Motion Picture Herald (Apr-Jun 1933)

46 MOTION PICTURE HERALD June 3, 1933 HERMAN COHEN DID SPLENDID WORK ON ■BE MINE" CAMPAIGN Herman Cohen, manager, and Charles Leonard, publicity manager for the United Artists Theatre, San Francisco, gave "Be Mine Tonight" a campaign that had the whole city talking about the picture and whistling its songs ! Having implicit faith in the soundness of poster advertising, they covered the city with 120 24-sheets. Their newspaper campaign started a week in advance with small spot ads and built up to a smash three-columns by 13 inches announcement that was staggered through the day before opening to the first day after the opening. Special Italian, French, German, Swiss and Russian ads were carried in the foreign language newspapers. Complete radio coverage in the San Francisco area was secured through the co-operation of Luckey Wilber, Pacific Coast manager for Harms, Inc., publishers of "Tell Me Tonight," the hit song from the picture. This coverage included a plug over every radio station with a mention of the picture and the theatre. Many of the programs using the number were broadcast from popular hotel rooms adding materially to the value of the plugs. Music stores and music departments of large department stores in all parts of the city devoted large window and interior displays to the song. The feature window was in one of the Kress stores where a whole window was given over to a display of a three-sheet poster mounted and cut up into a jig saw puzzle. This poster was surrounded with displays of the song cover. Twenty pairs of guest tickets were offered passersby interested in solving the puzzle. The stunt attracted wide attention and hundreds of persons stopped to hand in their guess. To build up additional word of mouth advertising personal contacts were made with all local musical organizations, parentteacher associations, the Board of Education and women's clubs. CONVICT BALLY! Photo above shows convict and overseer phase of campaign waged in behalf of "Laughter in Hell" by Manager Simon Griever of the Adams Theatre, Detroit, Mich., assisted by Duke Hickey, Universal expioiteer. The man who impersonated the overseer was an expert whip-cracker and gave demonstrations of cutting paper and cigarettes from mouth. HENGER'S ''MUMMY" George Henger, manager of the WarnerMidwest Theatre, Oklahoma City, used the display pictured above as an advance announcement on "Mummy." It was placed in one corner of the inner lobby and attracted favorable comment. ALL THAT TALK ABOUT "SCRIP" GAVE SAUL L GOLDSTEIN GOOD IDEA The hard times and bank holiday gags which came into Club headquarters included one from Saul L. "Goldies" Goldstein, manager of the Ideal Theatre in Roxbury, Mass., in the form of the much talked about "scrip"— only it wasn't scrip at all. The color of the fake certificate will not permit reproduction so we'll place emphasis on the words which stood out in caps : "THIS preSCRIPtion IS a GOOD cure FOR your blues !" (numerals signifying $25 were on each upper end of certificate). More copy fohows : "In useful, attractive gifts given absolutely free to lucky patrons — men, women and children — every Saturday evening'' (dates). So you will perceive that the words above in caps apparently read: "This Scrip Is Good for $25," with the words in lower case taking out the sting. Goldstein advises us that the gag was an attention getter and wished to pass it along the line. Thanks to him. Give-Aways Popular Here! Thrown into the discard for several months. Gift Nights are again popular in Kansas City neighborhood houses, according to report. However, instead of costly articles such as motor cars, electric refrigerators, etc., current give-aways are being confined to sets of china and glassware, which are distributed piecemeal. Some houses are restricting the policy to jig-saw puzzles. In most cases the gifts are purchased from neighborhood merchants, thus gaining good will. JAKE ROSENTHAL IS STILL GAGGING HIS WAY THROUGH LIFE Always in a happy frame of mind, even though under the weather of late, Jake Rosenthal, manager of the Iowa Theatre, Waterloo, Iowa, continues to gag his way through life, and we don't mean the kind of gagging one goes to see a medico about. What Jake does is to include some little touch here and there, such as in newspaper ads and other mediums, which constantly keep the name of Rosenthal and Iowa before the public eye. For instance, during the recent "Bank Holiday'' he ran an ad with the following copy : "During the Bank Holiday or During Money Shortage we will accept diamonds, emeralds, other family jewels, automobiles ('32 and '33 models), farm mortgages, cows, turkeys and radio sets in lieu of admission to the Iowa Theatre. (P. S. We have utmost confidence in our country's future, the same as you should Always have confidence that you'll see the best show in town at the Iowa." Among his recent activities was a campaign on "20,000 Years in Sing Sing," in which he used street laborors dressed in striped suits and swinging picks. They carried Iowa Theatre copy on their backs. Next time we may be able to set forth details of a "Big Iowa Corn Show," which Jake is planning for a Saturday afternoon in the near future. He intends to let the farmers in to the "best show in town'' for a bushel of 10 cent corn and then turn it over to the Salvation Army to grind up for local needs. How would the Iowa look with a big pile of golden corn out in front, asks Jake? Lorence Now Independent! Herman Lorence, former manager of the Strand and Cataract Theatres, Niagara Falls, N. Y., and who recently took over motion picture houses in Youngsville and Albion, Pa., is actively engaged in learning how it feels to be an independent ownermanager. The Club will expect to hear from him just as soon as the throes of taking over operation of two theatres passes the first stage. RESEMBLANCE! Bette Davis, Warner star, was enlisted into service when the "42nd Street Special" arrived in New York. Richard M. Decker, major domo of Empire Ballroom, and a showman of long standing, effected a tie-up with the Strand Theatre whereby girls who believed they looked like the blonde star were invited to participate in a stunt judging the closest resemblance. A life-size cutout of the movie actress was used as model, while another cut-out, as the photo shows, with head removed, was the testing block for hopeful entrants. The stunt proved a natural for both theatre and ballroom.