Variety (Sep 1935)

Wednesday, September 18, 1935 PICT VARIETY :. - Seliicg'^tke;-Season- Moat houses, are devoting eome extra attention to selling the '36 product, ■ and-Tlhd-that it"J»ays, IJiit there are supplements to this gag. One of the best Is the personal con- ■tact,-- -- - — ., For this a number of clever girl talkers are trained In a sales speech and sent out from iO until 4 to con- tielct housevrlvei' with a personal talk about what is to be expected. .GcncKTftl!y- w-cwlwie ^pcAsftrt. -aiong to the me nfolk at the din ner or siin- —Sfflokij" EffeiftS Recent Inquiry, for a smoke effect gives emphasis to. the lack . of a smoke pot that can be iised for out- door work. Point of the query was to the effect that the exhlb wanted to-Kiise Uttte: h€il< ^)^^:•.tht( matqnec for 'Inferno' without getting plain aiid . fancy kicks from the renters of ptflces In the , building. This knocked thei regulation smudge pot out cold.. j«B(4or?il?4#e-.>«pmc.tJcai i>4>tc ««-C:5»ta2«- per table. The girls are also in- structed to note the comments of their hostesses, often picking up a valuable tip through these chats as to what there is about the house the women did not. like. For ex- ample several women complained that if they had to sit off. to the right side of the house a .naked laAip In the entrance" annoyed thenv, liamp was over the switchboard. Substitution of a larger shade and colored globe corrected fault none of the house staff had caught. Another management has a wom- an, who visits the various women's clubs to talk about the coming pic- tures, and has offered t'.ie repeat, If requested, whenever a notable feature Is Underlined. The manager himself is contacting :the biusiness men's luncheon clubs. And for real "swank one theatre gave an afternoon tea at a good hotel, with, music ahd refreshments In addition to seyeral girls to talk up the. show. Admission only by Invitation, but almost ieveryone got an Invitation. , All serves to supplement, the gen- eral newspaper work and to clinch the argument that Ihlis year. Is to be better than last. On His lonesome Portland,' Ore. For his Independently sponsored Greater Show Season, J; J. Parker let go with the biggest exploitation campaign seen in these parts, foi years. Pix that toolc the initial hulld-up were 'Diamond Jliri' (U) at the Broadway and 'Anna Karenina,' (MG) at the UA. Both wowed.'em on the first week and waded into a big second. Helped by compilimentary adver- tising from local merchants Parker's campaign ran to special newspaper •sections. Both houses splurged heavily in direct exploitation costs and spent in one week a budget roughly equal to what all major spots in the faurg normally lay on the line together in a month. Parker's idea was not so much direct competish with other houses as to win back a show-going trade that had been wilting away for years. Results and grosses indicated that new business must have been created, although competitive pix took It slightly on the chin. Greater Show Season campaign was an independent move of the two Parker houses, Broadway and UA. Both hous;es doubled their normal gross in the first week of •Diamond Jim' and 'Karenina'. Campaign centered in news space. In spite of being the most expen- sive burst of exploitation fire seen in these parts for years it paid off from the start. Doublehfeader RKO theatres in the metropolitan istrict are working with the N. Y. Mirror on the newspaper's newly formed kid club. Gives Saturday morning performances in designated sectors, with the Mirror rustling stars to back up the film bill. ■ Dime admission includes a .club pin. One of the stipulations is that an adult must accompany the child, in com- pliance with the city laws, but the adults don't get pins. Liast week the ahow.<?. were in the N. T. sector. This Saturday six Brooklyn houses will be open at 10:30. After, the city is covered there probably will be a repeat. Meantime it gives a daily story with a two-column head. Other tie-in is to the paper's regu- lar crosSwoi'd puzzles. RKO gives 100 tickets a day to be offered as prizes. Contestants name, the thea- tre they desire to attend if winning a prize. This carries a quarter- CQlumri double-column .announce- ment which lists thie current shows. Paper provides the puzzles, so the only cost is for the seats, with the presumption that the prizes aire scattered to cover the area. Counted the Steps Jjincoln. "■ Recoil fom Milton Overman's stunt, hero on the streets plugglnp; '39 Steps' is getting a big lau.rrh and ta.l\i around town. Kc hired Skip Dean, an old tent repper who has been doing FERA entcrMlnriients for the past year in community cen- ters, to walk down the strcpt, take 39 steps and then placo a block c the sidewalk labelled '39 Steps'. Payoff came when curlousi people began calling newspapers to lincl out what is was. 