The Film Daily (1936)

THE Saturday, Jan. 4, 1936 » » EXPLOITING THE CURRENT FILMS « « Baltimore Campaign For "Fang and Claw" J. M. RAPPAPORT, lessee and operating manager of the Hippodrome, Baltimore, conducted a publicity and exploitation campaign for Frank Buck's RKO Radio picture, "Fang and Claw," that proved highly effective at the box office, despite the handicap of the week preceding Christmas. He backed the premiere up with an intensive selling campaign that began several weeks in advance and continued throughout the run of the picture. A special midnight performance was given at the Hippodrome on Monday, December 23rd, every cent of the receipts being donated to the Annual Christmas Basket Fund of the Baltimore "News and Post" and Sunday "American." Every employee of the theater donated his services, and the astute Rappaport offered a prize to the usher who would sell the greatest number of tickets for the benefit performance. For this the theater received publicity spreads of record-breaking proportions. The first newspaper story appeared on December 1st and continued daily thereafter, gradually increasing in size. For the two weeks immediately preceding the opening, and throughout the run of the film, there were four-column stories accompanied by four-column cuts at the top of the front page of the second section. On opening day, "Fang and Claw" was ballyhooed in no less than seven widely scattered places in the newspaper, both with stories and large display ads. All of the ads except the regular theater ad were gratis. The theater also tied up for window displays with McCallister Bros, and, Bacharach and Rasin, leading sporting goods stores of Baltimore. The windows were dressed with stills from "Fang and Claw," together with credit cards, in conjunction with a display of Savage Rifles, the firearm used and endorsed by Frank Buck. A fifteen-minute radio period and several spot announcements completed the campaign, and business was highly gratifying. — Hippodrome, Baltimore. Feature Film Campaign On "The Perfect Tribute" ONE of the most elaborate exploitation campaigns ever accorded a short subject was that given "The Perfect Tribute," made by Metro-GoldwynMayer and starring Charles "Chic" Sale as Lincoln, by the Minnesota Amusement Co. over whose circuit the two-reeler was recently played. Analyzing "The Perfect Tribute" as "a short subject so unusual, so compelling that it deserves outstanding advertising treatment," the Company calls it "a property which will not only gain us extra revenue, but will make many new friends for our theaters." The circuit recommended special previews, with invitations to prominent clubmen, school officials and teachers, boy scout leaders and the like. The short should be handled, according to the Company, in newspaper advertising, "as though it were a separate feature playing your theater." The study guide prepared by Educational and Recreational Guides, Inc., which includes suggestions for discussion of "The Perfect Tribute," was sent by the Minnesota Amusement Co. to each of its theaters showing the short. —M-G-M. Milwaukee Marxes Guests At "Night at the Opera" TN exploiting the Marx Brothers picture, "A Night at the Opera," Roy Pierce, manager of the Wisconsin Theater, Milwaukee, took advantage of the fact that there are 35 families in the city bearing the name Marx. Assisted by an M-G-M exploiteer, Pierce made arrangements for special letters to be mailed from the Coast, from the comedians, asking these people to be their guests at a showing at the theater. A special preview was held for newspaper critics so as to permit them to print their reviews in advance of the premiere. Sample packages of nuts were distributed at the theater, with appropriate copy on the picture. In the grocery department of a large local department store was a sign reading: "Nuts to you from the Marx Brothers." — Wisconsin, Milwaukee. » »> » TIMELY TOPICS « « « Sees Good Accruing From Stage-Screen Alliance npHE movie makers have discovered the legitimate in a big way and gold from their bankers is flowing into productions in streams. Two things have motivated this new policy — a need of screen material and a lack of aversion to making money. A profit of several hundred thousand dollars on a $10,000 investment in a stage production looks just as well on a financial statement as a return of the same amount on a $500,000 movie production. In fact, it looks better, since a picture is quite as ant not to return its investment as a play in these sales-resistance days. On the whole the experiment has been successful. Several movie-backed plays have made or will make fortunes; others have been spectacular failures. Some of the latter, including several of the most costly debacles, should really not be included in the score, since they were backed not by companies but by individuals associated with the picture industry. Statistics would probably prove that individuals dealing exclusively in screen scenarios know little about play scripts. Values in the two media are so different an expert in one could easily be fooled by the other. The highest quotient of success has come in those instances where Hollywood has picked a legitimate producer and backed his judgment or where the New York branch of the picture outfit has passed on a play. Generally speaking, a play script which is inherently a great picture possibility is by the same token a lousy play, as we say on Broadway, and vice versa. Almost any successful play can be given a treatment which, combined with its prestige on the stage, will make it a valuable picture possibility. If Hollywood will stick to the lot and pick its New York producers carefully, great good will come to both camps from the new policy. Not only have they furnished financial sinews but they have loaned players. The logical development of the arrangement would be a close interlocking of stage and scree.n, with players shuttling back and forth between the two. This would add to the players' screen life and furnish new interest in the speaking drama for provincial movie hordes. The stage has been richly rewarded as a result of this largess. More productions have been made than could otherwise have been done, and they have been on a more lavish scale. The physical standard of production has reached new peaks since the advent of movie money. — Brock Pemberton in N. Y. Times. New York Rivoli's Campaign for "Dangerous" ^/"ITH Broadway set for one of its biggest Christmas weeks in history, and theaters vying with each other for maximum publicity and promotion breaks, the Rivoli exploiteers carried out a heavy campaign on Warner Bros.' "Dangerous." A truck rigged up to represent a Hollywood studio was the highlight of the street bally. Traveling through populous sections of the metropolitan area all week with a photographer aboard, women are invited to be photographed free in a smiling pose. A prize of $50 was offered the woman with the most "dangerous" smile. A large 10-foot blowup of Miss Davis was prominently displayed on a truck along with copy plugging theater and picture title. A girl was planted on the WHN Amateur Hour. She gave an impersonation of Bette Davis and mentioned the star's latest picture at the Rivoli. Five Santa Clauses visited the city's department stores, hotel, railroad stations and principal streets during the picture's run, handing out as Xmas gifts an autographed photo of Bette Davis, with imprinted back containing title, cast and theater name. Tieup ws made with WNEW during their "Milkman's Parade," which runs nightly from 1 A.M. to 7 A.M. Best slogans or telegrams received by the station during these early morning broadcasts received passes to "Dangerous." Result was continuous plug for the film. Davega's used an ad campaign showing Bette Davis and Margaret Lindsay in ski suits and ice skates. Picture credits took up a large portion of the ad. Stills, blowups and display copy were featured in all Davega windows. A gold-buying agency plugged the film thrice daily over WINS tying in with the line, "It's dangerous to trade with an unrecognized dealer," etc. They were also on a broadcast over WOR once weekly for an hour. Franklin, Simon & Co. contributed an ad on their beauty shop, showing a Bette Davis coiffure plus picture title and theater name. Slides flashed on 50-foot square screen atop the Godfrey Building on Broadway, giving title, cast, theater and followed by an arrow pointing to the theater. Tieup was effected with Florist's Delivery Service — large 14x22 poster illustrating Bette Davis with flowers and copy that boosted the picture was used by 400 florists in New York during run of the film. A 15minute radio dramatization was planted over station WHOM. — Rivoli, New York City.