Showmen's Trade Review (Jan-Mar 1945)

January 27, 1945 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW 21 Young Farmer Finds Lost ^Victory^ Balloon A barrage balloon moored above the Roxy Theatre recently in advance of the showing of Moss Hart's "Winged Victory" was swept away by a gale. Immediately thereafter 20th Century-Fox offered a reward of $500 to anyone finding it. For two weeks its whereabouts became a nation-wide mystery. During this period, newspapers and radio stations kept up a day-by-day report on the balloon. Then a few days ago the "Winged Victory" deflated balloon was found ten miles north of Falisburgh, N. Y., by Charles Phelps, a 19-year-old farmer, one of a family of seven brothers, most of them in the armed forces. Upon his discovery, he phoned the Falisburgh Chief of Police who, in turn, notified 20th-Fox. Phelps, who was seeking his stray dog at the time he found the balloon, received his reward at the 20th~Fox home office late last week. Yes, he also found the dog. Peep Window Lures Patronage to Enright Lige Brien, manager of the Enright Theatre, Pittsburgh, sold "Show Business" to capacity audiences by dramatizing the dramatic. Ever on the alert for a novelty in exploitation, Brien conceived the idea of a peep window while the opportunity for executing the idea into a lucrative channel presented itself in a fortuitously vacant window opposite the theatre With the help of a craftsman, the window was painted almost in white with the exception of a small opening in back of which a miniature stage was constructed with all its necessary investiture. On the stage Brien directed the installation of two women's shapely legs. The background of the miniature was fittingly though conservatively illustrated with material from "Show Business," playdate, name of theatre and so forth. The appeal from passers-by was incidental to the compelling urge from the curious across the street. Orderly crowds did what was expected of them : peep and pass on. At night the window and stage were illuminated. This stunt was projected over a period of ten days and literally thousands had a glimpse before the opening of the picture. An added stunt proved its effectiveness in a street-ballyhoo. A presentable young man, whose attire, while grating on the eye, caused no dissatisfaction with results, wore a tuxedo, a five-foot Mexican straw hat, tennis shoe, work gloves, cane and a white silk handkerchief. The sign on him read: "I am going to see 'Show Business at the Enright.' DISPLAY WORTH CROWING ABOUT. Manager Allan Easson of the Oakwood Theatre, Toronto, Ontario, maintains interest in his coming attractions through the display of signs like that shown above. Army Co-op and Radio Stunt Big Draw for Tokyo' Campaign An unusual radio stunt highlighted the recent campaign on "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo," put on by Sam Oilman, manager of Loew's Regent, Harrisburg, Pa., and Ed Gardner, MGM exploiteer. Each day for a period of 10 days in advance of the opening, station WHP devoted a five-minute program to the presentation of a short biography of local flyers now stationed in the Pacific. The parents of these boys were invited to see the film as guests of the station. The picture received excellent publicity through this stunt. Another successful tie-up was arranged through the cooperation of the local Army depot. The Army furnished a 40-foot airplane crash truck which was placed on exhibit in front of the theatre for one week simultaneous with its own campaign for recruiting labor for the depot. The signs on the truck read : "Keep 'em flying over Tokyo— Take a Job at Middletown Air Depot." The Army's aid was enhanced with a musical note by having its band play martial and other tunes for three days in front of the theatre during the engagement. Five Jewelers Buy Space For 'Pearl of Death' Tieup The promotional agility of Manager Marcus Allen of the Palace Theatre, Oneonta, N. Y., resulted in a tieup with five local jewelers who shouldered the total cost of a 3-column, six-inch advertisement in conjunction with the run of "Pearl of Death." Newspaper copy read : "Search for the 'Pearl of Death.' In the window of one of Oneonta's leading jewelers there will be on display a pearl. The beauty of this pearl has held thousands of spectators breathless. Locate this pearl, drop a note to any of the stores listed below and receive your reward." (The subject was illustrated by the mat from the press book showing the pearl used in the center, surrounded by one and one-half inch blocks containing the jewelers' names.) Allen opened his campaign by running oneinch advance teasers with the copy reading : "Watch for the 'Pearl of Death' " and "Look for the 'Pearl of Death'," together with a scene mat of Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes captioned "He is searching for the 'Pearl of Death'." Broadway 'Objective' Sign Warners' "Objective Burma," new Errol Flynn starrer which opened this week at the New York Strand, was given special Broadway exploitation via a large Motorola display sign in color on the northeast corner of Broadway and 47th Street, facing Times Square. Sign will remain throughout the New York run of the picture. SHOWMAN SAM SAYS: It's a funny thing how doing exploitation for one picture can be a real pleasure, while for another it's a pain in the neck. It isn't all dependent on the state of your stomach, either. Valincl*s Cards Boost Grosses on ^Miracle^ How a small idea can really "click" is illustrated by the experience of enterprising N. R. Valind, manager of the 300-seat Grand Theatre in Chetek, Wisconsin. With the temperature hovering between 14 and 22 degrees below zero, Manager Valind increased attendance up to 400 per cent merely by mailing 750 penny postal cards and by distributing an additional 300 cards to every business house and home in the community ! The Grand Theatre always has done well during the summer months, drawing patronage from summer tourists. The theatre has closed Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursday during the winter months, however. Stimulated, no doubt, by tales of greatly increased business throughout the country. Manager Valind decided to remain open this winter. Accordingly he booked Paramount's "Miracle of Morgan's Creek" for January 2nd, 3rd and 4th and business jumped 100 per cent Tuesday, 400 per cent Wednesday and 80 per cent Thursday over the best Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of any summer week. On Wednesday night he played to standing room. And Chetek has but 1200 population and is in the center of a rural area ! Copy on the cards : "Warning ! You'll Be Sorry ... If You Don't Come to the Year's Funniest Comedy, 'The Miracle of Morgan's Creek,' Tues-Wed-Thurs, Jan. 2-3-4. No one will be admitted during the last ten minutes of picture — 'twould spoil the fun. There will be an extra long intermission between shows — to allow customers time to stop laughing — and get up strength enough to leave the theatre. Signed, N. R. Valind." That copy about the extra long intermission to allow customers enough time to get up strength to leave the theatre must have helped to arouse public curiosity and bring them out to see what it was all about. Valind feels his idea can be duplicated by other small-town theatremen. How about trying it, boys? Ballyhoo Helps 'Mummy's Ghost' L. G. Scouten, manager of the Temple Theatre, Cortland, N. Y., engaged a young man to walk around the downtown section on a Saturday night dressed to look like the mummy in "The Mummy's Gost." This bizarre figure really had people looking. Scouten also directed the mummy to walk around the stage several minutes before the last show. This also proved effective, adding to the mood before the presentation of the picture. Sam Defazio and Ken Hoel of the J. P. Harris Theatre, Pittsburgh, put their heads together and cooked up this window display for Columbia's "The Impatient Years." Guest tickets were awarded to people who saw the turtles enter their stalls to spell out the title, several letters of which were painted on each stall.