Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1953)

LIFE MAfiilYK mnmi MO Ml RUSSELL liltliHI Mlfft 8tS»8£S ATOM MERCHANDISING & EXPLOITATION DEPARTMENT f MAY 25.1953 20th-Fox cover breaks in Look and Life had (left) the star trio in "How to Marry a Millionaire" ; Monroe and Russell adorn Life's cover for "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", and Susan Hayward smiles out from Look flanked by her past films. Inside spread featured "While Witch Doctor". Fox Takes Over Lite, Look 20th Century-Fox has all but monopolized the covers and movie feature pages of Life 'and Look in recent weeks. These rare and 'valuable breaks have been coming in rapid [succession. Life plugged "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" with a cover and inside feature in jits May 25 issue. Look spotlighted "How to Marry a Millionaire" and the trio of stars, Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable and Lauren ;Bacall on its cover in the June 30 issue, then a spread on CinemaScope, "Millionaire" and '"The Robe" in the 7-page layout on new movie techniques. In the July 14 issue, the same magazine featured Susan Hayward on the cover with titles of her previous hits and plugs for the forthcoming "White Witch Doctor" and "Story of Demetrius," sequel to "The Robe." Life had star Terry Moore on the cover and a 2-page spread on "Beneath the 12-Mile Reef," in the July 6 issue. Anyone want to try to estimate the value of such rover and editorial coverage? Drive-In Bumpers-Boosters A take-off for drive-in selling on the winlow-card idea is offered by ITO of Ohio, several bumper strips can be printed up and )ffered to any car-owner who will keep it on lis car during the entire season, with a weeky or semi-weekly pass as compensation. 'Miss Universe, 1953' The most beautiful women from IS ountries on three continents stepped out of . Pan American Clipper at New York's nternational Airport on July 5 to begin the ampaign that will undoubtedly culminate in iiothcr Universal featurette promotion. The evy of beauties, lure to compete with each f the American 48 states' winners in the Miss Universe Beauty Pageant, filled in their N. Y. stay with a busy schedule, including a special appearance on the Ed Sullivan "Toast of the Town" TV network show, then took off for Long Beach, Calif., for the Miss Universe judging, expected to draw close to a million spectators during the Pageant. July 9-19. Last year, seven of the contestants were signed by Universal. This year's crop should prove interesting, to say the least. Calendars "Twice As Free" Towa Theatre manager Jim Gray, in Jefferson, Iowa, has a practice of sending out monthly calendars as direct mailing pieces to his customers. He usually has a chuckle-line that adds to the calendar's value by the little pleasantry associated with it. On the last one he had this cutie: "Notice! Due to the increased cost of printing and mailing, taxes and jnflation, this publication comes to you twice as free as it used to." It's these added touches that mean much to the intimacy and friendliness so necessary to the community theatre. American News Co. fleet of trucks played up Look coverage of CinemaScope, highlighted "The Robe" and "How To Marry A Millionaire." Top Fox Budget for 'Robe' 20th-Fox has lifted the ceiling on the promotional budget for "The Robe", first CinemaScope feature. Charled Kinfeld. returning from studio talks with president Spyros Skouras, studio chief Darryl Zanuck and distribution head Al Lichtman, dubbed the campaign the "greatest" in ?0th's history. The merchandising blueprint, he says, calls for expenditures in every media of advertising on a scale hitherto unprecedented for the company. The 20th-Fox vice president called it "a privilege to handle 'The Robe", which surpasses by far any film which I have ever seen in my history in the motion picture industry." Passes for Clergy ITO of Ohio's Bob Wile, who has earned a healthy respect for his energetic stumping for movies before communal organizations, notes this experience. "When talking to a service club," he says, "often the man who asks a ciuestion about prices turns out to be a clergyman. These men are in the highest intellectual but the lowest economic bracket, and, since the 'better' pictures from their point of view are often shown at advanced prices, they feel it most. While it is not practical perhaps for the downtown theatres in the larger cities, neighborhood and small town theatres would do well to send an annual pass to ministers, priests and rabbis in their communities. The seats are there and these men have great influence." While a great many theatres e>bserve this practice, there are a surprising number of neighborhood and rural theatres that do not. There are also those theatres that do not issue passes but pass in t he clergyman at the (Continued on Page 22) FILM BULLETIN July 1 3. 1 953 Page 21