Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1944)

Stub Lee Gets Fine Tribute/ Programs Reveal Ingenuity In Layout and Typography Here it is, the beginning of another week. Seems only yesterday that we completed last week's edition of this department, and another is due already. The weather is ideal, so we can't complain about that, which probably makes our anti-weather-discussion compositor very happy. The sun is shining and there is a cool, invigorating breeze. Although he may not see it here, we think the best way to start this edition is to take note of a recent tribute paid to Manager Stub Lee of Quincy Town Hall Theatre, Quincy, Calif. Now Lee is not a member of the Program Exchange, and the tribute had nothing to do with programs ; but Lee is a showman, and since showmen make up the readership of this department, we think it fitting and proper that we mention the tribute here. Under the heading of "Good Business," this paragraph appeared in an issue of the Feather River Bulletin. "It strikes me there are few small communiles which produce home town theatre managers with the natural ability of our own Stub Lee. This guy has technique, and his appreciation of the importance of good patron relations is illustrated in his every-day contacts. Stub never misses a bet to plug the picture showing and the 'hit' coming next, and at the same time giving the assurance that your patronage is of importance to Town Hall. The Town Hall proprietor is usually on hand to greet every customer, and there are few of its patrons who at one time or another have not been the recipients of some nice little courtesy from Stub personally." Well, that's the tribute, and we think Lee should feel very proud. You might read it over a few times and check up on yourself. No matter what your situation, establishing friendly relations with the public and making folk feel you appreciate their patronage is essential to continued good business. Under such circurnstances, those few "clucks" you may find it necessary to exhibit now and then will be overlooked, but that doesn't mean you can coast along on a pleasing personality and poor pictures. On the other hand, neither will good pictures overcome the antagonism that can be aroused against a tactless and inefficient theatreman. The lesson to be learned from Lee's tribute is just as appropriate for mention in this department as any phase of program selling for it concerns every exhibitor, whether he has anything to do with programs or not. Another excellent job in program designing has been achieved by Pat Neels of Rugoff & Becker's Granada Theatre, Brooklyn. Neels' best efforts reveal themselves in the programs' center pages where artistic ingenuity is often necessary to effect an attention-getting design. Down in the corner of the announcement of the showing of "Mr. Skeffington" is mention of the second feature, "Gildersleeve's Ghost." When we saw that, we couldn't help but wonder what Bette Davis fan would want to see a Gildersleeve picture, and what Gildersleeve fan would care to see "Mr. Skeffington." Personally, we are at a loss to understand why any patron, after viewing a 128-minute feature of the quality of "Skeffington," would also desire to see still another film of an hour's length or so. Maybe we're fanatical on the subject, but for the life of us we can't see how an outstanding attraction is improved through the addition of an ordinary program picture. How can one who is in the mood to see a tense film like "Gaslight" also respond to an inconsequential, near-slapstick comedy like "Casanova in Burlesque"? To us, it's like trying to eat a sour pickle along with a dish of ice cream; each has its place in the diet but not for simultaneous consumption. But then, as we pointed out before, those opinions are our own, and since they have nothing to do with October 7, 1944 house organs, we'd better return to the proper subject. Depending entirely on typographical makeup without benefit of illustration, the designers of the program for the S5th Street Playhouse, New York, have done a satisfactory job. Selection of type and just the right amount of spac-. ing has made the over-all result attractive and easily readable. Just to show how it was done, we are reproducing the program's center spread on this page. Because of other pressing matters, we must bring this discussion to a close. See you next week. Mail us a copy of your program. Doman Top Winner In Harris Campaign Manager H. A. Doman of the Harris Dubois Theatre, Dubois, Pa., was awarded first prize in the special month-ofAugust Harris anniversary campaign commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the motion picture industry, the sale of war bonds and the special event marking the launching of a Liberty Ship at Savannah, Ga., dedicated to the memory of the late John P. Harris, founder of the Harris