The Exhibitor (Nov 1939-May 1940)

16 THE EXHIBITOR Co-Ops, Antiques Big In “Tom Edison” Selling Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania — Manager Edgar Simonis, assistant Bill Walsh and Ed Gallner, Metro representative, electrified the city with their exploitation. Wilkes-Barre Record ran essay contest on Edison in co-operation with three city schools with winner getting $25. Radio tie-up was the reading of Edison’s letter to his mother and then offering tickets for the best 10 letters written in tribute to mothers. Co-operative ads included those of Edison products along with bakery, candy shop, department store, photography shop. Twelve 24-sheets and 200 two-sheets were put out. Book-marks were also furnished libraries and book stores. Special animated displays constructed by Art Bullock and aides attracted passerbys to outside display windows. One listed Edison’s achievements and interesting facts about him along with huge picture of Rooney with eyes blinking. New York City — In connection with the premiere of “Young Tom Edison,” Radio City Music Hall, the Museum of Science and Industry, Rockefeller Center, is featuring a special exhibit devoted to the scientific and inventive achievements of Thomas Alva Edison. Display of Edisoniana includes several models of the phonograph to illustrate the development of “the talking machine” from the very first model to the streamlined phonographs and business dictation machines of the present day. Prominent among the many objects are the “printing telegraph” or early stock ticker; the “Edison effect lamp,” forerunner of the modern radio tube; a model of Edison’s first electric locomotive built in 1882; a model of “The Black Maria,” first motion picture studio; and a series of colored slides which present some of the incidents in the life of Thomas Edison. A stunt saw Radio City Music Hall and the Rockefeller Museum of Science and Industry conducting a search for a “young Tom Edison of 1940,” in conjunction with the showing of the Metro feature at the Hall. Ambitious youngsters who "Northwest Passage” Gettysburg, Pennsylvania — Syd Poppay, manager, Majestic, had an intensive campaign. Book store gave him a window display on the book, five days before the opening and a big gasoline station gave him a display and placed special programs in all cars. Announcements were placed on bulletin boards in the college, the high school and the seminary, and arrows, pointing to the theatre, were placed at center square. A special display, made from Life magazine clippings, was on display in the lobby, and letters announcing the picture went to all the teachers in Gettysburg and the county. Announcement was made at the meeting of the Mothers Club and the Women’s Club. Programs were distributed at the schools in Gettysburg and Emmitsburg, Maryland, and the surrounding villages. have models or samples of their inventions are asked to bring them to the Rockefeller Museum, where they will be placed alongside Edison’s early products and viewed by visitors to the Museum. First prize of contest, which is open to all boys under 16, is $50 plus an engraved bronze plaque to be awarded by the Thomas A. Edison Laboratory of West Orange, New Jersey. Tickets and passes to theatre and museum are also offered in contest, which holds promise of possible fame or commercial backing for youthful inventors. Quite a few of the country’s leading business institutions are responding eagerly to the multitude of exploitation angles provided by “Young Tom Edison,” declares William R. Ferguson, of Metro’s exploitation department. From all sides comes news of big tie-ups being made. One of these is an attractive 14x22 card being distributed by the General Electric Company, showing a scene from the picture and comparing the first primitive bulb with the modern type. According to R. P. Burroughs, GE’s office, Nela Park, Cleveland, the cards have already been shipped to 30,000 GE agents. General Elec' ric is including also material in a number of its house organs which have a combined circulation of 280,000. O’Rear Attracts ‘Teens For Para’s “Seventeen” Harrisburg, Pennsylvania — To exploit the screen version of Booth Tarkington’s story, manager Jack O’Rear, Colonial, tied in with the opening session of a Saturday Night Swing Club at a local ballroom. He promoted a contest called the “Seventeen Drag” and offered two cash prizes and tickets to the runners-up. Announcement of the contest was printed on the back of notices distributed in advance by the ballroom. Colonial also used a park bench in front of the theatre with a collegiate sign reading “Wait for your date here to see ‘Seventeen’.” Additional items featured a radio contest in which telephone subscribers whose numbers totaled 17 wrote to the station and received free tickets to the show. Manager O'Rear reported at least 250 answers. Following the Orson Welles’ program on which Jackie Cooper, guest, starred in “Huckleberry Finn,” an announcement of his appearance at the Colonial and the dates were made over WHP. "The Mummy” Fall River, Massachusetts — In a build up, manager William S. Canning, Interstate Empire, dressed all his ushers up in black hoods and capes on which were painted in luminous paint the name of the picture. One of the ushers in hood and cape costume with the picture name painted on in white, was used for ballyhoo outside the box office. A large mummy was placed in a case in the lobby v/ith green spotlight playing on it, and all lobby lights in green. Incense was burned in the mummy case until some over zealous boys stole the incense burner. The mummy in the coffin, all taped up, was fixed so that its head moved. Although “The Mummy” is not a new Universal release, chances are a lot of spots can bring it back to advantage, particularly on “home-made” horror shows. Reports from the territory say managers are dualling their own horror selections. "Dr. Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet” Syracuse, New York — Manager Harry Unterfort, RKO-Schine Keith’s, tied up with the Onondaga Health Association and used their facilities in reaching people and organizations. Letters were sent to all doctors, dentists, laboratory staffs, medical college, and health educators. A spot announcement was promoted tying up with the Edward G. Robinson’s “Big Town” program for play dates. Radio workshop at Syracuse University plugged the picture on their program. "Strange Cargo” Fall River, Massachusetts — Manager Chris Joyce, Interstate Durfee, and his assistant, Joe Bean, secured an excellent window display in a large downtown furniture store. A large replica of an old two-masted schooner, nautical to say the least, with life preservers and oars, etc., displayed to advantage an old chest. People were invited to guess what strange cargo was carried by the ship, in connection with the showing of the picture. THE OUTSIDER. Mary Maguire. George Sanders and Barbara Blair may be seen in Alliance Films’ release of the Dorothy Brandon novel. March 27, 1940