The Film Daily (1932)

m Friday, Sept. 23,1932 =%£& DAILY A Public Relations Program for Exhibitors This is the third installment of a practical campaign compiled by the M.P.T.O.A. to help exhibitors increase patronage, avoid abitrary local censorship and make their theaters a center of community interests. Complete copies may be had by writing The Film Daily or direct to the Motion Picture Theater Owners of America, 1650 Broadway, New York. Advertising and Publicity As suggested above, these noncustomers of the theater are influenced very little by ordinary advertising or theater exploitation. The reasons need not be discussed in detail here. Nor is the exhibitor always in a good position to make a direct approach to them. He can and should, however, readily extend the necessary cooperation along proper lines when asked to do so by the local civic groups to the end that impartial, unbiased word of mouth advertising and support of selected pictures will be developed in the local community. Given this encouragement the local leaders and groups will tie in with the nationwide organizing of this type of word of mouth advertising. The effectiveness of this plan, both nationally and locally, has been amply demonstrated. Certain essentials are apparent, namely: (1) The local person who recommends the picture must have seen it or must have in advance information which he or she believes significant and authentic. (2) The person recommending the picture must be in a position of influence by virtue of standing, recognized good taste, connection with an important organization, social position, etc. (3) The person recommending the picture must be commercially disinterested. When these conditions are met such word of mouth advertising travels rapidly and effectively reaches non-customers of the class that would be especially interested in the picture discussed, but what is even more important from tht exhibitor's standpoint, this word of mouth exploitation in no way interferes with the usual newspaper advertishig and other means of publicity. For example, it is conceivable that a theater manager might not wish to advertise in the newspapers that his current attraction is suitable for the entire family including children. That may tend to keep away many of his regular customers. This objection does not apply to information given directly by club leaders to their own members or other influential persons to persons of their own kind. {To Be Continued) Return Date N. G. Toronto — After getting away with a $400 safe robbery at the Roxy a few months ago, the same bandits returned for a repeat performance this week and were caught. ALONG IALTO PHIL M DALY \ NEW YORK. IOS ANGELES • • • AN OVERFLOW luncheon for the AMPAS with Emile Gauvreau, managing editor of the "Mirror," as guest speaker Emile told a prize story about his first important newspaper assignment to write a feature story of the funeral and burial rites of a very prominent merchant so he spread himself on the ceremonies at the cemetery, which were very impressive as they lowered the coffin what was his horror to read the following the next day, under the headlines of his funeral story "Amid applause and cheers from the mob, our hero arose quickly 150 feet in the air like a shot out of hell. While banners waved frantically, the band struck up 'The Star Spangled Banner.' A good time was had by all." doggone it, they mixed the story of a balloon ascension with his funeral yarn Added Attractions were Harry Barris and Joe Lewis the Nut Club riots who did their combination acrobatics, song and dance with moosic also Gerald Griffin, prexy of the Catholic Actors' Guild who sang several Irish songs in his lyrical tenor • • • THE WINNERS of the Arkayo "Opportunity Contest" for new stage, screen and radio talent were given a swell party at the Park Central the other nite it was like a Hollywood opening with all the celebs present a nifty floor show and supper On Sunday eve at the Astor Hotel the Golden Jubilee Celebration for Weber & Fields will be given William Collier, Sr., will officiate with scores of old stage celebs on hand as well as the first nighters of the Gay Nineties Leon "Ruby" Rubinstein is handling the publicity * * * * • • • AND NOW a press book to boost press books an idea of Columbia which has issued a folder distributed to exhibs analyzing various merchandising features that are a regular part of all their press books and urging the exhib to form the habit of utilizing these box-office aids on every Columbia pix the folder also sells the company's Service System strongly that Columbia's advertising and publicity departments are always at their service to work with the showman direct on his exploitation and publicity problems in order to get that Extra Profit that every good picture holds for those who sell it intensively to the public * * * * • • • A NEW development in theater front displays launched by Sam Berman who did those nifty caricatures of film execs in our current Directors' Annual he is producing papier mache masks of stars such as those of the Marx Brothers seen recently on the Rialto front he is associated with Willi Noell, who does the orignal sculpting in clay a cast is made then the papier mache copies can be turned out by the dozen and sent to theaters anywhere the Hollywood Advertising Company handles the servicing and distribution something original and novel for any showman's theater front with that ole eye appeal Harry S. Buxbaum whose father is the Fox New York branch manager is getting plenty of good press notices for his work as captain of the Lawrence Long Island high school football team Sixteen years old and heavier and taller than his dad • • • HAVE YOU tried a Farewell cocktail? onethird gin, one-third rye, one-third bacardi one drink, and your troubles are over « « « » » » NEW BOOKS On the Art and Business of Motion Pictures KNOW YOUR MOVIES, The Theory and Practice of Motion Picture Production, by Welford Beaton. With a foreword by Cecil B. De Mille. Published by Howard Hill, 6362 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, Cal. Welford Beaton has packed a mass of keen ■ analytical thinking about the film industry into this compact volume of 192 pages. Anybody at all interested in motion pictures will find it both illuminating and provocative. The author seems to know in advance that you are not going to agree with everything he says, and he is satisfied if he causes you to exert your mentality in an effort to prove him wrong. As a stimulant, the contents of the book easily rank as the most potent tonic of its kind to be found among motion picture literature. Beaton's courageous insistence that the discarding of silents, and not the general depression, caused the drop in movie attendance, and his equally tenacious obsession that silents must return before the industry can enjoy prosperity again, are, in this writer's opinion, the two main fallacies of the book. The first is too obviously erroneous to merit discussion. The second, if it only succeeds in scare-heading producers into reducing the amount of dialogue and correspondingly increasing the amount of action, will more than justify its extremity. More acceptable and informative are Beaton's comments on filmic motion, music, sound, writing the screen story, acting, psychological analysis of imagination, musical productions, trends, production costs, contract system, stage vs. screen, and numerous other relevant topics. All in all, whether or not the suggestions offered by Beaton for improving the situation can be adopted 100 per cent as sound and practical, the volume gives a sufficient elucidation of screen art to make it decidedly worth reading, studying and discussing. And any book that can do that much is well worth your time. — D. C. G. MANY PAPPY RETURNS Best wishes are extended by THE FILM DAILY to the following members of the industry, who are celebrating their birthdays: Sept. 23 M Van Praag Mickey McGuire Albert Lewin Thomas J. Connors