The Exhibitor (Nov 1938-May 1939)

26 Metro Offers $10,000 For Best Exhib Campaigns Cash prizes totaling $10,000 will be awarded independent exhibitors in the United States and Canada for the best campaigns on Metro pictures to be released between September 1, 1939 and January 1, 1940, it was announced last week by Howard Dietz, director of advertising and publicity. Exhibitors may submit campaigns on one or more of these pictures. There will be identical prizes for first-run, subsequent-run exhibitors, with first place in each category winning $2500; second, $750; third, $500. There will also be 100 additional prizes of $2 5 each for runners-up in both sections. Metro is now preparing a special campaign book for the $10,000 contest, available to independent exhibitors at all of the company’s exchanges. This book will be distributed gratis, is the only scrap book acceptable in the contest, a departure from previous industry contests. The campaign book will include an entry blank and all contest details as well as sufficient blank pages for complete itemization and inclusion of promotion data, thus eliminating the likelihood of the entries being judged on presentation rather than contest. "What you did counts — not merely the way you present it,” is the basis of the contest. Closing date of the contest is March 1, 1940. "Dodge City” Premiere Attracts Huge Throngs Dodge City, Kansas, a town whose population does not run much over 10,000 when all the neighbors are in marketing, was host to a crowd of 125,000 April 1 when it had its first RoundUp in years to celebrate the world premiere performance there of Warners "Dodge City.” Film premiere attracted national attention and the Sante Fe Railroad running in excursion trains from all parts of the southwest. To accommodate the guests, all four theatres in the city played the film at its premiere. Ninety radio stations affiliated with the NBC Blue and Red networks broadcast the celebration. Program was on the air from 8 to 8.3 0 P. M. New York time. To make the Round-Up a full-day holiday, Dodge City arranged a rodeo, a music festival, a street parade. Rodeo was staged in old Western style, with local entries competing against a group of experts sent on from Hollywood. Native bands marched in the street parade. Hollywood’s contribution to the Round-Up IRWIN SEATING famous for its NECK TO KNEE COMFORT ** AND SNAPPY APPEARANCE Distributed by National Thaatrai Supply Co. was a 16-car special train with screen celebrities. Special cars carried newspaper writers from New York, Chicago and the southwest. Premiere was arranged at the request of Kansas officials to honor Dodge City. In addition to state and city officials who were present, Governor Ratner, Kansas, invited the governors of Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Nebraska and Missouri to be his guests. Highlights in Selling Features "Spirit of Culver” Washington, D. C. To aid Universal’s "Spirit of Culver,” B. Bernard Kreisler, local branch manager, obtained a letter of recommendation to be sent to the 48 department adjutants throughout the nation. It follows: “Last week some of us active in the Legion here in Washington were invited to see a preview of the picture called 'Spirit of Culver’ produced by Universal Pictures; and frankly it impressed us as being a perfectly grand piece of propaganda for The American Legion. "It shows the Legion doing welfare work, that is, feeding youngsters, etcetera, wandering around the country and out of jobs when the depression hit the land. They pick up one boy whose father had gotten the Congressional Medal of Honor and the Post raises the money to provide him with a scholarship to the Military Academy there in Indiana, run by General Gignilliat, former Department Commander. The picture winds up on the steps of the War Memorial with the hanging of the wreath on the Legion flag. "It is really a great Legion picture and something should be done to get not only the Legion to see it but also the public. It is the kind of propaganda that ought to do us a lot of good. So be sure and see it yourself when it strikes your home town; and see if something can’t be done to let the Legion know about it. "Sincerely yours, John Thomas Taylor, Director, "National Legislative Committee.” "Gunga Din” Fall River, Massachusetts Covering the entire city with material on the picture, manager Bill Brown indeed made Fall River, Massachusetts, "Gunga Din”-conscious for the engagement of the RKO-Radio production at his Durfee. Among the items on his campaign were the following: Suburban buses and taxis, totalling 24 vehicles, were supplied with bumper cards. Through the Board of Education, 200 study guides were distributed to all Fall River secondary and high schools, all teachers of English and principals. Jumbo cards, stills were placed in the Boy’s Club, the British Club, the Canadian War Veterans Club. Tie-ups and cooperative advertisements were obtained with a beauty shop on the "Joan Fontaine coiffure.” A tie-up with a department store effected plug on WSAR during the store’s on-the-air period. Six other store tie-ups were made, with jumbo cards, still in each. Downtown newsboys wore Indian soldier hats for a week in advance of opening. Brooklyn, New York Manager Harry Kriegsman, Claridge, nabe subsequent run house, followed up his profitable “Jesse James” bally with a honey of a selling job on "Gunga Din.” Stenciled sidewalk announcements throughout the neighborhood announcing the opening date greeted Flatbushites one morning. Bookmarks carrying announcements of the playing dates were distributed to students at the local schools. Five thousand packets of desert wishing sand mixed with sweet-smelling incense were distributed to the theatre’s patrons. The latter was a tie-up with a printer, perfumery. Copy read "No greater wish could be made than want to see 'Gunga Din’.” Staunton, Virginia On "Gunga Din,” Frank Shaffer, Dixie, was successful in planting the "Gunga Din” quiz contest, which appears in the press book. Contest appeared in Campus Comments, the weekly magazine of Mary Baldwin College, read by 400 girls. It was also published in Cable-Grams, weekly magazine of Staunton Military Academy, read by 400 boys, and it appeared in the Lee Leader, a special page of the daily paper printed and arranged by students of the high school. The cost of this contest to the theatre was passes — 1 5 passes being included in each of the contests. "Love Affair” Syracuse, New York Manager Harry Unterfort, RKO-SchineKeith’s, went to town with his campaign for "Love Affair.” Before the opening, Harry arranged with the Syracuse Post-Standard to run advertisement for three days telling of the picture and inviting all couples in Onondaga County, celebrating their golden or silver anniversary during the month of March, to be guests of theatre at banquet promoted from the Onondaga Hotel, at which they were given corsages and boutonnieres by local florist, following which they were guests of the theatre to see "Love Affair.” Girl with radio mind, Jane Mosely, was used in psycho-analyst stunt through co-operation of the Syracuse Journal, which ran stories and invitation to all having problems, particularly love affairs, to write to the theatre and answers would be printed in Journal by the girl. Boston, Massachusetts For Keith Memorial’s "Love Affair,” publicity men Jack Granara, Joe Ehrlich, ran a three-day letter contest in conjunction with the Boston Traveler. Cash and theatre tickets were awarded the girls writing the best letters of 100 words or less answering the question: Has a "love affair” begun aboard ship during a transatlantic crossing or on a leisurely cruise to one of the many romantic islands of the Caribbean just as much chance of surviving as a romance begun under ordinary circumstances? "Jesse James” Forrest Hills, Long Island Patrons of the Inwood, after seeing the picture, were invited to write a letter as to whether Jesse James was to be criticized or commended for turning bandit because of the extenuating circumstances. Questionnaire heralds were distributed to schools, libraries, various types of clubs newsstands. Special programs were printed, additional window cards were placed. "Reward” posters for the capture of Jesse James were tacked in the post office, local police, fire departments, store windows, etc. April 5, 19)9