Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1948)

SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, October 30, 1948 17 Movie Harvest Voting Cued to Election PASSING THE OLYMPIAD TORCH. With the fourteenth Olympiad Technicolor pictures booked at the Palace, Southall, Middlesex, England, Manager E. Nathan invited the directors and senior eleven of the Southall Football Club as theatre guests. As they entered the foyer, an athlete presented the Olympic torch to Manager Nathan (r.) The theatre was decorated with flags, bunting and Olympic emblems typifying "the glory of sport." Cooperating with the city's educational heads, Nathan arranged for 2,300 school children, accompanied by members of the education committee and teachers, to attend two special weekday morning performances — the resulting spurt to business continuing for the rest of the week. British Exhibitors Employ Sports Tieins to Boost ^Olympic Games of /48/ Taking a tip from the coming presidential election, Manager Howard Burkhardt of Loew's Midland, Kansas City, Mo., conducted an "election" on "The people's choice — of pictures" in connection with his promotion of "Loew's Movie Harvest" — a scheme that paid off handsomely in bringing to the attention of the public his lineup of coming features. In the lobby Burkhardt arranged a display board on each of the theatre's coming five attractions— "Luxury Liner," "Southern Yankee," "Walk a Crooked Mile," "Three Musketeers" and "Julia Misbehaves." A caption urged the patron to "vote for your favorite in 'Loew's Movie Harvest'."* Ballots, pencils and a ballot box stood nearby. Heading on the ballot was : "Vote for the picture you most want to see," with a write-in line for the picture's name and a box for the patron's check mark. As a means of increasing the theatre's mailing list a line for the "voter's" name and address appeared on each ballot. The fall political elections were merely a stimulant to get the public to vote on the pictures they wanted to see. Effectiveness of the stunt was seen in an immediate influx of ballots which continued to gain momentum till the end of the balloting.— KCMO. Commerce Aids Arrants On 'Drunk Driving' Manager T. P. Arrants of the Ritz, Elizabeth, N. J., was requested by the Daily Journal and the Chamber of Commerce of that city to book the MGM short, "Drunk Driving," as a feature of their safety campaign and show it at the Ritz, promising full cooperation. The Journal, in addition to running many stories on the campaign, with mention of the short, had its advertising manager hold daily meetings with Parent-Teachers Associations, high school classes and various service organizations, advising them to see the picture and crediting the Ritz and Warner Bros., who operate it, for their cooperation. _ The Ritz did extra business due to the publicity given the short by the Journal and the Chamber of Commerce, the box-office having received many requests as to the time "Drunk Driving" would be shown. All They Could Eat Thousands of Boston's youngsters had all the popcorn they could eat when Manager Jack Mercer of Loew's State and Manager James Tibbetts of Loew's Orpheum in Beantown arranged with Boston's Park Department to give the kiddies a popcorn feast. Tieup was in connection with the opening of United Artists' James Cagney picture, "The Time of Your Life." The natural employment of sports tieups for exploiting "The Olympic Games of 1948," were eagerly utilized by the first English exhibitors showing the J. Arthur Rank exclusive film record. First campaign reported by Circuits Management Association (merged Rank Odeon theatres with British Gaumont) was that put on by Manager Frewin of the Majestic, Rochester, in which the manager arranged for Seaman Johnny Wright, amateur middleweight boxing finalist, stationed in a nearby naval dockyard, and Captain S. Fry of the Rochester Athletic Club to carry the Olympic torch on the run through the district from Dover to Wembly to appear on the stage. The Rochester National Savings Committee organized the presentation Promotion for "You Gotta Stay Happy" at Radio City Music Hall early in November includes a tieup with Lane Bryant, department store, for a fashion show at the Park Avenue Theatre, Nov. 4, window displays and cooperative ads ; an arrangement whereby U-I will aid the U. S. Army's Recruiting Drive through special posters and displays featuring the line, "You Gotta Stay Happy If You Enlist in the U. S. Army," with the Army conducting an essay contest for servicemen ; a tieup with Kirkeby Hotels, which owns the Hampshire House in New York, inspiration for several sets in the picture, whereby the firm is preparing a special mailing piece which will go to its credit customers ; window displays and advertisements by Constance Spry, New York florist ; a photography contest by the Willoughby Camera Stores to publicize its savings drive. At the Gaumont State in Kilburn, radio commentator Harold N. Abrahams introduced a galaxy of athletes to the audience. Manager John Bee of the Gaumont, Worcester, induced J. A. Clay, manager of the Olympic basketball team, who lived close by, to speak from the stage each evening for a week previous to playdate. Manager Lewis of the Gaumont, Manchester, scored something of a beat, for he posted in the lobby up-to-the-minute pictures and results while the Olympic games were in actual progress, and kept plugging the picture daily until its opening, keeping public interest keenly alive. A preview for members of the press and local sports celebrities a week in advance garnered 220 inches of free space in the newspapers. to find the best pictures denoting happiness ; and the distribution of 100,000 pieces of gum, with copy carrying picture credits, by Topps Chewing Gum. Universal-International was to open a series of territorial premieres for "Kiss the Blood Off My Hands," starting Oct. 30, to herald the 300 openings to take place during November in 70 eastern situations. For each of these territorial premieres a full-page advertisement will be taken in the Sunday papers of Philadelphia, Cleveland,' Pittsburgh, Buffalo and other key cities, with openings in surrounding situations listed. Advance campaigns in these premieres will lead up to 1,000-line ads in the dailies on opening day, supplemented by radio announcements and bill posting. Field exploitation men have been assigned and the film's star, Burt Lancaster, will make personal appearances in the keys to aid in tieups and to meet newspapermen. * * * MGM will give its first Enterprise release, "No Minor Vices," an advertising campaign that will cover the nation with an estimated combined readership of more than 142,000,000. Ads will appear in national weekly, monthly and fan magazines. Special copy for MGM's Lion's Roar ad will appear in Ladies Home Journal, Look, Parents, Redbook, Saturday Evening Post and others. Ads for the Picture of the Month column are set for American, Colliers, Cosmopolitan and other magazines. Emergency Layout Scores When Paramount's State Theatre in San Francisco quick-booked a double bill reissue of "Blood and Sand" and "Manhunt," it was impossible to obtain a conventional mat for the early edition of the Call-Bulletin. So the newspaper hurriedly composed a bold-face type ad, with large black letters emblazoning the cast and titles. In later editions, the regular prepared mat was used. However, Jerry Zigmond, Paramount manager, liked the type ad so well that he ordered it used in the next morning's papers. The ad was a refreshing change, and exhibitors would do well to try this style of layout occasionally to lend new life to their advertising. However, watch the typography— it must be easy to read— and be sure there is sufficient white space to balance the blackness of the type. GRIST FOR THE SHOWMANSHIP MILL