Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1932)

December 17, 1932 ROUND TABLE CLUB 57 ACROSS THE CITY DESK! Here's a Real Timely Article Picked Up from RKO's "Now"; Do You Fit Either Description? i by A City Editor FRANK BOUCHER BUSY PUTTING OVER SHOWS DOWN IN WINCHESTER Every time we look over data concerning the activities of Frank Boucher, manager of the Capitol Theatre, Winchester, Va., we wonder how he finds the time to enter into so many schemes for boosting theatre patronage in the conventional 18-hour day's routine. Looks as though he must take catnaps in his office instead of using the other six hours for sleep. Opened With a Bang! Among a lot of other things here's a big campaign on opening of Greater Show Season, which ran for four weeks and was one of the largest ever put over in his town. It included a four-page special section in a newspaper and distribution of same in all outlying sections ; promotion of 100 inches of free space in section, with total cost of section, including front page, at $25 ; posting of 200 window cards and 200 one-sheets ; endorsements in an editorial and from city officials; special art pieces in lobby; front attractively decorated ; free flowers for lobby ; banners on trucks through town one week in advance ; special program by organist ; phone calls to every home in town ; careful distribution of week's program ; special trailers, and lighting of 24 large railroad flares on opening night. The local newspapers generously supported the occasion with news stories, readers, etc. When he glanced over the continuity sheet on the McNamee-Capitol newsreel No. 84 and noted that scenes from the famous Red Cross shoe factory were included, he immediately contacted the local dealer in the shoes and arranged for a tie-up which resulted in a cooperative ad in the newspaper. The dealer was also tied-in for a giveaway of the shoes to theatre patrons. When he found out that Victor McLaglen and Edmund Lowe, so-featured in "Guilty As Hell," wore $17.50 suits of clothes while working in the production, he tied-up with a local dealer in reasonably priced clothing to prove to one and all that a good suit could be bought these days for a small outlay of cash. In addition, the clothier arranged for wide distribution of an attractive herald which carried photos of the two stars and gave generous mention to the theatre, attraction and playdates. Giant Herald Good Gag! We also have here before our eyes, gentlemen, a copy of the largest herald put out, perhaps, for the largest show ever held in Winchester. It's a whopper, all right, and carries the large photo of So-And-So and His Orchestra in the center. Other copy discloses that the Girls' Athletic Association presented their Mock Wedding ; that a stage personality appeared in a special request program, and that a special program of modern music was rendered by the orchestra. The heralds were promoted without cost to the theatre except an outlay of $9.50 for printing, which included 50 free window cards. Citizens of Winchester inclined to test their expenses in the art of opening safes were given an opportunity to do so when "Jewel Robbery" played the Capitol, according to a story in a local newspaper. The safe was very easy to open, so the story ran, %s there were only four numerals in the com THEATRE managers? From my point of observation there are two kinds. One type is a considerable pain in the neck. The other is going to find a welcome in my city room. How do I draw the line? I'll answer that, too. The pain in the neck is the manager who is too lazy to study his patrons and his city — and tries to "plant" asinine, uninteresting "plugs" in my paper through friendship or the broadcasting of ducats. The guy who finds a welcome is the manager who knows his city well enough to realize the element of NEWS when it slaps him in the face — and hands me that type of bination to the small iron safe placed in the theatre lobby, the first of which was 20. All any man, woman or child had to do in order to obtain a pair of guest tickets was to exercise their skill in determining the remaining numerals. We have several snap-shots showing various other activities around the Capitol but only one of them, owing to shade and lack of sharpness, is clear enough to reproduce. This deals with "Down to Earth" and we think everyone will agree that it was a good looking display. Another shows a front made for "Horsefeathers," which featured large caricature posters atop the marquee and a view of a student band playing in front of the theatre. Now do you all agree with us that Frank Boucker is a busy showman? As a matter of fact we could go on and on, offering additional proof that he must be on mighty good terms with his newspaper friends down in Winchester, according to this and that news item and reader here and there in various tear sheets. So we'll sign off for this time and look forward to receipt of another batch of material on this Round Tabler's interesting activities. copy. He's the fellow who gets a break with me. Here's a bit of advice that you can pass along to the managers of your circuit. If they're wise, if they want to get the benefit of publicity in the news columns of newspapers, let them realize that the editor is trying to satisfy HIS public just as certainly as the theatre manager is trying to satisfy HIS patrons. It Must Be "News"! I wouldn't go to a theatre manager and ask him to sell my newspaper from his stage. At least, I wouldn't ask it unless I tied it up in some way which would give to his patrons entertainment, the commodity they paid for when they entered his theatre. In return, I don't want a manager to hand me a story (and expect me to run it) unless it has in it the thing I am selling to the public. And the thing I'm selling is NEWS. I can't realize how so many managers pass up opportunities for legitimate publicity— the kind an editor would be glad to print. The stuff is there, in virtually every show, every film, every campaign, if the manager utilizes it. But he can't utilize it unless he knows his city, his people and develops the NEWS sense. Men sitting behind city desks, whether in New York or Ong's Hat, are interested primarily in one thing — giving their readers the stories about why some star wears a riding habit in a bathing pool. But they are interested (and their readers will be entertained) in a story linking a current attraction with some LOCAL event or movement by a story which reads like a news story and does not carry the press agent brand in every phrase. Cut the Superlatives! And superlatives are "out" when I handle theatre copy. I've seen too many thousands of yarns about "Greatest pictures ever made and the most astonishing stage show ever presented." My readers don't believe such fairy tales — and I'm not going to ask them to. In my belief, a sane story, logically written and put together without bombast gets the attention of newspaper readers and sells them an idea. In these days, I don't think Barnum would be 100% right. I'm open-minded on theatre publicity and I think the majority of editors feel as I do. I'm ready to give a manager or a press agent a break — if he'll remember and respect the purpose of MY job. I'm sitting in this chair, trying in my humble way to give the readers of my paper the thing for which they pay their pennies. That thing is NEWS — and, Mister, you can put that word in bold face caps, for it's one thing which influences a story in this paper. (Note: The sub-beads are ours. — Ed.)