Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1947)

Pioneer Contest Heralds Opening Of "Grass" 4 *•<■•" mm i *1 aHHl * THIS ROAD lUuf** \ Sea of Crass WORLD PREMIFRL 5ry;r ffB2r A search for Nebraska's "Pioneer of the Prairies" highlighted the extensive campaign arranged for the world premiere of "Sea of Grass" at the Stuart theatre, Lincoln, Nebr. Manager Ted Butterfield conducted the campaign with assistance from managers John Schaflutzel of the Lincoln, Bob Buchman of the Capitol, assistant manager Charles Kroll of the Stuart and MGM exploiteer Gene Rich. The search was sponsored by the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce and by two newspapers, the Lincoln and Star. The contest ran five days and resulted in 177 entries. The search was for the person living the longest number of years in the state. Governor Val Peterson of Nebraska presented a Spencer Tracy, star of the picture, trophy and $100 to the winner on premiere night. Another search was conducted among University of Nebraska students for the boy and girl most closely resembling Tracy and Katharine Hepburn to substitute for the stars on opening night. A five-day contest was promoted over radio station KFOR. Contestants were required to visit 16 Lincoln stores and determine from stills on display, the pictures in which the four stars of "Sea of Grass" had previously appeared. Letters were placed in all packages leaving Gold's Department store. 5,000 bookmarks were used in prominent spots in department store book sections, public libraries and other stores. 100 directional arrows were used on street light poles in the downtown area. 100 window cards also were planted. Window Tieup Helps "Pilgrim" Through a tieup with the local Remington Rand main office and store, two windows were obtained three weeks in advance to advertise "The Shocking Miss Pilgrim" playdate at the Poli theatre, Hartford, Conn. The tieup helped manager Lou Cohen and assistant manager Sam Horwitz to sell a block of tickets to the organization. FRIDAY NIGHT IS "DATE NIGHT" A weekly "Date Night" promotion recently started by manager Louis Nye has drawn considerable extra business to the Hoosier theatre, Whiting, Ind. Each Friday night, a numbered coupon is handed out to each couple attending the show, and subsequently a drawing is held on the stage. The lucky girl and her escort are invited to the stage where the girl is presented with an orchid corsage and has her picture taken. The photo is then kept on display in the lobby for a week with the heading: "This girl is Honor Queen for one week." The girl receives the photo after it is taken off display. Promotes Golden Gloves Tieup A tieup with the Golden Gloves championships in Cincinnati drew considerable attention to the playdate of "Dead Reckoning" at the Grand theatre there. The campaign was arranged by manager Walter Ahrens and RKO publicist Nathan Wise. The night of the Gloves finals, Mayor Stewart presented the "Humphrey Bogart Boxing Trophy" to Earl Butler, chairman of the Cincinnati AAU boxing committee. Bogart is the star of the picture. Spectators in the jammed arena heard the mayor's presentation speech, which included many plugs for the picture. Records of "Either It's Love or It Isn't," hit tune from the picture, were distributed to all radio disc jockeys through agreements with Columbia Records and Decca. The records were used daily by the disc jockeys, with playdate mention in all instances. Bill Dawes of WCKY and Paul Dixon of WCPO ran contests with listeners required to write a letter of 25 words of less containing their definition of love. Records of the hit tune from the picture were awarded as prizes. Arranges Maggie and Jiggs Tieup for "Father" A nice tieup was arranged by manager Tom Wolf to promote "Bringing Up Father" at the State theatre, Bellevue, Ohio. The tieup was with the Isaly store, a combination ice cream parlor and restaurant. A display was used in the store window in the center of which was a sign reading : "Isaly's and the State theatre present two grand treats. 1. Maggie and Jiggs Sundaes, two dips of ice cream topped with raspberry and marshmallow, etc., etc. 2. 'Bringing Up Father', Maggie and Jiggs own movie, at the, etc." The tieup also was publicized inside the store. Original Gowns Put on Display For "Sinbad" Two of the original gowns worn by Maureen O'Hara in "Sinbad the Sailor" were used to exploit the picture at the Albee theatre in Providence, R. I. RKO publicist Bill Morton conducted the campaign for the theatre. When the gowns arrived in Providence they were rushed to the Rhode Island School of Design, where they were shown to students in classes of costume design. The promotion resulted in a four-column cut in the Providence Evening Bulletin. Madeleine Corey, fashion editor, who visited the studios while the picture was being filmed, described the designer's work in her newspaper column. Following the demonstration at the School of Design, the gowns were displayed in the main windows of the Outlet Store, largest department store. The gowns were on display for about 10 days and then were worn at a fashion show in the ballroom of the Narragansett Hotel. Arrangements were made with five downtown restaurants to carry theatre copy on the bottom of menus. More than 500 street cars and busses carried car cards. Window tieups were arranged with Liggett's, Tilden and Thurber's Jewelry Store and a leading downtown market. Novelty Heralds Aid Playdates Novelty heralds were used by manager Roy Peffley for his playdate of "Strange Love of Martha Ivers" and "Nobody Lives Forever" at the Voge theatre, East Chicago, Ind. UNIFORMS IMMEDIATE DELIVERY! USHER — USHERETTE CASHIER UNIFORMS Styled in Hollywood by our uniform division. BANNERS MARQUEE VALANCES — FLAGS — BANNERS made to your own copy specifications. Fast service. Write for our special Presentation of Spring Drive Banners. HOLLYWOOD ADVERTISING COMPANY 600 Wctt 45th Street, New York City 1914 S. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, Cal. r OK t r» CM i UJ 20 Y€A« IN S^OW 8USX MANAGERS' ROUND TABLE, MARCH 15, 1947 71