Showmen's Trade Review (1945)

October 20. 1945 SHOWMEN'S TRADE R E V I E W 39 Circuits Anniversary Spotlights Progress With elaborate civic celebration in each of ten Iowa towns, Pioneer Theatre Circuit, headed by Harold D. Field, marks its Fifteenth Anniversary this month. Parades, luncheons, dinners and a traveling caravan with stage acts launched the gala event last Monday (Oct. 15) in Spencer, where fifteen years ago this fast-growing circuit opened its first theatre. In the intervening period it has grown to twenty-one theatres in ten cities covering the western half of the state of Iowa from Minnesota to the Missouri line. Pioneer's president has a background steeped in the finest traditions of theatre business. A son of M. L. Finklestein, co-founder of the great F & R Theatre circuit which operated in Minnesota, the Dakotas and Wisconsin, Field received his early training under the watchful eye of his father and was actively associated with the F & R theatres for some time after their affiliation with Publix. When he decided to establish his own circuit, Field selected Spencer, Iowa, as the Keystone of his operation. He had been operating only a year when the disastrous fire which wiped out Spencer destroyed his theatre. Pioneer's Xew Spencer Theatre was the first building to arise from the ruins of that thriving Xorthwest Iowa Community. Field subsequently expanded his operations to such towns as Jefferson, Carroll. Atlantic. Clarinda, Webster City and Perry. In August of 1943, a partnershio with Herman Fields was formed and Pioneer hoisted its banner in Storm Lake, Sac City and Cherokee. The Circuit maintains its home office in St. Louis Park, Minn, with a district office in Carroll under the direction of Don Smith, who supervises the operations and handles the booking as well. Turnover in managerial position in the Pioneer Circuit is practically nil. Field, well known for his ability to select men for key positions, gives his managers free reign in the operation of the theatres, and unique in circuit operation is Pioneer's enviable record for exploitation and intelligent merchandising of screen product. Besides all this, all Pioneer managers are expert Tojectionists, a knowledge which has paid dividends in recent trying war years. Special Trailers Prepared by Paramount for 'Lost Weekend' As part of the extensive pre-selling campaign for "The Lost Weekend," the Paramount studio is producing a series of four special short trailers which will be used by exhibitors in giving the picture a buildup far in advance of openings. Selling the film as "the most talked about picture in years," these trailers feature the critics' enthusiastic comment on the Charles Brackett-Billy Wilder production. These are in addition to the regular trailer, and are intended for showing during a four-week period in advance of the picture's opening. In addition to the critics' quotes, backgrounds from the picture featuring Ray ■ Milland and Jane Wyman are included in the series of special trailers. Revival Films Well Sold W arners' combination revival of "It All Came True," starring Humphrey Bogart and Ann Sheridan, and "Born for Trouble," with Van Johnson and Faye Emerson, got a lot of window display and other attention on the opening at the RKO Boston Theatre, Boston. Unusual combination of the four stars wras one of the angles exploited. Painted sidewalk stencils leading to the theatre were used for the engagement, and RKO distributed 20,000 photographs of Van Johnson with an imprint on the back tieing in the other three stars. Seek Tokyo Souvenirs Members of the armed forces in Columbus, O., who were among the first to enter Tokyo, and souvenirs brought from the Tokyo area are wanted by the RKO Palace there in conjunction with the forthcoming engagement of RKO's "First Yank Into Tokyo." The "first Yanks" will be invited to take part in a special premiere of the film which is expected to bring a number of screen names to Columbus. The souvenirs will be used as displays, and prizes will be awarded for the bast. 'House' Preview Nets Newspaper Publicity As the first volley from his campaign gun trained on the box-office bullseye for the engagement of 20th Century-Fox's "The House on 92nd Street," Manager Harry A. Rose of the Loew-Poli Majestic Theatre, Bridgeport, Conn., held a screening for the press, radio. FBI, local and state police. Result : a three-column cut and caption in the Bridgeport Post which showed Supt. of Police John A. Lyddy, Roger F. Gleason, FBI agent; Rose, and Police Captain George A. Washburn "examining" a section of the film at the preview. This type of publicity stunt has been used many times before, but it is still effective and in the case of "The House on 92nd Street" most appropriate. Other exhibitors should place it at the top of their promotion program for the picture when it plays their theatres. Uses Personal Touch To Exploit 'Boy, Girl' Cyril Mee, now manager of Warners' Strand and State theatres, Harrisonburg, Va., knows how to sell those "human interest" pictures by utilizing the '"personal" touch. He did it in Frederick, Md., with "My Pal Wolf," which had to be brought back a number of times because of public demand, and he's apparently doing it again in connection with W. R. Frank's "A Boy. a Girl and a Dog." Here's the message Mee conveyed to citizens f Harrisonburg through a newspaper ad on " \ Boy, a Girl and a Dog" : "Recently I previewed this heartwarming picture — a story long to be remembered for its closeness to things that America loves best, and take pleasure in recommending it as fine wholesome entertainment for the entire family. After you have seen this picture will you please drop me a card and give me your opinion, and in return I will give away a framed enlarged photograph of Sharyn Moffett, for the first card or letter received by mail." Canada Included in Campaign Set by RKO on 'Spanish Main' As part of the advertising campaign on "The Spanish Main," S. Barret McCormick, RKO director of advertising and publicity, announces that a four-color comic section covering the action of the Technicolor production has been set to appear, starting November 3, in Canadian newspapers with circulation slightly less than two million, plus approximately 350.000 circulation from border-city American newspapers sold in Canada. Cooperative Pages Bring Capacity Business sooi cafe TL FBOIDLT PBE5ENT Weatherford's Own Corp. Elbert A. Easter woo d THE MARCH OF DEATH OLDS SHI MdMYTj) L A-TWeb Din -I PALACE THEATRE SAT. NIGHT PREVIEW 11:15 P.M. SUNDAY-M0NC4Y-TUESDAY COW FIBHIl A.EASTSWOOD Cm OF fUTKtFCOD «tOTAL IMTJt AWOKTOC DUFFY'S TAVERN Opens in City j "Leace Us Face It. Bing! New Word en Hotel Wfc«« We C*>c. is AFTER THE SHOW MEET YOUS F31ENB6 That promotion of cooperative newspaper advertisements is still possible and profitable is proved by two recent examples received by this department from E. B. Buffington, manager of the Palace Theatre, Weatherford, Texas, and Harry Burke, manager of the Community. Saratoga Springs, X. Y. Buffington's cooperative, which is shown above (left), ran in the Weatherford Democrat. In addition, enough extra copies were run off to put one in every home and car in town. As a result, Buffington did SRO business for the opening day of RKO Radio's "Back to Bataan." The other page (right), promoted by Burke in Saratoga Springs with the assistance of Ed Wall, Paramount exploiteer, for Paramount's "Duffy's Tavern," proved to be a "natural." According to Burke, "it created a lot of talk and brought me capacity business for my four-day engagement" The "welcome" angle, Burke believes, can be profitably used in both large and small towns. Although far apart geograhically, both of the page promotions brought excellent results. What do vou think of them?