Showmen's Trade Review (Jul-Sep 1943)

August 28, 1943 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW FLAG CEREMONY TO LAUNCH DRIVE (55) Glamour has been added to bond drives by staging mass flag-raising ceremonies covering Treasury Department minute men or local service honor flags. Such a ceremony includes simultaneous raising of flags at a given hour with attractive young ladies presiding. To add excitement, bands and groups of service men and women participated. Theatre fronts were decorated, civic dignitaries delivered one-minute appeals. An M.C. kept the program lively, a local vocalist sang the national anthem and bond sales flourished at theatre booths. This has been done with great success. Why not create a special 3rd War Loan flag to inaugurate the opening of the drive. United Nations Flags will dress the affair and otherwise the previous routine could be followed. A mass song fest might be added. If tanks, guns, etc., are available, have displays during the ceremony. Your facilities and energies will determine the scope of the stunt and excellent pictorial newspaper coverage of the opening of the drive will result. Merchants' windows will be decorated. Civic backing should make it possible to decorate light standards, intersections, and to use overhead street banners for glamour. Get "Back the ATTACK" proclamation from mayor and youth group support to help swing it. THEY LOVE A PARADE ... SO HERE'S HOW (58) One of the easiest ways to line up a parade is to get some local citizen experienced in this work to handle the promotion. Usually such an individual knows all the angles through experience and can prove an invaluable aide. If you can't find such a man here are some pointers to help get one started. Suggested line-up. 1. Motorcycle Police lead men. 2. Mounted Police. 3. Parade Marshall (Civic or Military Dignitary & Aides). 4. Color Guard of Honor. 5. Band or Drum Corps, Military groups. 6. Legion and Veteran groups. 7. Band led by baton twirling majorettes. 8. Youth Groups interspersed with floats. 9. Drill team and band. 10. Women's Auxiliaries, Red Cross, Ambulance Corps. 11. Fire Engines, Firemen, Floats and Band. 12. Citizen groups, business men, business women, etc. 13. Merchants' floats, newspaper trucks, bakery and dairy trucks, etc. Cover with photographers, radio broadcast, advance buildup through all mediums, reviewing stand in front of theatre. MISCELLANEOUS IDEAS TO SPEED VICTORY BROADCAST OF DRIVE OPENING (56) Spectacular plans are now being formulated to elaborate the Third War Loan Campaign. The first and opening gun of the drive may take the form of a White House broadcast with the stars of the Hollywood Bond Cavalcade participating. Watch the press for announcements of broadcast time, details, etc. Plan to pipe the broadcast to your auditorium and loudspeakers in front of the theatre. Advertise the fact and pull an audience which might be inclined to stick by their home radios. Tours of war heroes are also being projected and should be capitalized. The stars scheduled for all or part of the Cavalcade include: Fred Astaire, Lucille Ball, James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland, Judy Garland, Kathryn Grayson, Walter Pidgeon, Dick Powell, Kay Kaiser with the possibility of Mickey Rooney joining en route. The cities scheduled to be visited following the opening appearance in Washington on September 8th, are: Philadelphia, 9th; Boston, 10th; New York City, 11th; Pittsburgh, 12th; Detroit, 13th; Cleveland, 14th; Cincinnati, 15th; Chicago, 16th; Minneapolis, 17th; St. Louis, 18th; New Orleans, 19th; Dallas, 20th; San Francisco, 23rd; Los Angeles, 24th. ALBUMS AUTOGRAPHED BY MOVIE STARS (59) Ten thousand War Stamp Albums autographed by the Hollywood Stars are being prepared to be taken along for distribution by the screen luminaries on their Caravan Tours. It seems that the thousands of small theatres across the country who do not rate a star appearance but do their level best to Back the Attack are entitled to several of these Autographed Albums to be used as prizes in promoting in their ov/n way the Third War Loan Campaign. Such a giveaway would pack big time glamour for the folks in the hamlets and would further goodwill for the motion picture industry's part in the drive. All we can do is suggest that you contact your local War Finance Committee Chairman and have him TRY to get you a few. If you are lucky in the endeavor don't keep the fact that you have them a secret. Display them in a store window with photos of the stars and information as to how they can be obtained. They would make swell door prizes, contest prizes, sales team awards, etc. Have them insured for say $10,000 as a newspaper story stunt with photos and copy of the insurance policy. BACK THE ATTACK WITH SHOWMANSHIP IMPORTANT DAYS DURING THE BOND DRIVE SEPT. 9— CALENDAR— OCT. 13 (57) Schools open in most communities. Constitution Week Sept. 13 to 18 Star Spangled Banner written 1814 Carole Lombard Day Constitution Day (Constitution adopted in 1787). National Newspaper Boys' Week First Day of Autumn Bill of Rights enacted in 1789 College football season starts Gold Star Mothers' Day American Indian Day Religious Education Week (Sept. 27 to Oct. 4) Rosh Hoshanah (1st Day) Jewish New Year Nationally Advertised Brands Week starts National Retail Furniture Week starts Fire Prevention Week starts Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) Jewish Holiday Canadian Thanksgiving Day Columbus Day (Celebrating 1492 discovery) Sept. 13. Sept. 15. Sept. 17. Sept. 21. Sept. 23. Sept. 25. Sept. 26. Sept. 27. Sept. 30. Oct. 1. Oct. 2. Oct. 3. Oct. 9. Oct. 12. CITY-WIDE PROMOTIONAL SLOGANS (60) 1. "Outfit the Outfit" 2. "Equip A Fighting Unit" 3. "Buy A Bomber" 4. "Sponsor A Fighting Ship" 5. "Name A Liberty Ship" 6. "Buy A Fighter" A most complete 30-page tab-size press book on these activities with all necessary details for successful handling is available through your local war finance committee. It shows costs of all sorts of items in terms of war bonds and stamps and is illustrated with mats which are available through the various matrix services subscribed to by your local newspaper. Scene mats to fit each campaign theme are also illustrated and available. This press is titled, "SELLING MORE WAR SAVINGS," a promotion guidebook. If you feel equal to the challenge of community leadership you will find this item a wonderland of showmanship and it's free and waiting. In ship or boat-building cities you may be able to arrange to select a young lady to represent your city in christening the boat your city buys. Same goes for tanks, planes, etc., to be handled as a popularity contest.