Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1942)

November 28, 1942 MANAGERS' ROUND TABLE 71 SHOWMEN PUSH SCRAP DRIVE (Continued from opposite page) the special scrap show were given for every 10 pounds of scrap. Of the 1,600 students in the school, 1,500 contributed. Members of the Kiwanis Club toured the streets as taxis to deposit the kids with their scrap at the school grounds. Louis was compelled to open the other theatre in town, the Hipp, to take care of the crowds. The feature was "Joe Smith, American," a most appropriate film, donated by Loew's for the occasion. The Kiwanis Club's committee realized $120 from the sale of the scrap. Some fine publicity was obtained by Louis in connection with this campaign, front-page mention being given by the Corbin Daily Tribune. All employees of the two theatres donated their services for the day and the Schine Circuit contributed all other expenses as well as furnishing the theatres gratis. 27 Indianapolis Theatres Hold Scrap Matinees Twenty-seven theatres in Indianapolis cooperated in the current salvage drive by holding special matinees at which free admission was granted to every person who brought scrap metal or rubber to the box office. The following theatres participated: Loew's, Circle, Indiana, Lyric, Ritz, Fountain Square, Howard, Belmont, Cinema, Dream, Garfield, Hamilton, Hollywood, Mecca, Oriental, Rex, Rivoli, St. Clair, State, Strand, Stratford, Tacoma, Talbott, Tuxedo, Uptown, Vogue and Zaring. Proceeds from the sale of the scrap realized at these special shows was turned over to various organizations engaged in furthering the war effort. Druker Holds Special Show A special scrap matinee, held by Maurice Druker, manager, at Loew's State, Memphis, brought in six and one-half tons of metal. The youngsters thronged the vicinity of the theatre long in advance of the show and crowded happily into the lobby and finally into their seats to see "Bambi." By James Qtltllen More than 10,000 lbs. of scrap was collected by Walter Hall at the Park theatre, Caldwell, N. J., in one day. Caldwell has a population of only 5,000. CAMPAIGNS ELIGIBLE FOR QUIGLEY WAR AWARD Competition for the five remaining Citations to be issued by Donald Nelson is now open and will close December 18th. Announcement of the winners of the second five Citations will be made in the issue of December 26th. All campaigns submitted for consideration for the special Citations by Donald Nelson are also eligible for the Quigley War Showmanship Award. Pickus Garners Legion Cannon in Scrap Drive Ten pounds of scrap metal or rubber was the requirement for admission to the Stratford theatre, Stratford, Conn., at a special matinee. Albert M. Pickus, manager of the house, reports that the campaign was announced two days in advance by announcement in the city's schools and that the result was 8,325 pounds of scrap, "which I think is pretty good for a 600-seat house in a small town," says Albert. As a result he plans to have a scrap matinee once a month. At the next one it was planned to have the American Legion donate the cannon that was used as a memorial in front of Legion Hall to the scrap drive. It will be presented after the Drum Corps, which, says Albert, "incidentally is one of the best Drum Corps in the country," parade with it through town. The cannon created quite a sensation in town as opposing factions of the Legion debated the wisdom of scrapping it. Some felt its sentimental value outweighed its worth if it were melted down and sent to Adolf Hitler. Others were impressed by the seriousness with which the townspeople took the scrap drive. "Whatever may be the explanation," said Legion Commander Draper in the local newspaper, "the fact is that we are going to donate it to the scrap drive being put on by the Stratford theatre in the near future. Manager Albert Pickus has done a swell job collecting scrap so far and we want to help him." Albert has done quite a job on War Activities in Stratford. He has been selling Bonds and Stamps since May and claims the biggest Bond sales in the state outside of the cities which staged Bond premieres — $51,000 in one month. The Stratford theatre has been used twice a week on days when there was no matinee show as an air raid warden school. The local Red Cross was in need of an ambulance, so Albert ran a midnight show at which the admission was $1.10 and the entire proceeds went to the Red Cross ambulance fund. The theatre has been in every campaign that was required, such as the U. S. O., Army and Navy Relief Fund, etc. 2,500 Attend Markle's Special Scrap Shows Ten pounds of scrap metal, two pounds of scrap rubber or 10 keys was the price of admission to a special scrap matinee at the Coolidge Corner and Brookline theatres, Brookline, Mass., by Jack Markle, manager. An audience of 2,500 persons responded and the result was a collection of eight tons of metal, 500 lbs. of rubber and 20,000 keys, all of which turned over to the local salvage committee. The money derived from the scrap was in turn donated to the Servicemen's Committee which supplies men in the armed forces with gifts and draftees with going away presents. Members of the Brookline Rotary Club assisted in the presentation of the scrap matinees. The show was thoroughly publicized in advance with stories and ads in the local weekly newspapers. Harris Requires Each Person to Bring Own Weight in Scrap Anyone who attends the special Monday evening scrap show at the Miami Drive-In theatre this month must bring in his own weight in scrap. Milt Harris, manager of the Drive-In, has made a tieup with the Railway Express Agency to place an official scale at the entrance to the theatre. A committee of Railway Express employees will guard the scale and weigh the scrap. Milt claims to be the first to have every patron bring his own weight in scrap. Piloski's Scrap Matinee Louis Pilosi of the Lincoln theatre, in Dupont, Pa., added a novel touch to his scrap matinee. In addition to admitting children to the show upon the presentation of ten pounds of scrap metal or five pounds of rubber, he also admitted those who purchased at least one dollar's worth of War Savings Stamps. Harry West, manager of the Greenville theatre, Greenville, Calif., collected 25,145 pounds of scrap from 217 school students. The photo shows a part of the collection in front of the theatre. Prizes were given to the students bringing the largest amount of scrap. Greenville's population, together with Taylorsville and Crescent Mills nearby, is a bit over 1,000.