The Exhibitor (1955)

MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 25 The parade, with the merchants putting up the money, and the theatre supplying the help necessary to decorate them and stage the promotion, received a damp recep¬ tion (it rained); but thousands turned out to welcome Peter home and needless to say we were sold out for two complete shows, with long lines waiting as long as two hours to get in for the second show. But, most important, the entire event made this community and surrounding areas conscious of the fact that the Play¬ house was back to their Saturday matinee children’s shows again. Children’s admission to the Saturday matinees is 25 cents. RUMNm-m ANNUAL BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION Submitted by James S. Howard, Jr. Air-Vue Drive-In, Goldsboro, N. C. 440 cars * 50 cents top admission Town and rural patronage. This is held each year on Labor Day to foster better public relations. It is the only time of the year that we ask the merchants, with whom we do business to give us anything for free. The public has been paying all year for their meals and snacks in our snack bar, so we feel that this is the time to give them something on the house. A complete supper is served free to all comers that night. Each mer¬ chant who has been servicing us all year pays this time and they furnish every¬ thing. The menu for the free supper consists of one hot dog, portion of barbeque, slaw, potato chips, pickels, potato salad, two sticks of chewing gum, one piece of candy, dish of ice cream, and a package of four cigarettes. Each merchant also gives some large item to be used in a giveaway program that is held at the intermission time. For instance, the packing company, from whom we buy our franks, is giving away a large sugar cured ham. Foodland, where we buy our hamburger and other meats, furnished a $15.00 gift food certificate. The bread company furnished free bread for a month to the winner of their cer¬ tificate, etc. A personal appearance of “Miss North Carolina,” who was introduced by the Mayor, was another feature of the birth¬ day party; and the Goldboro High School Band gave a 30-minute concert before the show and during the serving of the supper. All cooperating merchants and partici¬ pants were given credits both on a special screen trailer and on all outside adver¬ tising. A local florist decorated the Snack Bar, and gave 500 tiny rose buds, which we presented one to each lady. In addition, all boxes of popcorn con¬ tained special prizes this night, such as passes, balloons, money from one cent to one dollar, etc. All in all we managed to have a ball. NOTICE Contestants are urged to watch care¬ fully expiration dates of the offers now pending from the film companies on addi¬ tional SHOWMANSHIP SWEEPSTAKES $500 awards, so that they may get entries in before stated times. RUNNIR-yP NUMBER 3 I A $2.34 CAMPAIGN Submitted by Virgil Galotta Wilson, Arlington, Va. 650 seats * 70 cents top admission Varied type audience. A grand total of $2.34 was spent on our campaign on “Love Me Or Leave Me.” This was the cost of a rubber stamp. I personally stamped grocery bags in six grocery stores, a total of about 6,000 bags; and also clothes bags in two dry cleaning stores, a total of another 400 bags. Newspapers, both daily and Sunday, were stamped by newsboys. This was done two weeks prior to playing of the picture. The routes covered by the newsboys, of course, were in my immediate vicinity and they totaled about 2,500 stamped news¬ papers. I placed a stamped sheet of paper on the bulletin board of 15 different drug stores; and also on the Colonial Village Apartment bulletin board. Five of these pieces of paper were taped to the cash registers of the Giant Food Store in the next block. These were directly in front of the customers as they paid their food bills. This store serves from 8,000 to 10,000 customers a week. These notes were placed two weeks prior to playdate. Taped on the front door entrance of Progressive Cleaners were some 22 x 28’s. These were directly in front of very per¬ son entering the store. The owner said they have between 3,000 to 4,000' customers weekly. This was done three weeks prior to playdate. In the New Drug Fair, located in New Arlington Towers Shopping Center, and which is the largest drugstore in Arling¬ ton, I placed a 22 x 28 under a herald they used to plug the Ruth Etting album in conjunction with the picture. The top of the herald read: “See The movie, ‘Love Me Or Leave Me’,” with a picture of Doris Day beneath it. This was placed on the main entrance front door, two weeks prior to playdate. A 40 X 60 on the picture was used in a lobby standee two weeks prior to playdate; and I personally talked to as many patrons as I could about the picture with my main point that I personally thought that James Cagney and Doris Day both could not miss for Academy Award Nominations. The total cost was $2.34 for the inibber stamp; and about 15 passes. ^yNNill»yP NUMBER 4 '^THE DAM BUSTERS^^ Submitted by Leslie E. Mitchell Regent, Brockville, Ontario, Canada 974 seats • 55 cents top admission Small town and rural patronage. I arranged with the editor of our local newspaper to run gratis, four two-column scene cuts on the picture, as well as a number of short news items on local news pages prior to opening. Arrangements were made through the local RCAF Ground Observer Corps De¬ tachment to have four CF-100 aircraft “buzz” the town’s main street on opening night. These aircraft came from the RCAF station at Ottawa, Ontario. It was also arranged with the local RCAF Ground Observer Corps Depart¬ ment to hold a Wings Presentation on theatre stage opening night. These people are civilian aircraft spotters and receive their wings from Group Captain F. R. West, director Operational Requirements for the RCAF. An announcement of the film’s showing was made at a local RCAF dance; and I also sent announcements to members of the local RCAF Association, comprised of veterans of the RCAF of World War II. Application was made to the local City Council to have opening day proclaimed as “Dam Busters Day,” knowing before¬ hand that such a move was frowned upon by the Council; but feeling that a news¬ paper account of their refusal would give us some extra publicity in any event. It was planned to have the RCAF band from Ottawa parade on opening night; but (Continued on page 26) While $100.00-per-week will be awarded each and every week throughout the year by the SHOWMAN¬ SHIP SWEEPSTAKES editors, certain film distributers from time to time will post additional DISTRIBUTOR CASH PRIZES of $250.00 to $1,000.00, in order t* focus attention on a particular picture. Such DISTRIBUTOR CASH PRIZES must be posted for a perioa of 26 weekly issues, and if not won will be withdrawn. To qualify for a DISTRIBUTOR CASH PRIZE, a promotional stunt or campaign, in which the particular picture is the center of interest, must win a MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR $100.00 weekly prize. This will give it "a leg" on the larger prize. At the end of the 26-week period -nould more than one entry hove such "a leg" on the same DISTRIBU¬ TOR CASH PRIZE, they will be re-submitted to the circuit executive judges for special judging of the one best. This one best will then receive the entire DISTRIBUTOR CASH PRIZE; or, should a tie develop, it wiil be shared. DISTRIBUTOR CASH PRIZES NOW IN EFFECT . . . are as follows: PARAMOUNT PICTURES *500®® "WE'RE NO ANGELS" (This Prize Offer expires Jan. 11, 1956) REPUBLIC PICTURES CORP. *500®® on"THE LAST COMMAND" (This Prize Offer expires Feb. 22, 1956) RKO RADIO PICTURES, INC. *500®® on “The Treasure of Pancho Villa" (This Prize Offer expires April 11, 1956) December 7, 1955