Exhibitors Herald and Moving Picture World (Apr-Jun 1930)

86 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD June 7, 1931 MGM s EXPLOITATION IS INTERNATIONAL ♦ ♦ ♦ •/-% SYSTEM of creative exploitation of international scope, which MetroGoldwyn-Mayer has found so effective, will be continued and expanded during the coming season. The company will continue to maintain its permanent trained force of exploiteers in the field, and will offer this year, according to executives, an exploitation stunt which will excel the famous Trackless Train or the tour of Leo the Lion. Following is a summary of some of the activities of the advertising publicity and exploitation department during the last year: On “The Rogue Song” dozens of nationwide tieups were arranged. More than 20,000 window displays arranged. Countrywide serializations on pictures through influential newspapers, radio publicity, uniquely successful exploitation campaigns, weekly feature articles in leading papers throughout the country, national tieups on scores of accessories and fan magazine contests represent some of the commanding mediums utilized constantly. The blonde-brunette emotional test, which brought columns of publicity in New York papers, is one example of an M G M publicity smash. Howard Dietz is in charge of this department, with William R. Ferguson handling exploitation and Silas F. Seadler advertising. Through Radio Movie Clubs, M G M has had one of the greatest national tieups. Reaching, it is said, a minimum of 7,000,000 persons weekly, a number that is constantly growing, the effect of these weekly air entertainments can scarcely be estimated. This unique radio promotion was supplemented during 1930, by the series of Mon day evening countrywide studio broadcasts in which famous stars participated under a tieup arranged by Pete Smith with the Purity Bread Company and the Carter Manufacturing Company. “Guessing contests” represent a sterling feature of this direct-to-the home radio publicity. Hundreds of thousands of photographs of M G M players have been sent to listeners who fulfilled the requirements in these novel contests. The radio publicity inaugurated on “The Florodora Girl” and “In Gay Madrid” promises remarkable results. This consists of a 30-minute story-condensation of a picture, with musical interpolations and is being supplied by the company in its press books. Leo the Lion, M G M’s traveling mascot, has already covered about 100,000 miles and will reach an even greater radius than the famous Trackless Train. Leo and his entourage will begin their foreign tour, according to present plans, in 1931. Vast as it is M G M’s domestic exploitation network is economical, according to William R. Ferguson, who states that about 275,000 novelty accessories, obtained without cost to the company, were distributed throughout the country last year. Exploiteers teach the individual exhibitors how to conduct inexpensive though attentiongetting campaigns. Exploitation methods, like distributional facilities and coast output, have been adapted to the modern era of sound pictures. Old devices that are no longer applicable are weeded out and, above all, stress is laid on music and record tieups. “The Rogue Song” and “The Hollywood Revue” left an amazing string of musical tieups. According to J. J. Robbins, publishing the music featured in these photo plays, the films were directly responsibl j for the remarkable sales of “When I’n Looking at You,” “Singin’ in the Rain,” an< the other song hits of these and othe pictures. MGM has inaugurated an inter-territoria report system whereby theatre men in al parts of the world are kept aware of thlatest developments in ads, serials, display and accessories for new pictures. As ; result of this system American exploitatioi methods are being practiced to a greatei extent in foreign localities. In the company’s serializations there an three outstanding types (a) tabloid features including the talking tabloid or charactei strip; (b) Hearst syndication; (c) syndica tion through the home office bureau. The Cosmopolitan productions, including sucf recent hits as “Marianne” and “Caught Short” have been serialized throughout the entire chain. Among the MGM films giver | nation-wide serialization in illustrated form during the past season were “Montana; Moon,” “The Sea Bat,” “The Bishop Murder Case,” “Devil May Care,” “Dynamite”, and “The Big House.” In addition, about three-fourths of the MGM pictures are serialized in condensed form in magazines. The value of such work has been established by checkups with papers and exhibitors in leading sections of the country. By means of advertisements in fan magazines star question contests are conducted monthly. From year to year the public response to these contests has been shoot-' ing upward. Many stores of prominence in the country;, carry at least one line of merchandise tied up to some MGM star. Mats, posters, j cards of all varieties are supplied by M G M for the efficient backing of every new picture. 176 SHORTS TO BE RELEASED IN 1930-31 ♦ ♦ . Nj ETRO-GOLDWYNMAYER has announced its most comprehensive comedy and short subject release program for 1930-31. Forty-eight comedies and colortone revues were released during 192930, but 72 will be distributed during the new season. In addition, there will be 104 issues of Hearst Metrotone News. Hal Roach, producer of Laurel-Hardy “Our Gang” and Charley Chase comedies for MGM release, has added a new series of eight comedies to next season’s program. This will be called “The Boy Friends.” Foremost among the group additions to the short feature program for next season is a group of 12 Burton Holmes travel subjects, in addition to the eight Hal Roach “Boy Friends” comedies and 12 “Flip the Frog” sound cartoon novelties. Burton Holmes attained fame as a travel lecturer more than 20 years ago, and his reputation for obtaining the most comprehensive and fascinating photographic glimpses of life in far corners of the globe has steadily increased. This group will be titled “Around the World with Burton Holmes.” In the Hal Roach “Boy Friends” series the average age of the “Boy Friends” players is from 15 to 19 years. Members of the “Boy Friends” troupe are Dorothy Granger, Mary Kornman, Gertie Messinger, Grady Sutton, David Sharpe and Mickey Daniels. The series of twelve “Flip the Frog” cartoon subjects which will be an important addition to next season’s short feature lineup was contracted for in response to requests from exhibitors for this sort of program novelty. The other new season MGM short feature groups comprise six Laurel and Hardy comedies; eight Charley Chase comedies; eight “Our Gang” comedies; eight “Colortone revues”; six dog comedies; and four two-reel novelty subjects, in addition to the semi-weekly issues of the Hearst Metrotone News. The Laurel-Hardy, Charley Chase and “Our Gang” comedies have been outstandingly successful for several years, and the total number planned for the coming year is approximately the same as the number of last season’s releases. These comedies are all-dialogue films, and are to be produced in several foreign languages as well as in English. The exceptional popularity of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy as a comedy team has been in evidence during the past few months by the first-run houses which have played these comedians’ pictures, and by the record demand for bookings for the coming year. The recent Laurel-Hardy comedy, “Brats,” received equal advertising space with the feature, “The Ship from Shanghai,” at the Capitol Theatre, New York, and won special praise from reviewers. Two of M G M’s talking dog comedies were recently previewed and were considered the outstanding short feature novelty of the current year. “Hot Dog,” the first of these, was shown at the Carroll Theatre, New York, with “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” and two others, “College Hounds,” and “Who Killed Rover?” have been completed, under the direction of Jules White and Zion Myers. These three comedies and three other utilizing the services of trained bloodhounds, bulldogs and other canine actors, will be released during 1930-31. So popular were the present season’s “colortone revues,” including “Mexicana,” and “Climbing the Golden Stairs,” that eight short features of this type are planned for the new year. No titles have yet been announced. In the novelty group of new season shorts are two features with music: “The Song Writers’ Revue” and “Gems of MGM,” together with two sketches, “The Rounder,” a comedy with George K. Arthur and Dorothy Sebastian, and “Copy,” a short newspaper drama.