The Exhibitor (1959)

18 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR July 22, 1959 NATIONAL MAGAZINE ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN achieves saturation of youth f [The lost innocence : the rude awakening they had done... and might now have to do Using the pa~es of Seventeen, the top magazine directed to the teenager, as well as those of Ingenue, Teen and fan magazines. Twentieth devised a series of national ads (reproduced here) which were hand tailored to the desires of this audience I Return Of Old Films Offers Bally Bonanza CHICAGO — Filmack Trailer Company re' cently pointed out that in their search for pictures that will bring more customers into theatres, showmen are capitalizing on the feeling of nostalgia which most people have for films from years ago. Several favorites from the past have had their pictures dusted off and rerun and are enjoying successful “comebacks” — the Three Stooges, Charles Chaplin, Our Gang, etc. The old-time movies lend themselves to many exploitation approaches. Some exhib¬ itors have an “Old-Timers’ Night” featuring several of the oldies. There’s no limit to the special promotions which can be centered around these movies and aimed at the adult group. An effective gimmick is to play a very old movie on the same program with a spectacular new film with the intention of dramatizing the tremendous advance in mo¬ tion picture technique over the years. The contrast between an old silent film and one of the new hits in giant screen, color, and with stereo or hi-fi sound is extremely ef¬ fective. In the latter situation, Filmack suggests the use of ad copy and trailers which em¬ phasize the difference and ask: “Is it any wonder that we say, “Movies Are Better Than Ever.” Para. Honors 12 Employees NEW YORK — Twelve members of Para¬ mount’s domestic distribution organization will be inducted into the company’s ‘TOO Per Cent Club,” highest honor for year-long achievement that can be bestowed on em¬ ployees of the Paramount field forces. Named were Travis G. Carr, booker, New Orleans; Herbert D. Cohen, office manager, Chicago; Joseph L. Cutrell, salesman, Char¬ lotte; Ralph W. Fry, salesman, Dallas; Thomas F. Gooch, head booker, Kansas City; Cath¬ erine A. Grotticelli, head booker, Pittsburgh; Arnold P. Lavageto, booker, San Francisco; Bonita K. Lynch, head booker, Minneapolis; Eugene Newman, salesman, New York; Ken¬ neth Reuter, booker, Buffalo; Clifford F. Smiley, salesman, Cincinnati; and King Trim¬ ble, salesman, San Francisco. Maryland Forms TOA Unit; Broumas Named First Prexy WASHINGTON, D.C. — Establishment of the Maryland Theatre Owners Associa¬ tion as the newest state affiliate of the Theatre Owners of America was an¬ nounced last week by George G. Kerasotes, TOA president. Kerasotes said the new unit was organ¬ ized, and voted immediate affiliation with TOA, at a meeting at the Mayflower Hotel here, which he and George Roscoe, TOA director of exhibitor relations, at¬ tended. John G. Broumas, president, Transamerica Theatres of Takoma Park, Md., was elected first president. Other officers are George A. Brehm, vice-president; T. T. Vogel, secretary and Douglas Connellee, treasurer. Directors are Sam Mellits, Jack Frutchman, and William Fisher. Broumas said 55 theatres have been enrolled. “The Maryland unit now gives us ex¬ ceptionally strong representation for TOA along the Atlantic seaboard,” Kerasotes said, “and gives us members in every sea¬ board state from Maine to Florida.” Hoover Acquires 11 Theatres MIAMI, FLA. — George C. Hoover last week announced the purchase of 11 theatres in north Florida and south Georgia comprising the circuit owned by Interstate Enterprises, Inc. Hoover, who is executive director and press guy of Variety Clubs International, will change the corporate name to Interstate Theatres and will move the circuit head¬ quarters from Thomasville, Ga., to this city. Houses involved in the deal are the Roxy, Hill, and Leaf, Quincy, Fla.; the Palm, Meigs, Ga.; the Ilex and Star, Quitman, Ga.; the Park and Pike Drive-In, Pelham, Ga.; and the Hiwa, Ritz, and Rose, Thomasville, Ga. Nat Williams, Jr., son of the founder of Interstate, stays on with Hoover as district manager, but booking, buying and accounting will be handled in Hoover’s Miami office with Rex Norris, formerly with the M.C.M. Circuit, engaged as his assistant. Use Of B-B Records Spreads Across Nation NEW YORK — The demand for business building records for radio use has mounted, Charles E. McCarthy, COMPO information director, reported last week. To date, 212 records have been sent out, he said, with additional heavy orders anticipated following a series of demonstrations of the record at recent exhibitor gatherings. The record has met with an enthusiastic reception at all exhibitor meetings where it has been played, McCarthy has been ad¬ vised. Exhibitor comment may be summari¬ zed in the statement of Edward F. Meade of Shea’s Buffalo Theatres, whose order for five records for theatres in his circuit, car¬ ried the notation: “The institutional record has been received and meets with whole¬ hearted approval.” The most recent batch of orders has come from such widely separated circuits as the Welworth Theatres of Minneapolis, Wometco Theatres of Florida, Martin Theatres of Georgia, United Theatres of Little Rock, Century Theatres of New York, Favorite Theatres of Spokane, Wash., Robins Amuse¬ ment Company of Warren, O., Pioneer The¬ atres of Iowa, United California Theatres of San Francisco, and Crescent Theatres of Nashville, Tenn., as well as from scores of individual four-wall theatres and drive-ins from Maine to Texas. Radio time for use of the record already has been contracted for by the Loew’s and RKO circuits in a number of situations in which they operate. Rubin Gift To University SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse University has been given $176,000 under the terms of the will of the late J. Robert Rubin, who served as a University trustee until his death last September. The gift represents the assets of the J. Robert Rubin Foundation and was presented to the university “for the purpose of building a J. Robert Rubin theatre on the campus.” He made many other gifts to the university in his lifetime.