The Exhibitor (1955)

NT-4 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR Silver Tells SW Zone Meeting To Concentrate On Getting Kids Pittsburgh, Pa. — “Theatre managers on today’s showmanship team must act¬ ually execute a perfect double play to keep child attendance on an evei' in¬ creasing upwai’d trend,’’ declared M. A. Silver, Stan'ey Warner zine manager addressing 50 key city and community house men. According to Silver, this double-bar¬ relled attack “involves keeping those children between the ages of approxim¬ ately nine and 14, foi' whom the novelty of home television entertainment has worn off, coming to our theatres, as the trend indicates they are doing, and ac¬ complishing this by orginating and pro¬ gramming the proper type of films, com¬ binations, promotions, and activities. Thus the interest of this age group will be heightened and gradually maintained for our own good as the children grow into teen-agers and young men and wo¬ men, our adults of tomorrow. “Secondly,” Silver pointed out to those present, “we must reach out for the younger element, the kiddies aged three to eight. These are the children who, as of now, largely have no knowledge that a theatre or a giant panoramic screen exists for movie entertainment. This group is being raised via the minia¬ ture home screen of television. To get these children into our theatres extra careful planning of approved, suitable film fare must be foremost in our minds, remembering, also, that these youngsters must be brought, for the most part, to the theatre by their parents, a mother, or an older child, and that the screen fare must be of the right type in the mind of this guardian.” Along these lines a tremendous bar¬ rage of promotional endeavor aimed at spuri'ing increased child attendance will highlight the Stanley Warner Pittsburgh Zone’s “Spring Festival” of showman¬ ship, opening April .3 and running for three months, through June. This all-out, concerted effort to press for and improve the upward trend of small fry theatre attendance will be a most important seg¬ ment of Stanley Warner managers’ dut¬ ies during the showmanship campaign. The publicity team or Henry Burger and Phil Katz has already put into mo¬ tion a unique seat-selling tie-up with Marty Wolfson, Musical Sketchpad tele¬ vision personality of Station KDKA-TV, whose strongest forte rests with the children in the three to eight bracket. He has been booked for 16 consecutive Saturday morning stage shows. His ap¬ pearances are being backed heavily by promotion on the part of the television station and his sponsor. Tip Top Bread, with thousands of heralds and window cards, sound trucks and store tieups. First experiences have indicated that children are attending with their mother, oldeisister oi' other grown-up, making for added revenue. They receive a special paint book, a selection of popular trading cards and a miniature loaf of bread as premiums for attending the special Sat¬ urday morning show. Seen at the recent Stanley Warner I*ittsburgh zone’s recent conference at the Hotel Roosevelt to prepare for a three-month long “Festival of Showman¬ ship” were, seated, left to right, Lou Fordan, manager, Memorial, .McKees¬ port, Pa.; .M. A. Silver, zone head; and .Marvin Samuelson, assistant hooker and buyer; and, rear, same order, Henry Burger, ad chief; Eddie John, Arsenal; and Harry Thomas, Schenley. t)ver .Ml showmen attended. With Silver, addressing the men gatheied at the confab, was Harry Goldberg, national ad-publicity director, Stanley Warner, who said, “Regardless of other types of entertainment, it is univei’sally acknowledged that there is nothing to surpass the grandeur, scope, and sharp¬ ness of large sci-een theatre presenta¬ tions.” At the speakei-s’ table were also Ben Steerman, assistant zone manager; Saul Biagin, chief booker and buyei'; and district managers Dick Wright, Ohio; Frank Harpstei', West Virginia; and “Dinty” Moore, city and Mainline. Support was pledged the managers by the bookers for strongest product possi¬ ble. The Stanley Warner booking staff present included Marvijn Samuelson, as¬ sistant to Bragin; Bud Gilliam and Gus Davis, features; and Bernie Elinoff, shorts. Piftsburgh (Continued from preceding pope) sonalities and I'epresentatives of the book dealers, who flooded over 1,000 outlets with apiiropriate tie-in cards and displays J^nd arranged for the main window of one of the city’s busiest var¬ iety stores, where an effective, eye¬ catching display was set. An auto¬ graphing paity was also set up and ovei' 100 patrons were awaiting his ar¬ rival at Walleck’s. A big welcome streamer and appropi'iate window greet¬ ed Uris. At the same time, the Stanley’s ad-publicity team of Heniy Burger and Phil Katz, arranged a search for “Miss Battle Cry,” with the winner to fly to Atlantic City on an all-expense paid vacation. Another coojieiating merchant supplied the luggage. The tie-in was with the Bill Brant Television Show and over 450 entries resulted. A sci'een trailei' in the theatre and a good lobby display enhanced the contest pull. Radio and TV commercials played a big part in the campaign and a special coloring con¬ test with the Pittsburgh Press children’s section drew about 8,000 entries. Cash and other awards were offered. A promin¬ ent coin and stamp dealer plugged a con¬ test in his window; and also set up an attractive case of coins, stamps and medals in the theatre lobby and lh(' Marines set uj) and manued a clever, simulated communications c'm'c'r in ad¬ vance and during opening week. A huge “windbreaker” in the theatre lobby had been attracting a lot of advance n dice and 15 of the Stanley Wainey Pittsbuigh Zoiu' thea'res cross-plugged the downtown Stanley engagement via tiailei-s on their scrc'ens and special lobby displays. .A, I lied Motion Pictui e Theatre Owners of Western Pennsylvania, in convention here, i-escheduled its agenda to permit its 150 membei's to meet with Steve Broidy and Morey R. Goldstein, Allied Artists president and vice-president and general sales manager, respectively, who were in on their nation-wide tour herald¬ ing the company's vastly expanded pro¬ gram. The theatie owners representing 400 houses weie guests of the AA execu¬ tives at a luncheon following a screening of “.4n Annapolis Story” and “Shotgun.” John C. Flinn, A A director of advertis¬ ing and publicity, was also present. F. D. Moore is now doing the buying and booking for the West End Drive-In, Allentown, Pa., and the Super Skyway Drive-In, Kunsville, Pa. A1 Levy, 20th-Fox branch manager, has been named manager of the com¬ pany’s Boston exchange. Nat Rosen, .Albany branch head, succeeds Levy here. Kentucky Louisville Mrs. Nellie Martin, mother of Dick Martin, .Ashland, Ky., theatre owner, died in King’s Daughters Hospital, .Ashland, Ky. Ohio Columbus The Eastside .Auto Theatre opened for the season with a new wide-screen and ('((uipment for showing CinemaScope leatures. . . . Managei Robert Sokol, Loew’s Broad, cooperated with the Ohio National Guard in holding an e.xhibit at the theatre of weapons and equip¬ ment during the showing of “The Long Gray Line.” The exhibit’s theme was “'I'he National Guard Opens The Door J o West Point.” Oct. 1 has been set as the date for opening of the 4,()()()-seat Franklin Coun¬ ty Veterans’ Memorial in the Civic ('('liter adjacent to the downtown theatre area. Cornerstone of the multi-million dollar structure was laid last week. . . . Harley E. Bennett, Starlite Cbaiise-ln Auto Theatre, Circleville, is the newest member of the Independent Theatre Owners of Ohio. Toledo .lack .Armstrong announced that a driv('-in would be ei'ected at Napoleon, O. March SO, 195.-)