Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1939)

58 MOTION PICTURE HERALD SHOWMEN'S LOBBY LAFFS This cartoon from the brush of Glenn Franke, Cheviot, O. Special "Elizabeth" Benefit Does the Trick for Nelson At the time of his booking for "Elizabeth and Essex", Glenn Nelson, Harris, Findlay. Ohio, ascertained there were two community fund-raising drives in session. Fearing that unless he acted immediately to insure good grosses for the date, the picture might suffer, Nelson looked about for a tiein in keeping with the character of the attraction and found it in a woman's club, seeking funds for their college scholarship fund. A fitting premiere was arranged with reserved seating, and the club women took over the selling job, contacting friends by phone, from door to door, at desks in banks and over the counter at stores. Through these activities, the newspaper publicity was more than the usual and this helped to build up the date for the general public. Glenn reports almost 1000 tickets sold by the women for the premiere which further aided the rest of the showing in topping previous grosses on Bette Davis pictures. SEASON'S GREETINGS Turner Ties "Set 'Em Up" To Bowling Alley Tourney Contacting his local bowling alley, Tom Turner at the Grand Theatre, in Grand Haven, Mich., for Pete Smith's "Set 'Em Up" staged a tournament with guest tickets going to the 10 highest single scores totaled for 10 days ahead of opening. Alley furnished pins and balls for display in their window and theatre lobby, Turner supplying the one-sheets and window cards. Alley paid for cost of ad in paper which was used in exchange for the guest tickets and Tom reports that entire cost of the stunt was for three one-sheets. Russ McKibbon Reports December Activities With a number of profitable tieins already executed during the first weeks of the month, Russ McKibbon, at the F P C Royal, in Guelph, Ontario, has completed arrangements to take care of the rest of the preChristmas period. Early in the month, Russ sold the theatre for one day to the Rotary for their crippled children's fund, followed that with a Boy Scout free toy matinee. To raise money for holiday street lighting and to supply presents to local children, the Board of Trade rented the house for a special midnight show. A two-day showing of the royal tour pictures, the British King and Queen in Canada, was put on as a benefit for the Red Cross. In addition, McKibbon is vigorously pressing the sale of the circuit's gift book tickets and expects to top his last year's totals. SEASON'S GREETINGS Kraska Stresses School Tieins For "Mill on the Floss" Date Comprehensive in every way was the campaign executed by George Kraska for the art-theatre showing of "Mill On the Floss" at the Fine Arts, Boston, special attention being given to prominent educators and schools. For this purpose, Kraska held a special invitation showing in advance and followed through by advising all schools and colleges of a special afternoon rate for groups of 25 or more. Book marks were distributed at the main library and branches. The publicity covered all dailies with much made of Geraldine Fitzgerald. Production settings and scene photos were also featured. Newspaper advertising and lobby handdrawn posters were in keeping with the picture's background. December 23, 1939 No Local Station, So Cox Uses Sound Truck for Program Although Dexter, Maine, does not boast of a local station, Bob Cox has devised a sidewalk interview idea broadcast via his sound truck to bring direct attention in the trade area to programs at the Park Theatre and to the leading merchants in his community. Starting in July and used on Saturdays, when the various towns are crowded with shoppers, Cox made a circuit of three or four spots within a 25 mile area putting on the program in each town and returning to Dexter to repeat locally before the last show began at his house. Arriving in the first situation about six o'clock, the truck would be driven around town as the program was announced to start in front of some central store where Cox had made advance arrangements. After the ballyhoo, the mike was set on the sidewalk and program put on as is usual in radio sidewalk broadcasts. Bob used cards containing questions on coming or past shows, stars, pertinent questions of the day, etc. Each card had a numerical value and person in the crowd picking the card and answering question correctly was entitled to that amount in trade from a Dexter merchant. Those answering wrong received theatre passes. To square the merchant whose store was used, plugs for his merchandise were inserted. Crowds Build Rapidly Programs in each town ran about 20 minutes, which allowed coverage in all spots selected. For the first few weeks, the stunt pulled average crowds but from then on Cox reports waiting audiences as large as 2500, built up on the plugging given the program the week before. Two Dexter merchants were tied in each week, each contributing five dollars in trade to be split up in the towns covered. There was no extra cost to the theatre outside of the Round Tabler's hard work and a bit of strain on the vocal chords, since he conducted the program. Positive returns were noted as most of the trade cards were redeemed and the passes used. Cox reports many new faces at the theatre. No newspaper or outside advertising was used, the crowd being drawn entirely by word-ofmouth. SEASON'S GREETINGS Novak Aids Government In Emergency Problem With a national emergency problem in the Province of B. C. due to the fruit growers being unable to sell their apple crop to Europe this fall, Bill Novak at the Capitol in Regina, Saskatchewan joined in the campaign to dispose of the fruit by proposing an apple packing demonstration on his stage. Cabinet ministers introduced the drive and enlisted the public's support to help the farmers, etc. In addition to gaining much good will from the both the apple distributors and government officials, Novak had donated about 5000 apples for distribution to patrons during the two day drive as a courtesy of the theatre and apple growers.