Fox West Coast Theaters Now (April 16, 1930)

NOW JHERmiei King WEEK S' Mast* ,f Cpremonies / “t Fox Oakland Hs « GofijffuJ Career i/JISS I >r„ CI “^*» co2,"** '*•'«»/ j I "Ml hJ I - -Shraasrasl r .h. »« w™ *1 I xC c :^r" - I " a ^‘anTtrmj I I "’WcTl. I ; 11 1 111 it 11 '111 f! IlilllilP'iliililhi 't I s 1 'i nil!!‘nr ii n i ! tv \i Iiliiii III: H:i I " 1 II 1 '•111 111 hi i ! ' ‘i '! i i'ii iiiiiUiil iiiiiM - atthc I ' I I 11 1 FOKOAKtAND l Hi! THEATRE I / I f J.| I ililll iiimI / ’i'ii!! Fi„lM RSLVN ' S "‘“«H AICm ARE DANGER Ollf" I Xt“*?K°A CU r l i°“™ I i UHL 111 1 ^ ** A *-CR «^r, waiicsMY k EDWARDS _*^****L£s%£ jiiii Hi Mini il I I llll 1 Mniiii, I !! n Ml mi' Fami •"EDNESIMr . *°WARW “ '«« Broadwa, miiiiiii! '^^zr §! j!' 1 II I THURSDAY. h imn . modi< ““” 23 Stw*i FRIDAY . SATURDAY , „ VEER,,''”" " I ™ J ™'» satubm, , “ 1 SUNDAV MfNffltt"” - r “ PE ^UKSOAvi:^~^ Tuxedo* Ren»«j r r Men - «sc 7HERMIE /KING—I IN PERSON AT STORES SasI <T iii, i I! I!! IIS' mTrr* 1 ' i i! I l\ m l!l I minillli'lillllil,, Mill 1 "I "llll Ml if////// ////;;f ill® you, at”,. H FO « New s,lv erton e radw S ears, Roebuck ^ candy b 7 F00D " Y ' Buy,h ‘Be„ altht - OR VENUS 14.1, si,« t TALKING TRAILER IS ABLY ANALYZED by manager who intimates they should excite interest but not reveal story as well as be pToperly programmed EXPLOIT GOLDEN CALF THIS WAY contest that may become country wide suggested by manager seeing great newspaper and merchant contacts • Don’t Read this unless you are vitally interested in one of your ace advertising bets. Studio publicity departments will find in it food for much thought. A. C. Raleigh, City Manager, Fox West Coast Theatres, Olympia, Washington, critical- ly analyzes the trailer situation, and offers very constructive sug- gestions for its improvement. It’s showmanship. The kind of showmanship that studies every item of possible advantage and then developes the cardinal es- sentials to the highest degree. Raleigh writes: "The question of trailers is one that needs some sort of supervision or attention. I frequently have patrons tell me they like the trailer better than the picture. In my present picture, the press book and all advertising lauded Jimmy Durante as the new screen comic. In the trailer he sings practically all of the same two songs which he does in the picture. People had already seen what I was hollering my head off for them to come and see. "I believe that trailers should be APRIL 16 TH made to excite interest without show- ing your whole hand. I believe that Warner Brothers have evolved the best trailers. As you know, their trailers give a little sort of story and intro- duce the cast and use various methods of stimulating interest in the picture without spilling the beans. "The best trailers leave plenty to the imagination. A few scenes might be shown, but not all the punch scenes. They could be described by some mem- bers of the cast in a way that would sell without showing them." Study of patrons’ remarks has been the basis for Raleigh’s con- clusions. But treating the make- up of the trailer does not finish his argument. The proper plac- ing of trailer advertising receives much attention. He places the trailer on the following attrac- tion immediately ahead of the current feature. Special subjects such as scrip and policy talks come earlier in the program. The final argument anent the high cost reasons that the theatre is entitled to a special trailer, made as a trailer in its entirety, not merely scenes from the picture, cut and put to- gether. Trailers have one pur- pose, that of exciting interest in the coming attraction. • A CITY wide celebration marked Hermie King’s reaching his 75th consecutive week as master of ceremonies at the FOX OAKLAND THEATRE. This full page layout appearing in “The Tribune” and put over by Phil Phillips is a testimonial of Hermie’s popularity among Oakland merchants. 