The Exhibitor (Nov 1938-May 1939)

"Pygmalion” Worcester, Massachusetts Manager Harold H. Maloney, Loew’s Poll, attacked "Pygmalion” from many angles. In the first place, he arranged a fancy premiere at popular prices on the eve of the regular opening day. Franklin Square, in front of the theatre, was closed to traffic to permit a drum corps to give a drill before the opening. Spot announcements on the radio and increased lineage in the dailies were carefully planned to obtain maximum results. Teaser ads and teaser trailers gave early warning the picture was on the way. Name of the picture, spelled out in electric letters four feet high were lowered on a drop at each performance the preceding week. Rest of the house was darkened to give full effect. Then a theatre attache spoke through the horns announcing high points of the pictures, providing that personal touch to the campaign. There were no tie-ups here with the dailies. The papers just aren’t interested, meaning the management must use that much more ingenuity in its campaign. Boston, Massachusetts Tieing up Saint Patrick’s Day and the Metro show, Loew’s State and Orpheum, together with the Boston Traveler, offers prizes of Blarney Stone awards for the funniest Irish stories. Chips are from the Blarney Stone, it is said, with runnersup getting tickets. "Gunga Din” Staunton, Virginia Educational phases of "Gunga Din” were stressed in the campaign engineered by manager Frank Shaffer, Warners’ Dixie. Highlight was a quiz contest which broke in the weekly magazine of the Mary Baldwin College, weekly publication of the Staunton Military Academy, a daily paper printed by high school students. Guest tickets were awarded for the first 1 5 correct answers. "Darling Daughter” New York City For Warners dual engagement of "Yes, My Darling Daughter” at the New York Strand, Globe, the company arranged a tie-up with Saks-Fifth Avenue, whereby the latter took a five-column ad in the Sunday Herald-Tribune carrying copy plugging the picture. In addition five windows were used in publicizing the picture. "Ice Follies of 1939” Bridgeport, Connecticut Assistant manager Jack Sidney, Loew-Poli, Bridgeport, Connecticut, used a swell lobby gag in conjunction with his showing of "Ice Follies of 1939.” Embedded in a huge cake of ice, was a pair of silver ice skates. Nearby was a huge ballot box, containing slips of paper, handed out by a theatre attendant. Patrons were requested to write on the ticket, the approximate time they thought the cake of ice would be melted, and then drop their ballot in the box, along with their name, address. Winners were awarded guest tickets to the showing of the film. Highlights in Serial Tie-Ups "Lone Ranger Rides Again” Syracuse, New York Manager Pat McGee, RKO-Schine-Eckel, arranged with the baking company sponsors of "The Lone Ranger” broadcast to give the picture a plug before and after each broadcast. Bakers BETTER MANAGEMENT also donated five hundred "Lone Ranger” masks to be given on the opening day and four suits to be awarded as prizes. Variety store gave 500 ice cream cones the opening day and will give $175 worth of accessories to be awarded during the run of the picture. Highlights in National Tieups "The Castles” Realizing the great interest in RKO-Radio’s forthcoming "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle,” Screen Romances, featuring the exclusive fictionization of this film in the May issue, has prepared a special promotional campaign. Perfectly timed to hit the release of the film, 10,000 car cards in two colors — black, green on white — will go on display the entire month of April on leading railway cars, trolleys, buses in many large cities. Twenty-five hundred truck posters, 29x46 inches in size — will be displayed on all American News Company delivery trucks April 4, 5, 6, will tour the entire country distributing to thousands of individual news dealers. Screen Romances is reducing its 2 5 -cent price to 10 cents commencing with the May issue, and large chain store distribution will be inaugurated, backed by a special promotional campaign. Time magazine is set to run a special editorial feature on Ginger Rogers topped by a beautiful kodachrome color cover April 10 keyed to hit the pre-release of "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle.” Niven Busch, motion picture editor for the magazine, is preparing a special biographical feature to run concurrent with the cover. "The Flying Irishman” RKO Radio’s big pressbook on the air thriller opens a hundred avenues through which showmen can cash in on the life story of the intrepid liver. Irish angle, aviation with its accompanying contest and ballyhoos, bookstore tie-ins, marquee and lobby displays, novelties and special