The Exhibitor (1966)

EX-816 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR January 18, 1967 British Showmanship | by Jock MacGregor THE LARGE NUMBER OF CAMPAIGNS BEING SUBMITTED TO THE LONDON Bureau, plus those which are passed on by head offices after being judged by executives for various circuit contests can mean delayed publication so that on cold and frosty mornings, stories about sunny days are published. One such — or rather three such cases — concerns Luke Moneypenny’s promotion for his season of “Sound of Music” at the Odeon, Jersey, one of the holiday islands off the French coast, as he went after successive groups of vacationeers most of whom stayed 14 days. Local laws make away from the theatre publicity difficult, but he achieved “one of the greatest scoops of the year” — a decorated float in Jersey’s major annual attraction, “The Battle of Flowers,” which invariably gets inter¬ national recognition. He claims that no wider coverage could be achieved as no less than 67,000 spectators lined the route, and that it was not just a case of getting an entry. Lie was faced with considerable planning, organization, and preparation. First he managed to borrow from a rich resident a Mercedes-Benz open coupe, and then he looked for suitable children to represent the Trapp family in the film and period clothes for them to wear. A guitar was borrowed, and music was recorded for relay during the procession. The car then had to be decorated with pink and white carnations in keeping with the class of entry, and banners bearing title and credit discreetly incorporated. Next, the children had to be carefully rehearsed for the parade. The Odeon was further spotlighted as the Band of the Royal Horse Guards which was transported specially from London were paraded in the theatre parking lot before marching off to lead the procession. Later, a van with roof top display, banners, stills, posters, etc., and public address speaker toured the island’s busy centres and most popular beaches. Then Luke, to celebrate the longest run ever on the island (he does not state how many but the first and last press clipping are separated by 18 weeks), promoted an iced cake representing Salzburg Cathedral for presentation to a children’s home. He got further press breaks from finding a patron who had seen the film some 20 times. RUNNING “THE RARE BREED” AT THE ODEON, WESTON-SUPER-MARE, W. J. Reid organized a contest with a silver cup as prize for a rare pet contest, and gar¬ nered no less than six editorial and pictorial press breaks. The press also spotlighted a special Sunday recital for the Cinema Organ Society on the Compton Organ, once the feature of every cinema and now only played in Weston at the Saturday morning children’s matinees. THROUGHOUT THE UNITED KINGDOM, UPTAKE, THE ALL INDUSTRY effort to build attendances, is under way. Local committees are being set up in the key cities comprising circuit and independent exhibitors, distributors, ancillary sales representa¬ tives, and in some cases press men and other interested people. Since the idea started in the provinces, or to be more correct South Wales, it has been felt that it would be better for the initiative to come from out of London. No committee is more enthusiastic than Leeds, and John D. Clark, general manager of the Leeds Odeon, has been submitting reports of its activities. Lectures supported by suitable background films have been given to youth and women’s clubs and elsewhere, and interested parties have been shown behind the scenes at The Clock, an independent 1900 seat theatre. They have also produced a com¬ bined hanging card showing the programs in the city centre cinemas for weekly distribution to hotels, bars, coffee bars, restaurants, etc. THIS YEAR, ALBERT E. HALLAM OF THE ABC. NUNEATON, JOINED FORCES with the Rotary Club to organise his Christmas foyer collection for the old people’s welfare, under the blanket cover of “The ABC and Rotary Club of Nuneaton Christmas Parcels Appeal under the patronage of His Worship The Mayor.” Rotary provided collectors and tins, and the press supported the campaign with the result that the biggest figure ever for such a collection was achieved. Independently, his staff over a four week period, contributed $15 for a food hamper, and this was presented at the suggestion of the Women’s Voluntary Services to a lonely 