Showmen's Trade Review (Jan-Mar 1947)

.10 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, February 1, 1947 SELLING THE PICTURE INGENIOUS. Rochester's newspaper strike was the basis for Manager Lester Pollock's idea which resulted in the erection of this bulletin board just outside Loew's Theatre. On it were displayed news bulletins received six times daily from the Times-Union, daily and Sunday comics from the Democrat and Chronicle. Current and coming attractions also were prominently displayed. "Help Wanted" notices displayed here also aided in attracting enormous attention, as this was the only bulletin board of its kind in town, and thus one of the best sources of information. Promotes 'No Leave' Via Calling All Girls Club The Calling All Girls Club have been a prolific source of exploitation and publicity for enterprising theatremen in some 300 spots around the country ever since Nancy Pepper, director of the clubs for the publication, Calling All Girls, took over and made the clubs important to the stores as a concentrated source for merchandising in the teen-age set of youngsters. Since interest in the clubs must be sustained by more than just an opportunity for the girls to see and buy the clothing and accessories presented by the various store members, shows of one kind or another are given for their amusement from time to time, and more often than not enterprising theatre guys and gals move in to publicize an attraction particularly appealing to the youngsters. So it was with ami bontempo (the lower case is miss bontempo's) of the publicity department of Loew's State, Newark, when she set up a contest among the 7,500 members in and around Newark, and which was sponsored by the Kresge department store of that city to find Van Johnson's Number 1 Fan, to promote "No Leave, No Love" which was about to play at the State. The store distributed circulars about the contest through its mailing list and in the store itself outlining the rules of the contest, which required the naming of the best picture in which the star had appeared, a listing of all pictures in which Johnson had played and a 25-word essay on "Why I am anxious to' see Van Johnson in 'No Leave, No Love' at Loews', etc.," Nearly 6,000 girls participated in the contest. First prize was a gilded metal trophy, mounted on an ebony-type base, with engraved letters naming the winner and circumstances under which the trophy was won. First prize also included a life-size blowup of the star, one O'f his handkerchiefs and a telegram of congratulations from the star to the winner. Second prize was three "No Leave, No Love" record albums, promoted from Cosmo Records, and third prize consisted of guest tickets to see the film at Loew's State. Perry Invites Jurymen To Showing of 'Verdict' Fred Perry, manager of Schine's Liberty Theatre, Cumberland, Md., took advantage of the fact that he was showing a picture in which jurymen are shown in session to issue an invitation card to the jurymen for the January term of the circuit court for Allegheny County inviting them to attend a showing of the Warner picture, "The Verdict." The invitation said, in part : "We trust you will accept this free invitation, as 'The Verdict' revolves around a jury trial, and we feel that you, as jurymen, will enjoy seeing in a motion picture the kind of service you have been called upon to perform." It's an idea for other showmen to follow. THE WINNAH! Van Johnson's Number 1 Fan in Newark, winner of a contest for the trophy she is receiving from the director of Kresge's Newark, Calling All Girls Club, also won the life-size blowup of Van Johnson shown here, one of the star's handkerchiefs and a congratulatory telegram from Van. Contest was set up with the store's 7,500 teen-age members and nearly 6,000 participated in the promotion, arranged by miss ann bontempo (lower case hers") for "No Leave, No Love" at Loew's State. Heavy ' Jolson' Selling in SC. C. Despite News Strike The strike of the Kansas City Star-Times just a week before Columbia's "The Jolson Story" was set to open at Loew's Midland Theatre in that city, caused a virtual aboutface in the planned publicity, advertising and exploitation campaign. Russ Bovim, manager, and Martin Maher, assistant manager, had an extensive newspaper ad and publicity campaign worked out with Jules Serkowitz, field man for Columbia, and the picture was set for several breaks in the Star for the Sunday before the picture opened. The strike started, however, and a sixcolumn spread which had already been written was lost. As did other Kansas City theatre managers in the crisis, Bovim turned to radio, joining with the other theatres in sponsoring general billing announcements, and also taking some special time for transcriptions of "The Jolson Story." What turned out to be an unexpectedly strong factor in the campaign, however, was a tieup effected through the music department of the public grade and high schools and junior colleges with music from the picture as the peg on which all of the schools in both Kansas City, Missouri, and Kansas City, Kansas, hung their interest. In the schools on the Missouri side arrangements were made through the director of music to have the Jolson music played in 85 grade schools, 10 high schools and the Junior College. This is estimated to have brought the music before 40,000 students, and an additional arrangement brought it before 1,500 students of the University of Kansas City (Mo.). The same co-operation was shown by the Kansas City, Kansas, schools to which the music was presented in 41 grade schools, seven high schools and the Junior College, before an estimated 22,000 students. Downtown department stores as well as music stores in both cities were contacted along the music angle, resulting in ten prominent window displays on the picture. "The Jolson Story," opened at the Midland to heavy traffic on opening day, indicating that local exploitation had been combined with Columbia's pre-selling campaign for the desired results. — KAN. Placards Light Poles in Fire Prevention Tieup A tieup with National Fire Prevention Week enabled manager Spencer Steinhurst of Loew's Strand, Syracuse, to placard light poles in the city with signs reading, " 'Captain Caution' says use Caution — it beats blazes." He also distributed 1,000 book marks in public library branches, had 100 special Good Morning cards used in the boards of the public library system rounded out form of "snow birds" stuck in the snow in front of residences. Steinhurst also ballyhooed his double feature of "Captain Caution" and "Captain Fury" by bannering a new midget Crosley car and driving it through the city's downtown section. Window displays in department stores, book stores and specialty shops and on the bulletin boards rounded out the campaign.