Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1930)

66 Motion P i c t u r c N e w s mber 8 , 19 3 0 MANAGER!' ROUND TABLE CLUB A Question Would window displays get better results in the winter time than billboards? A showman would like an answer to this question. What are your views on the subject? Send them along to Club headquarters. Program and House Organs Featured in Jerabeck's Selling A whole raft of gags and suggestions have been handed to his fellow Club members by Randall Jerabeck in the latest contribution which he makes to the Club pages. This live-wire showman, who has been following the Club pages ever since the organization made its appearance in the Motion Picture News, has included in his work a number of slants which were passed on at some time via the Club. For these gags, he asks that we give the persons responsible his thanks. But let's go. The first is an usher's card, a stunt that many members, no doubt, are familiar with. This card, with copy: "Dear Patron: I hope I may have the honor of seating you at each of these extraordinary attractions next week" (picture, play date and usher's signature) is handed out to patrons as they leave the theatre. Jerabeck's heralds and programs show evidence of care in their make-up. They are attractively colored, especially an Easter program, which is tinted in blue, gold, brown and black, bordered with flowers, and carrying a head : "Wishing you a joyful Easter." A group of bunnies look at a large egg carrying an institutional plug. This program made a decided hit with the patrons, all of whom expressed their appreciation of his thoughtfulness to Jerabeck. In the cut we are sbowing you can get a line of the sort of art work turned out for the chain by Robert Slanker, circuit artist. If you look closely you can see that the shorts — in this case Mickey Mouse — come in for a plug. The other piece of work was a cut-out for "Phantom of the Opera." A gag that makes a considerable impression on the town — so much so that if it is a day late they phone and wrathfully inquire the reason — is the monthly calendar which is sent to every one on the mailing list. We are reproducing one of these calendars here, so that in the event that you may want to use a stunt of this sort, you can have something to work from. This calendar was made from a cut, the original drawing being made by the staff artist. All of the picture titles and play dates are hand-drawn, including the theatre slug. If you can have a local art student draw it up for a couple of passes, so much the better. It won't cost a fortune to have a cut made from the drawing, and you'll save plenty on the printing. At times the back of the calendar is used for plug-in co-operation with civic activities, for example, on Fire Prevention Week a notice was run requesting the co operation of the townspeople in helping prevent fires. For the most part, the back is left blank. In order to enhance the effectiveness of the stunt, Jerabeck run a box announcing that on the end of the month the calendars, if presented at the box-office, will admit two adults for one price. Give this idea a little consideration, as it means something to any house. O %E VILLI TIJL/VTRL •9 CHULA VISTA ■_ ■■1UHMM IKMMiTAT •<I1*W;,VJ i'.'HiS»MJM M!II1MWM «J:II»T:.V fcK<ill:l»TAy t ih« Bei Offi. "Ruth ChitfertDn 'ANYBODY'S W0NW1 Constancy Bennett COMMON CLAY" BE55iE,..'LDVE ' GOOD NEWS ' I Narma.Shearer LET U5"Be GAY' diTs'ter^JCeaYon 'DOUGH BOY'5' ^vT I . Rogers '50 THIS 15 LONDON* '[laudelte LjlEert -Frederic March 'MANSLAUGHTER " 4MavT~Jlro7riers "ANIMAL ERACKER5' Moran Jj'HacK ANYBODY'S WAR' a-cUUts SOt /ones ■O.Or Children |0> Edmund ^Laiue GDDD INTENTIONS' Gerjrge_l!)'Brien LA5T DF THE DUANE5' Milrrjn™5ills , ' MAN TROUBLE ' Double"'bill ROUM yVAlERsV-" CtUEEN HIGH ' .GRUMPY ft* SnK/ We want to thank Randall for passing these along to us and we are sure that if he continues to display this kind of showmanship down in Chula Vista, the house is going to set a record for attendance. Keep us posted on your future work, Randall. McKoy Passes On a Couple of Gags Of Value To Selling "Doughboys" brought dough into the box-office of the Olympia Theatre in Miami, Fla., but it was not the picture alone that did it. Most of the success was attributa — — ble to the work turned out by James H. McKoy, the manager, and his assistant, Francis Falkenburg, a rising showman. Foremost among the stunts used was the one of two doughboys sitting in front of the box-office all day Saturday, apparently paying no attention to any one. and peeling potatoes. One of the boys happened to be very talented and at intervals during the day he would suspend work and play several numbers on the ukelele and sing, too. Another stunt that created a lot of interest and helped to publicize the picture was a walking ballyhoo. A young man, rigged out in an ill-fitting Army uniform, carried a 12-foot beaverboard gun on his shoulder. Both the sign on his back and both sides of the huge gun carried copy pertaining to the picture, theatre and play dates. A window display was secured in which a pile of potatoes was seen surrounded by cut-outs and neatly lettered cards playing up the picture, etc. A card also announced that guest tickets would be awarded to the 10 persons nearest estimating the correct number of spuds in the window. Listen, "J. H.," why don't you give us a picture of yourself and some dope on your career so that we can give you a regular introduction to start the new season off right. South Africa Reports! Our latest reports from South Africa show that the Club members located there are displaying good showmanship. We will have some more of their work to present in the near future; and we want to take this means of acknowledging the letters of Cecil Thorne of Pretoria and George E. Smith of Krugersdorp, Transvaal. South Africa.