, Park, Welland, got in some good licks on “Hellzapoppin’.” Several thousand prescriptions of the type used by druggists and doctors offered the program as a remedy for the blues. He had a devii street bally, a man on the stage reading a paper with an usherette asking him to move, calls going over the p.a. system for Stinky Miller, with a small lad getting up in front and walking slowly up the aisle in a disappointed way. There are numerous other gags being used by showman Joe Paul. Good work, lad. O’N “Target for Tonight” Mel Stephens, Granada, Dunnville,-pulled a prizle stunt. The unbilled star of the picture was Pilot Officer Alexander Moore, who holds the Distinguished Flying Cross and has made 40 trips over Germany. Moore was in town and Mel got him to make a personal appearance during the run. Mel gave it a grand buildup because Moore spoke on the Victory Loan during each show. Thus Mel had one of the prize scoops of the year and I take my hat off to him. Thanks, Mel, for your letter. % a = 2 = 2 PECIAL mention should come tn Douglas Keyes of the Grand, London, who has been preparing stage performances for the last three days of each week. He holds auditions every Sunday, besides training a line of six girls for the show. He is promoting the costumes and will call them the Grand Cadets. * Window cards are being used to = stunts, helped make a solid week. | tell the public about it. Ingrid Bergman was awarded Movie-Radio Guide Magazine’s “Elmer’ for the best performance by an actress in 1941. The award was made in recognition of her performance of Ivy in “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” The “Elmer,” designed specially for Movie-Radio Guide of by the Leon Schlesinger Studios, is for reasons of national defence, made of wood instead of metal. Seven other “Elmers” were presented by the editors of the magazine for film achievements during the past year. To Fredric March, for his portrayal of the minister in “One Foot In Heaven” went the award for the best actor of the year; to Bob Hope went an “Elmer” as the best comedian of the year; and to Rosalind Russell went an award as the best comedienne of the year. Walter Huston was also awarded an “Elmer” for his portrayal of Mr. Scratch in “All That Money Can Buy,” and Patricia Collinge was similarly honored for her work in “The Little Foxes.” Additional “Elmers” were presented to Sam Wood, for his direction of “The Devil and Miss Jones,” and to “Sergeant York” as the best all-around motion picture of 1941. ‘Charley's Aunt’ Clear Twentieth Century-Fox has cleared up its Canadian barriers to the distribution of “Charley's Aunt” and will release it soon. Empire-Universal had the title rights in Canada. Star's Son Enlists James Beard, 20-year-old son of Edna Best, former wife of Herbert. Marshall, has enlisted in the RCAF at Vancouver.