accessories are covered in more than six pages. Exhibitors are shown how to turn the 24-sheet into a marquee cut-out with animated plane and how to catch the attention of the public through a scenic display across which a miniature plane moves backward in the Corrigan manner. A "wrong way” crossword puzzle, an airplane jigsaw game and a four-column feature mat dramatizing the flyer’s life pictorially are among the newspaper features. Novelties include die-cut shamrocks, balso-wood and paper gliders, a flying plane, die-cut, and diecut insignia. Among the special accessories are bannerettes, a photographic one-sheet and a cloth aviator’s helmet. "Adventures of Jane Arden” Exhibitors will have an opportunity to cash in on $200 being given away by the Ward Baking Company in conjunction with the national release of Warner Brothers’ "The Adventures of Jane Arden,” featuring Roselia Towne. The baking company is sponsoring a display contest for theatres east of the Missippi awarding cas hprizes to the exhibitors who prepare the best d'splays tying in the company’s "Jane Arden” radio program, the picture. The prizes will be divided into four awards of $50 each, and theatre managers will be required to use the Ward’s display material, which is being distributed gratis to them. Local plant managers of the Ward Baking Company have been advised to cooperate fully with the local playdate in arranging the displays. Three display pieces in color have been pre 29 pared for the promotion. One carries copy, art plugging th efilm, while another sells the radio program. The centre piece is left blank in order to allow the exhibitor to use his own imagination in planning his display. In conjunction with the tie-up, the Ward "Jane Arden” radio program will herald the release of the film with spot announcements daily over the NB CBlue Network. In some cities it will be possible to insert a plug for the local showing. Ward Baking Company trucks wil also carry sheet posters announcing the playing of the feature at the local theatre. Available on the tieup are autographed fan fotos of Roselia Towne, who plays the title role in the picture and Ruth Yorke, who plays a similar role in the radio program. Heralds have been prepared for distribution on the tie-up. "Dark Victory” Under an unusually important tie-up just completed by Warner Brothers’ publicity department, the Robert W. Irwin Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, furniture manufacturer, will conduct "Dark Victory” contests in 150 cities in all parts of the country coincidental with the national release of this Bette Davis picture on April 8. The stunt will tie in with theatres playing "Dark Victory,” will be based upon essays coicerning the influence of motion pictures upon interior decoration. Local Irwin dealers will get behind the campaign with newspaper advertising, window displays, throwaways, other selling aids. The Irwin Company will inaugurate a national advertising campaign late this month, with all copy plugging "Dark Victory” in general, Bette Davis in particular. On the coast, Barker Brothers is tying in with the "Dark Victory” campaign through a model house it plans to build at Westwood this month. Each room in the building will be furnished as the rooms which appear in "Dark Victory.” A "Dark Victory” room will also be displayed at Barker Brothers stor eas a feature of its "Tempo Show” later this month. "The Ugly Duckling” Twenty-eight national magazines are primed with art and stories on Walt Disney’s Easter release special, "The Ugly Duckling.” These breaks have been timed to coincide with the release date set by RKO for April 7. Circulation of this group is said to be about 1 5,000,000. Other important publications are expected to use publicity material, bringing the total to some 3 5 magazines, a greater number than was included in the "Ferdinand the Bull” campaign. The RKO-Radio publicity department also has placed illustrations and stories with various syndicates to provide a vast ready-made audience for showmen booking "The Ugly Duckling.” Many of the magazine and syndicate layouts are in color. "Jane Arden” In connection with the showings of Warners "The Adventures of Jane Arden” radio program, thousands of four-page heralds are being distributed to dealers throughout the country as giveaways to patrons by Ward Baking Company. The folders present scenes from the p'eture, the comic strip, and the radio program, with the last page left blank for theatre imprint in local tie-ups. Award Trailers To meet the needs and requirements of any exhibitor who has plans to play or replay any or all of the Academy Award pictures, National Screen Service has prepared special trailer copy available to all exhibitors. March 22, 7939