Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1952)

Short Subjects (Continued -rom Page 10) past and present. The choice of the Palladium is significant — it was just at that location that Adolph Zukor set up his first film studi-). THE GROWING importance of the movie industry's overseas business was pointed up when Eric Johnston, president of the MPAA, took over active direction of the Association's international affairs. John G. McCarthy, former managing director of the International Division, stepped out so that Johnston could take complete charge. Under the reorganized set-up, directly under Johnston in the conduct of foreign business will be Ralph D. Hetzel, Jr., in New York, and Joyce O'Hara in Washington to handle contacts with the State Department and the foreign embassies. Johnston is setting up three geographical divisions: Europe and Africa, the Western Hemisphere, and Asia. Hetzel will handle the European-African desk, and Robert J. Corkery is in charge of the Western Hemisphere area. Head of the Asiatic department will be named shortly. The "new and complicated problems" in the overseas business, Johnston explains, require specialized attention and action. THAT WAS really a ball that Paramount tossed for the premiere of "Come Back, Little Sheba" at the Victoria in New York. Just about everybody who was anybody was on the Paramount list of attendees, which ran better than four and a half solid pages of names. You name 'em and they're on the list. They really came out for this one, pegged as one of the strongest contenders for 1952 Academy Award honors in several departments. DENIAL-OF-RUMORS DEPT: United Artists Board Chairman Robert S. Benjamin put the kibosh on the report of a merger deal with RKO. "No one at United Artists," said the board chairman,, "is now negotiating, nor has anyone in the past negotiated any deal with or for RKO merger or otherwise, nor has anyone been authorized on United Artists' behalf to do so." THE CINERAMA showings at the Broadway Theatre in New York has made that house an international institution. The publication put out by the N. Y. Convention and Visitors Bureau has for, the first time in entertainment history, a listing for Cinerama, calling it "the new motion picture medium that creates a startling illustion of three dimensional reality," and names the theatre. The publication goes to some four million of New York's visitors each year. UNIVERSALE MAURICE BERGMAN pointed up some simple truths in his talk at the AMPA School last week: "It is interesting to note that most major industries have large funds to conduct con U'S BERGMAN Simple Truths sistent — rather than desultory and spasmodic — well organized public relations programs in all the media of communications. We are actually without any such program and without any such fund to inaugurate it and maintain it." "It is a strange omission to think that we do not even use our screens in the 20,000 theatres in the country to counter-attack. . .'' "It is important we maintain the highest standards of advertising and exploitation because bad taste in advertising and publicity can break down the best public relations." "It seems that we only use the screen for propaganda when we are faced with an emergency, or else to assist other causes than our own." Any arguments about that? TENT TOPICS: Variety International's 1953 convention, slated for Mexico City, has been moved back from April to May 18-22. The change was made because the April date conflicted with several events being staged by individual Tents and will be more suitable for the "Good-Will" Milk train trip to Mexico . . . That "Good-Will" train, incidentally, really caught on with the barkers. The interest whipped up at the Pittsburgh meeting has prompted International Chief Marker Jack Beresin to give it the all-out treatment as a big public relations stint. Beresin named William J. Koster, New England executive director, to head the program. Koster feels that with the front page coverage the train will receive, the idea could turn out to be "the greatest public relations program the Industry has ever attempted to undertake ... an unusual and powerful opportunity to call to the attention of the American public the immeasurahle amount of good the Variety Clubs and the people of show business are doing for the underprivileged throughout the world." . . . The entire ABC network carried the special i'hristmas Eve salute to Variety. Exploitation & Merchandising < Continued from Page 14) lease, "Tropic Zone". Which gives the picture plugs in practically every grocery and drugstore in the country. * * * "ROAD TO BALI" is the focus of an areawide west coast promotion by Paramount involving the Von markets chain and StarKist tuna, with the spotlight on a life-size blow-up of Dorothy Lamour in a sarong. On Dec. 20, Lamour doubles will be stationed in each store and preside at a drawing for prizes. The food markets are publicizing the contest in full-page ads in twenty area newspapers. Incidentally, Paramount is really going all-out on "Bali" nationally with its newspaper and TV campaigns. A saturation TV campaign will bring seven special video trailers on the picture to an estimated 60,000,000 viewers and a series of huge twocolor ads in virtually every newspaper in the country equipped to handle the color process have been set up. The TV campaign marks the first time a film company has saturated the networks with trailers. Titled "Great Moments in History with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope," the subjects are practically a show in themselves and should have, according to Paramount, the greatest audience in the history of movie advertising. * * * UNITED ARTISTS has assigned four of its 15 fieldman to cover the pre-release opening of "Moulin Rouge" at the Fox Wilshire on Dec. 23, the five-theatre Los Angeles premiere of "Breaking the Sound Barrier" on Dec. 17, and the opening of "The Rodriguez Story" in San Bernardino, home town of Congressional Medal of Honor winner Joe Rodriguez. * * * JAY SILVERTHORNE, of Cleveland's Hippodrome Theatre used radio, television and newspapers to boost the showing of Columbia's "Hangman's Knot". He planted a western mystery sentence over four different TV shows, promoting a western outfit and other prizes with cross plugs. Radio promotion had a limerick contest, providing week-long plugs, and a local daily went along for a Randolph Scott coloring contest for four days. The latter had gun & holster sets and western belts promoted for prizes. Silverthornc went on with a cowboy and cowgirl handing out heralds with lucky numbers in a street ballyhoo. Holders of the lucky numbers posted in the theatre lobby got free tickets. There were also window displays in key shopping center stores and a complete false front on the theatre for the run. Showmanship isn't new — it only takes the doing. Page 18 FILM BULLETIN December 29, 1952