Variety (Sep 1935)

VednesJgy, Septe mLer 4, 1935 PICTURES VARIETY 23 =-=—— " " " , === I =: : ===^^ EXPLOITATION By Epes W. Sargent The Strand's 'Glory' with the Hearst newspapers close on the heels of the Warner press boys on 'Page Miss Glory,' the Strand opening was productive of several new stunts, with about all of the standard Ideas also incorpo- rated. On standard lines there were painted banners on the front side of the Strand, and latur similar signs, front and • side of Roseland. Not only WINS, the Hearst station, but WNEW did dramatizations, with- broadcasts on foUr other stations. Front of the dark Warner was also used for display and 200,000 paper napkins were placed in various places using paper napkins. There were 25,000 stills. for patrons of other Warner houses with 3,000 col- ored prints distributed by Modern Screen Mag. A dance school adver- tised for Dawn Glory's double, and there was a heavy run on music stores for the theme song. A handsome front was built, and this was- photographed for the N. Y. American, a dance team at the Hotel Pennsylvania did a Dawn Glory fox trot and an auto was promoted for perambulating. Western Union es- tablished a through wire to Holly- wood, with a teletype in the lobby, the tape showing on a Translux screen similar to those used In brok- erage offices, with a special message to the star in Hollywood and her return message . from her to the critic who was supposed to have sent his congratulations. A drug concern had a named, soda, with large signs to advertise pairs of tickets to the holders of soda checks numbered 100, 200, etc. Now It's Candid Cameras Recently Earl Carroll gave a candid camera night at the Winter Garden with prizes for the best work by amateurs, and, incidentally, the best work was turned in by the amateurs, who faded the few profes- sionals. More than 400 camerais were In use at.that performance, with a consequent upping' of the gross. Now It develops that the stunt was promoted by the Camera mag- azine, of 'Philadelphia, which is working it for. a combination of reader interest and an eye to the advertising angle. Camera has the Eastman company interested to the point where it has instructed Its agencies to give full co-operation, and is also lining up the larger cam- era stores. It will offer in its next Is.sue five pages of the .best of the 'Sketch Book' shots. About a dozen are on display in a N. y. camera store, and the work is remarkably good, the tiny frames enlarging to 10-20 diameters without loss of sub- stance. Camera Is ready to help any the- atre desiring- to start such an event, and where flesh shows are used this looks like something new for ex- ploitation. It should be possible to hook local stores to prize offers, In consideration of the enlargement work to be derived from such an event, and it may be possible to ob- tain the loan of some of the initial enlargements. The stunt can be staged for practically nothing, and the magazine makes no charge for whatever aid tt gives. There will be a repeat at the Winter Garden Sept. 16, and Bifly Rose's 'Jumbo' will admit cameras Oct. 14, supplying the news leads. Side Push etro is going in for general ad- vertising in a big way this season, jJlanning to spend around J2,500,000 in promotional wort;, mainly bill- boards and magazines. Howard DIetz credits the billboard campaign in ],500 cities for 'China Seas' for additional grosses on that production and will shove a similar lithograph campaign on 'Broadway Melody of 1936' to cover 1,000 towns. In between, he has gane for 37 na- ional magazines for full pages on 'Anna Karenlna,' the publications appearing about the time of the pic- ture release. Many of these are v.romen'3 publications, since it Is felt they will offer a strong response, but Liberty, Sat Eve Post and simi- lar weeklies are also included for the tasteful announcement. Dletz argues that while the ef- fort is directed chiefly to the sale of Metro product, coming at this time it has a directly .