The Film Daily (1936)

Monday, Mar. 16,1936 DAMLV 11 > » EXPLOITING THE CURRENT FILMS « « Original Lyrics Plug For "Music Goes 'Round" J{ FIVE-DAY lyric contest planted with the daily Journal was a highlight of Lester Pollock's campaign on "The Music Goes 'Round" at Loew's, Rochester, N. Y. Cash awards and guest tickets were offered for the best original lyrics written to the music of the song. Response was so large that the Journal ran a special story on it and the judges had to take extra time to render their decision. A truck page of co-operative ads broke in the Sunday Journal under the caption: "Music Goes 'Round and Value Comes Out Here." The Democrat & Chronicle ran a word contest in advance, with guest tickets for those sending in the largest number of words made up from the letters of the musical scale. Film Council rating of the picture as a family picture was widely advertised. Transcriptions of the song, "The Music Goes 'Round and Around" was planted with radio station WHEC with picture announcement before and after the transcription. Through a public address system hookup, records were played in the front lobby and transmitted to the outside sidewalk display. Meisner's gave an entire window to sheet music built around colored enlargements of the leading players, while "The Music Goes 'Round" song was featured at the counter. Cards, 40 by 60, were displayed in a vacant store, in a Playland window. Fifty window streamers were placed in Meisner's, Kresge's, Woolworth's, Grant's, Wurlitzer's, Levis's and Lover's. Modernistic red and gold signs advertising the picture were placed in the lobbies of Rochester's seven leading hotels. — Loew's, Rochester, N. Y. Philadelphia Campaign to '7 Conquer the Sea" 'T'HE showing of "I Conquer the Sea," the Halperin production distributed by First Division in the Philadelphia territory, at the Stanton, Philadelphia, was backed by a big exploitation campaign. It included the posting of large quantities of paper locally and the distribution of 30,000 heralds, as well as excellent newspaper breaks. Tie-ups included windows in Gimbel's and Lit Brothers' department stores with cards carrying theater and picture credits. Radio arrangements covered stations WIP and WEIL featuring songs from the film. Also a broadcast from the stage of the theater, at which sea captains were the guest stars, with spot plugs given via Uncle WIP's hour, featured a sea captain to give actual experiences and tying up specifically with the picture at the Stanton. Prior to the engagement a special screening for the local church dignitaries, boy scouts, sea scouts and Seamen's Institute was arranged and 100 per cent endorsement by the various groups obtained. Street ballyhoo consisted of a constructed whale and miniature cut-outs on tractor and trailer drawn through the main streets and outlying districts while the lobby was made attractive through the use of oldtype sailing materials, ropes, valances, and ships' instruments. — Stanton, Philadelphia. * * * Roses Used in Nashville Campaign on "Rose Marie" A LEADING local florist contributed roses to the first 250 ladies attending the theater on the opening day of "Rose Marie" at J. Phelps' Loew's Vendome, in Nashville, Tenn. Another tie-up was arranged whereby each fiftieth lady en Detroit Doings Detroit — Lew Wisper is starting work on the second of the three new Wisper & Wetsman neighborhood deluxers. House will be a 1,500seater, at Chalmers and Harper Aves., and is to open about Labor Day. E. C. Beatty, Butterfield circuit manager, is vacationing at Battle Creek. Mannie M. Gottlieb has returned from Florida. Herman Bird, who has the Rivoli in Tawa, plans a new theater there. Joseph G. Portell returned from a New York trip last week. George Olson, partner in the Rialto, Grayling, was back on the job last week after an illness. Jay Conover, formerly of the Fox exchange, has joined the RKO staff, succeeding Don Widlund, who became booker for the Jacob Schreiber houses. Bert Dymond becomes feature booker at RKO, while Conover will book shorts. Raymond E. Moon of Cooperative Theaters returns from Florida this week. Sol Krim, circuit owner, is in Florida. Charles Porter, manager of the Lakewood, has recovered from his recent illness and is back at work. Ed Carlson, manager of the Dawn, held a preview opening recently