Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1952)

BULLETIN Exploitation & Merchandising DHUHMttM Paramount presented a demonstration of practical low-cost showmanship, that should open the tear-filled eyes of every exhibitor in the country. In the modest, 600-seat Bijou on West 45th Street, the company played host to a full house of exhibitors, theatre managers, newspapermen and representatives of the trade press for a display of promotion possibilities and a screening of "The Road to Bali," the Hope-CrosbyLamour starrer. The lobby, full of tropical flora, fauna and animal life, was splashed with eye-catching color, gaily plumaged birds, a chattering monkey, coconuts, seashells and sand, all supplied by cooperating merchants, who were properly credited. Minute Maid dispensed "Bali Brew" juice to the guests; a pair of sarong-clad models from the Conover Model Agency greeted the arrivals as they entered the theatre; doubles of the stars, chosen in city-wide contest were an additional welcoming committee. One of the Paramount exploiteers estimated the cost of the entire shindig at less than $200 — and that's for a big-city premiere that would bring in that much more in admissions, probably, within a few hours. It was an eye-opening demonstration of full-fledged exploitation at low cost and should be an object lesson to those exhibitors who have forgotten that showmanship is ingenuity, not cost. * * * Just plain showmanship produced the biggest opening day gross since 1948 at Fanchon & Marco's Fox Theatre in St. Louis. Playing an independent picture, "Wakamba", the all-out F & M exploitation push recorded a $5345.05 gross on the initial EXHIBITOR & PRODUCER Fanchon & Marco's Harry C. Arthur, left, and inde producer Edgar M. Queeney. at the premiere of "Wakamba" . Queeney's jungle epic which tvas oarlayed into a top grosser by F & M shownan ship. 'BALI' PROMOTION Paramount shows how exploitation can be utilized without high cost at the Bijou Theatre screening. At top. a portion of the lobby. Bottom. Bing. Bob and Dottie doubles with the Minute Maid juice dispenser. day. It made the newspapers with the Globe-Democrat reporting "one of the largest waiting lines any St. Louis Theatre has known in years". No stars, no national ballyhoo, no big studio label — just plain, old-fashioned showmanship. * * * Metro, which has maintained the largest permanent staff of field promotion men, has added a quartet of press representatives to bring its total field staff to 27. The MGM policy of active cooperation with exhibitors in the field has concentrated the local level promotion. With the additions by ad-publicity chief Howard Dietz, even more pinpointing of on-the-spot exploitation is now in effect. The four are John L. John, Thomas Letcher, Alan Wiedner and Jack Weiner. Wieder will concentrate on the Seattle and Portland exchanges, Weiner in New Orleans and Memphis, both territories formerly covered by press reps from other areas. Letcher has been assigned to the Minneapolis exchange and John to Indianpaolis. The six divisional press reps, named by Dietz last March, will continue to handle special advance work and will operate in advance of the regular field staff under exploitation director Dan Terrell. * * * There will be plenty of march music played, heard and written about in the next month or two. Some 1500 magazine and (Continued on Page 28) EDITORIAL Einfeld's PlaD Charles Einfeld's declaration of emphasis by 20th Century-Fox on point-of-playdate promotion is the answer to many a showman s prayer. Not discounting the value of national advertising, publicity and exploitation, whether in newspapers, magazines, radio or television, the 20th-Fox vice-president's revelation that the ad-exploitation segment of the $100,000,000 production-distribution budget for 1953 will be channeled for the most part into the local level should be most gratifying to those enterprising theatremen wha have attempted to do an exploitation job without the valuable aid that local fieldmen could offer. In his message to the division managers in the recent home-office meeting, Einfeld stressed the importance of the field officers to local exhibition, working cooperatively with the exhibitor to gauge exploitation methods appropriate to local conditions, and even to the individual theatre. This "specialized" handling of pictures, he noted, is the key to obtaining the utmost from the picture. This procedure, applied to "Lure of the Wilderness" in its regional showings, resulted in record-breaking grosses, the Fox ad executive averred. It seems logical to assume that the exploitation technique applied successfully to the "Lure of the Wilderness" showings in, say, a small Horida town, would be varied, or completely altered for a city like Chicago, or Boston. And, within these cities, for the type of audience that frequents the theatre playing the film. Exploitation itself is largely knowing the people you are asking to see your product, what will interest them and how best to invoke their interest. The man behind the home office desk may not be aware that a bank robbery in Tuscaloosa has fertilized the exploitation soil for a picture he is selling to that town's theatres with its timeliness. The man on the scene, however, is aware of the possibilities but may not have the knowledge or funds to capitalize on it. Working with company field man and aided by company funds, the exploitation effort could pay off — and has — in manifold proportion. EINFELD & LICHTMAN The 20th-Fox ad-publicity chief expounds his plan of local level promotion at the division managers' meeting in \ew York. At right is distribution head Al Lichtman. FILM BULLETIN December I, 1952 Page 27