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November 28, I 942
MOTION PICTURE HERALD
69
MANAGERS*
ROUND TABLE
zAn international association of showmen meeting weekly tn MOTION PICTURE HERALD for mutual aid and progress
BOB WILE, Editor GERTRUDE MERRIAM, Associate Editor
OP
Casless Drive-Ins
A new field for theatre exploitation was opened a few years ago with the inauguration of the first Drive-In theatres. Gasoline rationing, together with the shortage of tires and dimouts on the seaboard, have made the existence of some of them precarious.
Determined to save the day for the Miami Drive-In, Milt Harris, its manager, has done some interesting advertising. First of all, he suggested that an automobile wasn't necessary at all. Horse-and-buggy patrons were welcome and the clank of rings in hitching posts could almost be heard as Milt in advertising phrases disclosed that facilities were available for devotees of Dobbin.
Then Milt put some benches around the graded area and offered admission to patrons of several bus lines which passed near the Drive-ln. To cap these unusual offers, he was among the leaders, if not the very first, to include WAACS, WAVES and WAFS in the special category of "service men" entitled to reduced admissions.
In Praise of the Industry
The importance which the motion picture industry holds in the eyes of important personages in other fields, especially with regard to its war effort, has been brought home to us twice this week and so well expressed that we call the membership's attention to these two messages.
On the next page, Donald Nelson, head of the War Production Board, in his citations to showmen for their scrap campaigns, is quoted as saying: "The motion picture industry can be a very powerful influence in educating the American public on issues of vital importance to the War Production Board." The answer of America's showmen will inevitably be: "We can and we are, Mr. Nelson."
Another outstanding tribute to the industry came in a letter from Herbert Grey, advertising manager of the Medford (Ore.) Mail -Tribune, to Jack Matlack, whose outstanding campaign was cited by Mr. Nelson.
Mr. Grey says: "Through the years the Motion Picture Industry has achieved a high place in the life of this nation for willing and effective public service. Whenever the cause is worthy, the producers, distributors and exhibitors of motion
pictures have generously extended their energies and their facilities.
"This policy is deserving of even greater recognition in wartime. Because of the contributions of your industry to America's war effort, you are building solid public goodwill while hastening the 'ultimate triumph' of this nation.
"We were, of course, happy to join with your theatre in the recently completed scrap campaign here. We would have done so even if the campaign had not been sponsored nationally by your industry and the newspapers of America, as this newspaper has been glad to participate with you and your associates in numerous efforts of similar nature.
"The scrap clean-up, however, is especially vital at this moment. Because of this fact, your very fine 'scrap matinee' promotion was most commendable. May we congratulate you upon this successful campaign and assure you of our pleasure in being identified with it."
This letter is not only a compliment to the entire industry but it most assuredly is a compliment to Mr. Matlack.
Among the products of which there is a war-created shortage is chicle, essential to the manufacture of chewing gum. Just as in the case of coffee and sugar, it isn't the material itself which is unavailable, it's the lack of transportation which has created a shortage.
The theatre manager may well be gleeful over the shortage — but not for long. For there is also a growing scarcity of the chemicals used to remove chewing gum. In the interests of efficient housekeeping in the theatre we can only express the hope that the gum gives out one day before the remover.
* * *
The tendency of some theatres to step up their advertising budget is a heartening sign. For example, Tom di Lorenzo, manager of the New Paltz theatre, New Paltz, N. Y., a 400 seat house in a town of less than 2,000 people without a war industry, says: "Recently we have experimented with the idea of spreading out on advertising. We used to spend $22.00 per week on advertising, with $2.50 in a weekly newspaper. Beginning last August we stepped up the advertising, and particularly in the weekly newspaper, and we have seen results. The response from the readers of this newspaper has more than justified the expense, and we feel that we got all our money back many times. To be truly effective, we are staggering the newspaper advertising so that every two or three weeks we
will run a biq ad with plenty of illustrations."
y —BOB WILE