Variety (Sep 1937)

Wednesday, September 29, 1937 PICTURES 'VARIETY 25 EXPLOITATION By Epes W. Sargent Working on 'Melody' St. Louis. A full page cooperation ad, a legi- timate selling proposition, engineered by manager Harold 'Chick' Evens and publicity director Jimmy Harris of Loew's was one of a number of efforts used to exploit MG's 'Broad- way Melody.' The ad was used in the Sunday Globe-Democrat follow- ing opening of the pix and it was the first time this rag ever permitted use of such an ad for a cinema attrac- tion. Transcriptions of song hits and bits of Eleanor Powell's tap dancing were aired over radio station WIL. Evens and Harris cracked the ex- clusive West End residential district through a tieup with a high class grocer dealing in this territory. Tie* iip resulted in the distribution of 30,000 12x18 circulars, one side of which was devoted to pix and the- atre and the other to the grocer's wares. Ten thousand heralds were passed out with the current issue of the Liberty Magazine and 10,000 4x20 circus heralds, made up from na-. tional ads, were distributed by a door-to-door campaign. Three oi . town's largest music stores in the downtown district yielded window space for 'Broadway Melody' copy and music departments in every 5 and 10 store in town do- nated counter space for song hits from pix, Evens and Harris also en- gineered free cooperation ads with one of the biggest department stores with Eleanor Powell and a large re- tail shoe shop in the downtown dis- trict displayed fall footwear in front of a huge blowup of the popular Miss Powell. Someone Gets a Bike Frank Boucher worked a gag for the Wild West Days club to boost the Universal serial of that title. Club members got a ticket with punch spots for the 13 chapters, and a hole is punched for each attend- ance. All who have a perfect score ^at the end of the run, get a chance to win a bicycle. Bike was promoted from a local furniture store which sells them, and the back of the membership card carries an ad for the store. It s a neat scheme to hold them constant in attendance, and seemingly new. Voucher took up the press book idea of free candy at the first episode and got out a special throwaway for the kids. Free Side Universal rode in on a Loew thea- tre stunt when the Interstate chain, of Texas, framed a talent hunt with four winners to go to Hollywood for final decisions. Tryouts are held in all smaller spots, the winner in each to go to. the nearest key city for a finals, either Ft. Worth, San Antonio, Dal- las or Houston. Winner will be sent from' each of these four spots. Where Universal gets the ride is its 'Hollywood \Screeh Test' short with the house advertising: 'To see what you are doin^, see etc' Might have been made for this campaign. Meantime it's a /business builder for the Interstate. Bob Q'Donnell is running things and giving it his best. Diking Up Drina Rochester. With contests particularly hard to Slace in Rochester dailies these days, lanager Lester Pollock of Loew's Rochester crashed the~editorial sanc- tum with one for 'Dead End' that got across because it added interest to the paper's own advertising columns. Women were given an imaginary $50 budget with which to pretty up Drina in the film to compete with her rivaU Contestants were to select the costumes from newspaper ads and paste the ads on a cardboard. Paper plugged the contest with news stores and office ads. First prize of flO and 10 pairs of free tickets to .oew's. Costume Garnival Rochester. Manager Eddie May of the Dixie launched his Saturday children's matinees with, a 'Six Star' show pro- viding plenty of promotion angles. Boys in cowboy costumes passed out heralds in neighborhood, heralds bearing ad for, the show and serial numbers, several of which were posted in lobby^for free admissions. Youngsters urged to appear in ?owboy or Indian costume, with prizes for funniest, best and most onginal. Free candy bar for every cnud attending the show, which in- cluded film 'Californian,' first chap- ter of, 'Wild West Days' and Joe Penner hi 'New Faces of 1937.' Sing- ing numbers with Manager May at ine organ rounded out the program. Building Up A,d3 Okl&4 . Digressing from the usual school Spok matinee the Kiva and Ritz Theatres of Ada realized that other scnooi supplies were also needed and a School Tablet and PencU •"^atmee. Admission to the show was any nve-cent value tablet or pencil. Nine Honest Hen Omaha. 