The Exhibitor (Nov 1939-May 1940)

20 THE EXHIBITOR "Balalaika” Elmira, New York — Eddie Yarbrough, Keeney, used four separate teaser trailers on “Balalaika” two weeks in advance of the regular trailer week. He tied up with WENY to use song numbers, “At the Balalaika” and “Love Is My Game ' to open as many of their programs as possible. Tunes were played a total of 25 times during week before opening. He tied up with two music stores to feature the music from picture in their windows, with tie-in copy before opening. Manager Yarbrough used extra space in newspaper stressing the “new glamour girl” angle and used newspaper advertisements wl ich brought up the action and comedy in picture with illustrations of Charles Ruggles and Frank Morgan. He posted 100 three-sheets locally and placed 100 window cards in neighboring towns and in the local business district. He placed 143 napkin ads in 12 restaurants and placed stills from the picture on the Cinema Club bulletin board and in the classroom of Elmira Academy. Two cinema clubs attended the showing in a group. A letter was sent to 1,100 members of Better Films Council, which had endorsed picture. Manager Yarbrough personally announced playdates to eight music groups in the city. At the community concert headquarters (which had sponsored personal appearance of Nelson Eddy last year), he had a 40x60 on display, with stills on which a baby spot was focused at night. The concert bureau plugged the picture to its members. The Choral Society, by invitation of management, attended in a group, and plugged the feature to its hundreds of pupils. "Young Tom Edison” New York City — Mickey Rooney and a historic train of the 1850’s will divide honors in an elaborate celebration now being planned at Port Huron, Michigan, for February 11, the 93rd anniversary of the birth of Thomas A. Edison. Train is the famed “Edison train” owned by Henry Ford and kept by him on exhibition in Greenfield Villiage. Ford and the Grand Trunk Railway have agreed to run this relic, with its wood-burning locomotive and the baggage car nearly burned up by Edison during one of his juvenile experiments, over the exact Detroit to Port Huron route traveled by the inventor when a “train butcher.” "Geronimo!” Philadelphia — On the opening night of RKO-Radio’s “Geronimo!” any fullblooded Indians presenting themselves at the Stanton here became the guests of the management. Event recalled to Philadelphia’s mind that, unique among eastern cities, Billy Penn’s town really has an honest-to-goodness Indian reservation— and right in the down-town area, too! "Crisis in the Pacific” Portsmouth, Virginia — J. J. Kimmel, Gates, invited Rear Admiral Manley H. Simons, commandant of the Norfolk Navy Yard, and his staff of officers to be his guests. "Abe Lincoln in Illinois” Harrisburg, Pennsylvania — For the Keystone State’s premiere of RKO-Radio’s “Abe Lincoln in Illinois” at tne Senate here, manager Robert Sidman, assisted by RKU-Kadio exploiteer tierbert iaeyman, staged a comprehensive campaign, as a result of wmcn tew there were in the capital city who did not know that the picturization of Robert E. Sherwood’s stage play was in the offing, or current, too, for tnat matter. In the following paragraphs is summarized the Sidman-nayman tub-thumpmg. HOUSE AND LOBBY. Special front was erected to create an auxiliary box office lor advance reservea-seat saie. Tne front re-make was two stories hign, wun ail regular display space enlarged for more impressive lay-outs. All displays were done in boid red and blue on a white background, with go.d trim. A special trailer, on the policy change, was run for a week in advance. Displays on the picture were used for a month in advance. Ten thousand heralds were distriouted a month in advance. A contest, with $i0 in prizes, was held among ushers and doormen for the most advance reservations arranged. Pass holders were notified and the suspension of the pass privilege, and seat reservations taken. A special prologue was planned for evening performances, with an off-stage voice reciting the Gettysburg Address, fading into music behind the opening titles. POSTING. About two dozen 24-sheets were posted 10 days in advance, four of which were illuminated, selected to cover all principal streets leading to the city. NEWSPAPERS. Regular theatre budget was increased sixfold for a sock advertising campaign in the daily papers. All advertisements were underlined for two weeks in advance. Large-space campaign started eight days ahead of opening, announcing the opening of the advance ticket sale. In dailies in a 50-mile radius, $50 was spent in extra advertising. Out-of-town papers were urged to use publicity material in return for passes. Local publicity started one month in advance. Special advance stories were planted in every locally-written column. Stills were planted in the News’ rotogravure section the Saturday before opening. Editorials were planted in both the Telegram and the News, to break before the opening. Arrangements were made for Colonel A. H. Stackpole, Telegraph publisher; Mrs. Stackpole ; Paul Walker, Telegraph