Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1961)

7V(uU ttie ENTER GIMBELS "Ike ^j4/illion6jiiu44 Clouted? WIN FREE Round-trip to Rio de Janeiro for two Fly via VARIG AIRLINES "707" Boeing Jet luxurious hotel accomodations ttmtmte ~ — 99 other prizes CONTEST from Feb. 1 st to noon, Feb. 6th Pick up Coupon from any salesclerk on (he 3rd floor only i 20th C«ntury Pol VIN A MILLION. This poster placed in strategic loca:ions in N.Y.'s Gimbels drew plenty of attention to 20th"ox's contest tie-in with store for "The Mill'onairess". UA Follows Saturation Promotion Line for 'Priest' Saturation promotion appears to be a formula for success at United Artists. The firm is following the wide-sell pattern it mapped out for 'The Magnificent Seven" on its latest important ■faction, Murray-Wood Productions' "The Hoodlum Priest". Co-ordinated closely with a saturation bookting in 400 mid-western cities following the world premiere of the film, February 28, in St. Louis, the saturation showmanship promises to pay off handsomely at the boxoffice. That, and further details of the push, was revealed at a trade press conference in New York attended by producers Don Murray and Walter Wood, and UA executives, including vice president William J. Heineman, vice president in charge of advertising, publicity and exploitation Roger H. Lewis, vice president in charge of domestic sales James R. Velde, national promotion chief Fred Goldberg and Al Fitter, Western division manager. St. Louis is going all out to launch the film. Taxi companies and billboard firms have donated advertising space, and businessmen are taking newspaper ads saluting the bow. As in the campaign for "Seven", UA will time national publicity pieces in all media to break in support of the mid-west openings. One of the major considerations in selecting that area, it was said, was the aggressive job of selling to the public being done there by circuit heads and exhibitors. King-Size Levine Press Kit Embassy's showman-president Joseph E. Levine is at it again. His skilled promotion department has cooked up another over-sized press book— this one for "The Fabulous World of Jules Vernes" and "Bimbo the Great", a Warner Bros, combination release for June. The kit, 12 pages, full-color, offers a host of hardsell ideas ideally suited for such an exploitation attraction. It's available from National Screen. MM MODELS. Two models, life-size cut out of Marilyn Monroe were used in Chicago street bally for "The Misfits". Man is U.A. Theatre mgr. Ralph MacFarland. MPAA, TOA Join Forces To Distribute 'Oscar' Kits Oscar may have an outside sponsor this year, but he won't lack for solid movie industry promotion. The MPAA and Theatre Owners of America saw to that when they announced jointly plans to undertake the preparation and distribution of advertising, publicity and exploitation kits for the nation's theatres. The two organizations, according to MPAA president Eric Johnston and TOA topper Albert M. Pickus, will underwrite the cost of the kits, keyed to the 33rd annual Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards, April 17. The showmanship packages, containing a screen trailer, a 40 x 60 lobby set piece, a press book, ad mat and other material, will be ready about March I, allowing exhibitors some six weeks to build public interest in the big event. The project has the approval of the Academy and will enjoy the co-operation of American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres, whose ABCTV and radio network will air the festivities. TOA initiated the kit idea at a meeting of joint Academy and TOA liaison committees last month. At that time, concern was expressed about possible lack of organized exhibitor participation in promoting the telecast, since it would be sponsored by non-movie interests. According to Pickus: "We were tremendously pleased that the MPAA (ad-pub directors) Committee acted promptly, cordially and most willingly to approve our request." Maurice Bergman, the Academy's East Coast public relations co-ordinator for Oscar night, and Jerry Zigmond, AB-PT's co-ordinator for theatres, worked with MPAA and TOA mapping plans for the kit campaign. In addition, Harry K. McWilliams w ill co-ordinate the production and distribution of the material. Method of distribution will be revealed shortly. It is planned to enlist the help of film salesmen in the field and to request the assistance of the industry's trade press in getting kit information to exhibitors. 20th-Fox Scraps 'Branch' Publicity for 'Market Areas' Twentieth-Fox is scrapping the traditional branch concept of national advertising and publicity in favor of a more flexible and economical system of "market areas." The change is the result of an analysis of sales territories, ii was announced by vice president Charles Einfeld. Under the new setup, some eight field adpubbers will be lopped off, leaving 16 men to handle promotional chores across the country. The move is viewed as the break-up of the local autonomy system as far as promotion is concerned, with the ad-pub force working more closely with the home office. The study revealed numerous overlaps with regard to regional tastes, influences and motivations. With these results in mind, the field force is being realigned thusly: "market areas" comprising adjacencies now will be the areas in which a single ad-pub manager will direct the activities. Said Einfeld: "This new research project developed an increased awareness of the flexibility of regional borders and does away with some outmoded terms. We must eliminate the tired Northwest' and 'Southeast' type of phrases. Market areas extend beyond these boundaries, and all promotional activities should be directed in that regard." Manson Columbia Ad Mgr. Arthur Manson (left) was named advertising manager of Columbia, j it was announced m by national pro.no A yk <t!T^ lion chief Robert ^k^^^. S. Ferguson. Manson comes J, ^^^Hk to Columbia ' Stanley Warner, where he had served as assistant to the director of advertising and publicity since that firm sold Cinerama last year. Film BULLETIN February 20, I It I Page 21