Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Mar 1954)

GLENN MILLER STORY' MAKES MUSIC AT THE BOX OFFICE GLENN MILLER was a Ilian’s man, and a musician’s musician. He had a tremendous following, for his orchestra and his music. (There are currently 200 Glenn Miller Fan Clubs, with addresses furnished.) He entered the Air Force as a Captain in 1943, and a year later, his plane was lost on flight from England to France. Jimmy Stewart looks remarkably like Glenn Miller — and is like him, to his friends as well as to those who only knew his music. Universal-International have been fortunate in finding such a fine actor to portray the leading role in “The Glenn Miller Story.” He keys the campaign for showmen throughout the country. Two Premieres The picture has had several premieres, as this is written. In Clarinda, Iowa, his home state paid a wonderful tribute, with a nationwide salute to the town of his birth by hundreds of disc-jockeys when the picture first opened at the Clarinda theatre. A talent contest, across the nation, was conducted with network radio and television programs cooperating. Since then, the picture has had another premiere at the Carib, Miami and Miracle theatres in Miami Beach, Miami and Coral Gables, with the showmanship of Sonny Shepherd, managing director of Wometco theatres, contributing. For this occasion, the Air Force brought in their top brass from Georgia flying fields, and would have brought their band, if Mr. Petrillo had not objected. Two Packages There are two packages of promotional material now available to theatres. An advance kit, in mimeographed form, which contains everything, even to Jimmy Stewart’s favorite recipes. It was prepared, ahead of the pressbook, for the early first runs, under the direction of Charles Simonelli, advertising and publicity manager for the company, and it virtually supplies a field-man’s services, in a substantial volume of good ideas and information. There are very many details, addresses, suggestions, pointers and examples of promotion, publicity and exploitation, in thisfriendly package. The Decca album contains eight wellremembered tunes, played by members of the original Glenn Miller orchestra, as part of the sound-track of the picture. Also, the pressbook is now available, and we review it here, as Selling Approach, for the benefit of current and subsequent runs. It is no secret that “The Glenn Miller Story” is getting the biggest promotional benefit of any Universal-International picture in recent memory, and you will better understand the weight of that remark when you sit down with the material, and hold that conference with yourself which determines how good and valuable is your partnership with a proper pressbook. Naturally, the best advice is to “sell it with music” — and it is no disadvantage that Universal and Decca are legally joined in corporate wedlock. The music tieups, either on a pre-selling or a playdate basis, will put this picture over for you, beyond any prognostications or promises. Just follow your music cues, and you’ll land a record-breaker at the box-office. The pressbook features these music tieups in entirety, and there’s no object in reviewing them in limited space. The 24-sheet and all posters have been planned to provide cut-outs of Jimmy Stewart and June Allyson in the title roles. The herald has all the best advertising slant, and keys the campaign for small theatres. The “Color-Glo” photos, for which Universal is noted, will give you color to sell color, in a special lobby frame. The newspaper advertising mats are numerous, and varied, from the very large down the scale, but all very good. There are many to choose from, and the big 35c economy mat. for small situations, has two publicity mats, three two-colunin ad mats and three-one-column ad mats, all for the price of one. The “utility mat” is for the larger places, where they assemble their own ads. You will find several unusual styles in the ad mats, and it will pay you to study them carefully. Plenty of Material There is such a wealth of material, and such a warmth of feeling in it, you can do a better job than usual, if you'll handle your end accordingly with this pressbook as a stockpile of ideas. The picture has been extensively pre-sold in the national magazines, and you may be able to connect some of this valuable and expensive space with your local playdates by posting magazine covers and tear-sheets of the advertising to remind the customers of current issues. There is a good opportunity for co-operative advertising, with the prospect of full pages underwritten by local merchants. March 1st would have been Glenn Miller’s fiftieth birthday, and much will be made of the fiftieth anniversary in the music trades. The National Association of Music Merchants will name Beth Miller, beautiful model, as the Queen of Glenn Miller Week. She won the honor in a contest held by radio station WHBM, while she was attending Memphis State College. You can pick your own queen, and find your own sponsorship, in a similar -contest. You need have no worry about the younger set, who may never have seen Glenn Miller in person. The editors of seventy New York city high school papers had a private showing of the film last week, and went out rejoicing in the reviews they will publish. — IV. B. 40 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, FEBRUARY 6, 1954