Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1954)

(Continued from Page 28) Among the do's: (1) More bill posting; even if it doesn't sell that particular picture, it reminds people of moviegoing, helps all theatres. (2) Drive-ins that use "closed for the season" in off-time should change to "See you in the Spring" or, better yet, "Attend your favorite indoor theatre and come back and see us in the Spring". (3) Give your manager regular hours at a decent salary and break in some unremunerative white-collar man on part-time; if you lose your manager, you have a trained man to replace him, either permanently or until you get another manager. (4) Be enthusiastic about your merchandise; if you aren't, ho'v can you expect your public to be. Schine theatres zone manager Harry Unterfort arranged this street stunt jor the Syracuse opening of ''Heidi". The jreshly -laundered goat toured the downtown shopping district and stunt landed in local papers. "Heidi" Kid Preview-Party Makes Big Splash in N. Y. Taking full advantage of the natural showmanship possibilities in "Heidi" in attracting children via a kids' preview, United Artists and producer Lazar Wechsler really did it up brown at the Little Carnegie in New York. Over 400 youngsters were brought by representatives of N. Y. news fan magazines, wire service, radio & TV stations, and national magazines to the invitation preview and party luncheon. As gifts for the kiddies, manufacturers supplied copies of the Grosset and Dunlap edition. Howdy Doody ice creain cups, various Swiss candies, even a pair ot goats, counterparts of Heidi's friends, and an Alpine-costumed accordionist were arranged by the sponsors to supply color. While all this was obviously on a scale that could be done only in the large metropolitan cities, a smaller version could serve the saine purpose in any town. An invitational preview of offsprings of newspaper and radio people, social leaders, heads of organizations and other opinion builders is sure to grab local newspaper and air space, as well as world-of-inouth. Bayonne Preview for Nuns Pays Off in Big Kid Trade Once again we have evidence of the value of properly directed previews. Nyman Kessler, manager of the S\V De Witt Theatre in Bayonne, N. J., inviteil 60 nuns to a private showing of "Little Boy Lost" one week prior to opening. They appreciated the gesture, and so did the Monsignor of the Catholic Churches in Bayonne. The sisters spoke to the children of their various schools about the film and the resultant turnout of kids at the house was a revelation. Another rewarding gesture by Kessler was to have 30 young boys and girls of the Hudson County Parental Home as his guests on opening day. Exliibitor Sfiows So Parents Can Sleep A couple of stunts by Iowa theatremen, sent us by Leo Wolcott, should serve showmen generally. Creston manager Earl Douglas used a gimmick (you can file for next year) that worked just fine. He ran a kiddie's morning show at 10:30 a.m. New Year's Day with an ad framed to imply that last night migiit have been a little rough on the parents and it would be wonderful if the kid were out from under foot that morning so that Mom and Pop could get back to bed for a while. Hawarden's Harry Lankhorst worked an attention getter by painting a show title, playdate and theatre on the bottom of a wash tub, filling it with water and set a kid to fish in it. If you were passing by, could you keep from looking into the tub to see what he was fishing for? BRIEFS 20ih-Fox used TV big to sell "King of the Khyber RiHes" and "Beneath the 12-Mile Reef" over New Years. Spot announcements plugging the two C'Scope films bracketed the New Year's Eve program and both the Rose and the Cotton Bowl games over WNBT . . . On "Reef", Fox has arranged for 10.000 window cards to be distributed by the Sponge Institute of America to homefurnishing and department stores. Film and stars Robert Wagner and Terry Moore are featured . . . UA's documentary thriller, "The Conquest of Everest" is getting a valuable boost via 1,000.000 letters sent by the Book of the Month Club announcing book of the same title as the April selection, with prominent mention of the film. Publisher E. P. Dutlon is carrying similar plugs in newspaper and national mag co-op ads, plus counter displays and bookstores, department stores and libraries . . . Allied Artists will have five million four-page illustrated heralds for its campaign on "Riot in Cell Block 11" . . . Former newspaper boy Randolph Scott managed to get in a few blurbs for his WB starrer, "Thunder Over the Plains" in an address before some 700 Hollywood CitizensNewsboys. At "Eddie Cantor Story" Paramount premiere, top: Mr. and Mrs. Keefe Brassellc. Ben Kalmenson. Lower, m.c. Robert .4lda and mobs of curious. Boston Fenway manager John Blass with display tieing in "Hondo" with TV's "Big Payoff" show. Scotch bagpipers stopped Broadway traffic for premiere of "King of the Khyber Rifles". FILM BULLETIN January II, I9S4 Page 29