Amusement Co. Leading the field of 21 Harris theatres, including houses in Pittsburgh, Doman captured first prize of $50 for his exploitation of the anniversary and other related events. Newspaper cooperative layouts and publicity promoted gratis formed part of the theatreman's campaign. Doman joined the Harris organization in 1933 and has served in many posts for that organization, with the managership of the Harris Dubois as his most recent assignment. Campaign Fire Under 'Gaslight' Casts Showmanly Glare Over City Promotional rays emanating from a campaign fire built under "Gaslight" by Manager Sam Gilman of Loew's Regent, Harrisburg, Pa., blanketed the city in its glare and served as a beacon to guide undecided movie patrons to safe harbor at the Regent. Co-op ads, banner displays, strip heralds, laundry inserts, invitations, photo stunts, lobby displays, radio plugs and postcard advertising, were added by Gilman, as fuel to the flames, with waiting lines around the Regent box-office throughout the "Gaslight" run a direct result. Combustibles used to keep the campaign embers glowing were : A screening held two weeks in advance of opening for newspaper and radio representatives from which an entire column on "Gaslight" in the Harrisburg Telegraph accrued ; full page co-op ads by merchants doing business in Harrisburg since the "gaslight era," with a war bond offered the person who guessed nearest the number of aggregate years represented by the merchants ; a 60-fopt "Gaslight" banner hung across Main Street; an 18 in. by 3 in. herald containing scenes from the picture ; 2000 post cards, advertising "Gaslight," mailed to Harrisburg moviegoers ; placing of 2000 heralds in laundry packages ; distribution of 1000 miniature photographs of the film's three stars to beauty parlors, fashion shops and other places where they would reach the greatest number of women ; a 20 ft. by 10 ft. lobby display with genuine gas fixtures on either side ; 27 spot announcements over the local radio station ; an extensive newspaper teaser campaign run well in advance of opening. SHOWMAN SAM SAYS: Looking at those Paris liberation newsreels makes you realize that no war in history will ever have been so well recorded as this one. Historians will have to watch their steps when writing it up, for the pictures will either back them up or disprove their statements. loij'iam r Double American Premiere") 'starting Wed.. Sept. 27tlJ 32 RUE DE MONTNARTRE (DERRIERE LA FACADE) Ecre<t br r«ci Mir Edfliih Titlci c br Andre Cjilhji . Weinberg THE CAST The concierge The s.rl ■ The soldier The deieclive The cigar-smoking deleclivi The ludgc iBermerl... His w.le ...... The.f son , The kept woman Her "boy friend", the polit The bank clerk The tycoon's wife Her lover (AKredol The knite-lhrower IPicking The kleptomaniac Two lo..is.=.siS» ; Their "friend" The landlady's "busirtess asi The cabaret singer — Marcel Simon ., Caby Sylvia Caretle ..Lucien Baroux — Jacques Gaumer A.me Clariond Cabrjelte Ooriiat _,. Raymond Segard Caby Morlay _ Henri Oufrcsnc Elvire popesco — lules Berry „...M.chel Simon Andre Lifauf Erich vOn St'Ohcim Betty Stocktield Jean Oupont Marguerite Moreno ...Simonc Berriau B IE %m.< ■ PrcNluccd jnd Photopaphed by Major Paul Pefer Devlin Le Havre . . . Villages of Normandy and Brittany , . Rouen . , . Caen Lisieux . St Mjchel Pau . . . Lourdes . Pyrenees . , Aries Avignon , . Nimes , , Marseilles . . Toulon ... St. Raphael Juan les Pins Cannes Nice , . , Monte Carlo . . . Paris . . . ! 3 2 RUE D E MONTMARTRE A city, anywhere in the world What goes cn behind the innocent-Iookmg front of one of its large apartment houses, wh'ch are like worlds in themselves? Every city has them. Though the setting of this story is pre-war Paris, rt m'ght be New York; San Francisco or Buenos Aires. People are the same the world over, pre-war or post-war But if we could peer behind the facade of their houses, or lock through the roofs I as Asmod'eus did in Le Sage's 18th Century novel, "The Devil on Two Sticks") what would we see' What we might see forms the story of this unusual and intriguing film. Here is a cross-section of humanity in the raw — comic, tragic, satinc, with all its foibles and frailties, plagued by money and sex, ambition and desire, love and lust, and seme of iho mere dehcate aberrations In short, a film such as only the French have the courage and capacity for self -criticism to make — a Gallic "Grand Hotel" in a gay mood, tinged with ironic observation of life — the never-ending "greatest show on earth," — Herman C Weinberg Without benefit of illustrative elements, the designer of this program for the 55th Street Playhouse in New York has created an attractive and readable piece cf selling literature through the careful selection of type and proper spacing. Even cold type, when well utilized, can achieve some warmth.