Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1956)

owmen in MGM’s little booklet on “The Iron Petticoat” is a good humor measure for newspaper by-line writers and opinion makers, in general. It was probably written by Bob Hope or his gag-men, and has amusing illustrations and captions to fit, that will command their attention, as a conversation piece. First publicity picture we ever received from a Wall Street house! Above Birlt Binnard, director of advertising for the Stanley Warner Theatres in Philadelphia, and John E. Fricke, resident partner in the Bache & Co. Chestnut Street office, award Elizabeth May Fisher for her prize winning letter based on the theme of Columbia's "Solid Gold Cadillac" — dividends are a girl's best friend. RKO-Raido Pictures entertained a large group of newspaper and trade-press people overnight at Grossinger’s famous resort in the Catskills, for the preview of “Bundle of Joy” — starring Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. It was here that the young couple were married in September, 1955, and now they have a “Bundle of Joy” of their own — which made this occasion a natural for publicity and promotion purposes, in advance of the opening at the Capitol theatre, on Broadway, December 19th. We are indebted to affable Alfred E. F. Stern, our host, and Bob Boehnel, efficient escort, for a fine time in a marvelously well conducted hotel with a well deserved reputation. T Maude & Jeff Jefferis are back in their conventional theatre, the Jefferis, in Piedmont, Mo., and we presume the Pine Hill drive-in is closed for the winter. The indoor theatre has had a refurbishing and now Jeff is sending out personal letters to his “lost” TV audience (his word for it!) inviting them to come-see, and giving them the compliments of the house for a first visit. We have a lot of confidence that Maude & Jeff don’t lose friends, summer or winter, indoors or out, because they employ “friendly persuasion” all the year around. V Bob Kessler, manager of the Stanley Warner Benn theatre, in Philadelphia, is having a dance marathon in his lobby as promotion for “Rock-Rock-Rock” with prizes donated by local sponsors in the music trades. Tiring, but accumulative — and the teen-agers are tireless, and innumerable. It launched a durable campaign. ▼ Loew’s “Movie Memo” — which is Ernie Emerling’s issue for which the industry is so much indebted — has a lead piece with the provocative title, “Baby Sitters Crown Producers of Those Long, Long Movies” — saying that gleeful members of the National Association of Crib Watchers have given their unqualified endorsement of all movies that run four hours, or longer — at 75tf an hour. They credit four of the major producers with having increased their gross by approximately $531,194.50 in extra revenue this year. V George Mann, eighty-year old showman deluxe, who owns a circuit of theatres in northern California, set up an enterprising campaign on 20th Century-Fox’s “Best Things in Life Are Free” at the State theatre in Modesto. Local merchants were invited to display booths in the theatre lobby, from which doughnuts, coffee, tea, ice cream, milk and cigarettes were dispensed free to patrons. T Paul Lyday, managing director of the Denver theatre, for Fox Inter-Mountain, had a provocative and pretty girl, sunbathing under a big Spanish hat, in a store window adjacent to the theatre, as promotion for the picture, “Lisbon.” In addition, the Denver Post set a contest in which newspaper readers were asked to draw, sketch or paint entries presenting “The Lady from Lisbon” — with an all-expense round-trip to Portugal as top prize. Loew’s in-town managers congregate to discuss the exploitation of "Rock, Rock, Rock," which starts soon over the Loew Circuit. Above, Murray Lenekoff, Ted Arnow, Jim Shanahan, Max Rosenberg, Eugene Picker, Bill O'Hare, and others, at a projection room meeting in New York. Letter from a Round Table member — Cecelia A. Mantua, Jefe de publicidad, Paramount Films de Espana, S. A., reads as follows — “Muy senor mio: Le acuso recibo del carnet y diploma que me nombra de miembro Manager’s Round Table de la Revista Motion Picture Herald” — there’s more, but pardon me, we’re looking up boats to Barcelona, with a stop-over at the Berlitz School of Languages, in our block. V Harvey Fleischmann, district manager for Wometco Theatres in Miami, sends us a postcard addressed to a non-existent member of the Motion Picture Herald staff, which is self-explanatory when we get out our crystal ball. All such mail, in this office, goes round and round and comes out at the Round Table desk, for identification. This is an acknowledgment sent to those who fill our audience comment cards, but we wasn’t there, nor do we know Mr. Klingn. ▼ Wm. E. Rochelle, who signs himself simply “Advertising” for the Crescent Amusement Co., Nashville, sends a tabloid page which he devised for “War and Peace” at the Grand theatre, Huntsville, Ala. He says it was printed locally, and reasonably, for their out of town houses. ▼ Lou Orlove, MGM’s ubiquitous tubthumper in Milwaukee, sends a grand page from the magazine section of the Milwaukee Sentinel, in which they salute Mickey Mouse and his debt to Milwaukee fan clubs. And on the page is a picture of a huge Mickey Mouse entertaining the youngsters, with a note — “the guy with the big ears is Orlove” — you’d know he’s both a man and a mouse, in this get-up. Photograph was made in 1930, and Lou still has big ears, for promotion news. MANAGERS' ROUND TABLE SECTION, DECEMBER 8, 1956 43