Showmen's Trade Review (1945)

SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW November 3, 1945 Press Book Ideas Basis for Fine Campaigns on Rhapsody7 Theatre promotion for Warners' "Rhapsody in Blue" illustrates the value of ideas suggested by a press book and again demonstrates the ease with which smart showmen can take a basic idea or ideas and adapt them to their own situations, often improving and enlarging upon the original idea. The following highlights from several campaigns recently completed or now in work are examples : State-Lake, Chicago: Six Gershwin Girls will be selected by a committee of three Purple Heart Veterans, a noted beauty editor and a fashion editor in a, competition sponsored by a leading local store. The winning girls will be featured in a "Rhapsody in Blue" Fashion Show modeling original costumes worn by Joan Leslie and Alexis Smith in the film the day before opening. They will be guests at the opening and will be presented with Columbia albums of Gershwin tunes. Contest is being widely advertised by the sponsoring stores in a series of newspaper layouts in which the film receives strong plugs. Paramount, St. Paul and Radio City, Minneapolis: Window displays were set in 44 stores — 32 in Minneapolis and 12 in St. Paul. Two radio stations played recorded Gershwin numbers daily for one week, crediting the theatres. Automatic record players were placed in the lobbies of both theatres, constantly playing Gershwin music a week before opening. Clerks at record counters in music and department stores wore lapel badges and ushers at both theatres wore sashes a week in advance of opening. Capitol, Cincinnati: For the second week of the picture's showing Arthur Frudenfeld, HERE'S VAN AGAIN! The Van Johnson Fan Club, recently organized by Loew Theatres, is getting almost overwhelming response from the female contingent — but the boys are joining up, too! A male member signs his application card at Loew's Paradise Theatre, New York, to get an autographed photo of the star and a numbered membership card. When new Van Johnson pictures play the theatre certain members are selected by number to be his guest. district manager for RKO theatres, tied up with the Board of Education for a distribution of special student tickets, good until six p.m. Lawler, Greenfield: Special showing of the picture was arranged for students the day before opening, with school faculty members and music teachers as guests. Newark, N. J. Area: Through Columbia Record dealers, about 100 window displays have been set in and around Newark where the picture plays the Branford. The Stanley, Jersey City; Fabian, Patterson and the Montauk, Passaic, also will benefit from these displays. 'Blue Furnishings' Windows Shea's Great Lakes, Buffalo: Four chain men shops set up "blue furnishings" window displays. A department store used a window display featuring blue women's dresses. Window displays of jewelry, furs and records, both with Columbia and RCA Victor, also were set up. Bumper strips for taxis, window cards in cigar stores, restaurants, newstands, etc., imprinted napkins, coasters used by restaurants, bars, cocktail lounges ; imprinted shopping bags and banners on news distributors trucks also were parts of the campaign. Criterion, Oklahoma City: A special 15minute Governor's Broadcast, in which the Governor paid tribute to Gershwin and proclaimed Gershwin Jubilee Week ; a style show with window display and newspaper advertising cooperation by a department store and thorough cooperation by Columbia Record dealers in window display and cooperative newspaper advertising highlight the campaign here. Denver, Esquire and Webber, Denver: Five stores used cooperative newspaper advertising and window display space on Columbia Records and two radio stations featured Gershwin music for a full week before opening. Indiana, Indianapolis: Sixteen full department store window displays set a record here, highlighted by 8 full windows given to dress displays by the William H. Block Company department store, the first time this store has cooperated with a motion picture showing. A jewelry display, one in a men's shop with the rest devoted to music and records of Gershwin music completed the lineup. The Block store and the jewelry store also used cooperative newspaper advertising. Two radio stations played Gershwin music a week in advance of opening and another station devoted a full two-hour Salute to Gershwin show with recorded music, giving the picture credit as the inspiration for the program. Scott Uses Radio, Windows To Exploit 'Back to Bataan' Transcribed radio announcements, six 5-minute transcriptions and 40x60 displays in two windows were some of the stunts used by Leon Scott, of Schine's Margie Grand Theatre, Harlan, Ky., to exploit RKO's "Back to Bataan." While the Infantry, which was putting on a local show, could not directly commercialize the picture, they did let the people know that the weapons they were using were exactly like those used in "Back to Bataan." SWELL CAMPAIGN. The window display shown here is only one of fourteen promoted by Manager Ralph H. Frame of the Bluffs Theatre, Scottsbluff, Neb., on Paramount's "Out of This World." Another phase of the swell campaign was a Fall Fashion Show with 20 pretty girls modeling "Out of This World" creations on the Bluffs stage. During the engagement, everything from gasoline to doughnuts carried the film's title, Manager Frame reports. Radio, Ads, Windows Build '21' Campaign Free radio time, free ads, and window displays were the three focal points around which Ken Hoel, Harris, Pittsburgh, built his top "Over 21" exploitation campaign. Radio breaks were twofold, the first being the popular "Man in the Street" broadcast over KQV the day before opening. The broadcast was from the lobby of the theatre, which automatically gave more plugs to the picture over the air and attracted countless more people to the theatre than would have normally been there. In addition, questions were slanted in such a vein as to publicize the words over 21, thus giving the picture much more publicity. The second broadcast took place the morning of opening day and was a swap shop show over the same station. Plugs were plentiful on the program, and full theatre credits were of course given. Free-ads mentioning "Over 21" and its stars, cleverly tied-in with the regular copy, were placed in all papers by Beti Weitzner Beauty Salon, Boggs and Buhl, Joseph Home and Frank and Seder. All are important shops in the community, and all of their ads widely read. Windows, all in the most populous parts of the city, were plentiful, the most prominent being in the following shops : Eastman Kodak, Snyder's Bookshop, Woolworth's, Record Center, Pittman's Smoke Shop, Raab Clothes, Singer Sewing Machines, Ft. Pitt Typewriter Co., Jerry's Beauty Salon and Childs' restaurants. 'Spanish Main' Windows Attractive window displays were promoted for the showing of RKO's "The Spanish Main" at Keith's Memorial Theatre, Boston. One display featured the original costumes worn by Maureen O'Hara in the film, while another featured miniature frigates and old ship models. —BO.