Showmen's Trade Review (Apr-Jun 1945)

:18 SHOWMEN'STRADEREVIEW May 5, 1945 An Idea Or Two Concerning Photos of Stars on Covers/ Material of Human Interest y/e're almost convinced that Spring is here. The warm, balmy days outnumber the cold, rainy ones. And though we never know from day to day what the next 24 hours will bring (even the weather reports are not always infallible) we're beginning to feel that real winter days will be few and far between from now on. Temperatures during the past few days have ranged from 35 to 70 degrees, and on a couple of days recently the mercury soared to 84, an unheard-of reading for March. Now that we are well into May, with months June, July, August and September not far behind, we can look forward to autumn weather in October. Courageously, we ventured outside today minus our topcoat. After all, we can't continue to perspire in the belief that — well, maybe this is just a brief, abnormal period. It has lasted too long already for that. Our winter overcoat has definitely gone into storage. And now that that's out of the way, we'll see what the programs have to ofifer. Two theatres in Michigan operate on different times. The Midway in Davison operates on Eastern War Time, while the DeLuxe and Capac in Imlay City and Capac operate on Central War Time. Guess we don't keep very good track of our meridians, time belts, etc., but we had no idea Michigan was divided in its time observances. Cover pictures on the two programs should please both sexes ; on one is Lana Turner, while on the other is Van Johnson. We still think the idea of offering prizes for the best home-made albums featuring these cover photographs would be a good way of stimulating interest in the programs and building patronage. Or perhaps, contestants could be offered passes for the best letters each week on why they like the particular player being featured on the cover. Publicity material in the program for the Normandie Theatre, New York, is concerned wholly with brief bits about the players appearing in the week's offerings. The items are not necessarily biographical, but more or less of lijman interest. One, concerning Laughton, states that while making a tobacco shop scene for "The Suspect," he puffed away while cigaret-hungry crewmen, who couldn't buy any in Los Angeles shops, watched and drooled. Another declares that Ella Raines, who also appears n the picture, is going to write a thesis about Charles Laughton's acting to get her A.B. degree from the University of Michigan. Such material as this can be picked up from the press book on almost any picture, and there's probably more chance of gaining readership i.nrough its usage than by a long-winded story .;.jOut the entertainment qualities of a film. What selling there is to be done should be done in the msplay announcement. An exception, of course, is in the announcement stories on the front pages of the so-called tabloid-style programs. Consideration should also be given to preparation of human-interest material for "boxes" to be planted on newspaper amusement pages. In looking over the calendar program for the Marius Theatre, Lakeview, Ore., we note that ciianges of show take place on Monday and Friday. The weekend shows are devoted to westerns and action films. Well, that's the way It used to be out in the midwest when we were a youngster, except that the action stopped late Saturday night, with a little more dignified form of entertainment available for the movie-going tjopulace on Sunday. We could always conceive of "blood and thunder" on Saturday (or perhaps any other weekday, preferably from Thursday on), but Sunday was when the more refined type of entertainment was presented. That's why it surprised us a little to note that the "blood and thunder" at the Marius starts on Friday and continues right on through Sunday. We suppose it all depends on what one gets used to. For ourselves — go to Sunday school and then drop in at the theatre that afternoon to see a saga of the wild west? Perish the thought. Jim Owen had nothing to say on the back of his calendar for April. Probably too busy getting ready for the Spring fishing season. Since his bad luck with black ink a few weeks ago, Pat Neels takes no chance on anything but colored inks now, such as lavender and blue, in printing programs for the Granada Theatre, Brooklyn. He certainly did a swell job in announcing a recent Easter Fun Festival for children. A really nice layout. Program consisted of a Roy Rogers western, along with seven cartoons and a Three Stooges comedy. And, oh yes, there was also a western featurette, "Wagon Wheels Westward," on the same program. Most of the space in Thomas Di Lorenzo's program announcement for the showing of "National Velvet" at the New Paltz Theatre, New Paltz, N. Y., was devoted to quotes from New York newspaper critics' reviews. Where people take stock in big-city newspaper reviews, and they evidently do in New Paltz, space devoted to review quotes is wisely utilized. The time has come for us to bring this discourse to a close. We'll see you again in a few days. Horror Show Features Prologue and Jinx Items Showmanship of the old, but always new style was used to the maximum to build up Republic's double horror showing of "The Phantom Speaks" and "The Vampire's Ghost" at the Hawaii Theatre, Hollywood, where the double bill opened recently day and date with the same bill at the Elite in Beverly Hills. For a week prior to the opening the Hawaii Theatre lobby displayed superstition and jinx items such as a black cat, an electric chair, broken mirrors and ladders under which jinxdefying patrons could walk. The electric chair was green-lighted for weird effect and electrified for sparks display. A specially prepared recording was broadcast via the theatre's speaker system for an eerie prologue in which a man was strapped in an electric chair similar to the one in "The Phantom Speaks." As the man struggled and incoherently threatened to return to life and "get" members of the audience the speaker interrupted with orders to begin the execution following which screams were heard. As the lights went on the "phantom," lighted with a red spot, ran up the theatre aisle, waving his bands from which sparks emitted, laughing insanely. The speaker uttered : "The phantom will never die." Special radio transcriptions were employed on local radio stations and a large neon sign on the theatre roof plugged the program. Local Contacts Valuable in Civic and Theatre Enterprises The value of establishing and maintaining strong local contacts was demonstrated again by Fred McSpadden, Fox West Coast manager in Tucson, Arizona, during the 6th War Loan when he placed the names of two of the contacts on the all-important Pearl Harbor Day Committee. Fred Dragonette, brother of the famous Jessica Dragonette and Frank Wong, president of the city's Chinese Chamber of Commerce, were instrumental in skyrocketing the sale of bonds in McSpadden's theatres. Through Dragonette's efforts he was able to advertise a personal appearance of Jessica and through the Chinese leader the huge oriental population made their bond purchases through the theatre. Through other local contacts McSpadden also was fortunate in being able to obtain a personal appearance of Robert Walker, who drew additional thousands and was responsible for even greater increases in the bond sales total. 'Pirate' Sold Via 18 Stores Eighteen general stores in 13 small surrounding towns near Tilbury, Ontario, recently distributed specially printed heralds on "The Princess and the Pirate" through a tieup with a work clothes manufacturer. The tieup was arranged by Harland Rankin, owner of the Plaza Theatre in Tilbury. 'GHOST' BALLYHOO 'DOWN UNDER.' Mindful that his fellow showmen in the States believe in the effectiveness of ballyhoo, Manager Jim McCully of the Liberty Theatre, Melbourne, Australia, decided to follow such a course in exploiting Universal's "The Mummy's Ghost." Because of a petrol shortage. McCully had to resort to a horse and wagon for locomotion; but just the same, he got his ballyhoo around town. Instead of being frightened at the ghost emerging from the coffin, the little girl at the left is apparently amused.