Motion Picture Herald (May-Jun 1946)

Street Ballyhoo Sells "Abilene'' In New Haven Two cowboys, a cowgirl, a chuck wagon and three horses were promoted by manager WilHam Brown from a local ranch and used for a novel and highly effective street ballyhoo to exploit "Abilene Town" at the PoliBijou theatre, New Haven, Conn. The tieup was made with the HM Ranch of East Haven. Brown arranged a tieup with the Eli Skating Club whereby the picture was plugged on the club's public address system. Special prizes were given for handicap races. A western song quiz contest was conducted over radio station WNHC a week in advance. Guest tickets were awarded to participants correctly answering the questions. Several window and counter tieups were arranged. The window displays included United-Whelan Stores, Shartenberg's, Louis Army and Navy store, Bond's Clothes and the David Dean Smith Radio shops. Counter displays were had at the Music Corner, Kirby's Jewelry store and Shartenberg's. A lobby display was placed in the New Haven Public Library. 1,500 bookmarks imprinted with playdate copy were used by the Library and six branches. 50 window cards were distributed in all sections of the city. Harvey Arranges Extensive Campaign for "Utopia" Extensive press publicity, cooperative newspaper display ads, radio announcements and a quiz contest were promoted by manager Robert Harvey to exploit "Road to Utopia" at the Broadway theatre, Timmins, Ont., Can. Contestants for the quiz, on the stage, were the Canadian Young People's Club members. Harvey garnered a good deal of publicity from a full page co-op ad in the Daily Press, paid for by 14 merchants. Another co-op ad arranged with C. A. Remus Jewelry store featured a lOj^ inch photo of Dorothy Lamour. Window tieups, cards on juke boxes and in restaurants, plus arrows on the main street imprinted with playdate copy, augmented the campaign. Screening Publicizes "Steel" A special screening for steel executives was arranged by manager Frank Bradley on the short subject "Steel" at the Regent theatre, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England. The event was well publicized in the press of Sheffield, Britain's steel center. FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILMS FRENCH. ITALIAN. SPANISH, ETC. Current Release DILEMMA OF A VACUUM CLEANER SALESMAN Jim McCarthy of Warner's Strand, Hartford, Conn., instilled the idea that "Little Giant" is a screen story of a vacuum cleaner's activities into the minds of local newspaper readers, by planting the following item on an amusement page: "TWICE TOLD TALES — Going the rounds these days is the story of the vacuum cleaner salesman who, despite protests of the lady of the household, gained admittance and at once spread his cleaner attachments before her in a neat display. Then he rounded up wastebaskets and sodden ashes from the fireplace and tossed the mass on the floor, grinding it in with his heel. "He calmed the astonished woman's fears by telling her the vacuum cleaner would clean it up without leaving a trace. But, without another word, the prospect went to the kitchen and returned with a shotgun. " 'What's that for?' cried the uneasy salesman. " 'No electricity,' was the laconic reply." Mills Promotes Railway Tieup on Short Subject Arnold Mills, manager of the Newsreel theatre, Portland, Ore., lined up the five biggest railroad lines operating into that city to help exploit the two-reel Technicolor short, "All Aboard." The lines included Union Pacific, Northern Pacific, Great Northern, Southern Pacific, and Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific. The railway executives put displays on their downtown ticket offices and 7,500 printed slips announcing the picture's engagement were distributed with pay-checks to company employees. Follow-up letters were sent to all officials urging cooperation by permitting the theatre to use the employees' bulletin boards for reminder copy. The railroad unions were notified and they responded with announcements at union meetings, as well as cards on their bulletin boards. Tht Ftrtt New Pmeh Musical Sine* the War HOFFBERG PRODUCTIONS, Inc. 620 Ninth Ave., New York 18 Morales Plants Newspaper Stories in Havana An avalanche of stories and art was planted in newspapers and magazines by manager Rafael Morales to exploit the playdate of "Kiss and Tell" at the Encanto theatre, Havana, Cuba. To augment the press campaign, Morales arranged an attractive lobby display and promoted several window and counter tieups. Buffalo Trucks^ Cabs and Buses Sell "Devotion'' "Devotion" received thorough exploitation via Buffalo's transportation facilities during its engagement at Shea's Buffalo theatre, by Charles B. Taylor, publicity manager. The campaign included 100 taxi bumper strips, 75 delivery truck bumper strips, 125 bus cards on Greyhound Bus Lines, and card displays in various terminals. Other promotional activities included distribution of book marks in all Buffalo public libraries ; spotting of 75 newsstand cards, 60 frame cards for hotels, drug stores and other good locations ; 7,500 printed bags for Beck's shoe store, 2,500 printed coasters for leading cafes, 150 cards for barber and beauty shops, 150 cards for the Rector News Trucks carrying Red Book story, and more than a dozen window displays. Whelan Gets Utility Tieup In the advance campaign on "One More Tomorrow" at the RKO Orpheum theatre, Minneapolis, a tieup was made by manager Bob Whelan with the Minneapolis Gas & Light Company, Servel distributors, to mail out 60,000 card inserts to customers calling attention to the picture's playdate. The cards, sent out with gas and electric bills, carried a still of Jane Wyman, with the line, "Goodbye, noise and trouble. We're changing to a Servel !" Other picture and theatre credits also were included. Waitress Contest Exploits Date on "Harvey Girls" A contest for the most popular waitress in town gave impetus to manager Arthur Turner's campaign on "The Harvey Girls" at the Parsons theatre. Parsons, Kan. Several cafes participated in the contest, with customers voting at the cafes. The winner received a six-month pass to the Parsons. Turner also arranged a window tieup, featuring the waitress costume worn by Judy Garland in the picture, with Lanbert-DuffyMalone, leading dress shop. Runs Ad in Classified Section For "Stork Club," manager A. Fred Serrao ran a teaser ad in the classified section of the local newspaper for two days to exploit the picture at the Kent theatre, Arnold, Pa. FILM AC K TRAILER CO. c"cVoo"f^r 66 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JUNE 15, 1946