Showmen's Trade Review (1945)

24 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW November 3, 1945 Sherred Sells Seats With Clever Gags Arouse the potential patron's interest in what you have to sell. That factor is essential in any selling job, not the least of which is theatre exhibition. And Carl Sherred, manager of Grace M. Fisher's Embassy and Maryland theatres, Cumberland, Md., is following it to a T these days. For example, there was two weeks of racing in Cumberland while MGM's "Anchors Aweigh" was playing at the Maryland. So Sherred got UP a gag which consisted of an envelope with this copy on the outside : "Here is the red hot tip of the week! Play this one straight across the boards. It's right from the old feed bag, and you can't lose. The price is right! Let the whole family in on this one." Inside the envolope was a card announcing the "Anchors Aweigh" showing. The envelopes, and the cards they contained, were distributed every day at the races. Now isn't that a swell way of arousing the potential patron's interest in what you have to sell? Let's take another example. For the engagement of Columbia's "Kiss and Tell" Sherred distributed cards which featured a "Date Pledge" on one side and an ad for the picture on the other. The "date pledge" gag is very clever and should be eagerly received by the young folk. Boys will have their girl friends sign them. Blotters will be distributed for the Thanksgiving week engagement of MGM's "Weekend at the Waldorf." Sherred gives no details, but we imagine stores, offices and hotels will receive the bulk of the lot. Firestone Tieup on 'Eddie' When 20th-Fox's "Captain Eddie" played Schine's Kentucky Theatre, Lexington, Ky., the Firestone stores loaned a five-man rubber life raft which was displayed in the theatre lobby. In addition, the stores took newspaper advertising calling attention to the display. Judging the Entries Judges of International Pictures' recent idea contest for showmen, conducted in behalf of the advance campaign on "Tomorrow Is Forever," are now checking and classifying entries under the supervision of A-Mike Vogel. Winners will be announced the first week of November. There will be monetary awards for 15, merchandise prizes for 95 others. Managers, bookers, general managers and exploiteers of 37 theatre circuits are among the contest entries. Educators, Editors in 'Southerner1 Discussions Intelligent stimulation, intelligently applied to educators, newspaper editors, local merchants and radio stations brought widespread cooperative publicity and exploitation results to Lester Pollock, manager of Loew's Rochester, Rochester, N. Y., for his showing of United Artists' "The Southerner." Pollock, with a wide circle of friends among the faculty at the University of Rochester, established during previous exploitation work at the University, recommended class discussions on "The Southerner." To enable faculty members to outline the subject matter of the picture he arranged a special screening for them, and general class forums followed on the controversial matter in the picture, resulting in widespread interest. Discussion of the subject with newspaper editors resulted in editorials appearing in both the Times Union and the Democrat Chronicle. Radio commentators also discussed the controversial issues contained in the production. A timely break for "The Southerner" on page one of the Democrat-Chronicle occurred when the announcement of Loew's purchase of theatre proper was announced during the run of the picture. • OUTSTANDING. An outstanding series of forceful newspaper ads, of which the one reproduced here is a typical example, is now appearing in New York City newspapers to advertise Universale "This Love of Ours," which opened this week at the Criterion. In addition to its teasing, interestarousing sales message, this particular layout compels attention because of its illustration and the liberal use of white space. Crowded with other amusement ads in the New York World Telegram, it stood out in sharp relief. This and the other advertisements in the series are available to exhibitors in the advertising section of the company's pren book. Stage Band Exploited By Audience Contest An effective and original audience participation idea that can be used to build up almost any coming musical attraction is the "Record Roundup" now being conducted by the Metropolitan Theatre in Providence to publicize the coming personal appearance there of Louis Prima and his orchestra. All leading record, music and department stores and station WJAR, NBC's outlet in the territory are active participants with the theatre in promoting the contest. Widely publicized, the contest invites members of the audience to bring up to the stage a recording which is played back to the audience. Following the playing the contestant tries to imitate the person on the record, accompanied by the theatre's stage band. The idea is a simple one but it has received widespread, enthusiastic response and support from merchants, who have donated record albums, records and other prizes, and from the radio station which continues to publicize the contest which closes prior to December 6th, when the Prima organization takes over. The radio station's announcing staff handles the contest from the stage. Originally the contest was limited to boys and girls from 16 to 21 years but since window displays and cooperative newspaper ads have appeared, fan clubs of various band leaders and recording stars and the recreation divisions of factories in Providence have indicated their desire to participate and an additional night has been set aside for them. Exploitation of the contest itself so far includes special window displays, the distribution of window cards, newspaper advertising and constant "spotting" on the disc jockey programs of the participating radio station. Trailers and theatre lobby displays also continue to inform Metropolitan Theatre patrons of the contest's interesting factors. — BO. Halloween Horror Show Held In Rochester at Loew's Theatre Repeating an annual event that has become traditional in Rochester, Manager Lester Pollock of Loew's Theatre staged another successful Halloween Horror Show recently. The program was composed of two features, "Torso Murder Mystery" and "Face in the Window," and a Halloween Song Festival. Special tickets were sold for the midnight performance. A trailer with "horror copy" was run three weeks in advance. Screen process teaser cards were affixed to light standards on downtown streets. Special heralds were distributed house to house, and a special lobby display was made up. By arrangement with radio station WSAY, a contest was held giving 25 pairs of guest tickets to patrons who wrote the best letters on why they wanted to see the "Halloween Horror Show." Tieup Sells 'Junior Miss' Show (Continued from Page 23) in the store's advertising and publicity as well as in the invitations credited the picture's showing at the Aldine. In addition, spot announcements were broadcast every morning for two weeks in advance of the showing on the Gimbels' regular radio program. A one-minute program on the Calling All Girls national hook-up. also was part of the campaign. Exploits Local Hawaiian Unit Arranging for a local Hawaiian unit to play on the stage, Manager Thor Hauschild of Schine's State Theatre, Cambridge, Md., went out and exploited the show as if it were one of the biggest he ever played. The business received was the kind a big show would get. TOMORROW at 9 A.M. Loew's CRITJE RION tfway 1 45th St