80-year-old woman whose name was deliberately omitted from the press stories about the gift. . . . For a week prior to playing “The Great Race” at the ABC Woolwich, South East London, Harry Bolton had a model motorway racing car system, loaned by Club Sports Supplies, operating in his circle foyer. The store also mounted a window display of posters, stills, etc. Universal's Stars Launch Promotion Via Radio Forty-six stars and producers have been taped for open end interviews and feature pro¬ grams to promote 10 upcoming Universal pic¬ tures in the biggest radio promotion ever set by the studio. The project will be further im¬ plemented by the studio since plans call for additional taping to be done on other films to go before the cameras next year. The open ends, prepared and handled by Dick Strout, will be heard on some 1,000 sta¬ tions throughout the country, while the pic¬ tures to be promoted are “Thoroughly Modem Millie,” “Tobruk,” “Rough Night in Jericho,” “The War Wagon,” “The Battle Homs,” “Games,” “Deadlier Than the Male,” “The King’s Pirate,” “Banning,” and “The Perils of Pauline.” Stars on tape include Julie Andrews, John Wayne, Dean Martin, Kirk Douglas, Charlton Heston, George Peppard, Maximilian Schell, Simone Signoret, Rock Hudson, Richard Johnson, Pat Boone, Mary Tyler Moore, Carol Channing, Elke Sommer, Robert Wagner, Jill St. John, Anjanette Comer, James Farentino, Guy Stockwell, Keenan Wynn, Howard Keel, Robert Walker, Slim Pickens, John Mclntire, Don Galloway, Bruce Cabot, Gene Evans, Joanna Barnes, Nigel Green, James Fox, John Gavin, Doug McClure, Terry-Thomas, Pamela Austin and Katharine Ross. Producers include Ross Hunter, Martin Rackin, Dick Berg, Curtis Harrington and George Edwards. Among the many notables attending the gala open¬ ing of FST's new Sunny Isles Twin in North Miami Beach were Joseph Sugar, vice-president and general sales manager, 20th-Fox; Mrs. Sugar; Mrs. Sadye Tisch, mother of Lawrence and Preston Tisch, Loew's Theatres and Hotels; and P. H. "Harvey" Garland, vice-president of Florida State Theatre operations. Sunny Isles ( Continued ) 195 and Pythian Sisters, Temple No. 45. A half-hour prior to the 8 p.m. ribbon-cutting, the 70-piece band of North Miami Senior High School gave a concert. Metropolitan Dade County Vice-Mayor Harold Greene, and North Miami Beach Mayor Arthur I. Snyder, joined with FST vice-president P. H. “Harvey” Gar¬ land, FST vice-president and general counsel LaMar Sarra, and FST division manager Harry Botwick for the ribbon-cutting. Other industry representatives present at the opening were Joseph Sugar vice-president and general sales manager, Twentieth Century Fox; Lou Formato, assistant general sales manager, MGM; Byron Adams, United Artists; Bob Capps, MGM; Fred Mathis, Paramount; and Carroll Ogburn, Warner Brothers. Division manager Botwick introduced James Fuller, house manager, and associates Leonard Anterio and David Wallace, from the stage of the “Driftwood” auditorium. All participants in the opening ceremonies then moved into the “Aquamarine” auditorium where the entire stage activity of presentation of the colors, prayer, introductions, was repeated for the benefit of the audience in this auditorium. Regular continuous performances started Friday, Dec. 16, with alternating showings in each auditorium. The Sunny Isles is located on Sunny Isles Causeway, a central point not only for the millions of winter visitors, but for thousands of year-around residents as well. Oswego Campaign Aids "Sound Of Music" Date Phil Thome, manager of the Oswego The¬ atre, Oswego, N.Y., launched what may be considered a model advertising campaign for a special ran of “The Sound of Music” over the Christmas holidays. A standee was placed in the theatre’s lobby reading “Special Selec¬ tive Engagement” and giving the times for the complete ran. Over 500 letters were sent out, heralding the movie to professional people, industries, and teachers, and offering special group rates. On Tuesday, Dec. 20, the day before the picture opened for the engagement, radio WSGO cooperated by running a “Salute to the Sound of Music.” Station identification went “You are tuned in to your ‘Sound of Music’ station,” and 10 special programs were broad¬ cast featuring music from the motion picture’s soundtrack. Newspaper breaks, complete with information as to scheduling were obtained.