<itimulating ieffect on all picturegoers. Saw the Wedding c. . , Sydney. •Tj "■'i'l'i'sht screening Bride of Frankenstein' was given at. Plaza with top at 50 cent.s. Exploitation build dared public to Witness stage wedding of monster ana mate at that hour and to also see pic. 'Franken.stoln' swlnij.s into third ^veek mainly on play up of horror angle. It Was Sloan United Artists .says It wa.-i H.tI Rloane and not Herb Berg who did the Mickey Mouse manuals recently commented upon. He's a special IM.'Jncv man. Fall Stants Pretty soon it will be-dahlia time, with even the city theatres able to horn in on a flower show for prizes, with entries coming from the su- burbs. Many houses make this an annual event and start advertising in the early spring, but it is not necessary to work so far ahead to get reasonably good results. Con- tact garden departments in the newspapers and the various gar- den clubs, if there are any, and the entries will pour in. Just when to hold it Is a local matter, depending when the plants are at their best In that section. -There should be prizes for color, size and variety, with something substantial in the way of awards. .The newspapers will come in, and it may be 'possible to get some speakers well known for their suc- cess as dahlia raisers. Vases should be borrowed from local florists, with display stands either, borrowed or made from lumber with an eye to use in other displays later. Gener- ally it is better to hold tho exhibit inside the pay door rather than in the lobby and in the cooled house there is the additional argument that the flowers will last longer. In the centers for rural communi- ties It is a good plan to stage a county fair exhibit. Best plan is to use only one of a kind, with the orig- inal display being displaced by later entries if these can top the .starter. A pumpkin weighing more than that on show, takes the lat- ter's place on the stand, with the rule applying to all other exhibits. This will hold the exhibits down to a point where a lobby display can be made. Then it is up to the the- atre to bring into the house those farmers who merely drive up for a look at the free show. Prizes go to the survivors. niusions Recently request wag made for the dope on an Illusion, which was supplied, but with the demand for lobby stunts it would seem to pay the live wires to go to the city li- brary in search of books on magic. Most small libraries carry one or two, and the large ones range from a dozen' volumes to the Ellison col- lection of several hundred books In the N. Y. Public Library. All con- tain some phases of the basic prin- ciples, which any clever man can adapt. With some black or crimson duU- flnlsh cloth, bits of mirror and ac- cessories, any house carpenter can build the .headless body, the Image which appears and disappears, and the rest of the standards. Levlta- tion acts call for more mechanism, but they are seldom adaptable to lobby showd, since they usually re- quire a lecturer. One class of stunts, similar to the headless body, can be achieved with a cabinet lined either with crimson or black cloth. A mirror covers the head, set in a V to reflect the side walls. Reversing, the mirrors can cover the body and show only the head. The Galatea class Is based on a familiar optical principle. A mirror is placed at the rear of the cabinet, and reflects objects in niches on either side. With a dimmer, lights can be switched from one to the other side, fading a statue of a wom- an Into a live girl and back, or a star's head can be brought up and down to merge with the reflection of a scene, cage or other object In the other niche.' A brief study will give the complete basic principles, and from these the stage illusions can be developed into direct advertising as well as lobby eye-catchers. Paging Dawn New Haven. John Hesse worked some good stuff on 'Miss Glory' at Roger Sher- man. Week ahead, he had ushers tying in with trailer by walking up aisles paging 'Miss Glory' just be- fore wordage popped on screen, reading, 'Who is Miss Glory?' Also set an amplifier high up at central intersection' and greeted passersby with 'Paging Miss Glory,' who Is wanted at the Roger Sherman.' Climaxed with a department store window on the Orry-Kelly styles of