Exhibitors Herald World (Oct-Dec 1930)

44 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD November 29, 1930 One of the tieup windows obtained by Pathe (or "Her Man," starring Helen Twelvetrees. This particular window was located on Broadway in one of the leading drug stores. Stills of the star were featured. The hookup was made while the picture was showing over the R K O circuit in New York and Brooklyn. 'Life of the Party" Campaign Is Lesson in Cracking House Records Warner Brothers' exploitation staff in attendance records when it staged a high Life of the Party." Practically all the exploitation centered around advertising, either in newspapers or on billboards and throwaways. At the time the picture opened in two first run houses of the city, there happened to be some undeniably strong competition. Will Rogers was playing in person at a nearby house and an oppressive heat wave was playing all around. 24-Sheets Doubled in Number In the face of such odds, the exploitation staff decided to concentrate oh advertising. The number of 24-sheets was doubled for the picture. One-sheet posters were plastered in all available locations. Fifty thousand copies of a tabloid were distributed from house to house with humorous comments on the picture and players. A ballyhoo truck, carrying posters on the film, worked all imortant streets. All newspaper ads featured the star, Winnie Lightner, with the opening day announcement running four columns wide. Radio hookups made it possible to broadcast several announcements of the picture's opening, together with popular tunes from t. Ale Tieup Gets Chain Stores The exploitation also penetrated several undred chain stores, through tieup with Canada Dry ginger ale, which sent out cards and literature: The highlight of the campaign was a double page spread in a local newspaper on opening day, containing several special promotion stories and the rest advertising. M. A. Silver, general manager of Warner West Coast houses, was in charge of the exploitation. _ Assisting him were Max Shagrin, district manager, George Thomas, representing the Warner studios, and Hub Robinson, Harry Maizlish and E. A. Patterson of the theatre staff. Los Angeles gave a lesson in cracking pressure advertising campaign for "The submit letters telling of occasions when a stunt, recitation or unexpected trick earned for them the reputation of "the life of the party." Prizes of cash and admission tickets are offered in most cases. Building Sentences From Film Titles Is Gaining Popularity "Talkiegram" contests appear to be rising in popularity for exploitation purposes. Although not a brand new idea, they serve well in promotion and there are no doubt hundreds of communities where they have not yet been used. Theatres often promote these contests independently, but in San Francisco a newspaper has set out to put one over with no aid from any theatre. Naturally, this is excellent publicity for houses there. The paper provides cash prizes amounting to $100 a week. A few theatres have cooperated by donating admissions. Rules of the contest call for arrangement of advertised theatre titles into a readable sentence or paragraph of correct continuity. Contestants may use not less than five titles or more than eight. Among the contributions already received, there are numerous clever pieces of work. Thousands are said to he participating and theatre advertisements in San Francisco are receiving a thorough going-over by readers every day. Many Use Letter Contest A considerable number of exhibitors throughout the country are employing a letter contest to exploit "The Life of the Party." Newspaper stories invite readers to Patrons of London Capitol Count Laughs in "Feet First" Guessing the correct number of laughs which one ought to emit at a showing of "Feet First" was part of the ballyhoo in London, Ont., by the Capitol theatre. R. S. Roddick, manager, gave a radio to the winner. The official number of laughs was kept under a seal until the end of the engagement. A Few Tunes for Your House Organ [Use the articles below in whatever form you desire for your house organ. They may be lifted as a whole or in part and reprinted to suit your individual theatre.] The following article can hardly qualify as an editorial but it illustrates the spiciness which a column of humor addto a house organ. Written by one who signs himself "Jake Blunderbust," it appeared in Filmdom, the weekly published by the Roxian theatre, McKees Rock?. Pa. Vox Pop Katherine Jones of 814 Thomson ave., took pen in hand and dashed off a little note which immediately follows : She writes, "Dear Jake : We all get great pleasure out of reading your column (already she's kidding me), anyhow that's a good way to start a letter. I think you must have found the owner of the bird seed from all the chirping and singing on Saturday night. (As a matter of fact we did find the owner of the bird seed. Read last week's column.) "Why don't you have community singing on Wednesday nights? All the music lovers are present then. (If enough music lovers will write me, the management will arrange for organlogues on Wednesday nights.) Sometimes those sentimental love songs lead to the altar. (Very true, but I have noticed that on Wednesday nights the women outnumber the men about ten to one. Why don't you ladies bring your gentlemen friends? It will bring the altar so much closer.) And now she gets down to the main purpose of her letter. "Now, Jake, I want you to do me a favor. Publish in next week's Filmdom, the name of the piece given away this week. There then follows a list of uses to which Miss Jones' friends have put that piece. She then closes her letter with, "Hope to read your column every week." Those last are kind words. I can't promise how long I'll be writing this column because I've heard that there is now in process of organization a "PUT TAKE BLUNDERBUST ON THE SPOT" club. Some fellows think I'm getting entirely too many letters from their girl friends, at least, every time they call up the g. f. and ask_ her what she's doing the reply is, "I'm writing Jake Blunderbust a letter." So they've decided to put a stop to that by putting Jake Blunderbust "on the spot." But don't you worry girls, just go on writing letters to me. They'll never put me on the spot because no one knows who or where I am. I'm as hard to get near as Al Capone. What will probably happen is they'll get the wrong guy and have plenty years in a nice cool cell to reflect on the mistake they made. But I've forgotten to answer Miss Jones' question. The piece was a Shoe Tree. A very good one. The other one will be given away soon. How'd vou like the show last Monday? Ties Up with Sorority for "Let Us Be Gay" Prize Dance Don Hammer, manager of the Mars theatre, Lafayette, Ind., tied up with six fraternities and five sororities at Purdue University there to plug "Let Us Be Gay." Cards announcing the playdate and theatre were posted on bulletin boards in each of the houses. Cooperation of one of the sororities made it possible to stage a "Let Us Be Gay" prize dance in which only freshmen and freshman coeds participated.