'Double or Nothing' presents a natural for ballyhoo stunt in its own plot. Idiomatic title carries punch itself and can easily be enhanced. Eddie Forester and Ted Emerson of Omaha theatre went to work on that angle. Gathered twenty-five old v^allets ^nd pocketbooks, put one buck bill in each and had them dropped, as if lost, in various spots of downtown Omaha. Each carried identification tag bearing Foreister's name and the- atre address. Nine wallets were re- turned to theatre and finders were given buck returned and another be- sides, putting into effiect title of pic- ture. Forester secured interviews with each of nine gathering human in- terest angles for newspaper public- ity. Tie-up with Bee News netted some three columns space, including pictures day of opening. Campaign was embellished by stilt-walker, 24-6heet posting, and theatre display featured six foot cut- out head of Martha Raye over box office window, mouth agape through which patrons bought tickets. Girl in Window . Lancaster, Pa. i Giving the musical score of 'Double or Nothing' the works, Bert Leighton. manager of the Grand Theatre, here, hung his entire cam- paign around a single gag. He tied up with a music store in the heart of the shopping district to spot their prettiest warbler, in a window for a full week in advance of the picture and spend her days singing 'Double or. Nothing' songs to the crowds via P.A. system. When the girl was not in the window, a borrowed radio turntable mouthed the lyrics. Win- dow was trimmed with paper from the picture, with central figures being cut-outs from 24 sheets. Similar tie was made with a radio dealer who posed one of his ma- chines between big cut-outs out front where the public got plenty of music and a chance to read a good big plug card. Using a Band Pittsburgh. WB managed l^e-ups for- Horace Heidt, curreiit at Stanley, with not just one Pittsburgh newspaper, but two. First was with Sun-Tele on sponsorship of Big Appl^ contest, which H^idt la conducting every night on the stage. Wimuqg oouple ■will be given week'a wpfjy with Heidt at Loew's State bj Hew York when he opens there, oSt. T, Second was with Darrell V. Mar- tin, radio ed of Post^Gajsette, with prizes free tix for Heidt'^ network broadcast from here. Idea was a coupon contest, with H'nd'fc playing medley of unidentified turies duil?ihg first day of his Stanley engagement and first ones under the gun with correct titles gettmg th6 prized' ducats. Both stunts weiiKa good for plenty of space in the two dailies. Jazzing up 'few' Gfaicani. Long run of "Wandering Jew* ^t Playhouse here ore'Sites to exploita- tion campaign set by l^an R^che. During tfte lifst four Peek's p.I(jii ture got as much press spaee as any other single picture ekoei^t 'Stella Dallas,' which went In under a new policy set-up for the Oriental. For 'Wandering Jew* RocK^ set up his ads with a foot-steps out used diago- nally, and plugged not only in Eng- lish language papers, bjit in both German and Jewish. Former using name of Conrad Vei<it as greatest German actor, and the latter by plugging the picture as fr<im a Jew- ish legend. Orazy Sign Jean Derth, of the Warner theatrg, Memphis, was described In 9 reeent issue of the local paper as 'the b.oy with , the Rube Goldberg braiilT be- cause of the odd mechanical effects he uses to animate the theatre signs. His latest was large block letters (Continued on page 62) Ruth Roland's $1,000,000, Half Willed to Ben Bard Los Angeles, Sept. 28. Holographic will left by Ruth. Roland, screen actress, disposing of an estate valued at more than $1,- 000,000, was filed in L; A. superior court. Document bequeaths 50% of the estate to Miss Roland's husband, Ben Bard, and 45% to be divided equally between Edith B. Thomp- son, an aunt, and Mrs. Edith Garven, counsin of Mrs. Thompson. Sum of $100 is left to'J. R. Roland, decedent's father, if living. — V Republic's lavish Tuner Hollywood, Sept. M. Republic has announced plans for production on a lavish scale of 'Sing Your Way Out.' musical by Albert J. Cohen and Gouverneur Morris. Harry Grey, ejiecutlve supervisor of Republic musicals, will produce. STAGE BAND POUCY UP AGAIN FOR CRITERION A stage band policy for the Cri- terion, N. Y., is up for consideration again but no definite decision has been reached nor a tentative date set aside when such plans may be- come effective. From time to time during the past year, stage bands have been discussed for the house by its operators, Harry L. Charnas and B. S. Moss. House has experienced consider- able of a struggle as a first-run in view of the difficulty to obtain worthwhile film. This Week playing 'Shanghai Express' on a revival, house has booked 'Sophie Lang Goes West' from Par as its next. Theatre Changes Hamilton, O. To discourage bringing babies into the theatre, and thus reducing, par- tially at least the annoyance thus caused, the Rialto, second run house, local unit of the Southio circuit, re- quires a child's tickets for every in- fant, regardless of age. St. Loo Nabe Burglaries Solved As 2 Are Nabbed St. Louis, Sept. 28. Burglaries' of five nabe pix houses in.last 10 months