Marlon Davles. Window was deco- rated with stills, and topped off with film draped over the setting. Lone Hand Washington. Local Loew's crowd worked out novel twist, to usual, contest idea on matter of bringing back 'Smilin' Thru.' Instead of planting offer of $L'5 with one sheet for best let- ters on '.Should 'Smilin' Thru' Be Revived?' boy.s slipped each of five drama eds a five spot and told lilm to ask for letters and run his own contest. Critic Is sole Judge of his own contest. «>ven making up own rules, etc. Naturally, each ed wants to get as many letters as possible to .give notion his column has pull. Passes will back up the flve spot top award. Mgrs.' Breaks Dubuque, la,, Sept. 3. The new policy of the Trl- States Theatres group in Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska, Is being hailed in these parts as smart showmanship. Home towners will be used exclusively in the future in building the person- nel of the theatres In the group, according to G. Ralph Branton, manager. The group In the future will abandon the policy of import- ing managers, Branton sets forth, pointing out that one of the most valuable assets of a theatre lies in Ita community service. Wangh's Drive Howard Waugh, ending his second year as head of the Warner Bros. Memphis, territory, has inaugurated a drive on business for the eight weeks commencing Sept. 8. No special pictures, no increased ad. ap- propriations. Just a little more in- tensive work with the run of mill programs and a hint that under the budget might help get the cash prizes. Local stunt with Joseph Bernhard, Waugh and Mort Blumenstock kick- ing in with the cash. Seems to be Waugh's idea to get them back into the winter hustle. Canton. Recent eastern Ohio theatre changes include Southern Akron to H. Spayne and C Martini, by W. M. Gill and Charles Stalder; Town Hall, formerly the Capitol, Batavia to Mary Monjar, by C. M. Robinson; Smithfleld at Smithfleld to S. G. Sturgeon; Pal at Toledo to J. S. O'Connell; Foriim at Norwalk to Schine. Theatrical Inc., by Norwalk Theatres Corp. Recent openings: Town, formerly New Capitol, Batavia; Lyric, Lewis- burg; ' Strand, Middletown and the State at Westerville. City National Bank and Trust Co., Columbus, acting as trustee for the actual buyers purchased the East- ern, Clinton, State and Cameo the- atres at a sheriffs sale this week. J. Real Neth, who has operated the theatres under lease from' the*re- ceiver for three years will be in complete managerial control under the reorganization. . State and Cameo brought $141,000 while the Eastern and Clinton sold for $210,000. Only other bidder was W. C. Chesbrough, present operator of flve Columbus theatres. Roy Rowe, Warner manager at Washington, Pa., Is off to his home town, Burgaw, N. C, where he will shortly open a 300-seat house, the flrst of a' circuit of small houses which he plans to operate In that territory. Wayma theatre, Blair Station, Pa., "has been transferred to Jack Seltzer from Leo Wayne. Orpheum theatre, Clarion, Pa., has been reopened. Liberty, Verona, Pa., has been re- opened and redecorated. It is operated by Rudy Navary. Omaha. Annual convention of Trl-States Theatres Corp. men at Des Moines got- under way- Monday Aug» 26 with four Omaha men in attendance. District Manager Evert Cummings took with him Manager Ted Emer- son of the Omaha, Bill Mlskell of the Orpheum, and Charles Schlalfer, advertising director. L. E. David- son, Sioux City chief, also on hand, as were other outstate managers. Blytheville, Ark. A time bomb exploded at the Ritz, shaking entire block, breaking glass, etc. O. W. McCutchen offered re- ward $1,000, Baltimore. The salaries of the flve inspectors of the State Board of Censors were -Slashed last week, and the resultant fund realized used to put on pay- roll pair of new Inspectors. New addition.s arc Mrs. Anne Sokol and Louis Richmond. With Dr. Ben Sandy, chairman of the censor board, away on vacation, exact extent of the pay cuts uncer- tain, but can be deduced from ffi'^t that inspectors get $1,200 a year. Chairman Sandy reputedly gets $3,500 annually. Denver. Fox Intermountaln