The Philadelphia Exhibitor (1935)

34 Nov 1 1 35 THE PHILADELPHIA EXHIBITOR BETTER MANAGEMENT Tested ideas . . . Suc¬ cessful merchandising . . . Stunts that are proven. Metro Shooting Works on "Mutiny on the Bounty" From all appearances, Metro ex¬ ploitation director Billy Ferguson is shooting the works on “Mutiny on the Bounty.” Already lined up are: Book tieups, novelty metal match book holders, photo streamers, oil paintings, a $1000 ship model contest, with a replica of the Bounty now on tour; special float ideas; typewriter tieups; special co-operative ads; sailormen’s chantey contests; study guides for schools; extra size, extra strong accessor¬ ies; giant lobby streamers; standees; Young America club tie-ups; log books; lobby maps; knot-tying contests; Xmas boat gifts tieups; songs to plug; tire covers; book marks; door hangers; giant cutouts; blotters, etc., with a host of others to come. "This Is the Life" Harrisburg A Hallowe’en party for children was held at the State Theatre, Harrisburg, October 25, by manager John F. Rogers, to welcome screen arrival, “This Is the Life.” Going to the party in Hallowe’en cos¬ tumes, the children participated on the stage in a program of games and contests including pie and cracker-eating competitions, a pea¬ nut race, bobbing for apples, eating apples from a string and diving into a tub of flour for money. The child wearing the costume judged by applause of the audience to be the best was awarded a prize of ten new silver dollars. Another prize of five new silver dollars went to the child wearing the funniest costume. Also clad in their Hallowe’en costumes, the girls and boys of Sylvan Heights Home and the Children’s Industrial Home of Har¬ risburg were the guests of manager Rogers at the party and film program. A gift of an autographed photo of Jane Withers was pre¬ sented to every patron, adults as well as children. Chambarsburg Organ Plug Wilfred S. Binder, organist, Capitol The¬ atre, Chambersburg, had a quarter hour three times a week over the air, via WJEG. He plays tunes from various movies. RCA for “Scandals” Elaborate Photophone sound re-en¬ forcement apparatus which will provide “natural” sound for every seat in the houseregardless of location will be an integral part of the newest edition of “George White’s Scandals” scheduled to open in New York about the middle of November. RCA engineers are instal¬ ling special equipment of the portable type, similar to that in use by Max Gordon’s “Great Waltz” road show, in the Mosque Theatre, Richmond, Vir¬ ginia for an out-of-town premier, after which it will follow the show to New¬ ark, and into the New Amsterdam Theatre, New York. Gilman Scores Sam Gilman is gloating over his good fortune in obtaining booth space for a display of motion picture advertising ex¬ clusively at “The Patriot” and “The Evening News!’ Progress Exposition in the State Farm Show Building, Harris¬ burg. Skipper of Loew’s Regent, Harris¬ burg, which has been trying, without success, for years to arrange friendly tie-ups with “The Patriot” and “The Evening News,” leading morning and evening dailies of Harrisburg. An estimated 50,000 from Harrisburg and other parts of Central Pennsylvania had seen the progress show, and two more days remained to see it when Sam explained to the writer that he had been granted his booth space through an ar¬ rangement in which he supplied four of his theatre ushers for duty at the pro¬ gress show. Sam’s booth consisted of large display boards on his current attraction, “Bar¬ bary Coast”; cptning attractions, “Me¬ tropolitan” and “Mutiny on the Bounty” and Metro’s $1000 national prize con¬ test for ship models to exploit “Mutiny on the Bounty.” Drisaoll Scorci Wilmington Sharpshooting Roscoe Drissoll, manag^J^rLoew’s Parkway, has been scorinr some fine '‘bull’s eyes’’ in the way of win¬ dow crashing lately. A new store on Wash¬ ington Street near the bridge, a much trav¬ eled th oroughfare, is managed by an amateur photographer who has rigged up a small sized motion picture screen in his window with stage effect and Drissoll arranged to have his attractions flashed on the screen. He""~ also had a whole row of stills of the I Live My Life” in a bakery window and a sectional lay-out, with a dozen or more stills and a large background picture of Joan Crawfofd in another window. "Barbary Coast" Harrisburg Ma nager Sam Gilman, Loew’s Regent The¬ atre, Harrisburg, arranged a number of effec¬ tive exploitation stunts for ‘‘Barbary Coast.” A week in advance of the opening all local newspapers played up the engagement with advance stories and photos of the stars. Two hundred window cards were placed in leading stores throughout the city. A tie-up with the Murphy Store on a “Bar¬ bary Coast Sundae” accounted for specially imprinted napkins and window streamers throughout the store. All employees of Murphy’s wore special silk badges plugging the “Barbary Coast Sundae.” Local shoe deale rs co-operated in getting out a co¬ operative ad on Red Cross Shoes in which the picture received prominent mention. United Cigar Stores tied in on the ten-ten Cigars and used window streamers. "The Healer" Harrisburg “If I can get them to see The Healer,’ I know they’ll like it,” said Jerry Wollaston, manager, Victoria, Harrisburg. In his efforts to "get them in to see it,” Jerry put out 1000 blotters, 1000 cards representing doctors’ medical bags and 100 window cards. The window cards did double duty carrying ads on both "The Healer" and "Thunder Mountain” which preceded the former. During showing of “Thunder Mountain,” Saturday, October 26, Jerry gave out Tim McCoy cowboy cuffs to first 500 children in line. Tim McCoy in "Riding Wild,” is to follow “Thunder Mountain.” The guests of Jerry the preceding Satur¬ day morning at showing of “The Virginia Judge," the Midway Drum Corps of Enola, composed of 125 neatly uniformed girls an^ boys, had a 20-minute concert in front of the Victoria after a short parade. Hazleton Awards Bud Irwin, veteran manager, Feeley The¬ atre, Hazleton, has a tieup with local mer¬ chants where $50 is given away every Wed¬ nesday night. In addition, Irwin arranged for a local roadhouse show to come to the theatre and put on their acts for the local citizens. Irwin, who has been in the business for 50 years, is making a nice go of the Hazleton house. "Top Hat" Pottsville Samuel Friedman, Capitol Theatre, Potts¬ ville, had a good tieup with a Pottsville de¬ partment store on “Top Hat.” A full win¬ dow plugging Ginger Rogers in Kragmoor coats was devoted to the picture and lavish newspaper space given. So successful was the film’s showing that it was held over. Wilmington Men Help Wilmington theatre managers have shown their usual public spiritedness in offering co-operation to various charit¬ able groups who are planning the annual toy program for Christmas. Practically all of them attended the luncheon meet¬ ing at the Hotel duPont. The News-Journal Publishing Com¬ pany is co-operating in the campaign. Theatre men who attended the meeting were as follows: Ben Schindler, Avenue; A. J. Belair, New Rialto; A. Joseph DeFiore, Park; John O. Hopkins, National; Roscoe R. Drissoll, Loew’s Parkway; E. C. Callow, Warner district manager; Arthur Cohen, Queen; Louis S. Black, Arcadia; John Smith, Aldine; Morton Levine, Grand Opera House; E. G. Fin¬ ney, Savoy, and Benjamin Seligman Strand. Each theatre manager is expected to work out his own scheme of collecting toys.