were solved last week when local gendarmes nabbed Bernard Tucker, 19, a for- mer usher in one of the houses and, on his confession, Cecil Winner, 42. a real estate sailesman, Warrants charging grand larceny, a felpny in Missouri, have been issued against Winner. Tucker said' he served as lookout for Winner when the latter broke into the Manchester' theatre from which $347 worth of tools, radios, etc., were copped and also on an- other occasion in the same house when $207 worth of goods were taken. Tucker formerly worked at this house. He implicated Winner in burglaries at the Lindell, Gravois and Maffitt theatres, all controlled by the St. Louis Amus. Co. Winner denies the accusation stating that Tuoker brought hirii ^ a number of articles, to dispose of and he didn't know they had been stolen. Norfolk. Allen Sparrow has taken over his duties as manager of Loew's, Rich- mond. Roger Driscoll coming to Norfolk as his successor. 20tli Now Has the Roxy, Legal Bills Rolling In Addison S. Pratt who acted as spe- cial master in the Roxy theatre re- organization submitted a detailed bill for his services to N. Y. Federal Judge Francis X. Caffey for ap- proval. Mr. Pratt asks for $10,000 for the three months' work he de- voted to the involved Roxy matter. Ip his report he states there' were 33 sessions; 2,659 pages of testimony taken, and his report which resulted in 20th Century-Fox taking over the theatre, consisted of 78 pages. At the same time, Russell V. Qruikshank, appraiser for White & Case, turned in a bill for $1,500. Cruikshank, in July, 1935, appraised the property at $3,300,000 and at the hearings jumped his figure to- $3,500,000. Argyll R. Parsons, also an ap- praiser, who determined' the price the theatre lobty rentals should be, asks $1,250 for his work. Plot the Tunes, Too Hollywood, Sept. 28. Betty Laidlaw and Robert Lively, who script tunes as well as stories, have been assigned to write music for the entire series of 'Renfrew of the Mounted' films for Grand Na- tional, and have turned in the first of the series. Team also is scripting 'Honolulu Honeymoon,' GN film to be produced by Bud Barsky. Cukor's Stopgap Deals ' Hollywood, Sept. 28. David O. Selznick Is postponing production on Margaret Mitchell's 'Gone With the Wind' until next spring, George Cukor, skedded to direct. Is playing with other studio deals in the meantime. ' 'Barn Dance* Debut Hollywood, Sept. 28. Adele Wilde, New York stage ac- tress, makes her film debut in the next Gene Autry picture at Republic, 'The Old Barn Dan,ce.' Sol Siegel will produce and Joe Kane is set to direct from a script being prepared by Charles Francis Royal, HOW IT'S DONE Hollywood, Sept. 28. 'Blondes at Work,' fourth Torchy Blane newspaper drama, got the starting gun last week from Bryan Foy at Warners, With Glenda Farrell starred and Frank McDonald direct- ing. Memphis. Malco Memphis Theatres. Inc., bought 10 theatres of the Warner Brothers Kentucky circuit. The the- aters are: two at Danville, two at Owensboro, two at Fulton, two at Henderson, one at Princeton and one at Mayfield. A half interest in Malco Memphis Theatres is held by Para- mount and Paramount will buy out- ri.^ht the two houses at Danville, which are too far out of this, terri- tory to be operated by Malco Mem- phis Theaters. Ritzville, Wash, The new $30,000 Ritz theatre opened last week. Roy C. Irvine is owner. Los Angeles. Pacific States Theatres, Inc., and Ben Berinstein have announced they will build at once a $95,000 900-seat theatre, near Ventura and Laurel Canyon boulevards in San Fernando valley. House will be opened around Jan. 15, 1938. Buffalo. The Cataract theatre, Niagara Falls, owned by A. C. Hayman, being razed and new theatre seating 1,800, to cost $350,000, erected on the site, ready by early spring. Will be op- erated as formerly in conjunction with the adjoining Strand. Salt Lake City.. Banner of the Intermountain The- atres, Inc., now flies over six houses in Salt Lake City with the acquisi- tion of Center, 1800-seater, being constructed by Fred and Herbert Auerbach, owners and operators of town's largest department store. Columbus, O. J. Real Neth will add a fifth thea- tre to his string of nabes when he opens the Markham theatre in Co- lumbus' South Side about Oct. 10. William Chesebrough, who owns 10 theatres here, has begun work on the Drexel, new nabe in suburban Bexley. -^Ixpects to open about Jan. 1. New York. Almost a dozen Loew managers in the past five years have stemmed from Loew's State, on Broadway, starting first as Al Rosen's assistants. Newest to leave him for houses of their own are George Daniels to the Dyckman and Marty Waldman to Loew's Canal, both N. Y. Eddie Burke, erstwhile Roxy house man- ager, now first aide to Rosen. Denver. Cecil Lynch named