Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Aug 1936)

19 3 6 MOTION PICTURE HERALD 79 sr MOTION To •v' PICTURE \vHit KAt.0 i|m : ■ MANAGERS' ROUND TABLE CLUB zAn international association of showmen meeting weekly in MOTION PICTURE HERALD for mutual aid and progress op THE EVIDENCE ACCUMULATES The lasting value of any project depends in the final analysis upon what good it actually accomplishes and what real benefits it bestows. Much has been reported in these pages of progress made with the aid of the Quigley Awards by theatremen voted these honors in the first two years of the Competition. And now with the Awards entering upon the last half of their third year, this is a good spot to pause and consider if the Quigley project continues in 1936 to do what it set out to do originally — bring the efforts of the able theatreman more forcefully to the attention of his superiors; advance the fortunes of the man in the field, break ground for avenues of showmanship hitherlo closed. Through the following recent communications, let readers for themselves judge: From W. Clyde Smith, to whom warm congratulations are most in order on his elevation from the post of manager of the Paramount Theatre, Hot Springs, Ark. Writes Clyde: "For your information I have just recently received appointment as City Manager of Malco Theatres in Hot Springs, which includes the Paramount, Central, Spa and Roxy Theatres. 1 give much of the credit for this promotion to Quigley Awards Honorable Mention and other Round Table Club activities." And then there is Louie Charninsky, able Round Tabler and consistent contributor who in addition to his duties as skipper of the Capitol, Dallas, Tex., has been designed as manager of the New Rialto Theatre, another interstate Circuit Dallas unit. Writes Louie: "The promotion I received resulted from the publicity given my campaigns in the Managers' Round Table and the Quigley Awards. I am grateful to you all and Motion Picture Herald." Presentation of Quigley Plaques by Governors, national legislators, Mayors and other civic heads have from the beginning been a part of the honors gained by theatremen. And with few exceptions, enthusiastic cooperation has been given by the winners' superiors to make possible the participation of Big Names in the Award ceremonies. For this reason is cited the most recent presentation, detailed on a following page, of the Quigley May Silver Plaque to R. V. Waterson, wherein the ceremony was followed by a banquet in Waterson's honor, arranged by his chief, Alex Manta, Illinois-Indiana Theatres Circuit president. Says Waterson: "The banquet was provided by the boss and it goes without saying the occasion marked the highest point in the writer's brief history in the business of motion picture exhibition." In Shawnee, Okla., according to publicist D. W. Warner, there has always been a strained relation between the local paper and the Bison Theatre, that is, until Warner began his campaign on "Exclusive Story" for Quigley Awards consideration. A determined attack on the editor finally brought results and the long-sought for newspaper cooperation was obtained. Writes Warner: "1 would like to say here that all the time, effort and money spent on this campaign was more than justified in breaking down the newspaper resistance and opposition that has existed between the newspaper and the theatre. We have the Quigley contest to thank for this." Thus evidence from the field accumulates to offer definite proof of the strong backing the Quigley Awards continue to give to the theatreman's cause. The high percentage of new names that appear on the honor list each month is further indication that the direct benefits to be obtained from participation in the Competitions is being brought home to an ever widening circle of theatremen interested in getting ahead. V V V MUST LEAD TO THE BOXOFFICE Many's the crime that has been and for that matter is being committed by showmen under the misused label of institutional publicity. Managers backed into a deal or tiein that leaves them holding the bag often alibi the error by charging off losses to institutional or goodwill advertising and hope that the boss leaves it go at that. Any flat statement that this form of advertising is wasteful is of course ridiculous. But unless such tieins lead by one path or another to the boxoffice they rarely are worth the effort put behind them. One of the most profitable instances of this hookin to the ticket-window and a sterling example of the 100 per cent value of such advertising is Walter Wilson's Rose Growing campaign described in this issue; an idea that not only is bringing Dominion-wide fame to Edmonton, Canada, but also returns the fattest of dividends to the theatre. Wise showmen will immediately accept Wilson's kind invitation to supply the details of this institutional tiein that builds up grosses all during the year.