Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1956)

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Theatre Men Are Told The Compo Story Two Perennials That Always Sell Tickets As was said at the TOA convention it is repetitious and even naive, to keep on reciting all the elementary things that constitute showmanship, but we can’t resist the temptation to show you again two examples that are lasting and which become active every year — for good showmen, and will continue, forever with all who have the ordinary skill to put them into regular use. There’s really no harm in telling the same stories over again, when all that matters is that more good showmen will see and do the stunts that have been tried and proven so many times. Above you see Carl Roger’s baby contest, held this year at Loew’s theatre, in Dayton, Ohio. We would like to have a dollar right now for every time we’ve printed the suggestion. It would get us more than winning today’s office pool in the World Series. The photograph explains itself; and there is little else to tell, except that something like 487 babies are born every minute, more than three million a year, and our population has increased 17,500,000 since 1950 — more than the entire population of Canada. One thing we do note in Carl Roger’s campaign on this subject which is submitted for the Quigley Awards. All the parents have to do is to take their child to the sponsoring studio, where the pictures are made and the contender is automatically entered in the contest, with his or her picture posted in the theatre lobby. Of course, they also get proofs — and they can buy cabinet-size portraits of their darlings, which is the photographer’s hope — but what more could a theatre manager ask? Below, there is a fashion show, this time for “The Opposite Sex” — and what is more reasonable? In Portland, Ore., the three models who are touring the country for MGM’s new picture, put on a fashion show in a leading department store, with an audience of women rapt with attention. Of course there were plugs for the new film, in the commentary, and in the cooperative advertising — all at no cost to the theatre. The starlets are doing a 17-city tour, but you can find models in your town. They all have the same accessories. Carried over from the convention is a proper reference in the Round Table to the excellent report of the COMPO Press Relations Committee, submitted by Harry Goldberg, advertising and publicity director for Stanley Warner. Others of the committee were Harry Mandel, of RKO Theatres, Ernest Emerling of Loew’s Theatres, and Charles E. McCarthy, representing COMPO. It is because the Council of Motion Picture Organizations is so important to every theatre manager that we make a further reference to it, following the news columns with our plea to support this movement forward. The Committee starts with the point that the theatre is the key and that in 1946, typical Jonesville had 30,000 population, 10,000 homes and two theatres. Today, 10 years later, Jonesville has 35,000 population, 12,000 homes and instead of worrying about each other, the two theatre managers have to worry about 12,000 additional competitors. These, of course, are the television sets in all of Jonesville’s living rooms. Television competes with the movie theatre, not with Hollywood, not with motion pictures per se, or with a vague entity called the movie industry, but with the local movie theatre on Main Street, in Hometown, U. S. A. To combat this terrific new competition, it is urgent that steps be taken, at the local level, to lift motion pictures back into the place they have held in public esteem. The COMPO report was accepted and passed by the TOA convention, as a proper and constructive first step towards building theatre attendance; establishing the superiority of motion pictures in theatres, and uniting the three branches of our industry in a common cause. The Audience Awards are just one of COMPO’s interests, and soon to be activated for the 1956 campaign, when it is expected that 16,000,000 votes will be cast by the public for their movie favorites. Steps are being taken for a “Community Film” — and we have always wanted a short subject to show what a theatre manager does in his 16-hour day, seven-day week, including all of his community relations. “Movietime” is to be revived, with tours of Hollywood personalities to small situations, which were very successful. COMPO needs your help and support, right now. Spearheaded by Bob Coyne, they have saved you $173,000,000 a year in admission taxes. And they have other and current activity in the works that needs financial and physical help. So put your heart in the task, and your hand in your pocket — to give this constructive group a proper chance. Don’t be satisfied with merely lip service. 34 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, OCTOBER 13, 1956