'Must be a new WPA project', opined one over the phone. church iMPPlly httuaea for . aome- -and-whtte-?' cheap form of incense that will come within the appropriation, or possible, working in advance, to get the local wholesale druggist to help out, but even this is apt to prove d nuisance to tena:nts. Steam is something used to cre- ate the illusion,, but this is hot prac- tical when windows are open, and when they are closed. It is generally so cool the vapor will condense and bring complaint front pedestrians. Warner Brothers used bursts of steam for the marquee on 'Noah's Ark' at the Winter Garden, but had to cut it out because it showered the passers-by. Best idea seems tia .be the chiffon and fan combination lit Which sal- mon colored gauze is floated by the breeze, from a fan and enlivened at night, by a red and yellow me- diuni. Best form is to make a wdll. housing the lamp, with, chiffon tacked to the sides and floated by a current of air through a perfor- ated pipe fed.' by a fan or large vacuum cleaner. Chiffon should be in strips approximately pointed at the top. Medium frame should carry mixed yellow and red,' with three of four holes poked through to ilet in some white light. If a screen can be rigged, an effects machine can be used in a window across the street. Has any- one other, suggestions? They will be welcome. This Is Good Something hew is,a 32 page pic- torial with offset process Illustra- tions of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, chiefly in 'Top Hat' but with the carioca and continental dance steps also shown. It ivill be put out to the dimeries with an In- itial press run of 600,000. It's an elegant Job and the RKO hope that it will run over a million seems to be well founded. It is worth anyone's dime, and a big ad- vance over the books which used to be gotten out some years ago for most top pictures. Those were filled with blurbs for the show. This gives them all pic- tures, beautifully printed. In towns where there are no dime stores It might be profitable for the theatres to pick up the sale.. - Co-Op Pages One of the signs of the times is the number of co-operative pages being used out of town. For a time these were virtually dead, but they are again coming Into play. At one time the co-op ran Itself to death. It had become almost a disease, and in one spot (Wilming- ton. N. C.) the papers ran two pages a weeic every week, with the house agent hard put to take care of the merchant demands. Then the craze died out and the depression put the coup de grace to whate.ver remained. Store owners refused to come in. They knew, that to get business one had to advertise, but felt that ad- vertising in excess of the regular store space would not bring a com- mensurate increase in the receipts. People simply did not have the ex,tra money to spend. It's different now; even though much of the .money is in . the form of dole, and with a little effort the idea can be brought back. If held to intelligent proportions it will. last. But there is danger of the, idea again- being burned up through overuse. As the co-op rose to its heights it became neces.sary to add some sort of a contest, \ylth ticket and other pilzes, which had one good angle in tliat this hecessitated in spots the double hook-up with the contest, stated in the first page and the awards announced in the repcit. This'does not appear to be neces- sary now. It is,sufficient that the merchants are. iven additional notice through their connection with "tlio pictures. If not overdone, this condition can be held, but overuse will again require the aid of a pul- motoi', which is hot sO good. Start right, hold to a conservative display and the co-op can again benefit business. Defied Hoodoos •Macon, Ga. Thirteen Macon youths braved the consequence.s of defying their luck on Friday the 13th before a crowd of several hundred in front of the Rlalto theatre here. In re- sponse to Art BaiTy's offer of paEscs, they walked under a ladder, turned over salt and finally broke r mirror before the theatre doorway. The first to arrive wore selected. iC'cKcy mTJuM'' Havanai .. gjunday iU^,... Teatro .• Naclonaj had e^a performance for the Mickey Mouse Contest winner, staged by Cine Muiidial, Spanish was awarded to Maria Carlota Gar- riga Rey, a 12-year-oId kid from Clenfuegos who Is to be guest of honor in an all cartoon performance. The. contest waa 'W hy Is Mickey M'dU'se better in cABfs tha'a in black U. A. local manager, Mr. Welner, will present the prize to the Cuban girl and also there will .be toys for the infants. Special 'Angel' Copy laOB Angeles. For current (Bngagement of 'Daric Angel' (UA) day-dating at Loew's State and Orauman's Chinese in Lios Angeles, Fox-West Coast and Goldwyn studio tried but a new type of display ad 'Which attracted con- siderable attention in Coa.st film circles. Aim of copy and layouts 'was. to get over the three star names Of the pl&T-Fredrlb March, Merle Oberon:and Herbert Marshall—plus the romantic angle. All copy used carried the line, 'The Love, Story Beautiful.' Xdcal TSreta"^ Lynchburg, Ideft. baa -been tried before In other places, but it v/za new to Lyncltburg, and created plenty of talk, when the Paramount offered to fRe woinairWllK'a profile and costiinie most like Greta Qarbo's. Tleup M'ais with the