Showmen's Trade Review (Jan-Mar 1947)

SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, February 1, 1947 21 SELLING THE PICTURE KICK-A-POO JOY JUICE boils in the lobby of the Parsons Theatre, Parsons, Kansas, as part of the interesting lobby display set up by Manager Arthur Turner, and Cashier Helaine Wright, to plug their midnight show based on Sadie Hawkins Day. The iron kettle contained water, old shoes, tin cans, etc., and was set to boiling by dropping dry ice into it when p^ak crowds were in the house. Stage contest was on costumes imitating characters from the Lil Abner comic strip. Successful show was a special, with tickets sold in advance, and was plugged to a fare-thee-well. Sadie Hawkins Day Shows, Contests, Attract Crowds for Turner and May Cactus, 6-Footers, Radio Police, Schreiber 1st Aid Cactus giveaways, members of the Skyscrapers Club (men over six feet two inches tall), the Safety Council, the city police and the radio stations were all utilized to arouse advance interest in Columbia's "Renegades," for its showing at the RKO Palace in Cleveland by Manager Harry Schreiber and Publicity Director Shirley Fishman. Greater Cleveland Safety Council, in cooperation with the Cleveland Press, was brought into play when "Renegades" was shown before Schreiber had booked it, to an audience of school children at the Music Hall Auditorium as a buildup for their safety campaign. Schreiber then bombarded the city with the safety angle for weeks in advance. The safety drive angle also hooked up the police department and the Safety Group Council. Policemen were permitted to distribute 300 cards, "Don't be a modern 'Renegade,' Drive carefully etc." on traffic stanchions, light poles, etc., at important intersections, at gasoline stations and parking spaces. The posters gave full information on the picture, theatre and date. Radio stations VVTAM and WJW fell into line and accorded the drive ample mention, as did the Cleveland newspapers. Star Donates Boots Not satisfied with that radio help, Schreiber arranged with Pappy Howard, a popular local personality, to present a pair of Evelyn Keyes boots, donated by the star, to the winner of a dance contest to be held at his Saturday night square dance show attended by 2,000 persons. Ten pairs of passes were to be given to the runner-up in the contest. Pappy Howard gave the picture advance publicity by plugging it on his popular local show over WJW, to extensive coverage. The giving away of 50 cactus plants to the first 50 persons entering the theatre proved an especially good attention-getter, as it had been played up in various ways on the airwaves and in an attractive window display in Woolworth's store in the shopping district. Display occupied the entire window, and carried attention to -the picture and the first night cactus giveaways. Usherettes attired in western costume handed out the plants to the first comers, and posed for pictures that broke in all the Cleveland dailies. On the opening night the newly-formed Skyscrapers Club of 18 members, all topping six feet, two inches in height, was tied in because Willard Parker, one of the film's featured players, stands six feet, four inches. They turned out to see the picture and to make Parker an honorary member of the club. Screen Test Broadcast As a promotion stunt for "The Big Sleep," Con Brady, radio director for Interstate circuit, put on a male "Screen Test" program recently broadcast from the stage of the Majestic Theatre, Dallas, with the winner receiving a Resistol hat as a gift from Humphrey Bogart, star of the Warner picture. Hat band was inscribed in gold, and in the course of the radio program several good plugs were given "The Bie Sleep." Threatening to become a national institution in the theatres of the country as well as in the comic strips is the celebration (which has taken place in at least two theatres and which is being mulled by the managers of many others) of the "Sadie Hawkins' Day" whoopde-do which Arthur Turner of the Parsons Theatre, Parsons, Kansas, and Ed May of the Rosetta, Miami, have used with such great success. As readers of the Al Capp comic strip, "Lil Abner" know, "Sadie Hawkins' Day" is the annual race of Dog Patch's unmarried girls to catch themselves a husband among the eligible bachelors of that famed community. It was started by the pappy of Sadie Hawkins (Ugh!) herself, who was so ugly she couldn't get herself a man, so pappy, who didn't want her on his hands for the rest of his natcheral life (natch) decreed that the race would take place and that every Dog Patch bachelor with any sense of honor (and they are all honorable) would enter himself as an eligible to be chased until safe across the finish line or until dragged across the line by one of the Dog Patch beauties (Ugh!) Wear Dog Patch Costumes The characters of Dog Patch wear picturesque costumes and it was on this basis that Turner pegged his celebration "show which started at 11:30 p.m. in addition to the regular day's show and for which tickets were sold in advance. Trailers followed the conversational style of Dog Patch's most illustrious citizens and appealed to the town's gals to buy tickets and then get themselves a man to bring to the special show. Prizes were given for costumes imitating Daisy Mae, Lil Abner, Mammy and Pappy Yckum, Salamai, Hairless Joe, Lonesome Polecat, Marryin' Sam, Moonbeam Mc Swine, the Wolf Gal and Lena the Hyena. The costume contest was held on the stage of the theatre with the audience the judge and jury to decide winners. Eight days in advance Turner set up a lobby display consisting of an old iron kettle filled two-thirds with water, old shoes, boots, tin cans, etc., after the fashion of Hairless Joe. The pot was swung from a tripod with an imitation fire underneath. Wood was piled up to cover a red light which gave the effect of glowing fire (see cut). At peak hours dry ice was dropped into the water, giving the effect of a boiling kettle. A sign atop the kettle stated : "We're brewing up a Pot of Kick-APoo Joy Juice for our Sadie Hawkins' Day Midnight Prevue . . ." and went on to give the date, time, etc., and told about showing the feature "Lil Abner," revived for the occasion. Bannered Trucks Tour Town Lobby 40x60s flanked the iron kettle display. The theatre's advertising truck toured the area for five days prior to the showing. It made schools at recess, noon hours, closing time, etc., playing the record, 'Lil Abner Don't Marry That Girl,' via the P. A. system. Newspaper advertising followed the theme of the trailer and was increased in size until the playdate. Turner also bought additional space in the Weekly and Junior College papers the week of the show. Ed May's celebration was a city-wide event this year, following success of the event in only the Rosetta Theatre last year. With the cooperation of the Miami Herald a costume contest was held in each of the Miami Wometco Theatres, with finals of the contest being held on the stage of the Rosetta. Sell 'Angel' in Boston The exploitation campaign for "Angel on My Shoulder" at Loew's State and Orpheum theatres, Boston included a radio contest, merchants' cooperative ads, window displays and distribution of "gag" cards and accessories. Joe Di Pesa and Phil Engel set up the campaign.— BOS.