critic-columnist; Dick Spong, News critic, to attend the Washington world prem;ere. Society columns carried daily stories about theatre parties being planned for the opening night. Breaks were had for four consecutive weeks in the Thursday pictorial spread in the Telegraph amusement page. Local celebrities were interviewed for special Lincoln tie-up stories. Society editors covered the opening night as a social event. STUNTS AND TIE-UPS. Two girls canvassed, by telephone, the whole city. Special tie-ups were made with department stores (some also contributing space for advance-sale booths) and the public library. Three torchlight parades were arranged: of 160 Patriot-News boys, 125 Telegraph boys. 250 bovs’ clubbers. Starting at three different places, the parades converged on the theatre, where the boys (mainly under-privileged) were given a special gratis showing. A plaque commemorating Lincoln’s stop in Harrisburg, en route to Washington from Springfield, was unveiled by a resident who had heard the President at Gettysburg. Special arrangements were made with the Board of Education to al’ow a discount of 20 percent to groups of 20 or more. A senior hi^h school oratorical contest was held on the Gettysburg Address. Photo displays were used on school bulletins and in city and state libraries. Fifty ll-x-14 photos, made into window cards, were distributed. Contact was made with clergymen, to arrange for sermons on Lincoln. Three conventions of out-of-town educators were thoroughly informed of the picture. The National Guard’s anti-aircraft searchlight was hired for the opening night. Three thousand heralds were distributed by Postal Te’egraph. On the opening night, the Governor of Pennsylvania, the Mayor of Harrisburg, and other state, city, and civic, social, and fraternal representatives were present. RADIO. Transcription of the lobby broadcast from RKO-Keith’s, Washington, over WJSV, on the world premiere night, was rebroadcast by WHP. Twenty spot announcements were used on the day before and the opening day on WHP and WKBO. For ten days before opening, picture was plugged on WKBO’s Man on the Street program. There was a WHP lobby broadcast on the opening night, as well as a broadcast on WKBO from the stage. "A Child Is Born” Wilmington, Delaware — Manager Richard Kirsh, Aldine, put over a promotion program for “A Child Is Born” in a big way, covering practically every angle of possible tie-ups. Some of manager Kirsh’s program follows: Telephone — Local radio station made special phonograph record free, carrying title, play-date, theatre name and small chat. House promoted phonograph from music store, dialed ’phone numbers and played the record over it when the ’phone was answered, calling 200 persons. Contest — Contest was arranged at city hospitals to choose the prettiest nurse. It broke newspaper theatre page with picture of nurses in contest. “Prettiest nurse” was presented with bouquet, and pen and pencil, flowers from local florist promoted. Hospitals — Cards were posted on bulletin boards of all hospitals announcing play date. Letters were sent to each head nurse requesting that they urge nurses to see the picture. Letters — Letters were mailed out to all doctors and nurses four days in advance. Emergency Call Cards — Special “emergency call cards” were made for use of doctors and nurses attending theatre. North Adams, Massachusetts — Francis Faille, manager, Paramount, offered free admission to each woman bringing an empty baby carriage to the theatre, the theatre providing parking facilities. Faille advertised the offer in the local newspaper and had a number of responses as well as creating considerable interest. Other promotion included offering a gift of a layette to the first baby born in the city during the showing of the picture. There was also a tieup with a baby food display in a grocery store and a stork display in kiddie shop, with theatre credits. A member of the staff dressed in an interne’s uniform was stationed in the lobby a few days before the showing of the picture, passing out book marks with picture and theatre credits. These were also distributed in public and lending libraries. Girls of the staff wore nurse’s uniforms during the showing of the picture. Church Tieup Yields Results Lyndhurst, New Jersey — George Daransall, manager, Ritz, inaugurated a co-operative church plan whereby a ticket attached to the admission ticket, if deposited in the special Ritz box in the patron’s own church, will be redeemed by the theatre for two cents each, on basis of $2.00 per hundred. Ministers, etc. have been calling upon their congregation, especially the children, to be sure to help the church in this fashion. "A Boy, a Gun and Birds” New York City — For the further exploitation among exhibitors of the Charles Mintz Color Rhapsody, “A Boy, a Gun and Birds,” Columbia’s advertising-publicity department is sending out an accordion-folder (to 3% by 41/4 inches) mailing piece, with a pictorial resume of the story and a copy of a letter of praise from the American Humane Association's president, Sydney H. Coleman J ami ary 31 , 1940