The Exhibitor (Nov 1939-May 1940)

18 THE EXHIBITOR "Gone With the Wind” Wilmington, Delaware — Manager J. Edgar Doob, Loew’s, pepped up by the nine hours conference in Washington on “Gone With the Wind” promotion ideas, pushed the “GWTW” dress goods and merchandizing angle successfully. One notion store pushing “GWTW” prints had all of their salesgirls dressed in such material and also had the store buy 40 tickets for them to attend the show in body. A furniture store caught the idea and took a block of 50 tickets for giveaways to customers. A swanky jewelry store furnished 10,000 envelopes for the tickets without cost for a small dignified advertisement. Approximately 15 store windows were dressed up in special advertising, including “GWTW” dress materials and jewelry. A week before the opening, the house for the whole week was 90 per cent sold out. Rochester, New York — Lester Pollock, Loew’s, took advantage of fame of “Gone With the Wind” to get notable free promotion. Largest department store between New York and Midwest devoted all windows to displays, while others used three windows each. Howard Hosmer, Henry Clune and Jack Tucker, newspaper columnists, commenting at length, and radio commentators chimed in. Restaurants advertised special dinners before opening each evening and after-theatre suppers. Manager Pollock added 35 college girls from Eastman staff to augment ushering corps and installed a water bar for comfort of patrons during intermission. "Jeepers Creepers” — "Sabotage” Syracuse, New York — Manager Harvey G. Cocks, RKO-Schine-Strand, put out 10,000 heralds advertising the return of vaudeville to Syracuse and the two pictures. Heralds were put into each room of all leading hotels and distributed in better restaurants. Special menu cards were furnished the better eating spots. Five thousand bags were furnished to markets and 2,000 to cany stores, each being imprinted with theatre copy. Cards were inserted in 3,500 copies of Look for home distribution. Two youths paraded the streets with banners and a sound truck was used before and during the run. "Tower of London” Fall River, Massachusetts — A tall thin man in a “silver” suit of armor was the feature of manager W. S. Canning’s advertising stunts for this picture at the Interstate Empire. On front and back, on the armor, was lettered the sentence, in striking black, “Tower of London.” Living ad by his actions and talk attracted wide attention. Decorative Lighting • Glass and Metal Work Exit and Direction Signs • Ornamental Plaster Drinking Fountains • Air Distribution Plaques 36 Years in Business Is Your Assurance of Our Reliability. VISIT OUR SHOWROOMS OR WRITE US m m sms Designers-Engineers-Manufacturers VOIGT 1745 N. 12<h Street, Philo. "Geronimo” North Adams, Massachusetts — For “Geronimo,” manager Francis Faille, Paramount, had teaser placards placed throughout the lobby reading “Watch out for Geronimo.” A six-sheet was pasted on lobby floor with spot-light on it. The word “Geronimo” was written in water colors across the show window of an empty store. On the opening day, a local Boy Scout troop, headed by one of the Scouts, dressed in full Indian regalia, were guests of the management. A store window display of Indian relics, loaned by the Boy Scouts, was arranged. The public library co-operated with a display of Indian books dealing with the period represented in the picture with theatre credits. Placards advertising the picture were stuck in trees, with imitation arrows holding them in. "Invisible Stripes” Fall River, Massachusetts — At the Interstate Empire, manager Bill Canning had wide black stripes painted on the three sides of the box office, from the top of the glass to the bottom. Wide black stripes were painted on all four outer doors, with white lettering on the stripes: “What are Invisible Stripes? Find out here Friday.” "Shop Around the Corner” Syracuse, New York — Manager Frank Murphy, Loew’s State, was host to the boys of the safety patrol of the city schools. They paraded from the City Hall. Two thousand copies of Movie Mirror were passed out, each bearing a sticker on front advertising the picture and theatre. World Premiere Notes "The Blue Bird” Open New York