Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1950)

Short Subjects ByBAT ""THE HUGE ad-publicity-exploitation campaign earmarked by 20th-Fox for its forthcoming epic, "The Black Rose," was given an auspicious start last week when the company unveiled its collection of tie-in merchandise, at the Hotel Warwick in New York, already set for the film. Some 22 separate tie-ups, all keyed to the title, were displayed during the ?urrent major buying season so that outof-town merchandisers may prepare now for the engagement of the picture in their territories. Under special promotions head Stirling Silliphant, a special unit worked like beavers for the past six months, lining up leading manufacturers lo arrange the unprecedented tie-in campaign. Then the exhibit was arranged to offer buyers a central place where all of the products relating to the film can ae secured for presentation in the Fall, when the film gets its national release. The opening, attended by 20th toppers, exlibitors, press, manufacturing execs, was i masterpiece of detailed planning, even town to the special "Black Rose" cocktail, Drepared by Schenley, one of the tie-ins. "THREE TIMES in three weeks the Teaneck Theatre in Teaneck, N. J., had :o call the fire department to put out A. W. SCHWALBERG Surprise! lazes, purportedly set by a group of ?en-agers. Many more times, manager J Harris had to mount the stage and ppeal for quiet from noisy youngsters p that the others could hear the sound •ack. Finally Harris took drastic steps he banned teen-agers, unaccompanied y their parents, from the theatre. P.S. Teen-agers comprise about half ie average theatre audience. P.P.S. Al Harris is no longer manager f the Teaneck Theatre. * * )ARAMOUNTS sales convention last week didn't cost the company a peny. Rather, there was an indirect profit f more than $200,000 after the last bill 'as paid, and it was all a surprise to the ampany's toppers. The good news was nfolded to sales chief A. W. Schwalberg '■UNE 19. 1950 on the opening day, June 12th, when Eastern division manager Hugh Owen announced the company had just completed its biggest single week in three years (and the largest single June week in its history), as the result of a special secret drive organized by the division managers as a tribute to the studio. The regional heads estimated the cost of the convention at $100,000, then, without the knowledge of the executives, organized a secret campaign for that amount of extra business over the norm for that June week. When Owen handed Schwalberg the week's gross, the sales chief's eves popped as he read the figures — $314,363 66 in extra business. * * TJNIVERSAL INTERNATIONAL has joined the TV trailer deal recently initiated by National Screen with 20thFox's "The Big Lift." NSS now has the special TV package of one 69-second trailer and three 20-second TV reels for "Winchester 73." NSS president Herman Robbins also revealed that packages on two more Fox films, "The Gunfighter" and "Ticket to Tomahawk" are now available, and envisions subsequent TV packages will have two 60-second and two 20-second trailers. Incidentally, according to 20th. the first TV trailer test on "The Gunfighter" in 'Frisco has teed the picture off to an "outstanding" start at the Fox Theatre, indicating that the movies have a potent publicity power in their prime competitor. * • TMMORTALIZED along with other great A figures of international fame who have appeared on the cover of Time Magazine was 20th Century-Fox's Darryl F. Zanuck, whose mustached vision, wearing a celluloid crown, adorned the news magazine's frontispiece in the June 12 issue. Inside, spread over seven pages, was a glowing exposition of Zanuck's career, which included such phrases as "a tycoon of solid accomplishment," "nature's ultimate effort to equip the species for outstanding success in Hollywood," "As a trail-blazer, Zanuck has no Hollywood equal," and this bit of laudatory: "Since the war, Zanuck's 20th Century-Fox has consistently led the field in the quality of its films, by the verdict of both the box office and the critics." A PRETTY GIRL in western garb was peddling silver dollars on the corner of 51st St and Sixth Avenue in New York. The asking price for the cartwheels was 73 cents and despite the thousands who passed by and eyed the pretty peddler quizzically, it took her over four hours to get rid of 100 silver dollars. It was all a stunt for U-I's "Winchester 73" for its Paramount Theatre opening, and the $27 cost garnered a wealth of publicity, not only from the New Yorkers who saw and talked about the stunt, but also from the dailies, including a full page of pictures in the Journal-American. * • 1£EY SITUATIONS ARE going to get a three-we?k intensified newspaper teaser buildup from 20th-Fox for "The Gun fighter." The exhibitors who play the film will take over from there with his regular ad campaign. Decision to effect the nationwide teaser campaign was based on the strong openings in Washington and Philadelphia. From an exhibitor source comes the warning about playdates on "The Gunfighter." Allied's Caravan notes that theatremen should watch their bookings on this film because (1) the title is confusing with Columbia's "Gunfighters," a 1947 release currently being reissued in some territories, and (2) the leading character, "Ringo," also appears in Republic's "The Savage Horde" also a current release. Caravan warns exhbiitois to "be careful to space the bookings." * * EAGLE LION CLASSICS' boxofficers, under Leon Brandt and Sid Gross, didn't miss the excellent opportunity for a natural stunt on their baseball film, "The Jackie Robinson Story." Last Wednesday and Thursday, were "Ladies Day" at the Astor where the film is playing, and every gal accompanied by a guy was admitted frte. DARRYL F. ZANUCK Immortalized T EO'S CUB reporter informs us that M-G-M has set 42 short subjects for the new season beginning Sept. 1st. According to Junior, there will be 16 Technicolor cartoons (including ihe clever Tom and Jerry series) from producer Fred Quimby; six Quimby Gold Medal Reprint Cartoons; 10 Pete Smith Specialties, and eight People on Parade, produced by James A. Fitzpatrick. All of the above will be one-reelers. There will also be two 2-reo! specials and 104 issues of News of the Day. The People on Parade series replaces Fitzpatrick's Traveltalks. The Pete Smith series, we learn, is going to get unprecedented national promotion tieups, with special attention to shorts having exploitation value. n