Showmen's Trade Review (Jan-Mar 1945)

16 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW February 24, 1945 3 -Way Campaign Promotes 'Victory' Money Dates for March The blustery weather, combined with the rigid observance of Lent throughout most of the month, makes March a formidable obstacle for theatremen. Forewarned is forearmed, and the wise showman will quickly and firmly grasp every angle of emphasis that promises to make attendance at the theatre so important it will outweigh climactic discomforts and other obligations in the minds of his customers. National and sectional observances are not too plentiful, but what few there are provide the opportunity for activities that should get support from groups or businesses. Here are a few ideas on which you should seek the cooperation of your local newspapers, merchants, and others whose enterprise can be furthered by cooperation with the theatre: National Observance Periods Mar. n-17: NATIONAL GIRL SCOUT WEEK. Arrange a meeting with the Girl Scouts in your vicinity and assist them in planning recruiting drives and setting up recreational and organizational activities for the balance of the year. Help them prepare an outline of past accomplishments and future aims for newspaper and radio publicity. Stage a parade of Girl Scouts to your theatre to wind up a drive for members. Check with local feminine leaders to determine the names of famous women who were former Girl Scout members. Try to locate local women who have contributed in some manner or other to the welfare or fame of your community who formerly enjoyed membership in the Girl Scouts. You will have little or no difHculty in getting reams of publicity for every move you make in assisting the aims of this fine organization. By making your theatre the focal point of this activity, your boxoffice will benefit. Mar. 19-24: HOBBY WEEK. Here is your chance to create a lobby display that will attract plenty of attention. The newspaper editor and radio station manager will assist you in locating the outstanding hobbyists in the community whose examples of playtime activities can be displayed. If lobby facilities are inadequate, tie up with merchants for windows and get publicity for your theatre and its attractions by having the newspaper run a contest in which tickets are offered as prizes to persons sending in the best impressions of the various hobbies displayed. Don't overlook this bet, for it offers many chances of personal contact vyith the better class citizens who are not regular patrons and whose continued patronage is highly desirable. Special Opportunity Tieups Mar. 17: ST. PATRICK'S DAY. This is the big day for the Irish. Tie up with a local florist to give green carnations to the ladies and see that handbills are printed or overlayed in green. If possible, order a quantity of inexpensive shamrocks from one of the large novelty houses to be given away, with some message about the theatre and its attractions appended. Contact the heads of local Irish societies and try to arrange for choral groups and other activities on your stage, such as an Irish Reel dancing contest, old fiddlers' contest, etc. Mar. 1: U. S. DEPT. OF EDUCATION, EST. 1867. Try to get school heads and Board of Education officials to use your stage for special activities to celebrate this anniversary. The possibilities are as big as your own imagination and your ability to Trust Boosts Showing Of Two Republic Films Ted Trust, advertising and publicity director of the Strand Theater in Brooklyn, New York, backed his Republic program — the musical, "Brazil," and the murder mystery, "Grissly's Millions" — with good promotion, and was quick to take advantage of the review in the Daily News by supplementing his effective display front with a 40x60 blow-up of the review, as well as a sign bearing a quotation from the review suspended. The samba girl motif used in the newspaper advertisements was the central figure of his display material, which also featured heads of the leading players in "Brazil." Trust obtained coverage daily over Station WBYN with "Hits of Brazil" ; planted a music display in the nearby five-and-ten cent store; gave the films a special plug over the regular Fox program over WMCA; and cross-plugged the program at both the Paramount and Fox theatres. Trailers at both these theatres promoted the Strand booking and included excerpts of the Daily News review. sell your ideas and the importance of the occasion to the executives you contact. Mar. 7: LUTHER BURBANK. FAMOUS HORTICULTURAL SCIENTIST, BORN, 1849. With spring and the planting season not so very far away (we hope) the county agricultural agent, leaders in local garden clubs, the 4-H membership and many ruralites can be interested in participating in observance of the natal day of this man whose work has meant so much to furthering the perfection and progress of plant and vegetable life. If possible, arrange for gratis or inexpensive packages of seeds, carrying messages about your theatre, to be given to all persons attending. Mar. 14: ELI WHITNEY PATENTED THE COTTON GIN, 1794. If yours is a textile manufacturing or cotton-growing community, you should have little difficulty arranging for city-wide observance of this day. MAR. IS— INCOME TAX PAYMENTS DUE. With so many people still unfamiliar with the filing of income tax returns, and with many newcomers entering the ranks, get in touch with your local Collector of Internal Revenue and arrange for the appearance of some member of his staff to be available at your theatre at certain intervals to answer questions