City — Twentieth CenturyFox opened its road show of “The Blue Bird,” Technicolor production, at the Hollywood last week end to a gala invited audience. Best way to indicate the inclusiveness of the affair is to refer the reader to the pictures of the opening on page 20, where, among others, will be found: TOP ROW — Associate producer Gene and Hedy Lamarr Markey ; President Sidney R. and Mrs. Kent ; production vice-president Darryl F. and Mrs. Zanuck ; Movietonews’ funnyman Lew and Mrs. Lehr. SECOND ROW — Former RKO-Radio production vice-president Pandro S. and Mrs. Berman ; Columbia’s vice-president Jack Cohn ; song-writer Irving Berlin ; MPPDA’s President Will H. and Mrs. Hays. THIRD ROW Board chairman Joseph M. Schenck (second from right) with Representative Warren G. Magnuson (Washington), Jay Paley, and Joan Castle ; RKO circuit’s chief film buyer Fred and Mrs. Meyer, theatre operations general manager John J. and Mrs. O’Connor, assistant film buyer Max and Mrs. Fellerman ; Paramount’s President Barney Balaban, Sam Dembow, Fred Meyer, 20th Century-Fox’s general distribution manager Herman Wobber. FOURTH ROW — Johnny Russell and parents ; Metro’s director Ernst Lubitsch ; (insert) Shea circuit’s general manager Edward C. Grainger ; Andre Kostalanetz and Lily Pons ; New York City theatreman Leo and Mrs. Brecher. FIFTH ROW — (Left) Skouras theatres’ Spyros and Mrs. Skouras, Gregory and Mrs. Taylor ; (right) Skouras theatres’ Charles and Mrs. Skouras, Richard and Mrs. Dwight. BOTTOM ROW — Three views of the theatre exterior during the festivities. Campaign Suggestions "The Republic of Finland” New York City — Always a subject to be ballyhoo’d with profit, the March of Time comes through again with a timely, exploitable issue for January, entitled “The Republic of Finland, 1919-1940.” It is characterized as being a “vivid and enlightening film story of the Finnish people, who are today desperately fighting to defend their little 21-year-old nation from Soviet Russia.” In his announcement of the release, advertising director Alfred E. Sindlinger suggests the following as some of the items that might be included on the smart showman’s agenda: 1. Work with your newspaper on this issue. Use readers. Screen the release for newspapermen. Plant stills. 2. Work with the local Finnish Relief Committee (Herbert Hoover, national chairman) and the Red Cross. The March of Time has been working with the FRC, which organization has already notified all its branches of the subject. 3. Work with the radio stations. Tie in on newscasts and suggest to program directors the idea of an all-Sibelius recorded program, with copy on the March of Time release. (A recent poll voted Sibelius as the year’s greatest composer.) 4. Use the March of Time action-scene trailer (obtainable from the National Screen Service.) 5. Use your lobby and front. Get the latest headlines blown up and use the March of Time’s accessories. (Forty-eight cents buys eight display pieces: one onesheet, one window streamer, and six 11x-14’s — at all RKO-Radio branches. Sindlinger suggests for those playing about that time that the week of February 4-10 has been designated as “Finland Week,” a further source of tie-ups for the enterprising showman. Exploitation Winners "Angels” Winners Announced New York City — Winners in the nationwide campaign contest on behalf of “Only Angels Have Wings,” and the disposition of the $4000 in prizes were announced last week by Columbia. First prize of $1,000 went to Sid Holland for his campaign on the picture at the Elco, Elkhart, Indiana. Holland is now with the Schine circuit in Gloversville, New York. Ten prizes of $300 each were awarded as follows: Messrs. Jack Lexey, A1 Zimbalist, Broadway, Philadelphia; James W. Walker, Fox Alcazar, Bell, California; Messrs. Richard D. Walsh, George H. McKenna, Lafayette, Buffalo, New York; Guy W. Martin, Colfax, South Bend, Indiana; David Kamsky, Neighborhood Theatre, Inc., Richmond, Virginia; Marion Parkinson, Iowa, Jefferson, Iowa; Jack Sidney, Loew’s Poli, Bridgeport, Connecticut; W. Osborne, Warner’s, Huntington Park, California; E. R. Hardwick, Lyceum, Clovis, New Mexico; Frank LaFalce, Earle, Washington, D. C. January 24, 1940