The Exhibitor (Nov 1938-May 1939)

(Selling Shorts: continued from page 14) "Treacherous Waters” Richmond, Virginia For the engagement of the Floyd G.bbons’ subject, "Treacherous Waters,” at the Walker, Richmond, Virginia, manager Walter E. Shivers centered his campaign on eliciting the 24-sheet effect of enthusiastic Boy Scouts, the younger element in general. All scouts of local troops were especially invited to the regular screenings of the picture that features Eagle Scout Warren Kersley. The subject was plugged a week in advance, with special hand-drawn lobby displays. The special screening also made the news columns of the Richmond Timcs-Dispatch. Generous space was devoted to the subject in the Richmond Daily News, organ of the Lichtman Theatres, of which 7,500 are distributed weekly. Of the result, Manager Shivers says, "The response from the Boy Scouts was tremendous. Troops came in groups, and teachers of th: grammar schools brought their entire class. The displays were carried around to schools during recess hour by three boy scouts, with the theatre sign carried by an older man. The short subject drew more than our feature.” Highlights in Publicity Ideas Providence Kiddie Shows Click with Parents With the usual capacity crowd, the Avon, Providence, Rhode Island, recently presented the season’s fourth and last program of short subjects for children. Inaugurated early in the year under the sponsorship of the Parents League of Providence, the series of shows have been uniformly profitable but manager Arthur Goldstein feels that the greatest benefit to his house has been in free publicity and goodwill. Avon, a 5 00-seater, in the heart of the East Side, blue-stocking district of Providence, is a revival and foreign film house. The Parents League, with a heavily socialite membership, through its children’s activities committee suggested the special morning shows to Goldstein. The idea, from the start, was a tremendous success. Goldstein, with the approval of the Parents League committee, arranges programs of short subjects with Disneys and sports reels predominating. The League appoints a committee of boys and girls who take over the house under Goldstein’s supervision, handling tickets, acting as ushers and performing other staff duties. Goldstein, an hour before each show, explains the duties of each juvenile staff member, provides each with a badge naming the position held bv the wearer. The Disneys are shown first at each performance and the program is then broken with a short intermission so that the younger members of the audience, the very small children who have gotten restless, can be taken out and home. The show then continues with sports reels and other educational shorts for the older youngsters. Cost to the Avon for the show, aside from film rental, has been relatively slight. Badges for the kids cost about $4, a trailer $5, newspaper advertising day before the show $5.50, and $3 for window cards. The cards are distributed by the Parents League committee, which places them BETTER MANAGEMENT in private schools and other locations not ordinarily available to theatrical posters. The Parents League supplies fliers and envelopes which are sent out to the League’s mailing list by the Avon office. The League arranges to have baloons sold by a committee of youngsters in the lobby following the performance. Customers have been turned away at all performances and the Parents League already is planning on a similar series for next year. In addition to the small monetary profit, the Avon unquestionably has earned the goodwill of countless parents in the wealthy residential district in which the house is situated. The idea at the Avon in Providence went over so well that other houses in the Lockwood and Gordon chain in South Weymouth, Massachusetts, and Waterville, Maine, have put on similar programs under the sponsorship of the PTA organizations, using the presentation set-up evolved by Goldstein. Baby Popularity Contest Holyoke, Massachusetts The Victory, Holyoke, Massachusetts, recently put on a baby popularity contest in conjunction with the Holyoke Transcript-Telegram. Baby pictures were called for. From the several hundred submitted, displayed on the theatre lobby, 26 were selected as the outstanding, with each having a store for a sponsor. The paper carried coupons, good for 10 votes for their sponsored entry. Then each week during the period, the store ads, which carried a picture of their baby contestant, were good for 2 5 votes for their entry. Patrons of the Victory could deposit their tickets in the theatre lobby. Each counted 2 5 votes for the baby they liked. A first prize of $5 0, a second of $2 5 in cash were awarded by the newspaper. The prizes were distr buted at the theatre. Each store gave a gift so that each child was re 18c membered when the final awards were made. There was a tricycle that one little fellow insisted upon mounting, riding on the stage; another little lad sat down at a small desk in the center of the stage; there were dolls, rabbits (the stuffed kind, of course), shoes, dresses, lamps among the gifts. Manager George Laby was in charge. Mrs. Harvey J. L. Hewitt, president, the Holyoke Women’s club, announced the winners. "Bank Night” in Reverse Holyoke, Massachusetts The Bijou, Holyoke, Massachusetts, has started a Monday night Auction Give-Back-the-Money Night.” The money is given back to patrons who come up on the stage, are willing to let the m.c. cut a piece off their necktie or pants, exhibit their false teeth, wooden leg — '.{ they have one — allow themselves to be embarrassed in other ways. It is all built around the old laugh producer: pie throwing, slipping on a banana. The discomfiture of ye mortal makes others guffaw way down in their bellies. Highlights in National Tieups "Tailspin Tommy” A bang-up exploitation campaign on Monogram’s "Tailspin Tommy,” first in the "Tailspin Tommy” series, has been lined up by the Monogram publicity staff. Hal Forrest, creator of the strip, has addressed personal form letters to over 15 0,000 members of his "Tailspin Tommy Flying Club.” A five chapter serialization, in 1000 word chapters, has been furnished newspapers carrying the strip. AMERICA -FIRST, LASTALWAYS! b„P,iid ,WaSJhin9,°n said we'd • . ,u 1 ren>ember that fnaPminh0'd ^ d^°«hips dirty "°r 3 9°°d d°Se °f °Ur ★ MAN OF CONQUEST^ RICHARD DIX as Sam Houston • Gail Patrick as Margaret Lea • Edward Ellis as Andrew Jackson Joan Fontaine as Eliza Allen • A Republic Picture March 29, 1939