regarding income tax returns. Revisions in the federal tax law have made the process easier in many cases, but there vrill still be some people who will be confused as to the procedure they should follow. Mar. 20: FIRST DAY OF SPRING. Go after the local merchants and arrange for observance in the way of fashion shows, mezzanine dress parades, etc. Mar. 21: JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, COMPOSER, BORN, 1685. The various music societies and music stores will cooperate on activity to celebrate this occasion. Sectional Observances Mar. 1 : Nebraska joined Union, 1867. Mar. 2: Texas Independent Day. Mar. 3: Florida admitted to Union, 184S. Mar. 4: Pennsylvania Day, Charter granted, 1681. Mar. 4: Vermont joined Union, 1791. Mar. IS: Maine joined Union, 1820. Mar. 23: Alaska made part of United States, 1867. Mar. 2S: Maryland Day. Parade and Bond Rally Mark Macon Premiere of 'Co-Pilot' (Continued from Page 13) liiiere the Junior League's Grand Ball in honor of Col. Scott was entertained by Clyde Lucas and his Coca Cola Spotlight Band. The music and tie-in announcements provided nationwide breaks for the picture. The band also played at Warner Robins Field Hangar the night before for local broadcast. John B. Kennedy, famous commentator, also was in Macon for the occasion to participate in the premiere and interview Col. Scott, Governor Ellis Arnall of Georgia, Mayor Charles Bowden of Macon, the visiting stars and other celebrities. To exhibitors in the cities which carried the broadcast via 198 stations, Kennedy had sent advance letters inviting them to listen in. The local CBS and Blue Network outlets carried frequent announcements for several days in advance of the premiere and also aired the Junior League Ball. In addition the two stations carried remote control broadcasts from five difl^erent points along the route of the parade and where special "Co-Pilot" events took place. Army Air Force cooperation obtained a four day special leave for Col. Scott, permitting him to be present at the premiere with his family. Army public relations officers, representatives of Warner Bros., 20 Century-Fox and the Fox Theatre in Philadelphia cooperated to an unprecedented degree in promoting "Winged Victory" for its showing at the Fox Theatre in that city. Nearly $6000 worth of free radio time, trolley fronts, car cards, painted and posted outdoor boards and other advertising were obtained through the organized efforts of the committee set up to handle the campaign. At a meeting with Major Raymond J. McGill, Public Relations Officer of the area, Sid Blumenstock, Mike Weiss and Si Freedman of 20th Century and Lester Krieger, Maurice Gable, Irving Blumberg, Milton Young of Warner Bros, and Elmer Pickards, manager of the Fox Theatre, outlined their contemplated campaign and each was assigned specific duties. Nearly 100 free announcements on commercial time were promoted from every radio station in the city including chain and independent outlets. Five 30x40 ft. street banners were paid for by civic-minded manufacturing concerns and two 10x40 ft. painted boards also were underwritten by manufacturers in the area. Fifty posting boards also were contributed. The Philadelphia transportation system cooperated by carrying free posters on trolley fronts that ordinarily would have been charged for at $840 and also donated $326 worth of space for car cards inside buses and trolleys. Innumerable taxi bumper strips, truck sides, war plant posters, posters in -bowling alleys, lunch rooms, libraries (which also distributed thousands of book-marks), etc., were donated. The newspapers let down rationing bars and permitted purchase of from 1000 to 1500 additional lines of advertising which was not charged against the regular amusement section rationed space. Liberal publicity space, including a full page of pictures in one newspaper with an editorial the same day, and the front full page and cover of the color section in another paper were given to plug the picture. Columnists cooperated, too, by running paragraphs day after day, before and during the run of the picture. Junior and senior high school representatives reviewed the picture well in advance of the showing and printed comments in school publications. This was arranged as part of their visual education curricula. Window displays of army equipment were in every department store in the city and a merchants association used SO window displays in their better stores. Another feature of the campaign was the purchase of advertising space in every available foreign language newspaper with usage ©f a 3-column scene mat and advertising in 24 neighborhood daily and weekly newspapers. Every hotel in the city featured an announcement, with scene stills of the picture in the lobby and on the desks of room clerks, arranged so that they would best be seen by transients. A note from Warner Bros. Philadelphia office states, in relation to the success of the campaign that, ". . . the Public Relations Office of the U. S. Army Air Forces in the Philadelphia area is to be commended for the fine spirit of cooperation which they showed at all times and for the actual amount of promotion that they arranged." Free Show and Sunday Dinner A stunt worked out by Lou Coluntuano of the Stanton Theatre, Philadelphia, and 20th-Fox exploiteers Mike Weiss and Si Freedman, brought servicemen and their dates to the Sunday showing of "Sunday Dinner for a Soldier," after which the entire group was taken to the Normandie Grill where the proprietor gave the boys and girls a free Sunday dinner — Ph.