7’hey should not be a synop- sis in tabloid form. Raleigh’s diagnosis will be of interest to many managers who find trailer advertising one of their most important selling forces. The remedy, however, seems to lie with the studio. gas company is tied-up twice § Two Portland, Oregon, theatres tied up simultaneous- ly with the Portland Gas and Coke Company for good pub- licity . . Allan Cushman, man- ager of the Fox Hollywood Theatre has arranged for the Gas Company to work with him in putting on a cooking school. The company is furn- ishing stoves, refrigerators and a cooking specialist and will carry the news in all their ad- vertising, both in the press and by means of cards to gas con- sumers. Food also was the basis for J. J. Parker’s tie-up. Fox U. A. THEATRE when playing Be Yourself in which Fannie Brice uses a gas stove. % Fox THEATRE managers are not going to fall down in exploiting and advertising Her Golden Calf. Last week Now carried a story that someone in the studio publicity department slipped a cog in not arranging a national tie-up with Blue Moon Hosiery. Now comes O. Fred Glass- manager of the Fox Temple Theatre, McCook, Nebraska, opening his letter thusly: “Just saw Her Golden Calf last night at midnight preview and be- lieve we have the greatest pic- ture for tie-ups and exploita- tion that we have had in years.” Glass’ first suggestion en- braces individual houses, whole divisions and finally the entire circuit. It’s the essence of con- two ways of establishing contacts which INCREASE BUSINESS • Increasing Monday busi- ness 40 per cent at the small cost of but $2.70, in addition to putting the name of his the- atre and its feature, Sarah and Son, in every school room and every home in Muscatine, Iowa, is the accomplishment of J. W. Creamer, manager of the PAL- ACE Theatre. Basing a contest on the story of the feature. Creamer offered a framed picture of “Mother,” by Whistler, as a prize for the best twenty-five word essay on the children’s idea of Mother. Instead of awarding the prize to an individual, it went to the room of the school in which the child is a pupil. Each teach- er selected the best essay sub- mitted by her pupils, the ulti- mate winner of the contest be- ing selected from these by a committee composed of a news- paper editor, a business man and Creamer. Not only is Creamer click- ing with special contests, but by means of personal contact and good business management he is developing the PALACE into one of the outstanding the- atres of his division. During the run of Song of the West he extended an invitation to all people over sixty-five years of age to attend the feature as his guests. structive showmanship. “The Perfect Leg” is the type of con- test that Glass advances. In conjunction with the showing of the picture in outlying towns, such a contest would be undertaken with the four win- ning young ladies competing with similar winners from every house at a grand finale to be held in the ace house of the city in which divisional head- quarters is located. He points out the tremendous publicity that could be obtained from newspapers all over the divi- sional circuits on such a con- test. Suggesting among many others, tie-ups not only with Blue Moon, but other hosiery manfacturers and dealers, shoes, dancing schools, fashion shops, sporting goods stores, physical culture establishments and last but not least chiropractors and other practitioners who are anxious for publicity. Furthering the divisional contests, the winners of which .could be sent to Hollywood to compete for picture careers with FOX and other studios and in addition would furnish splen- did material for FANCHON AND Marco Sunkist Beauties. Glass is chuck full of confidence as to possibilities of the idea, stating that it would prove to be one of the greatest ballyhoo gags that we have had in years. This is the kind of show- manship which every executive in the Fox West Coast or- ganization wants to see coming in from every manager. Be- cause of it, the Showmanship Council was created. It benefits everybody. Glass didn’t wait until he had the picture sched- uled for his own house. Neither was it possible to have had a copy of Now to see what was wanted on Her Golden Calf. Nor did he hesitate to send his idea in immediately on seeing the preview. patrons try hundreds but only one lone KEY WILL OPEN BOX • Not Seven, but 2500 keys were used by Harry Hun- sacker, managing the FOX VI- SALIA THEATRE in an exploita- tion tie up with six Visalia merchants on Seven Keys to Baldpate. Giving away the keys to pa- trons at the box office there was a right key for each separate box displayed in the windows of the cooperating merchants. A card alongside the box in- formed key holders they could