bpauty shop of the city's biggest department store, li&tter" adVerllsed that con- testants would be required to have ■the ir coi fEe ui s donu lu the alui l>eauty store: before entering the competition, which , In some spots jnight make trouble. Stunt was worked but by Frank M. Boucher, Dominion Theatres manager, in connection with 'Kare- nina.' Mickey's Party Lioew^s Rochester (N. Y;) thea- tre marked ithe birthday of Mickey Mouse with a special ishow in the morning for the children. Program was nine , Disney cartoons about evenly divided between Mickey and the Silly Symphonies. Sold for ^ quarter instead of the usual dime, and got it. Show was announced by a six- foot card with a three-foot Mickey standing ^.longslde. Indiaiiapolts, Negotiations have been completed between the oi)erators' union and theatres for a three-- ear contract. First year .will continue on the $62.50 basis, with , a $9 raise the second year, and an additional $5 till the third year. Indiana, 3,300 seater, reopens un- der the Katz-Feld banner Sept. 20 with 'Top Hat.' , Bud Summers named manager by I. M. Halperin, director general of the Circle and Indiana, with Jesse Wright'tis as- sistant manager. . House will' show Warner, Columbia, Universal and Para;mo,unt product Baltimore. Frank H. Durkee Enterprises, operator of burg's largest chain of nabe. houses, opens newly erected Ambassador tomorrow n i g h t (Wed.). House, located far out on north side, has ,1800~seats, thus be- coming largest nabe subsequent run theatre in Baltb and environs. Urbana, III. Alger ros. opened Its newest pic- ture hotise, the Albro, a complete re- modeling'of the old Colonial. Orpheum, Champaign, 111./ re- opened following redecorating. It will show vaudeville Saturdays and Sundays. It is an RKO house, oper- ated In afflliatlon with the Virginia. Newton, la. towa theatre has been reoponed by Robert M. Johnson. Algona, la. Construction work has been begiin on the new State theatre which will have a seating capacity of 700 when completed early In November. Gall Pettlt, owner and manager. Canton. Warner Bros, rieopenlng the Llbr crty theatre, Sharon, Pa., closed for two years, late In Sept. Will be managed by Thomas J. Whyte, pres- ent-manager of the Columbia. . Bert. Albright of New York has succeeded Roy Rowe as manager of the Warner theatre at' Washing- ton. Pa. Charles Schweitzer, formerly man- ager of the Allen theatre, Akron, will manage the Pastime, Barber- ton, for Niate Schultz, new owner, when the house opens the middle of Sept. M. M. Korlnka has taken a lease on the Grafton, Grafton, O. ' House has been reopened on a four-day-a- week basis. Charles W'owra, formerly operator of the Pastime in Barberyon. is re- tiring from the exhiblti6n field. Rumors are current here that the old. Grand Opera house, only dark theatre here, will be dusted off and lighted for a part of the coming season. Stock of the family, type, such as has made a living there In recent seasons. Is the most likely prospect. Albany. Warners reopened the Lincoln, Troy, Thursday (12) after being closed about a year. Showing dou- ble features at 20 and 30 cents. ,, Abe Cohen, for 2fi years in the theatre business at Massena and manager of Schlne's Masuena for 10 years, has been transferred to Schlne's Strand, Ogdensburg, suc- ceeding Clint Dod.son, who has gone to the Olympic, Watertown. Jack ilctlaw has resigned as Schine dis- trict manager for northern New York to go to Hqlly wood. Lee Bous- quet was shifted from • Oswego to the Ogdensburg Strand. Birmingham. Sunday shows legalized, in Gads- den under provisions of a bill intro- duced in the legislature by Rep. Starnes affecting only Gadsden. .Act has been signed by Gov. Graves. Ft.. Wayne, Ind. Palace has reopened with five acts on stage, in addition to films. Wil- bur Pickett directing house orch. Kansas City. Lawrence Thompson, who has been here for several weeks-recup-' eratlng from a severe Illness, has gone to take the management of Loew's, Canton, O. William Wagner, manager of the Fox Plaza, has resigned and will operate- his own theatre in Inde- pendence, Kansas. He will be suc- ceeded by James Long, from the Fox Warwick, land Roy Cato, of the Fox Grei»ada, will take over the Warwick. Columbus, O. R. . Speece, recently manager of Loew's In Akron, transferred here to maniager Broad. Charlie Katz^ relief manager Broad;;^to Pittsburgh, and Larry Thompson7 back in town after abdominal operation In K. C, will be returned to the Missouri, city as Loew manager there. Pittsburgh. H. A. Albright, formerly with Schine circuit In New York state, named to guide VB, Interests In near-by Washington, jPa., by Zone Manager Harry Kalmine. He suc- ceeds Roy Rowe, who has returned to Burgaw, N. C., to become an in- dependent operator. shift in United Artists personnel here brings Bill Rosenthal on .from Indianapolis to replace Leo Cantor, transferred to Indianapolis, Where his brother is UA exchange man- ager. staff of Loew's-UA Penn reduced further by resignation of Reginald Stanborough as treasurer. His post will be filled by Bob