Showmen's Trade Review (1945)

42 \ SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW October 20, 1945 \ Stunts Staged in 'Apple Pie' Carder Using the editorial theme, "the world and apple pie," suggested by a scene in the picture, Manager Bernie Seaman and Publicity Manager Ted Routson of the Hippodrome, Baltimore, set up a contest with the Shoppers Home News (circulation 130,000) in connection with Columbia's "Over 21." Bonds were given as prizes. Working on the same idea, apple pies were given away free to radio commentators, editors and newspaper columnists. The stunts garnered much valuable publicity space. Montefalco's Imagination and Ingenuity Spark Waterbury's Ace Horror Campaign Exploiting a picture without the benefit of a national advertising campaign or names with which to intrigue the customers presented a challenge to Al Montefalco, publicity director of the Roger Mahan Theatres and manager of the Carroll Theatre in Waterbury, when he devised a few stunts to accentuate the horror of "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors" when the picture played the Carroll. Al's own vivid imagination had plenty of opportunity for full play and he transmitted his own idea of horror to his patrons. How would you like to be sitting in a darkened theatre, seeing one of those pictures that scare the daylights out of you in spite of yourself and then have a real live ghost roam up find down the theatre aisles and sit fight next to you? Montefalco opined that this would be one of the ways the customers could be needled into talking about his show, so he arranged for just that — live ghosts in his theatre! But we're getting ahead of the story. When the picture was booked to play his theatre Montefalco decided that the title a natural, so with additional booking effort, every short on the program was to be about ghosts, spooks, etc., providing more than three ASPIRIN TABLETS & FAINT CHECKS WILL BE AVAILABLE an** tvf! STARTS TODAY >*S COME EARLY SO AS TO AVOID CROWDS ADULTS 40c CHILD. 25e GHOSTS! WILL ROAM THE THEATER! DON'T COME IF YOU CAN'T TAKE IT! EXTRA ADDED SCREAMS "GANDY GOOSE IN GHOSTTOWN" "DR. JEKYL AND MR. HYDECAT" 3 STOOGES IN "WHEN A BODY MEETS A GHOST" "DR. TERROR" SHOWN: 1 :0O — 3:35 — 6:10 — 8:45 HORROR? There was plenty of it in Al Montefalco's campaign to exploit "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors" when that film played the Carroll Theatre, Waterbury, Conn. Shown above is the scarey ad with its potent advertising copy. Note that even the shorts follow the "horror" angle. Now move your eyes to the right for the . . . unadulterated hours of horror — he hoped ! To accentuate the horror angle farther, Al designed special front, lobby ad foyer displays which set up the horror atmosphere by using green lighting, hanging skeletons and catchlines such as, "For the first time on any screen — Zombies, Vampires, Ghouls, Voodoo Rites, The Living Dead." Then, as a ballyhoo, a ghost with bed sheet and face mask roamed Waterbury's streets with a sufficiently large sign draped across his front and rear to tell the folks just what it was all about. The trailer was good enough, Al decided, but it needed just that Montefalcoian touch. So he draped himself in the bedsheet and mask and ran screaming across the stage just at the trailer's conclusion while an usher with a macabre sense of humor groaned loudly and piteously via the speaker system. Window cards, heralds, teaser advertising were not neglected. But the highlight of the advertising was the catchline "3 hours of Thrills ! Ghosts Actually Roam the Theatre," which topped every display ad ! Intriguing ? You bet!_ Distribution of "faint checks" and aspirin to the faint-hearted added to the campaign's thorough effectiveness. And two army cots were set up in the lobby for those who might feel dizzy, or faint, from the effects of "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors," with the public well apprised of these facilities. The ghost stunt on the stage was the most effective single stunt used in the campaign. All of the horror stunts, taken together, proved to be enormously effective in bringing Waterbury's populace into the Carroll. The campaign demonstrates that even old stuff, used forcefully and with imagination, can seem new. With a touch of originality and a good deal of sweat they bring dollars into box-offices which might otherwise be unusually quiet. GHOSTLY BALLYHOO (in white sheet) which roamed the city's streets, pointing out highlights of the display to patrons as they entered the theatre the week before the film's opening. 'Spanish Main7 Stunt Scores in Rochester Excellent use of the coloring contest offered by RKO as part of its campaign on "The Spanish Main" is reported by Jay Golden, city manager, in charge of the RKO Palace Theatre, Rochester, N. Y. A tieup was made with "Uncle Don" whose juvenile following is gained by his daily read* ing of the comics over the air, sponsored by the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. The color contest circulars were distributed by the newspaper in every playground in the city. The heads of each of these playgrounds sponsored local costume prizes. The winners of these pirate costume contests appeared on the stage of the Palace at the Saturday morning performance, in costume, to receive their prizes. An extra 9 o'clock show was given that morning. The Democrat and Chronicle carried daily stories for a week concerning the contest and all the details of the Saturday morning show, together with general publicity on the picture. An unusual feature of the campaign was a "Trailer of the Air." Scenes from the picture were rendered as in the case of a regular screen trailer. On the Sunday morning prior to the opening when "Uncle Don" read his comics, he included "The Spanish Main" strip which had already appeared. To complete the campaign Mr. Golden tied up with the annual safety rally sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, Board of Education and the Democrat and Chronicle which took place one week prior to this opening. Over 2500 children were present to hear the talks and receive safety awards. By special arrangement, a screen trailer of "The Spanish Main" was shown to these children in conjunction with an announcement regarding the costume contest. It all added up to much overaverage business for the picture. Aggressive Promotion Campaign Set for New Season MOT Series An aggressive advertising campaign for forthcoming 20th Century-Fox releases of The March of Time which will be keyed to peacetime audiences, has been announced by Richard de Rochemont, producer of the series. The new season's product will be pre-sold through full-page advertisements in Time and Life reaching 25 million people ; with every new MOT issue exhibitors will receive free a threecolor one-sheet designed to sell both the feature and the MOT subject; in addition, exhibitors will receive the benefit of publicity, national tieups and coast-to-coast newspaper syndication. A special announcement emphasizing the importance of the promotion campaign is being sent to exhibitors by Tom Connors, 20th-Fox vice-president in charge of distribution. Victor to Exploit Dinah Shore Record of 'Saratoga Trunk' Song As Long As I Live, song number from Warners' "Saratoga Trunk," which will have its world premiere late next month in New York, has been recorded by Dinah Shore for RCA Victor. Victor will exploit the number as one of its popular releases with window display, direct mail, national advertising and other promotion. Ad Gives Season's Product In a full-page newspaper ad announcing its recent reopening after undergoing modernization, the New Lawler Theatre, Greenfield, Mass., not only featured its first attraction, "Christmas in Connecticut," but also listed 18 other Warner pictures that will be among the coming season's attractions. Stars as well as titles of the pictures were given.