Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1947)

The Selling Approach ON NEW PRODUCT [The material below reflects press books now in preparation and represents the point of view of the distributors' exploiteers on selling points and special merit of these pictures.] THAT WAY WITH WOMEN (Warner Bros.): Dane Clark, Martha Vickers and Sydney Greenstreet are the stars of this comedyromance. Set your campaign in motion with a Martha Vickers beauty poll. For this contest arrange with the local newspaper to publish the mat showing Martha Vickers as a blonde, dark brunette and as herself (light brown). Votes are tallied and published daily and are also announced in the lobby and in beauty and cosmetic establishments. Award promoted prizes of beauty work and/or cosmetics and guest seats to three voters each day, chosen on the basis of the best 25-wordor-less reason for wanting to see the picture. Take advantage of the title by arranging a contest to find the local Romeo and Juliet whose rules on "How to Win a Gal" are brighter, better and/or funnier than Dane Clark's. Enlist the cooperation of local merchants and promote, wherever possible, special wardrobes for the winners, a restaurant dinner, dancing at a local club, flowers, candy, etc. The Evening-On-The-Town is climaxed by attendance at the theatre, opening night. Plant one-column teaser ads a week before opening, tying-in with the title of the picture. They can also be used as blowups for counter, window or lobby or can be printed on penny postcards. TIME OUT OF MIND (UniversalInternational): This is a love story based on the novel by Rachel Field and starring Phyllis Calvert, Robert Hutton and Ella Raines. Miss Calvert is a British actress appearing in her first American film. If your city has a British Consul or a British colony, arrange for congratulatory telegrams and flowers welcoming Miss Calvert in her initial American movie. The best-selling novels of Rachel Field offer an excellent springboard for book store and public library promotions. Previous hits based on her books include "And Now Tomorrow" and "All This and Heaven, Too". Offer prizes for the largest collection of clocks for display in the lobby. Use stills from the picture, plus the tag line: "Any time is the right time to see 'Time Out of Mind'." For street ballyhoo, have a pretty girl roam downtown streets asking pedestrians if they can guess what time it is. If they guess within one minute, she hands them a guest ticket for the picture. If they fail, they are handed a printed card stating: "It's time to see 'Time Out of Mind'." Tie-in with the theme of the picture, which concerns an old seafaring family in Maine. Arrange a window or lobby display of turn-of-the-century ship models with stills and playdate copy. The title also fits in nicely for spot radio promotion. Novel Lobby Display Helps Exploit "Expectations" A teaser lobby display set up by manager Ralph Phillips for "Great Expectations" caused a good deal of comment for the playdate of the picture at the New Cross Cinema, New Cross, London, England. For the display, Phillips used a drawing of the theatre with people lined up at the box office. Copy read: "Why are these people queueing? See next week's special announcement." The following week the second line of the copy was changed to : "They did not make a note of the times of showing of the finest film yet made in this country, etc." ous sizes. 5,000 small envelopes containing "smelling salts" were distributed from the theatre, around schools, downtown, etc. The picture was previewed for the chief of police and his aides. The campaign was arranged by manager Florence Kipps and RKO publicist Nate Wise. Ballyhoo, Lobby Display Promote "Beast" A ballyhoo man with fantastic makeup, cape, top hat, etc., paraded through the streets to exploit the engagement of "The Beast With Five Fingers" at the Lyric theatre, Cincinnati, Ohio. A nurse was used in the lobby to heighten interest in the horror angle. Weeks in advance, the lobby was covered with all sorts of hands of vari Guest Appearances Boost Flushing Birthday Club Manager Mildred FitzGibbons has created a great deal of interest for her Saturday Birthday Fun Club shows by inviting well known personages to appear on the stage each Saturday at the Skouras Roosevelt theatre, Flushing, N. Y. Those who have already appeared include Harry Welch, impersonator of the cartoon character, "Popeye" ; Ham Fisher, creator of the comic strip, "Joe Palooka," and Red Barber, sports announcer. The club has a membership of 3,500 children. For the playdate of "The Jolson Story," an amateur song contest was held on the stage, with promoted prizes being awarded to winners. Major motion picture company talent scouts judged the contest. Star Appearance, Teaser Ads Help "The Yearling One of the largest newspaper teaser ad campaigns ever arranged in Chicago and the personal appearance of Claude Jarman, Jr., star of the picture, heralded the opening of "The Yearling" at the State Lake theatre there. The campaign was conducted by William K. Hollander, publicity director for B & K theatres in Chicago and his assistant, James Savage, in cooperation with MetroGoldwyn-Mayer field representatives. The first teaser ads began to appear six weeks before opening and ran daily, building up to smash ads five full days before and including opening day. Jarman spent nine days in Chicago, accompanied by Flag, the deer. In that time he appeared at the theatre, at schools, on radio programs and cooperated with the Junior Chamber of Commerce Safety Drive by presenting orchids to careful and courteous drivers. A tieup was arranged with the Boys Clubs of Chicago for an art and handicraft contest among members. The winner received the honor of presenting a doe to the Brookfield Zoo with a suitable plaque for permanent display. In connection with the presentation, the Chicago Times sponsored a contest among school children to name the doe. A $50 prize was awarded to the winner. All large department stores in the Loop district and book stores used window displays, tying-in the book with the picture. Other promotional ventures included buttons, stickers, bumper strips, truck posters, advance screenings, etc. Ml ■ ■ Vm ■ ■ ail MESDAMES et MESSIEURES RICHARD NOUVRE PAS LA PORT PARCE QUE CIST L ADDRESS LE PLUS SINISTRA DANS L HISTOIRE j. \ CilMt trsland the above it the Doorman To create advance interest in "13 Kue Madeleine", this 40 x 60, with copy in French, attracted unusual attention for Ansel Winston, manager of the RKO Coliseum theatre, Nciv York City. Patrons requesting information from the doorman were handed cards which interpreted the message. Two intentionally misspelled words provoked special inquiry from many patrons. MANAGERS' ROUND TABLE, APRIL 5, 1947 49