Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1947)

Fearless Woman Attends Private Horror Preview A publicity stunt which involved a search for a woman to view "The Beast With Five Fingers" alone at midnight was utilized to the fullest for the playdate of the picture at the Palace theatre, South Norwalk, Conn. Arranged by manager Murray Howard, the promotion attracted citywide interest. Howard started the ball rolling by advertising in the Norwalk Hour several days for a woman courageous enough to sit alone in the dark and watch the horror picture unfold. More than a dozen women volunteered for the experiment and a young lady who said her heart was strong enough to meet the test was chosen. The day of the special screening, Howard ran a special ad to further exploit the event. Alongside a clutching hand, copy read : "To-nite at 12 midnight this hand will crawl on the screen exclusively for (name and address of person) and when the lights go up — if she is still there a crisp $10 bill is her reward. I'll tell you in tomorrow's ad what she says as she hurries on her way out." The following day's ad carried quotes by the lone spectator, describing her experience. In addition a story of the event was carried in the news section of the paper. The Hour also had a story of the publicity stunt prior to the midnight screening. The campaign resulted in the setting of a new Sunday attendance record. Uses Radio Month Ahead for Javor Personal Appearance Manager E. F. Kistner started his campaign four weeks in advance with spot radio announcements to exploit the personal appearance of Paul Javor, Hungarian actor, at the Forsythe theatre, East Chicago, Ind. The announcements were made ever}' day up to and including opening day. Two weeks in advance a display was set up in the lobby consisting of tear-sheets from the New York Times and stills supplied by Javor's manager. 2,000 small size window cards were planted in East Chicago and adjacent towns. 3,000 heralds were distributed. The December and January issues of Musical Ballyhoo, Teen-Agers Exploit Three Girls in Blue1 The combined cooperation of the local teen-age club, merchants, radio stations, newspapers and civic authorities resulted in a highly effective campaign for the opening of "Three Little Girls in Blue" at the Miller theatre, Augusta, Ga. The campaign was arranged by manager P. E. McCoy. The teen-age club conducted a contest among members, starting two weeks before opening, to select a trio that could sing and represent the trio of stars appearing in the picture. The three girls selected, dressed in blue, toured the city singing popular tunes from the picture. They appeared on 15 radio shows, visited ill night spots, restaurants, hotels, stores, schools and other places of interest as guest entertainers. The radio shows included the "Talk of the Town" program over WRDW, "Colonial Showboat Hour" over WRDW, four one-quarter hour programs arranged by Royal Crown Cola over WGAC, and two teen-age programs over WBBQ. The trio appeared on special programs at the Sheraton Bon-Air Hotel through the courtesy of the management. Each program was broadcast over WRDW. The girls visited the hotel during the dinner hour each day, giving away candy kisses in the dining rooms. The girls also gave away candy kisses on their visits to stores, schools, etc. A special stage was erected on the street in front of the theatre, where the trio sang tunes from the picture. The ballyhoo was broadcast over WRDW and WGAC each afternoon. A master of ceremonies was on hand to publicize the playdate. A bannered truck supplied by Royal Crown Cola carried the girls on a "hayride" through the city's streets. Royal Crown also arranged for a broadcast from the truck over WGAC. J. B. White's department store ran beauty salon cooperative newspaper ads and a co-op tie-in ad on their music department. Both the Chronicle and the Herald broke with eight-column streamer stories three days in advance. Pastel colored setpieces and streamers were set up well in advance. Magyar Mozi, Hungarian language film magazine, carried stories on the personal appearance of Javor at the Forsythe. The actor and party were guests at an official reception in the East Chicago City Hall two days before opening. Novel Twin Baby Contest Promotes "Irish Rose" A twin-baby promotion drew considerable attention to the engagement of "Abie's Irish Rose" at the United Artist theatre, San Francisco, Cal. Manager Kenneth Means offered a $50 savings bond to each of the first twins born after the opening of the picture. Telephone calls were made to all hospitals in order that the birth of the prizewinning twins could be recorded accurately. Harry Smith, columnist of the San Francisco Chronicle, publicized the novel promotion a week in advance. Promotes Two Bicycles for Valentine Day Giveaway Manager Roy Peffley started his campaign three weeks in advance for a Valentine Day giveaway promotion at the Voge theatre, East Chicago, Ind. Two bicycles were promoted from merchants for the giveaway. 25,000 numbered coupons were passed out at the theatre and by merchants. 3,000 special throwaways were used. The bicycles were put on display in the lobby three weeks before opening. Ties In with Brotherhood Week Manager Sydney J. Poppay garnered considerable goodwill for the Majestic, Gettysburg, Pa., by offering the use of the theatre for the annual Brotherhood Week program. . • BECAUSE OF ITS fy+tifrvun, Pap, Goton 2uovULf, Smart Showmen Will Wait For CRETORS Corn Popping Machines Est. 1885 58 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, MARCH I, 1947