Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1946)

Promotion Theme On "Love You" Is Harmony Two highly geared contests highlighted manager Johnson Musselman's engagement on "I've Always Loved You"*at the Rialto theatre, Louisville, Ky. A Rubinstein Piano Playing Contest tied-in with the pianist's recording of the picture score. It was held at the University of Louisville for advanced students. The competition had the full support of the MacDowall Music Study Club of Louisville and Dean Dwight Anderson of the University. A contest worked in conjunction with the Louisville Courier-Journal invited submission of five rules for a perfect marriage. A Circuit Court judge and two prominent Louisville women selected the winning entries. The contest garnered excellent space and aroused widespread general interest. United States savings bonds were awarded to winners of both competitions. A special screening was held for music teachers from the university and the city. Members of the MacDowall Club also attended. Sheet music of the song hit, "Full Moon and Empty Arms," a popular version of the Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 2, featured in the picture, was highlighted in window displays in McCrory, Newberry, Silver, W. T. Grant and Kresge. Woolworth's Distributes Heralds for "Mr. Ace" Through a tieup with Woolworth's, 10,000 lettered heralds were passed out to customers at two of the company's stores to exploit the playdate on "Mr. Ace" at the Aldine theatre, Wilmington, Del. The campaign was arranged by manager Edgar J. Doob and assistant manager Robert E. Diem. A cooperative newspaper ad was promoted from the Ellis Sisters Beauty Salon. Man-on-the-street broadcasts were held in front of the theatre for four days, with passers-by being asked "Do You Think Women Make as Good Executives as Men ?" GIFT BOOKS . (Continued from page 67) six-week period to promote the sale of gift books. Here, as with the Famous Players Canadian employees, theatre staffs receive 10% commission on sales. District prizes in the form of cash and merchandise are offered to personnel achieving the highest individual sales records. Manuals on selling procedure are distributed to circuit men, offering suggestions which provide the theatre managers with "heavy ammunition" for increased sales. The Schine circuit, with headquarters in Gloversville, N. Y., and with theatres in five cities, has also gone in for Yuletide ticket selling, with good results. The Schine theatres use decorative foldover gift ticket measuring three inches by five. The cover carries circuit identification, and space is provided for insertion of the names of donor and recipient. Single tickets are available as well as special folders for those who desire to give the tickets in quantity. In Texas, the Interstate circuit in past years found that by offering special discounts to group purchasers, the sale of Christmas theatre gift books was greatly stimulated. A prepared manual assists the Interstate showman in his selling and exploitation campaign. The Wesmas theatres in New England introduced a Christmas gift book promotion a few years ago which was called "Movie Checks." Sales clubs were assigned to each theatre, and theatre personnel received bonuses for individual sales effort. The Wesmas theatres, in addition to concentrating strong attention upon individual sales to patrons, placed special stress on selling tickets to organizations, mercantile establishments, factories, etc. Trailers, lobby displays and newspaper ads were used to Pete Egan of the Palace theatre, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, used both ends of his marquee starting 20 days before Christmas and changing the numerals daily up until Christmas Day. SUPER SALESMAN Dennis Murphy, the ace Christmas ticket salesman of the Famous Players Canadian circuit's Capitol theatre in Halifax, N. S.( spends from 9:00 to jjjMPjw_ 1 2:00 every morning &jMgg|j|P&« promoting the sale i jp««w«sw^jk Qj Xmas Gift Books. To assist him in the %l£2l InBlffli proper presentation of the many advan# tages of the Gift Books, he prepared Jjk?: yg&JL . a looseleaf folder. ^^^^jSrjHk Aside from its obj . , ; vious value to make mm , the display of Books quick and easy, he Dennis Murphy finds that it has a peculiar asset. The presentation to the prospect of the Gift Book display in a j leatherbound, looseleaf folder creates a much more favorable impression than the ordinary method of pulling loose Gift Books out of one's pocket. It makes the salesman look very much more bonafide and it makes the merchandise look more impressive. Last year Murphy sold close to $5,000 worth himself. He even had the cigarette girl at the Lord Nelson Hotel working for him. They arranged to split the commission. She was very happy about the whole thing and found it profitable. inform the general public that the tickets were available at theatres at all hours. The Century circuit, with theatres in Brooklyn and Long Island, offer Gift Books for sale the year around. The books contain tickets valued at $3.00. No discount is allowed unless the group or organization desires to buy them in large quantities. They are good at any Century theatre. Special effort to promote the sale of these gift books centers around the Christmas season, but on special occasions such as Mother's Day, Father's Day, etc., trailers, newsettes and lobby advertising are employed to promote extra sales. Some of the Century managers have been extremely successful in the sale of gift books to organizations. One recent instance is Frank Sheerin, manager of the Lynbrook theatre, Lynbrook, L. I., who sold 54 books to the local Board of Trade which, in turn, used the books as prizes to citizens in connection with the dedication of a municipal parking lot, with free books going to local car parkers during the first week. Similar promotions have been worked out with local merchants. Murray Greene, manager of the Albemarle theatre in Brooklyn, recently used a football guessing contest, awarding gift books as prizes to patrons guessing the scores of important football games. A local merchant sponsored the contest and paid for the cost of the prizes. Individual patrons are sold on the idea that gift books make an ideal gift to anyone at any time and look upon them as an easy way to solve gift shopping problems. 70 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, NOVEMBER 23. 1946