Newkirk, who will continue to double, in brass as managing director, Mike CiiUen's private secretary. Ea.stdn, Pa. Berwick theatre, ITaston, was nold by D. O. Atkinson.to Mllford Kay of EJarrlsburg. Louisville; Floyd Morrow has been appointed publicity and exploitation director of the recently opened National. Now Y'ork City. Leo Brecher's Odeon theatre, in colored Harlem, being dusted off for reopening around Oct. 1 with vaude and pictures. Louis Gans, how in charge of Uroclier's Harlem Opera House, will be switched to the Odeon, with Nyman Kesslor, who managed the Odfon until it clo.Mod, to replace Gans at the Harlem Opera House. Slack and White .One of the most effective uses of black is shown in a theatre with white and gold lobby. There is a white enannel strip about 10 feet above, ,the fl.9or^ jxylth,..this.j^res^ed;.. weeKiy in black is!ihouettVs.". House has a sign-writer who is unusually clever at cutting silhouettes, but probably the same effect could bo achieved with various portions pt lithds used as patterns. Figures cut ffbhi th'fh'black paper (the regu- Balli ore. Guy; Wonders, wlio books vaude for WB into the.Karle, Washington, p. C„ and oversees that house and the Metropolitan,. as well as the Stanley and Met, Balto, last Wf^nk was made flpJd manager over the entire chain of "Warner houses lo- cated throughoL-t Maryland. John (Continued on page 31) Ur silliuueiie [juper . wou ia""t)6 t05~ expensive) and pasted down with flour paste. Text Is added with black water color, but an effort Is made to keep the lettering- to a minimum. Can be washed off in a few minutes and a new design put on, and It always gets a, glance from Incoming patrons, so it Is kept to advertise the underline. Another effective use Of silhou- ette Is In a sort of slikdow. box with a' white cloth stretched across the opening.' Cardboard figures and letters are pasted to a pan6 of clear glass and placed directly behind this. Instead of a single lamp sev- eral small ones are set' into the margin to Illuminate another whit© sheet ait the back. Sometimes the effect Is varied by making a setting In two or three planes, arrangbd to give the appearance of depth, the a.dditional planes being set hack of the glass. Another idea is to use a single large lamp far enough back not to shine through the cloth too strong- ly. Sonietlmes a smaller light ia placed slightly tb one side of this to give a double .shadow... With a little experimentation this can be made highly effective. Color is so universally used In lobby work that an occasional re- version to black is an arresting novelty. Air Minded New Haven. I^ed Smalley got some general publicity for Paramount's new sea- son through a tiein with a toy air- plane distributor. A slip, printed on one side with a. coupon, offered plane at reduced price to par customers. Reverse carried a list of coming pix. Harry Black worked a gag on 'Steamboiat' that had double-bar- reled results at Poll's. Against a lobby setting of a steamboat on a river. Black had three Negroes Ini ^tungat-ees batting out levee tunes. In addition to being a plug for 'Steamboat,' stunt also served to •pacify Irhpatlent. lobby standees waiting tb get Into current -Top Hat.' Homed In joe Cahlll, of the Brockton (Mass.) theatre, an .M. & P. house, heard that the local merchants were planning to give away two autos in a. trade drive. He hustled around to the committee and offered them the advantage of applied' showmanship. He not only laid out their campaign, but he put it over In the newspapers—at their cost— and announced that the awards would be made from the stage of the Brockton. Just to make It look official, he talked the Mayor into presiding over the event, which gave the gag its last ounce of push. Cost the theatre nothinigr and gave It a tremendous night, not to mention a lltle extra bu.sines3 on the other nights through the play-up of the house's name. Galled the Wild St. Louis. Loew's state allround advertis- ing campa;ing on 'Call Of the Wild' rates near top for sbason here. .Stunts Included traveling double 24-flhcet stand; tle-ui) with West- ern Union, Carnation Milk. Remlng- toh Arms, Maxwell House Coffee, pipes, bookstores for windows and book-mark distribution, railroaas on travel .and Alaskdn tours, radio broadcast and special newspaper ads from department stores tying up with fashions worn by stars; Gal In cowgal suit, distributing heralds on wild prices during Yukon gold-rush days, another gag. Spe- cial atmospheric staff around thea- tre front. Jimmy H.trris, p. a. worked hard on campaign. Likes the Sox Harry Bostwlck, of the State, Portland, Mo., one of the M, & P. iitrlng. reports good results from the stocking tie-up on "Broadway (Jondolior,' Ho got the store tb come In on a genproiis space with about half going to the theatre and also helped the merchant drenn the window, with plenty of cards and stills. ' Now It's i; T;i;lversnl spaco-grntjbor Joe Weil, announces a contest for exhibs on 'Klghtlhg Youth,' a football utovy. rdiortly to be rple'i.oed. Takes wlll be $G0, $26, 915 and $10.