after entirely remodeling the house. Wisconsin Notes Milwaukee — Mike Brumm, operator of the Ritz, Milwaukee neighborhood house, has gone to Florida. Theater, at Menasha, has been taken over by Wisconsin Amusement Enterprises. The house, now dark, was formerly operated by A. C. Berkholt, West Bend. The Gwinn, Gwinn, Mich., has installed sound equipment and has been reopened under the management of Aley & La Due. The house was formerly operated by E. L. Miller. Livingston Lanning, former manager of Fox's Wisconsin Theater, has been a Milwaukee visitor as advance man for Andre Lasky's revue playing the Riverside. Nebraska Notes Lincoln, Neb. — Scott Wall, manager of the shuttered Wall, of Fremont, is understood selling the seats of the house to the Hooper, in Hooper. Bob Livingston, owner-manager of the Capitol, is on a milk diet due to an attack of stomach trouble. E. A. Patchen, publicity man for the Orpheum, thinks he'll probably get a sock in the nose from Jack Pepper when the latter arrives to do a show this week-end. Pat billed Pepper in the ads as "Mr. Ginger Rogers." Martin Coopersmith is taking bows all around as cupid. He introduced Johnny Echols to the gal he married. Cal Bard is taking another sojourn over the state peddling some states right film. New Orleans Notes New Orleans — W. G. Minder, well known in southern film circles, has arrived here to take over representation of G-B in this territory. Scott Chesnut, G-B division manager, also arrived in the city. The Avenue, a neighborhood theater here, is about to undergo intensive remodeling which will convert it into a modern house. Connett and Schmidt will build a theater in Pass Christian, Miss., to replace the Cozy Theater, which was burned. Baltimore Bits Baltimore — Astoria Amusement Co., 1408 East Monument St., has been incorporated to operate theaters, etc. Incorporators are Harold and Annie Mason and Harriet M. Hackett, all of Baltimore. Claymore Amusement Co. plans to convert the property at 1918-32 Harford Ave. into a theater. "Country Doctor" has started its second week at the New. "The Story of Louis Pasteur" is held over at the Stanley. tering the theatre each day during the picture's engagement was given a box of candy. Phelps was assisted by an M-G-M exploiteer. Three thousand napkins, carrying appropriate copy, were distributed in restaurants and leading night clubs. Music tie-ups were consummated with leading music stores who displayed sheet music from the production. — Loew's Vendome, Nashville. * * * Advises Dance Tieups For "Follow the Fleet" JhXHIBITORS who play the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musical, "Follow the Fleet," or other dance pictures, will find it highly profitable to cooperate with local dance teachers. Miss Lucile Marsh, Director of National Dance League and author of "Text Book of Social Dancing," has sent a booklet describing cotillions and other modern dances and illustrated with photos of Astaire and Rogers to 10,000 dance instructors throughout the country. Featured in this pamphlet are instructions for dancing "The Fleet." Miss Marsh advises instructors to get in touch with theaters showing "Follow the Fleet" and offer to cooperate. "New steps always receive publicity and arouse an irresistible impulse in young and old, rich and poor to 'get in style,' " she says. "Maybe you and your partner or one of your advanced couples could demonstrate the ballroom version of 'Follow the Fleet' dances at the theater. Perhaps the theater or a local newspaper will put you in charge of running a dance contest for the best couple dancing the ballroom versions of these dances. Arrange theater parties for your pupils to see 'Follow the Fleet.' Undoubtedly, the best style-makers the dance has produced since the Vernon Castles are Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers." The booklet contains much practical advice about tying up with theaters and obtaining newspaper and other publicity. — RKO Radio. Florida Flickers Miami — All attendance records at the Lincoln Theater, Miami Beach, have been broken by "Country Doctor." Colleen Moore is resting at the Miami Battle Creek Sanitarium. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Meighan will remain at Miami Beach until April. Gene Raymond and family have been enjoying themselves at the Hialeah race tracks.