Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1949)

24 Jackson . . . (Continued frojn Page 23) than usual in the lobby yourself and personally extend seasonal cheer to the patrons. As for ideas that hold promise of quickening the clatter of the ticket machine while the bandwagon of Christmas is parading, why not lend your effort to help those merchants who are trying so hard to move merchandise from their shelves? Before this gets into print announcements will be rampant of two national merchandising stunts that can be revamped to the benefit of theatre box-offices everywhere. The Birds Eye Division of General Foods and Philco Cor]5. have announced a "Dollar a Label" promotion with Fliilco dealers accepting 20 Birds Eye Frozen Food labels as $20 down payment on home freezers. Westinghouse Electric has agreed to take two Lever Bros, box tops (Rinso, Lux, etc.) as a $2 payment on any Westinghouse Electric appliance. Apply the Idea Locally Why not get with some local merchant and, in return for lobby and/or screen advertising, arrange for the acceptance of ticket stubs, properly signed by you, for some particular attraction playing during the period as part payment on certain items of merchandise he is anxious to move? You'll be missing the biggest end of the deal if you don't insist on prominence being given in his ads about the picture that features the cooperative effort. Don't quit when you have one merchant. Go on and get others so that every attraction has the support of cooperative advertising and every ticket a dollar value in the purchase of stoves, washing machines, etc. You can add materially to receipts by offering the merchant an opportunity to preview his effort from your stage on some one night pre New Theatres Des Moines — Frisina Theatres, a drive-in near Keokuk, Iowa. Portland, Ore. — Midstate Amusement Company, a 1,200-seater at Richmond, Wash.; Phil Polsky, an 800car outdoorer three miles south of Milwaukie, Ore. Waukegan, 111. — Highway Amusement Enterprises, an under-skyer at Route 173 and Skokie. west of Zion. Benton, Ark — Clyde Wilson, James and Ellis Taylor and H. T. Crawford, a drive-in near here on the Little Rock Highway. Los Angeles — Aladdin Drive-In Corporation, a 900car ozoner in the Westchester section on Centinela Avenue, a mile west of La Tijera Boulevard. Paris, Ark. — K. Lee Williams Theatres, a 700-seat theatre here to cost around $80,000. Elkton, Md. — The Holly Hall Development Company, an 800-car ozoner on U. S. Dual Highway, Route 40. Atlanta — Martin Theatres, a new theatre at Cochram, Ga. ; Ray Ettel, a 350-car drive-in at St. Augustine, Fla. Indiana, Pa. — An open-air theatre near Indiana Borough, company's name withheld pending completion of legal details. Marion, O. — Marion Drive-In Theatre management, a second ozoner to cost $100,000 half a mile south of this city. Omaha — Platte Theatres, Inc., a new ozoner north of Omaha. Scranton, Pa. — Carbondale Theatre Company, a drive-in in the Eynon section of Archbald. Placerville, Calif. — Placerville Theatres Company, a new theatre here and an ozoner two miles east on Highway 50. Rutherford, N J. — Mid-Wste Drive-In Company, a motor theatre here on new Route S-3 to cost $450,000. Paterson, N. J. — Allwood Theatres, Inc.. a new theatre to cost $132,500 at Lyle Road and Market Street in Clifton. Buffalo — Irving and Sidney Cohen, an outdoor "theatrair" at the west end of Sheridan Drive here. Minneapolis — Minnesota Entertainment Enterprises, a 650 to 750-car drive-in to cost about $150,000 in the Hazel Park district of St. Paul. Perkasie, Pa. — Local Theatreman Bernard Haines, a 500-seater in Sellenville, Pa. St. Louis — Frisina Amusement Co.. a 500-car underskyer at Sharpsburg, 111., a 750-carrer in Shelbyville, 111., and others in Litchfield, Olney, Springfield and Taylorville, 111., Keokuk, la., Hannibal and Mexico, Mo. Sunnyside, Utah — F. L. Graham, a new theatre here. ceding the special sales promotion. Let him use the stage to demonstrate the worth of the item, with his best salesman doing the talking. But, exact a sale of ticKets in advance, 'ihis last can be in the form of special matinee prices, with the merchant inviting preferred prospects as his guests ; tied up to tlie numbers oi his sales slips of the preceding or current week or any of numerous other ways. Just do a smart job of planning so that your theatre stands to gain from every possible angle of the tieup before you even go near the merchant and you'll find many extra dollars in the till when the coop effort goes into effect. Remember, this year the merchants are all on the search for customers and making some pretty attractive proposals to get business, the above comment about General Foods, Philco, Lever Bros, and VV'estingnou=e is proof of how avidly even the better known brand names are chasing the customer dollar this year. Ihe butcher wfto wants to sell turkeys can unquestionably be induced to arrange an attractive display at your theatre — and take care of it daily — in return for screen or accompanying card mention to the effect that the stub of a ticKet to your theatre will be accepted at its full value on the purchase ol birds weighing above a certain specined poundage. The same goes for the