Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Mar 1932)

January 2, 1932 MOTION PICTURE HERALD 57 ORGANIST WAS BUILT UP TO A BIG FEATURE BY MISS JEAN LA ROE Wherever the question of engaging an organist is under consideration these days, a slant on what is taking place at the Grand Theatre, Columbus, Ohio, should be of interest. The Grand is one of J. Real Neth's theatres, under the publicity supervision of Jean La Roe. Several weeks ago this theatre engaged a feature organist and ever since this event took place her name has consistently appeared in the daily newspapers. At least a third of space advertising the Grand carries her photo, caption and copy relating to her specialty. In addition, she has been consistently plugged through readers on the amusement and music pages, with the result that she is one of the leading attractions at this house. The above is related mainly to convey the impression that Miss Jean went out to sell this organist just as any good publicity man or woman would undertake to sell a picture or some other attraction. In one of the larger boxes in the amusement section of the paper, we note that this particular organist is working some kind of a stunt from her console with the aid of a microphone. We hope Miss La Roe will let the Club know more about it. FRED HAMLIN ILL! Fred Hamlin, well known showman of the West and regional director of publicity and manager of the circuit's northern Utah and southern Idaho theatres, is quite ill in the Dee Memorial Hospital, Ogden, Utah. SPECIALS FOR THE LATEST FALL PICTURE RELEASES Fill your seats with original box-office EXPLOITATION NOVELTIES Made for Every Picture Produced Including PATHE R-K-O UNIVERSAL M-G-M TIFFANY SONO-ART LOEWS UNITED ARTISTS FIRST NATIONAL and Many Others For further information and samples write to Box 501 MANAGERS ROUND TABLE CLUB 1790 Broadway New York, N. Y. NEWSPAPER JARGON FORMED IDEA USED BY A. CUNNINGHAM Newspaper terms and press-room language formed the idea for a recent stunt that secured a lot of free publicity on "Five Star Final" for A. Cunningham, manager of the Strand Theatre, Shreveport, La. One of the local papers sponsored the gag" and gave generous advance mention to the picture. Names of those who supplied the best definitions to the terms were published in the paper. Further publicity was obtained by sending invitations to journalism classes of a local school. Operation of a newspaper plant and the strange jargon that passes between newspaper employees during the issue of each edition, is interesting to the general public. Cunningham cashed in on the idea and he's passing it along to the rest of the gang. GEORGE CAMPAIGNED TWO CUPS AS AWARD TO SCHOOL ATHLETES At the conclusion of this year's football season, Douglas George, manager of the Columbus Theatre, Portsmouth, Ohio, pulled a stunt that acted as both builder of good will and as a smart business stroke. Early in the season George promoted two handsome cups to be awarded at the close of the season to the most valuable players on the high school elevens in the county. The campaign ran six weeks, occasioning a heap of discussion and much heated argument. This was all heightened by announcements placed on the school bulletin boards and by newspapers. The final awards were made at the Columbus Theatre, the mayor of Portsmouth making the presentation speech to the two winners. The theatre was jammed when the awards were made and there is no question that the theatre's part in the affair has made it solid with all the high school boys Too late to use George's cup stunt now, but it's a good one to tuck away in the file for next season, or perhaps adapt to some popular Winter sport in your town. Now that holiday activities have taken the limelight from football, we'll be awaiting word from Doug as to what he has done along that line. SMITH TO CHICAGO! Edward A. Smith has been appointed district manager of Chicago's South Side Thetres, including the Tivoli, Maryland, Tower, Regal and the New Southside. He was formerly city manager for Publix in Los Angeles, Cal. L. H. Dally will remain in charge of the downtown theatres. Vic Cauntlett's Ads! Elsewhere in this week's Club pages we are carrying an interesting short article from Vic Gauntlett on the question of Good and Bad Publicity. Here we offer a few samples of Vic's own efforts and creations of what we consider "good" advertising. Gauntlett, an advertising and publicity director of long experience has few equals in this chosen field. His many years of handling theatre publicity and advertising certainly qualifies him to be authority on this much discussed subject. But being a rather reticent gentleman, we are mighty well pleased when he finds the time to contribute to our section. These particular ads are of the "splurge" type. A smash campaign to back up an attraction warranting such treatment. And when Vic gets behind a picture, you can lay your last dollar that it will get every advertising break it deserves. If it dies it's certainly no fault of his. "Contrast" seems to be the theme of his ads reproduced here. Note the excellent division of white and black spaces. Note how the layout attracts the eye and makes it easy to read reg:ardless of how much or how_ little text he incorporates into his advertising. That's an achievement in any man's theatre and no question about the pulling power of such fine advertising. There are many ad men in the Northwest who find Gauntlett a good man to watch. His ads are always carefully inspected and many's the time they were used as models for other ad men to follow. Now, through the medium of the Club pages, other advertising theatre men will get the same opportunity of cashing in on the ideas and ability of one of the leaders in this field. In our forthcoming series on "Is Advertising and Exploitation Necessary," Vic Gauntlett is one of the contributors. We feel certain that you will want to read his views on that subject, too. Watch for it. fOK^AVENUE CRAWFORD Cluli CABLE ..inM.C.M.'(|ijiiieiiPIaT , PoMcncd' No. ULAFF TILL YOUR FUHMYMHE ■OUnS FOR HELP/.' WILL Rogers A LONESOME Queen and ft bor kins «ho wtinlcd lo be ILho Btbe Am b n^^^d o '^ood