The Exhibitor (1966)

MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR EX-803 November 1 6, 1 966 r..ovies Have Big Floats In Thanksgiving Day Parade One of the largest floats in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will be the “Noah and the Ark Float” representing the Dino De Laurentiis production of “The Bible.” The mammoth float measures approxi¬ mately 16 feet wide, stands 24 feet or about two stories high, and weighs in at 7,000 pounds. With its 45-foot length, Macy’s officials estimate it will be the longest float in the parade. The float, now nearing completion in North Bergen, N.J., was designed along the lines and specifications of the ark used in 20th Century-Fox’s “The Bible.” Special permission has been obtained from civic authorities to transport the huge structure through the Lincoln Tunnel to Manhattan. In the parade, a Noah will be aboard the float, with a corps of costumed dancers portraying the animals. The float and its personnel are expected to provide one of the most spectacular shows in the parade, which will be seen by millions in New York and on the NBC-TV network where it will he televised live and in color. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer will be repre¬ sented in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade with a spectacular float for the Cinerama roadshow attraction, “Grand Prix.” Francoise Hardy, the international “ye-ye” girl who makes her motion picture debut in the John Frankenheimer film, will appear on the float singing many of the original compositions that have made her the most popular songstress in Europe. Jack Brabham, the 1966 Grand Prix world champion, will also ride on the float, along with additional stars from the Douglas & Lewis production and 10 beautiful models wearing new high fashion ensembles. The float is 45' long, 30' high and 30' wide. The front portion will feature the two championship Brabham-Repco For¬ mula I cars built and driven by Brabham during the Grand Prix races this past sea¬ son. Stereophonic sound equipment pro¬ viding actual sounds of the Grand Prix races will also be installed. The Dwarfs Return Fifteen children’s books are being published as part of an unprecedented merchandising campaign for the June, 1967, re-release of Walt Disney’s Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs. The publications are: From Golden Press . . . Big Golden Book, Little Golden Book, Shape Book; from Whitman Publishing Co. . . . Paint Book, Sticker Fun Book, Doll Book, TellA-Tale, Shaped Book, Frame Tray Puzzles (two designs), Play Fun Box, Doll Box, Jumbo Crayons, Boxed Puzzle, and from Gold Key . . . a 12-cent comic. Snow White will have the marketing support of a full line of merchandise from every Walt Disney licensee, using the famous characters, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, through¬ out. The list covers several hundred products, including toys, books, games, apparel and housewares. A full line of albums and records featuring all the familiar melodies from the motion pic¬ ture will be distributed nationally by Vista and Disneyland Records. SNOW WHITE also will appear as a spe¬ cial King Features comic series, appearing on 24 consecutive weekdays (ending Dec. 24th) in major metropolitan newspapers throughout the country. British Showmanship by Jock MacGregor Once again the photos of managers, taken with the stars, at special previews, have proved their worth for not only publicising the movie but building the image of the individual manager and spotlighting the importance of the theatre in the community. John Thompson successfully placed a photo of him helping Nanette Newman from the “Wrong Box” in the Lewisham Borough News, before the picture opened at the Odeon. His campaign was excep¬ tionally imaginative and extensive. He went beyond his own area and placed a personal advertisement in the London Evening Standard offering a £5 ($14.00) prize to the sender of the match box containing the most different items. More than 700 were submitted and the winner packed in more than 270 different articles. The contest was further exploited by a foyer standee. He also adapted the successful tv chocolate commercial plugging bigger chocolate bars by showing an outsize box arriving in a town for a street stunt with the big screen at the Odeon emphasised. He also sold the big screen angle in a front of house dis¬ play reading: “Take Her to the Pictures. She Will Enjoy ‘The Wrong Box’ On the Big Screen at this Theatre, etc.” The “box” here was a small TV set. A colorful seven ft display situated by the sales kiosk showed the wide range of boxed candy available. It bore the legend “Here is the Right Box To Buy When You Visit This Theatre to See The Wrong Box.” 1000 empty match boxes with stickers — “This is the Right Box To Buy When You See The Wrong Box, etc.” were provided by Bryant and May matches for throwaways. An Everybody’s in the Wrong Box contest with a Ferrania 35mm camera and color film worth in all $45.00 was placed in the local paper. 