grocer who is anxious to accelerate the sale of complete Christmas dinner baskets, etc. In each event you must insist on proper and adequate mention in all newspaper, radio, handbill, etc. advertising without cost to your theatre. In the event of no newspaper advertising insist on handbill circulation with your theatre and its attractions given prominence. Put Your Imagination to Work The ticket-selling potential of the idea is as broad and penetrating as your imagination and ability to express the confidence you hold in your theatre. Auto accessories, furniture, hardware, department stores, clothing merchants,/ and just about everybody except the undertaker is a prospect this year. It all depends on how well you plan and how hard you work. The oft-repeated admonition about canvassing the heads of industries and other employers of large numbers of workers for the purpose of arranging theatre parties for their employe family is still excellent. It will serve to ease their burden of what to do to improve their labor relations and swell the take at your boxoffice. If you happen to be located where there is a concentration of industry, be sure you control traffic to fit your seating capacity. Action Is Called For Any and all of the above can be accomplished in the time remaining between now and the week before Christmas by theatremen who are willing to plan carefully and work hard and intelligently. They — or ramifications of them— are vitally needed if theatres are to avoid the marking of large red-ink figures on the weekly statement. A haphazard job and half-way effort won't do the job this year. The competition for the spare coin of Mr. and Mrs. Public is entirely too strong to respond to anything other than all-out pursuit. Merchants will be going full blast with advertising to steam up the Christinas bandwagon. Use your brains instead of your money and get aboard. You can't afford to let the Christmas parade pass you up. Taking part — a big important part — insures you a head start in the mad scramble for a share of the spendable dollar and a place on the family budget of 1950. There's a rugged battle for those dimes, quarters and halves in the immediate offing. Better lay aside your dancing slippers, golf clubs and kid gloves and don your most serviceable and dependable "hustle" paraphernalia. SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, November 19, 1949 Mama's Big Helpers More than 15 San Francisco Theatres are experimenting with special 9:30 A.M. matinees for youngsters to keep them out of Mama's way as she gets the Thanksgiving dinner ready. Programs consist chiefly of cartoons. Reade Theatres in New Talent Quests Capitalizing on the success of "Mr. Song" contests last season, three Reade Theatres in New Jersey have launched new talent quests, with weekly eliminations and grand prizes worth more than $1,000 in each location. While last year's quests were limited to male vocalists, the new contests, which in most cases will last 10 or more weeks, are open to all types of entertainers, male and female. In every instance all entries will be photographed and their pictures displayed in the lobbies, along with the merchandise contributed by local stores which will be part of the grand prizes. In Plainfield, City Manager Harold Martz has promoted $1,500 in prizes for a "Star of 1950" talent hunt, which is being held every Monday night in conjunction with professional vaudeville at the Oxford Theatres. In Long Branch, City ^lanager John Balmer has promoted $1,300 in prizes for a "Stars of Tomorrow" contest held every Wednesday night between his professional vaudeville shows. In Asbury Park, City Manager Guy Hevia has tied in with local AM and FM radio station WCAP, which organized a "Pick a Star" contest, so that eliminations will be held on the stage of his St. James Theatre every Tuesday night, with finals during Christmas week. Here as in the other cities, paid vaudeville engagements and expense-paid trips to New York City for dinner and shows, will be among the final awards. At the Traco in Toms River, N. J., I. M. Hirshblond has set up a 5-week Talent Quest for Sunday nights, utilizing a professional entertainer as master of ceremonies. Refrigerators, home furnishings, television sets and jewelry will be in the big jackpot. This is the most extensive series of talent contests ever attempted in the off-season in this resort community, and represents the greatest merchant cooperation effort in many years. Buffalo Theatre Holds Weekly Amateur Shows John Shelvet, manager of the Amherst Theatre, Buffalo, has tied-in with the Old Gold amateur show by offering the talent of western New York State to compete in a series of amateur contests on the stage of the Dipson community theatre every Thursday night for the next several weeks. The winner of the series will get an all-expense-paid trip to New York to appear on the Ted Mack Amateur Show telecast nationally every Tuesday evening.— BUF. Monster Birthday Cake For Theatre Celebration A monster cake 46 inches long, 22 inches wide and 20 inches high, with 20 steps, each of which held a candle was a lobby display at the Lincoln, St. Louis, recently as part of that Fox Midwest theatre's observance of its 20th anniversary.