Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1945)

c r > \An international association of showmen meeting weekly in MOTION PICTURE HERALD for mutual aid and progress TESTER FRIEDMAN, Editor GERTRUDE MERRIAM, Associate Editor OP Summer Draws On The month of May is one of the most trying yet important months of the year to the theatre manager. Its warm, sunny days are a preview of the hot summer just ahead — difficult opposition when one considers the probable loss pf patronage of those who yield to the lure of the outdoors. May is also the month when theatremen must themselves fight off rhe normal susceptibility to spring fever lest they unconsciously slacken the promotional tempo. Likewise, May is a decisive month, in that the manager's ability ■o maintain patronage during these 31 days is usually rewarded with abundant patronage during the summer months. The showmen who realize the necessity for sustained promotional activity during May and act upon this theory are those who refuse ro compromise with the old bugaboo of so-called summer slumps. During May it is exploitation which the showman uses as his cue. *vnd dexterity in its manipulation keeps many theatres from going Dehind the eight-ball. AAA Dff the Record— Since Pearl Harbor, through voluntary participation in and pronotion of various drives in support of the war effort, the theatreTien of America have been contributing to one of the brightest :hapters in the history of the Motion Picture industry. It is a :hapter of which every member within the industry may wed be iroud. It would be unfortunate if records and performances which merit ecognition were omitted from this chapter. And those to whom ;uch honor is due should be the first to deplore such circumstance. The fact is that managers and exhibitors who are doing a errific job in the performance of these tasks have been faltering late in their obligation to report their activities to sectional publicity chairmen. As a result, there is considerably less reflected n the final national report than the factual effort expended. The situation is distressing. Harry Mandel, co-director of national publicity during the recent Red Cross Drive, writes: "Again, as in previous campaigns, only a comparatively few rheatre managers and publicists have, sent in activity reports. . . . The others, perhaps because they are extremely modest, have disregarded the requests in the press book and in the trade papers and have not sent in a thing. Even the pleas of the various committee chairmen have fallen upon deaf ears and have been totally ignored. "The Red Cross and the Motion Pictures' War Activities Com mittee really want this information and data for the books now being compiled for the records. "I am asking you to appeal to the showmen of the country . . . to send their reports, photos and tear-sheets to us as quickly as possible. It's not too late ... no campaign was too small or too big. ... I know from looking through out-of-town newspapers that many fine campaigns were conducted that were not officially reported." AAA The Friendly Showman We have just received a letter from Johnnie Hynes, manager of the Community theatre, Conde, South Dakota, along with a copy of the most recent issue of the Conde News. The front page scarehead proclaims: " 'Wilson' Coming to the Conde Theatre". Below it is a three-line, three-column head, a three-line, two-column subhead and an impressive story. The Mayor of Conde, who evidently writes a weekly column which also appears on page one, reports: "Conde should be proud of its movies; we now have shows equal to the larger cities and towns." And sixteen local merchants added their approval by purchasing almost a complete page of display advertising in which each gives personal endorsement to the film production. As Mr. Hynes writes, "The industry owes much to the fine cooperation of the press in the smaller towns." Also, we believe that the industry owes much to the skill and' personality of showmen like Mr. Hynes who are so responsible for the excellent relations between the theatre and the press. AAA Keep Out of the Draft The list of articles found in theatres includes all types of unusual1 objects from dental bridgework to the more intimate articles of women's wear. Last week, shortly after the Park theatre in Brooklyn had opened for the day's business, a pair of crutches was found standing near the break wall in the rear of the theatre. The shiny varnish finish and the newness of the rubber padding left no doubt that the crutches were new. To date no one has made inquiry about them. There were no servicemen in attendance; so there is considerable conjecture in the theatre staff as to whether or not the local draft board would be interested in the incident. —CHESTER FRIEDMAN MOTION PICTURE HERALD, APRIL 21, 1945 49