Showmen's Trade Review (Jan-Mar 1947)

SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, March 1, 194? SELLING THE PICTURE Urges Return to Showmanship It is essential that theatre managers return to the fundamentals of showmanship and train their assistants in the art of picture selling, Ernest Emerling, advertising manager of Loew's Theatres declared in New York Friday as a guest speaker at a series of lectures on motion picture advertising and selling being given by Henry A. Linet, Universal-International Eastern advertising manager, at the New School for Social Research. Emerling pointed out that the producer provides the attractions and the tools with which to sell them and the theatre manager must make use of these tools if he is to remain in the running with his competitors. Tobacco Tieup Compels 'Red House7 Attention Fondness of Edward G. Robinson for cigars, coupled with the fact that there is on the market his blend of smoking tobacco and the further fact that tobacco growing and manufacture is one of Virginia's leading industries, were seized upon by Manager Milton Kaufman of Loew's State Theatre, Norfolk, Va., to exploit the showing of United Artists' "The Red House," in which Robinson stars. Tobacco tieups were stressed in practically all of Kaufman's promotional stunts, and they proved most effective. A five-store tieup with the Robinson blend of tobacco on display at Whelan and United Cigar Stores gave the picture an excellent buildup prior to playdate. All the tobacco counters offered humidors containing samples of the Robinson blend without charge. An 8x10 lithograph sign of Robinson smoking a pipe carried credits for "The Red House." All windows carried displays of Robinson. Photos of "The Tobacco Girl," who shows a preference for men smoking the Robinson blend, aroused considerable interest in Norfolk. Girls from Maury High School acted as attendants at the tobacco counters for publicity purposes. Spot radio announcements were read over WRVA, WLOW, and WGH three days prior to playdate, and free radio plugs were garnered on "The Man on the Street" program, also on "Dowdy's Beauty Chats," the Joe Brown show, which was broadcast direct from the stage of Loew's, and the "Wake Up Alarm Clock" program. The Red House Suite Album, containing music from the picture was carried by five music dealers, with floor and window displays exhibited in each instance. Grosset and Dunlap's edition of "The Red House" was plugged during the engagement through windows in half a dozen book shops. Seven 24-sheets were posted, valances adorned the theatre marquee, special easel standees decorated four hotel lobbies, and numerous cooperative tieups were effected. TIME TIEUP is an obvious one for Columbia's "Johnny O'Clock," so Jack O'Rear and Edgar Goth showed its value to a local jeweler when the picture played the Colonial, Harrisburg, and this ad in the local newspapers was the result. Wicked Roles Comparison Promotes 'Wicked Lady' Calling attention to the wickedness of the characters in various motion pitcures of the past, Manager Frank Morin of the Regal Theatre, and his assistant, Jim Cotia, Hartford, Conn., aroused interest in Universal's "The Wicked Lady." The stunt took the form of a throwaway presented to patrons leaving the theatre for several weeks in advance. Copy on the throwaway read: "The Regal is happy to announce the coming of the most talked of picture of the year, 'The Wicked Lady.' Think back, if you wish, to Elinor Glynn in 'Three Weeks,' to 'Farvvell to Arms,' 'Madame X,' 'Scarlet Letter,' 'Anna Christie,' 'Shopworn,' 'Common Law,' — but none of these can compare with the story of the woman who marries for wealth, loves for adventure, and murders to keep her secrets always dark. 'The Wickel Lady' coming to the Regal — soon." Morin did the. usual in the way of windowcards, newspaper advertising and bill posting, the latter including 24-sheets spread throughout Hartford.— HFD. Fiddle-for-Fame Contest Clicks for 'Humoresque' A three-way tieup with a radio station, a newspaper and a musicians' society was engineered by Harry MacDonald, manager of the Warner Theatre in Milwaukee, to exploit the showing of Warners' "Humoresque" Station WISN, the Milwaukee Journal and the Musicians Association of that city collaborated on a Fiddle-for-Fame Contest. Many amateur violinists in the city took part in it. All three cooperating agencies plugged the contest in various ways, each through its own channels. The winner was Howard L. Beebe, a 15year-old student at the Washington high school, who was awarded a season pass to the Warner Theatre and received a great amount of newspaper and radio publicity, which, naturally, included mention of the theatre and attraction. jfolson Imitation Makes Hartford Newspaper For a gag, George E. Landers of the E. M. Loew's, Hartford, Conn., and George Ettinger and Richard Richman of the radio department, Columbia Pictures, arranged with a disc jockey of a local radio station — WDRC — to put on blackface, wig, and costume, and imitate Al Jolson as a newspaper photo stunt on "The Jolson Story." Local daily used the photo, plus numerous free plugs. Landers and Richman appeared before the Common Council of Hartford to schedule a "Salute to 'Jolson Story' Week" in the city. Wollaston Takes to Air To Sell 'ike Skies' Gerry Wollaston, State manager, Harrisburg, Pa., took to the air in promoting Paramount's "Blue Skies," as he sponsored eight 15-minute broadcasts over one station ; a radio contest ; a 15-minute Paramount platter ; and numerous cooperative programs over the ether. The eight 15-minute shows were the regularlyscheduled "Old Music Maker" over WHGB, when Crosby-Berlin tunes were played exclusively. A radio contest, which offered a Philco radio, Decca "Blue Skies" albums, and five pairs of passes, gave the awards to those writing in 50 words why they like Crosby singing Berlin songs. A 30x40 lobby board announcing the nightly radio shows, augmented the regular lobby board, which showed a blue sky background with stars of the show in color. Wollaston set up on the city square a pair of German binoculars focused on several scenes of the actors a block away, and captioned the glasses, "See the brightest stars in the 'Blue Skies'." An attendant on duty aided passersby to look at the stills. Virtually every downtown music shop clamored to cooperate, and as a result displays in windows and counters were set up in at least four prominent spots. The lobby board was transferred for the run to the Troup music shop where stills were arranged around it. SEE 'CALIFORNIA,' before going there. Paramount tied up the American Airlines with the showing of its Technicolor production, "California," at the Rivoli, New York and received two displays like this.