Showmen's Trade Review (Jan-Mar 1945)

22 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW March 3. 1945 Neels Finds Background That's Dark Becomes Black/ No More Dark Backgrounds When we stepped out last evening the sky was clear and the air slightly chilly. It could have been a little warmer, but we consoled ourselves that the absence of snow and rain was enough to make one feel good. As has been our custom for many years at the dinner hour, we went to a restaurant for dinner. Upon leaving about an hour later we were surprised and chagrined to discover that snow was falling silently to earth ; that the ground was white ; that the snow was wet and adhesive, so that after a minue or two we looked like a snow man. That's how changeable the weather is these days. The sun is shining now, but in an hour there may be rain or snow. Slowly Contracting Spring Fever Because of conditions beyond our control, we were forced to stop work on this edition of the Program Exchange after we had completed that preceding paragraph. Result : two or three days have passed. There is no trace of the snow. The sky is clear. There are signs of spring in the air. Was that a bird we heard? No, guess not. Anyway, we are slowly contracting spring fever, and once it gets its hold on us — well, we have an intense desire to flee to the wide open spaces. We've often wondered if some sort of arrangement couldn't be made whereby it would be possible at springtime to permit everyone to go forth into the wide open spaces and bask in the sunshine and balmy breezes. No one would be allowed to remain behind and work. All activity would cease while everyone recovered from their collective attack of spring fever. Water from springs and rivulets, and berries and herbs would serve as nourishment. Think of the saving in electricty, wear and tear of equipment, etc. At the end of the recovery period, everyone would return to work again, with health, energy and enthuiasm. Production would increase by leaps and bounds. And now that we are slowly awakening from our hypnogogic daydream, we shall get down to the business at hand. We have a letter from Pat Neels (written, coincidentally, on our birthday) in which he makes many interesting comments, but forbids us to publish them. Since we never disregard requests of that nature in this department, all we can say is that Neels wrote a very interesting letter. Our fingers are iching to quote from it, but we don't hanker for a rap on the knuckles. Tlie program accompanying the missive contains a front-page halftone cut of Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon which, unfortunately, printed so darkly as to seem black. Too bad, but one has to be careful of dark backgrounds. The almost complete absence of any screen causes the ink to run together and thus effect a black mass. The inside-spread layout on "Together Again" showed up pretty well, as far as we are concerned. Maybe it looked better after seeing the front page. In any case, when Neels makes a mistake, he knows it, and by experimenting he can learn what to use, what to avoid in the future. Now that front-cover cut on "I Love a Soldier" isn't bad at all, in our opinion. The cut itself is nearly all screen, and the highlight and shadings are just about right. This department will necessarily be very brief til is week because of rapidly approaching spring fever and other activities. As a matter of fact, our time is up right now, so we will leave you until next time. Allard Promotes Hot Chocolates For Patrons Waiting to See 'FWTBT' Hot chocolates for patrons waiting in line to see Paramount's "For Whom the Bell Tolls" at the Center Theatre, Fall River, Mass., were promoted from Walgreen's Drug Store by Manager Ray Allard. Copy on tickets accompanying admission stubs and on 40x60 display in front of theatre was as follows: "Why wait in the cold? Purchase your ticket for the next show and get a free hot chocolate at Walgreen's Drug Store just across the street." Steamboat Wheel Center of 'Mark Twain' Window Display Included in the extensive campaign for "The Adventures of Mark Twain" when it played the Enright Theatre, Pittsburgh, was an outstanding on-the-spot stunt arranged by Lige Brien, manager, when he salvaged a huge, eight foot guiding wheel from a casualty steamboat that had plied the Monongahela River. The wheel became the center of an interesting display placed in a downtown store window and included other steamboat material with appropriate snipes for the theatre and picture playdate. 1 i 1 KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ALLEY. Said to be the first such tieup of its kind, this above-the-alley display was promoted with a local bowling alley in Wichita, Kansas, for the showing of 20th Century-Fox's "Something for the Boys" at the Miller Theatre. Many other tieups were effected by District Manager Harry Jameyson. Stranger*s 10-Point Campaign on 'Velvet' A ten-point exploitation program for "National Velvet" was carried out by Michael Stranger, manager of Loew's State, White Plains, N. Y., assisted by Laura Solomon and Sam Belmont of the theatre staff. A local radio station cooperated with the theatre in a quiz program in which listeners were asked to name the pictures in which Mickey Rooney, Donald Crisp and Elizabeth Taylor appeared, with passes for the first ten correct answers. A Westchester florist gave a full window to the production with a colored enlargement of Rooney as the centerpiece and a drug store distributed 2000 fan photos, contributing an entire counter display. A library and book shop also used window displays. The mailing list, compiled from war bond purchasers' names, were sent postcards in race track jargon, in which "post times" were printed. One of the most effective stunts in the campaign was a wheel of fortune in the lobby. Hobby horse window displays were arranged in a youngsters' barber shop. Cigaret stores used the sign "Sorry, no cigarets today . . . but you will get keen satisfaction out of seeing MGM's 'National Velvet'." Military Ceremonies in England for 'Victory' Brilliant military ceremonies ushered in the invitational premiere for Moss Hart's "Winged Victory," 20th Century-Fox production, at the Tivoli Theatre in London, according to information received recently by Murray Silverstone, vice-president in charge of foreign distribution. The special ceremonies were staged to honor both the RAF and the U. S. Army Air Forces, with 700 American officers and enlisted men acting as hosts to their counterparts of the Royal Air Force. In the distinguished audience were many high-ranking officers and service personnel. Among the notables were Generals Doolittle, Kepner, Caughan, and Partridge, representing the U. S. Army Air Force ; and Commander Brabner, Air Chief Marshal Douglas, Air Chief Marshal Bowhill and Air Marshal Sorley, representing the RAF. One of the highlights of the occasion was the presentation to General Doolittle of an enormous birthday cake, commemorating the third anniversary of the presence of the U. S. Eighth Air Force in England. Following the premiere, a reception for the distinguished guests was held at the Savoy. Radio Promotions Highlight the Premiere of 'Suspect' in New York A coast-to-coast broadcast and several local airings over major New York radio stations highlighted the New York campaign to exploit Universal's premiere of "The Suspect" at the Criterion Theatre. The "Double Or Nothing" show devDted its entire air time to questions about the picture and Maggie McNeills and Herb Shelton interviewed James Ronald, author of "The Suspect," over the local NBC outlet. The Orson Welles transcribed dramatization of the picture was aired via six major stations and a number of other radio shows also used "The Snispect" theme as questions on their programs. Patrons of the theatre were interviewed in the lobby by Jimmy Jemail, New York Daily News inquiring photographer, whose questions about nagging wives in general and the nagging wife in the picture were aired by a major station.