Corp. In It.s expansion program in this territory is planning -building at least one new house, and during the past few months has remodeled and rebuilt others. The Curran, Boulder, Colo-, An Auth.orit7 . Spartatiburg, S. C. Glen W, Naves, for many years Southern press films critic and owner of one of largest collections In Dixie of photos, library, etc., on late Will Rogers and Wiley Post, picked to handle Carolina's 'Steam- boat Around the Bend' publicity. Naves is tieing in some of his choice and unusual material, intimate knowledge etc. of humorist-actor to get possible eftect in small towns and rural areas as well as locally. Film booked foiir days, starting Wednesday. Brysdn theatre cooperated in Marianna Black public library bene- fit by giving 'Mighty Barnum' bene- fit showings two days and nights, proceedings above expenses, going to library fund. Bevivals Good Portland, Ore. Having exhausted the 'Best 10' pictures of the 1933 and 1934 sea- son, Doug Kimberly, manager of the Mayfair theatre, has decided to revive some of the other outstand- ing pix of recent yekra as his Mon- day night added atractlon. KImberly is thoroughly convinced that his 'revival' policy is a success, and well he may be. Monday night (12) for 'Thin Man' the SRO sign went up. Every seat Jn the house was filled, In spite of the fact that Monday night is considered the Jinx of managers. Not one of Kimberly's revivals has failed to draw an un- usually good house and several have neared the capacity mark. has been purchased from the Boulder Kohn Falrchild Realty Co., and erection of a new $100,000 house on the site of the old will begin soon, will seat 1,200. Fox has been operat- ing Curran for five years. Fox has spent $75,000 rebuilding tiie Babcock, Billings, Mont., after the old one was burned.. During the past summer the Lotus,' Sheridan, Wyo., was rebuilt. The Kiva, Durango, Colo., will be redecorated and remodeled. Indianapolis. Russell Potter is now assistant manager of the Apollo theatre, re- placing Clyde Wlllard, who left to accept a simillar position with the Gary theatre, in Gary, Indiana, operated by B. U. Young. Birmingham. G. Gary of Paris, Ark,, has opened a new theater at Kosciusko, Miss. He is also opening at Ackerman. Glendale, Calif. R. P. Duke new manager of the Capitol (F-WC), replacing Joe Buse, who moves to Glendale theatre in similar capacity. Dell Hamilton is new manager of circuit's Gateway here. Bridgeport. Palace, Loew-Poll deluxer, tries break from duals week beglnhing Thursday (5) with 'Top Hat' and shorts. Much agitation for singles, but until now no exhlbs have dared brave them. Lyric, No. 4 P-L house, opened Saturday after summer vacash with 'High School Girl,' Winston-saiem. N. C. George P. Geoghegan, Jr., treas- urer of the National -Amusement Corporation of Greensboro, operators of two theatres In that pity, has re- signed his post and accepted a posi- tion with the Wachovia Bank and Trust Co. in this city. New York City.' Bernard ZImmetbaum, Bronx ex-, hlbltor, and a number of associates have taken the Park Lane theatre, in the Yorkvllle section of Man- hattan. I'.if iiigham, Randy ,^^-1' I orK.-r-i-' at the Ala- bama for ;.-ifc l-i>^t ' ',M|,: ..f years, is to go to thr 'i't-.ini-.-..,uf', at Knox- vllle. Both Llic-atres. Fort Wayne. Strand re-opnns as film house un- der A. T. WorthinRton of Bluffton, Worthlngton, toprether with C. B. Moore of Van Wert, O,, and Budd Silverman of Toledo, have formed the Strand Amu.semcnt Co. and have leased the building through Water- field office. JJouble feature policy. Topping 'Hat' Baltimore. Ted Routson of the Hippodrome spread a big bouncing campaign for 'Top Hat' (Radio), current at hie house. Had large loop store feature a 'top hat' sundae; hooked in with four 5-lOc. stores' music counters; got a dept. store show window with Max Factor make-up tie-up; an- other similar show window for Kragshire coat display; newsstands gave space for pair of tie-ups with fan mags Modern Screen and Screen Romances. Got windows In every one of dozen stores operated by largest retail drug chain in Balto for joint promotion of Dr. SchoII's foot powder and the pic; in local Hearst rag ran for one week dally strips teaching readers steps to the 'Piccolino' dance Astalre and Miss Rogers essay in flick; had femine chapeau tie-up with dept store. Nifty one was with Postal Tele- graph. With 3,000 wires delivered here day pic opened run, in each envelope was inserted a herald, copy reading, 'for personal service, call Postal Telegraph! for personal en- joyment, see 'Top Hat,' at the Hipp.