Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1948)

Ackery Annexes Another Award Ivan Ackery, manager of Vancouver's Orphcum theatre, receives a $250 check at the Famous Players convention as the Dominion winner in a "T-Man" contest held by Eagle Lion. In the picture above, left to right, are Maynard Joiner, F. P. Vancouver supervisor; Larry Berg, Western district manager; Ivan Ackery, himself; J. J. Fitigibbons, president of Famous Players Canadian Corporation, presenting the award, and Frank (sow, British Columbia district manager. "The Ack" is well known in these parts as a prize winner. Phil Katz Wins At the Enright Phil Katz, manager of the new Enright theatre, in Pittsburgh, sends in "a ton of evidence" as to how he's been exploiting pictures in "America's largest neighborhood theatre." And now comes the payoff, his circuit has just notified him that for the third consecutive year, he has taken the top showmanship award and the cash prize of $250 for the best result shown in Warners' western Pennsylvania theatres. The nine big weeks of "Harvest Hits" was a field day for Phil and a great chance to show what he could do at the Enright, which is a new situation for him. The rebirth of kid attendance was one big objective, and this showed almost four times as much gross as formerly. Phil repeated the highly successful auto giveaway that was his feature at the Kenyon, and although the new Enright seats 3,360 he says they had "almost 5,000 in the place" which is capacity without an argument. To the long list of stunts outlined in his letter, Phil says "there's more to come." English Manager Submits Good Advertising Trick Ken Rowland, manager of the Odeon theatre, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset, an English seaside town, sends in the neatest advertising trick of the week, from overseas. Ken printed up 5,000 little cards, just big enough to enclose with negatives and prints that are delivered to amateur camera fans through local drug stores, so when they opened their new lot of photos they encountered a pressbook publicity still from "Sitting Pretty" with the message, "You didn't see this in your camera, but you will see it at the Odeon next week." C. B. Willis, manager of the New Kross Kinema, New Cross, London, placed a banner 150 feet long on a local football field, to advertise "The Red Shoes." ▼ Elmer Pickard presented winners of his "Triple Threat" contest with autographed footballs to advertise that attraction at the Stanton theatre in Philadelphia. "Modernizes" Theatre Pass Hugh S. B or land. (S. for Showman) has brought the old-fashioned theatre pass up to date with a version of his own, a "Good Will Ticket," which is distributed only for community promotional activities. Making it square instead of the usual shape, Hugh has plenty of room to write for whom, for why, when and by what authority, all of which adds up to a better understanding of community relations with reference to free admission. Shillelaghs For "The Irish" W. Ray Gingell, manager of the HiserBethesda theatre, Bethesda. Maryland, which is billed in this Washington suburb as "the community's leading theatre," arranged a phenomenal window to advertise "Luck of the Irish" in a local music shop, with real Irish shillelaghs and an Irish police cap. flown direct from Shannon airport by BOAC for the occasion. A large poster gave out with the playdates and the shop distributed heralds on the picture. HENRY R. ARIAS PURCHASING AGENT Foreign and Domestic Film Distribution 729 7th Ave.. N. Y. 19, N. Y.. Circle 5-4574 Serving the Industry Since 1913. Negotiations In Any Lamjuafle CABLE: H EN ARIAS, N. Y. W. C. Cundiff, manager of the Coleman theatres in Miami, Florida, built this highly satisfactory animated fobby display piece from a 24-sheet poster, cutting out the figures of Abbott and Costeffo and putting the characters' legs on a mechanical device. 44 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, DECEMBER II, 1948