Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1948)

Your Selling Approach REVIEW OF CURRENT PRESSBOOKS LET'S LIVE A LITTLE — Eagle Lion. The Kiss-and-Clinch Love Affair of a Lifetime. Hedy s a Dream . . . Bob's Sot That Gleam . . . When They Get Together ... OH ! What A Team! All Hedy and Ready For Love! Swell pressbook on this subject should delight showmen. The 24-sheet, in full color, is a dandy. Other posters are just as good for cut-outs to use in your lobby or on your marquee. Herald makes a good complement to other advertising and ties in the same good exploitation theme. The illustrations are especially interesting. Newspaper ads have much of the same idea, but more of Hedy, and in space too big for most theatres. Buy composite mat "A" with four 2-column teaser ads which will be all you need in most situations. One great big picture of Hedy makes a smash, if you can afford ads 12 to 14 inches deep, four columns wide. That's costly going, even at inch rates. Some publicity stills of Hedy, used as publicity mats, may attract free space with your editor. Publicity mat No. 3A sells Hedy in her first laugh role. Comedy quiz gag of ten questions in the pressbook, can be reprinted as a throwaway, or used in radio tieup. The title "Let's Live A Little" is natural for tieups with resorts. Four all-type teasers, quoted in pressbook, can be set up in any newspaper office and spread through the paper at low cost. Safety campaigns will thrive on this title as a supplementary slogan. City-wide merchant tieups are possible by repetition of title in many window displays. Set of stills for windows offers other tieup ideas. Contest to find the local "Hedy Lamarr Look" wil get teen-agers in a tizzy. And those beyond teen-age will be intrigued. MISS TATLOCK'S MILLIONS— Paramount. Dollars to Doughnuts, It's the Funniest Comedy You'll See This Year. It's Murder! So Funny, It'll Make You Die Laughing! If You Had a Million Dollars, You Couldn't Buy Better Laughs Than These. The Daffiest, Laughiest Comedy Hit That Ever Came Out of Hollywood. Nice group of teaser ads that could start this off on the right basis, but for the most part, the rest of the newspaper mats are too big for any but first-run and key-city houses. You'll find the sizes you need and want to be skimpy and scarce. Composite ad mat No. 404 has bits and pieces that your comoosing room foreman can help you to put together in both advertising and printing. Good cast of well-liked people make this an attractive comedy subject and advertising makes use of strong boosts given the picture by other comics. 24-sheet has some possibilities — and you can make cut-outs for lobby display from the 6-sheet, but the copy clutters up the posters beyond quick reading. Special art, all on one mat No. E42I, gives you good cartoons by the famous artist Hirschfield of leading people and comedy situations. You can place them as publicity mats with reading notices, or use them in other ways. Co-op newspaper heading, full page width, uses the title for all it is worth in making commercial tieups. Six assorted ballyhoo ideas, street stunts and gags are illustrated in the pressbook and worth your attention. A special mat, No. E422, will print money to give away. Another mat, No. E32I, will print postcards to be sent to your mailing list. Free trailers can be obtained from your Paramount exchange with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope plugging the picture. Re-enacfs "Live" Trailer Dick Wareing, manager of the Odeon Danforth theatre, Toronto, tried out something new when he re-enacted a "trailer" to advertise "Dear Murderer," using live talent, including a scream that brought the audience to its feet. A new opportunity for amateur acting talent who aspire to a career in the theatre. Filmack <IVES YOUTHE BEST VALUE IN SPECIAL! TRAILERS mud coMtumr Itommo Kami iff 1114 IB SENP VS YOUR NOT CUM*/ Husband & Wife Team Manage Twin Theatre Manager Bob Reagan and his wife, Dorothy, are owners and managers of the Twin theatre, Waynesville, Ohio, and regular readers of the Round Table. So Dorothy reports for the team at the Twin, with reference to Bob's tieup with local softball games. Bob was formerly a professional and he knew softball enthusiasts liked their sport. So he decided to join 'em, rather than fight 'em. Now t he softball season in Waynesville conforms to theatre program time and the playoff is followed by theatre award night, with the result that Bob is locally popular in both leagues and business is better at the box office. All of which leaves wide open the question as to why this is called the "Twin" theatre, and we invite our new members to tell the Round Table all about it. There must be a good reason. Carlo Giacheri, manager of the Astor and Doria theatres, Turin, Italy, sends this interesting night scene of the Via Roma, with his balloon supported, neon lighted sign for "Rio Rita" high above the street. The gasfilled balloon can be seen 100 meters above the pavement, but the nylon strands that hold it cannot be seen. Note that a majority of the signs along the street read in the opposite direction, facing the other way. Carlo writes that he is soon to add the Supercinema Vittoria to his group of theatres. Ed Pyne's Hallowe'en Gag Amuses Cleveland Audience Ed Pyne, manager of RKO Keith's 105th Street theatre, Cleveland, had a sponsored Hallowe'en party with fun for all, and at no cost to the theatre, having been completely underwritten, including radio and other advertising, by a local clothier. Amusing gag, when a beer barrel was rolled on stage, contenders "over 21" were asked to compete, in a drinking contest. When these strong men were lined up, the master of ceremonies supplied them with nice fresh milk from nursing bottles, which brought down the house. Jewelry Prizes for "Peggy" Harold Heller, manager of the RKO Dyker theatre, Brooklyn, promoted $500 in jewelry — 50 prizes in all — for lucky winners who open the lock of "Peggy's Christmas Hope Chest" as advertising for "Apartment for Peggy." Special lobby display and display of jewelry goes with the tieup. Now Specializing* in Refreshment SERVICE t,„ DRIVE-IN THEATRES) SPORTSERVICE, Inc. Jacobs bros. I HURST 81DG. BUFFALO, H. V. MANAGERS' ROUND TABLE, DECEMBER 18, 1948 45