*' Lot more copy for house and pie, with cuts of players on heralds. A beauty salon featured a 'Picco- lino' hairdress, put ad in paper plugging it. Routson also got up 3,000 strips and had 'em pasted across Lucky Strike ciggle display cards in stores; that was arranged because on the Sat. evening NBC Lucky Strike program Astaire has been appearing. Also a newspaper contest was conducted: 60,000 tab- loids were distributed door to door; 50,000 more were spotted on all counters In all stores of drug chain with which theatre had tie-up. Speed Packing Wenatchee, Wash. This town likes to be known aa the world's apple center. They grow 'em here, plenty, and luscious. Liberty (Evergreen) theatre Im readying for its annual apple pack- ing contest, which creates no end of Interest throughout the apple coun- try, as far east as Idaho and south as Oregon, -with entrants from the pick of the packers from three states. Morrle Nlmmner, city mgr. for Evergreen, bills this as for the world's champeenship. Contest runs In ■ fall along with National Apple Week, for full week. About eight contestants appear nightly on stalge, doing their stuft. Nlmmer Is. the mc. Contest runs 10 minutes. Each man must pack two boxes, and he works machine-like grab- bing the fruit from a bin, the paper wrapper with his left hand, and then places them in the box in front of him. Inspectors pass on the Job. Each is timed, and best time w4ns, last year being 5 min. 5. sec. for the two boxes. About 125 of the best packers from packing sheds of three states, compete, best from each shed making up the finalists. Cash prizes and trophy for the winners, makes this a coveted honor. They are talking the con- test In the apple country now, and when it goes on, a nice week's extra biz is assured, Cofftest costs the theatre practically nothing. Beal Class Jpo Well and his <Unlvcr8al co- horts have turned out a classy an- nouncement for 'Diamond Jim.' It will stack up against any opposition material. It's a six-page 12x16 with three 10x13 real photos of Blnnte Barnes, Edward Arnold and Jean Arthur. Title page is picked out In blue scrolh/ork. sparsely used, with a hand le terlng in brown that might have been done by a plate engraver. Inside is the cast and credits, beau- tifully set. Nothing else. One of the best nieces of picture advertising printing to have come to this 4e8li in a long time. Shockers There's a tip to local managers In a stunt worked by W. H. Thornton, of the London Pavilion. To promote 'False Faces,' titled 'Let 'Em Have It' over here, n portion of the lobby display Is a set of 12 official police photographs of gangster victims in the U.S. Kicker Is that there's a flap over each still which must be I'alsed by an.vone who desires to view the display. Layoyt made the front page of tho Star, an evening paper, and got a ride In most of the other' papers. Helps the picture and proljably gaining much more comment than would the uncovered set. Newark, O. Thrpc of Newark's theatres have united to be opoiatod a-s a unit, tin- -Ni'waik Amiiseinent Co., holding U\f, Midland thf^ritro ^roup. Booklng.s for all tlirfo through .M. A. .Shea .'igt ncy, Uuffjilo. :m. J. Illf^lilo. m.nin- ger the Midland and Auditorium, will continue In that cipaolty, Kloyd Price, who has monaKod tlifi Grand, (Continued on p.ngp .1") What's the Answer Birmingham. Who has tho largest Mickey .Mouse kid club In tho world? f!oor(c(> Xc'ilnns. who has charge of ihr- ,\ric!<r!y Mouse club at the Ala- l).-im.'i is .Tiixious to know if there is 'I l.'TKpr flub tli^n his. Ifl.s oliil) l.s the liirgp.st in the .South aiid now has 7,500 members, (•rich llKtod alphabetically. BEHIND the KEYS