Motion Picture Herald (May-Jun 1947)

The Selling Approach ON NEW PRODUCT FUN ON A WEEKEND (United Artists): Eddie Bracken and Priscilla Lane star in this comedy with a Florida setting. Promote a feature story in the local newspaper on the question, "Can a boy and a girl have fun on a weekend — for $5?" Use pictures to tell the story. For this purpose, have a boy and a girl photographed picnicking, visiting art galleries, eating hot dogs, swimming, bicycling, etc. Arrange with a local hotel to have their regular giveaway postcards printed with the message: "Having Fun on a Weekend." Have the title and theatre credit printed on the bottom of the card. A supply of the cards also could be kept in the lobby for distribution to out-of-town visitors to your theatre. A Great Dane plays an important role in the picture. This suggests a street ballyhoo of a pretty girl, a boy in sports clothes and a Great Dane. The dag could carry a small sandwich sign, reading: "C'mon along for 'Fun on a Weekend' with Eddie Bracken and Priscilla Lane at the . . .," etc. Cooperate with the local National Safety Council chapter and the Police Department on a safety drive, including posters and road signs for automobile traffic. Safety zones should carry special copy for pedestrians, LOST HONEYMOON (Eagle-Lion): Franchot Tone plays an absent-minded husband in this picture, forgetting to remember he has a wife, and thereby getting himself involved in a large predicament. Eagle-Lion is conducting a nationwide contest for this picture. Three couples will be the guests of the company for a full week in Havana. All theatres playing the picture can participate. Each theatre is entitled to submit the three best letters sent in locally on the subject of how they lost their honeymoon, for final judging by a board of judges selected by the company. Letters should be 500 words or less. As every merchant knows, a complete wardrobe is needed for every married couple. The title, "Lost Honeymoon", lends itself to widespread and easily handled cooperative merchant tieups. Children are always good promotion possibilities. Twins are featured in the picture. Contact children's specialty store to tieup with a beauty contest for local pairs of twins. For best results, keep your entries under 10 years of age. Try to arrange for the classified ad section of a local newspaper to scatter the letters, spelling out the title through the section. Guest tickets could be awarded to the first 10 persons sending in the ads spelling the title. Uses Lost Pocketbooks On April Fool's Day Having accumulated a large number of pocketbooks that had been lost throughout the year in the theatre and never been called for, manager Hugh S. Borland got the bright idea of using them for an April Fool's Day promotion. The pocketbooks were placed at important locations, filled with programs publicizing playdates at the Louis theatre, Chicago, 111. A card in the pocketbook read: "There's no money in this pocketbook, but there's an important announcement inside — take one — throw the pocketbook on street again — so that the next person finding same will get a kick out of April Fool's Day." Peck at the 4 Music Halls in 'Macomber Affair' " which was done six times in various areas. Since this was the first time a local group of theatres had used sky-writing, it attracted the attention of local columnists who carried items on the event. Publicist Auriel Macfie writes : "We're just a wee bit smug about this campaign, the first time the name of the theatre has been up there in the sky along with the picture's 'title." On the opening day, the planes traced the sky message four more times, making a total of ten displays. Sky-Wri+ing Aids Openings Of "The Macomber Affair" Two-day sky-writing campaign which penetrated the entire Los Angeles area was used by Clifford Giesseman, general manager of the four Music Hall theatres for "The Macomber Affair." Three planes took off simultaneously on the day preceding the opening to trace in smoke one of the lengthiest messages ever written, "Greg Plants Story on Promotion All girls five-foot-10-inches and over were invited to be the guests of the management for a Saturday matinee of "Love Laughs at Andy Hardy" at the Poli theatre, Hartford, Conn. A story on the promotion was planted in the local newspaper by manager Lou Cohen and assistant manager Sam Horwitz. Sets Tieup with Merchant Through a tieup with a local merchant, 38 prizes and 5,000 circulars were obtained by manager Al Swett for a model airplane building contest he arranged to exploit the start of a new serial, "Crimson Ghost," at the State theatre, Taunton, Mass. Citywide Beauty Contest Set for "Brunette 99 [The material below reflects pressbooks now in preparation and represents the point of view of the distributors' exploiteers on selling points and special merit of these pictures.] ■ A citywide contest to pick Greater Miami's "Favorite Brunette," with $10,000 worth of Miami Fashion Council wardrobes as prizes, featured the comprehensive campaign arranged for the opening of "My Favorite Brunette" at the Sheridan, Paramount and Beach theatres, Miami, Fla. The campaign was carried out by managers Charlie Whitaker, Paramount; Art Schwartz, Beach, and Carl Jamroga, Sheridan, with assistance from Tom Jefferson, advertising and publicity director for Paramount Enterprises, operators of the theatres. The first step in the contest was to sell it to the Miami Fashion Council, a group of 30 local dress manufacturers. In exchange for screen and lobby advertising, the Council agreed to donate the $10,000 worth of wardrobes as prizes in the contest. Newspaper stories in the Miami Herald and Dailyt News, trailers on the screens of all 15 Paramount theatres in Greater Miami, lobby displays, 300 window cards, etc., were used to urge girls to enter the contest. Over 350 girls entered, from which 80 were chosen to take part in the final balloting. Panels with entrants' pictures were affixed to 40x60's in lobbies of the theatres, with patrons being urged by trailer, window cards, follow-up newspaper stories and radio to vote for their "Favorite Brunette." Costumed Man Distributes Teasers in Tunstall Manager Reynolds Roberts had a man dressed in an American Indian costume distribute teaser envelopes at a league football game to exploit "Without Reservations" at the Ritz Cinema, Tunstall, Staffs, Eng. The outside of the envelope had copy reading: "No Reservations Made." Inside the envelope was a card with the following copy : "To see Claudette Colbert and John Wayne in 'Without Reservations'." 2,000 imprinted luggage label- were supplied to a cafe. 50 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JUNE 7, 1947