10 excellent window displays rounded off the campaign. A. E. Williams of the Odeon, Ealing, got two press placings of his photo with Miss New¬ man and also placed the Ferrania camera contest block in two papers. Both reported entries of a record breaking nature but as he reports “Mind you the prize was a special one which deserved the extra attention.” A 150 year old landau and pair of horses complete with flunkeys, “lady” in period costume and, of course, a big box, drove around the district with suitable credits. At busy spots, like the theatre, she alighted with full ceremony. Playing the Disney “Ugly Duckling”-“Winnie Pooh”-“Tenderfoot” triple bill at the Gaumont, Bournemouth, Charles Booth took full advantage of the visit of the larger than life “Pooh,” Eeyore, Rabbit, Owl and Kanga for extensive TV and press coverages. They visited the Housewives League Dinner, the Viking Charity Ball, a Tenpin Bowl, a big store, the pier and the theatre where they appeared on the stage. The party also went north to boost J. D. Clark’s campaign for the program at the Odeon Leeds, and fulfill an extensive two day tour. After being greeted at the station by a large reception party, all walked through the City Square to the theatre. Visits were arranged to the biggest store in the city, two hospitals, the Ideal Homes Exhibition, the Top Rank Bowl, the Silver Blades Ice Rink, two schools and the press preview. A highlight of the visit was when the police collected the party in a “Black Maria” (patrol wagon) and took them to a road safety competition. The team did not visit the Odeon, Middlesborough, but it did not stop R. L. Cook from prompting an ingenious stunt which got press coverage — in full color! A dazzling blonde with two Great Danes picketed the theatre with an “ ‘Ugly Dachshound’ is unfair to Great Danes” protest banner. A “Pooh” comer was set up in the theatre foyer and children bringing their teddy bears to a performance were invited to dip in a “hunny pot.” Prizes included 50 Disney records, sample jars of Gales honey and guest tickets. Altogether 186 teddies turned up and a useful press resulted. A painting competition, leaflets, balloons, overprinted National Savings campaign posters (displayed for free) and window displays rounded off a compre¬ hensive campaign. A Duckworth, Odeon, Accrington, persuaded his kiosk assistant, Elizabeth Hamer, to make a Peter Pan outfit for her five year old son, John, and allow him to wear it at Saturday children’s club matinee, appear on the stage and visit the busiest parts of the town and the children’s ward at the hospital. Two photos appeared in the press with captions in depth. Through good liaison with local societies and associations, Albert E. Hallam of the ABC, Nuneaton, learned that two young men had created a working Dalek of chrome and fibre glass and was able to borrow it when he played “Daleks Invasion Earth — 2150 AD.” It made a big impression on the youngsters attending his Saturday morning ABC Minor’s Club matinee when it moved smartly down the aisle before the screening of the trailer of the next week’s attraction. Pictures of it being used as a street stunt around the town were used in the local evening paper. At other times it formed part of a foyer display featuring a mountain of Sugar Puffs Packets featuring a Dalek contest tying in the movie. Through the local paper he invited women readers to send their views on men like “Alfie.” Copies of the book and guest tickets went to senders of the best. He used a fast one to plug “The Great Race” at the end of a Minor’s Club matinee when he offered ice cream to the row which tidied up its litter first. While he is a manager who gets behind every program he also finds time for public relations promotions. Learning that the Nuneaton Evening Tribune’s advertising representative had just become a father he suggested jokingly that they should organize a baby show together. It was taken seriously. Considerable editorial publicity resulted and the final was judged at the theatre. The prizes were given by the paper and Cow and Gate Baby Foods. From the young to the old — further press breaks resulted when a 79 year old usherette, “Torchy” Blunt retired and was presented by the staff with a wheeled carrier bag filled with things to eat and drink. He also got a photo break by arranging for Nuneaton’s 1966 Carnival Queen to make her first public appearance with her maidens of honor on the ABC stage. Garry S. Morgan, assistant manager at the ABC, Sidcup, admits the public may have thought that he was a bit of a nut but adds with satisfaction that they at least went on their way knowing that “Lt Robinson Crusoe, U.S.N.” was coming to the theatre. At the Victoria Wine Store, he mounted a Crusoe Cocktail with some pretty strange ingredients including a bowl of com flakes complete with milk and spoon, bottles of health drinks, sun tan spray, tins of fruit salad, packets of candy, plastic bananas, tattered straw hat, movie poster, etc. iiiiiiiiitiimiumimuiii?