Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1930)

December 13, 19 30 M o t i o n Picture N c if s 49 MANACLRT ROUND' TABLE CLUB One of the big reasons why "Animal Crackers" scampered over to the winning side of the ledger when the Mark Brothers' film played the Marboro Theatre in Brooklyn, N. Y., was the corking tie-ups arranged by William William Brown Had Them Talking About "Animal Crackers" Brown, manager of the house. Upon receipt of his booking, Brown got in touch immediately with the National Biscuit Company, who agreed to furnish 7,500 animal crackers, which were distributed in paraffine bags carrying the theatre imprint and a plug for the company. They also put special window displays in several of the neighborhood stores. In addition to this — and deciding to make a great job of it — they sent an expert window trimmer to the theatre. The trimmer built a beautiful platform 12 feet high and six feet wide having a background of colored crepe paper. The background was to be used to set off a display that Brown had arranged in conjunction with the company and with a local confectioner. Through his tie-up with the confectioner, he was enabled to secure a solid chocolate cow, which weighed fifty-four pounds, as well as several other chocolate animals, ranging in weight from one to three pounds. Interspersed among the candy animals were placed boxes of animal crackers. On each side of the display two cut-outs of the Uneeda Biscuit Boy were deposited. The boys, in addition to carrying a box of the company's product, carried a sign which stated that : "The Uneeda Boy Suggests You Try 'Animal Crackers' " (play date, etc.). We are showing a photo of the completed display in the event that you would like to use a stunt of this type for your house. The display created a lot of comment from everyone entering the lobby, with the ultimate result that business went up a couple of notches all during the run of the film. We would like to tell you that the smiling showman whose photo appears at the top of this story is none other than William Bill Brown, himself. We think he deserves a compliment for the splendid tie-up he arranged. What do you think ? And he also deserves another one for the way he plugs his Club. No. matter how busy Bill is, he always manages to get in a good word for his fellow showmen. What do you think? Due to the excellent cam Gallagher Used a Paisn that he turned out on /-> , „. , . "Feet First when it played Group OT Stunts to the Capitol Theatre in Sioux Sell Lloyd Picture City< Ia" Gerald Gallagher, manager of the theatre was ~ enabled to chalk up another box-office winner to the string of victories he has annexed in his years in the show game. The outdoor billing consisted of 10 24-sheets, posted up-sidedown, two weeks in advance. 100 window cards in shine parlors and shoe hospitals, with tie-up copy which eliminated passes. 35 dashboard cards were used on as many street cars, 20 inserts were placed in prominently located windows, and 20 tire covers were used on spare tires of taxicabs. The REAL Green Pastures! Christmas . . . happiness . . . joy . . . peace on earth, good-will to men . . . just a few weeks more and it will be here ... a day in the year when everyone expresses happiness . . . oh, pardon us . . . we said "everyone" . . . we're wrong there . . . for a moment we forgot about those poor humans to whom Christmas is just December 25 . . . another day on the great calendar of Time . . . another monotonous day . . . another day of privation . . . another day of suffering . . . while the other half of the world laughs . . . laughs and says: "Merry Christmas" . . . oh, well ... it seems that some people forget . . . but . . . It is not a showman's duty to forget . . . already the showman should have set his dates for special shows . . . benefits . . . anything ... so long as it is going to help lessen another's burden, if only for a moment . . . think of the joy all around if on December 25th you can be thinking: "Well, I've done my bit . . . I've given the local charities plenty of food . . . and clothing . . . and toys . . . for distribution among the poor" . . . say listen guy! . . . it's the greatest thrill you'll ever get . . . remember what James Russell Lowell says: ". . . he who gives but a slender mite, and gives to that which is out of sight, That thread of the all-sustaining Beauty Which runs through all and doth all unite, — The hand cannot clasp the whole of his arms, The heart outstretches its eager palms. For a God goes with it and makes it store To the soul that was starving in darkness before." Sure it's poetry . . . but it's human poetry . . . it's the kind of poetry that makes a man's chest expand as he breathes: "There's nothing like Charitv— WITH A CAPITAL 'C'." Will YOU sav the above? Inasmuch as the picture played Sioux City on Election Day, Gallagher got out 10,000 "Vote for Harold Lloyd" throwaways, which were distributed at the polls. 2,000 20" cardboard rulers were distributed in office buildings. In addition to using illustrations of Harold Lloyd, these rulers carried copy reading, "You won't need a ruler to measure the deep, long laffs in Harold Lloyd's latest comedy, 'Feet First.' Every inch a laff. Capitol Theatre, starts Friday, November 7." Following through on the national tie-up made with Florsheim shoes, Gallagher arranged for a very attractive window display in the store of the local Florsheim dealer. A 3-column cut of the window appeared in the Sunday edition of the Sioux City Journal. Six columns of co-operative advertising were sold by the Sioux City Journal for "Feet First." These ads included the Florsheim dealers in town, as well as the shoe shine parlors and shoe hospitals, who were not regular advertisers. Two days in advance of the opening, a truck was used to ballyhoo "Feet First" on the streets. This ballyhoo consisted of a float in the form of a huge cut-out of a shoe on which was printed the theatre's announcement. The Sioux City Journal ran a series of stories, offering free admissions to the first 100 persons bringing wearable old shoes to the theatre. These shoes were donated to the Salvation Army for the needy. We are passing these ideas along in the event that you can use some of them yourself, should the occasion arrive where they can be spotted. We want to thank Gerald for passing them along and we hope to have some more in the very near future.