manager and booker for the Gem, Tivoli and Colo- rado, dime grind spots owned by Bob and Ed Mapel. Dale Kline, resigned as manager of the. New Victory, succeeded by H. K. Allen, former owner of the Island, Grand Island, Neb. Robert Dane made manager of the Ogden, replacing Tom Ward, pro- moted to manager of the Hiawatha. William Hughes, former Hiawatha manager, resigned. Both are Fox houses. Ramon Gaytan has leased Colonial, Pueblo, from Westland Theatre, Inc. Plans to show Spanish and Mexican films. . Pai?cagoula, Miss. Work began this week on the foundatiorts for a new theatre build- ing on South Pascagoula street, to be erected by J, O. Cole and E, F. Grant, lessees and operators of the Nelson theatre. Pawhuska. Okla. Workmen are remodeling the James building at 121 East Main for the new Osage theatre to be op- erated by A. M. Abbott, also owner of the Kikekah theatre here. San Francisco. Clarence Laws, manager of the United Artists theatre in Berkeley, has purchased the interest of Charles Carroll in the Roxie, Oakland. Laws is resigning from the Fox-West Coast organization, owners of the United Artists theatre, Oct. 1. Schwartz, treas., and Mrs. Sidney Samson, Mrs. John M, Sitterly, Mrs. W. E. J. Martin and Mrs. Max Levine, directors. Des Moines. Work has been completed on the New Collegian theatre, to open this week at Ames, Iowa, under manage- ment of Joe V, Gerbach. Detroit. As rumored previously, the 1.500- seat eastsidc Cinderella nabe was added to United Detroit's 16-theatre circuit last week. House, formerly owned by James N. Robin-son. Philadelphia. Apollo,. Gloucester, N. J., remod- eled, Sam Kalikanm ownei'. New Rialto, Wilmin'Tton, operated by A.. J. Belair enlarged. Sam Varba- low's circuit takes over Rio, Camden, N. J. Colman in Roach Pic Hollywood, Sept. 28. Hal Roach hajj signed Ronald Col- man for the starring part in 'Fancy Free.' Yarn is an Eric Hatch original. SMFE Meets Oct. 10 iii N. T. Strides made in motion picture en- gineering during the last 12 months will be outlined in sessions at the fall gathering of the Society of Mo- tion Picture Engineers to be held for four days starting Oct. 11 at the Pennsylvania Hotel, N. Y. The demonstration of three dimen- sional films by G. W. Wheelwright 3d, and another of Stereophonic sound recording and reproduction, via a special film, by J. P. Maxfield, of Electrical Research Products, will be highlights. FOR THE KIDBIES Hollywood, Sept. 28. Characters that run through Leon Schlesinger's Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, film cartoons, are in heavy demand by toy makers for the Christmas trade. David C. Green, merchandising expert, has been ticketed as exclu- sive agent of the -Schlesinger cor- poration to make tieups., Taxes Up (Continued from page 7) Norfolk. .Edgar Doob. brother of Oscar Doob of. the M-G-M, has been sent to. Norfolk a.s asst mgr. of the Loew's State theatre, succeeding I, M. Yerby, who has been assigned to same title at Loew'.s, Richmond, Va. . Buffalo. Varsity, operated by Basil Bro.s., damaged $5,000 by flrj: due to short circuit, Sound and back.stage equip- ment was completely destroyed. Variety Club Barkcrettos this week elected Ruth Rappaport pres., Mrs. Jacob Lavene. v.p.; Mr.s. Albert D. Weil, sec; Mrs. Melvin B, in $1,282,160, an increase of $199,870. Grab in the First Illinois (Chicago) area was $1,588,042, up $209,229. Freer Spcndinfr Better economic conditions and freer spending saw a substantial comeback in the custom of charg- ing, premiums for desirable amuse- ments . ducats. Tax payments by proprietors who sold tickets for more than the established price rose 130%, zooming from $15,379 to $35,514. Collections from brokers, who pay only 10% of the excess in contrast to the 50% collected from box offices charging extra .sums, mounted 44%, hiting $170,047. Chiseling, on the other hand, fell off. Treasury noted a drop of $18,- 302 in payments on the established price of Annie Oakleys, with the total from this source skidding to $560,444. Regular admissions, mostly to film houses but also covering sports events, legit, etc., reflected a healthy 15% rise. Government share went up $2,365,698, hitting $17,367,439. Take from cabarets was up about the same, mounting $214,417, or 16%, to $1,555,352. July Dips, Per Usual Livelier summer theatre business this year than any time since the .depression hit has not curbed the customary hot-weather slump at the box office, Treasury Depai'tment figures show. Federal haul from 10% admish levy, based on July wicket gro.sses, tumbled for second, successive month, although ramnn- ing well above 1936 and earlier levels. Collections by the Government lust month amounted to $1;599,242. a dip of ,$33,846 under prior stanza but up $215,135 over same frame of 1936. "Total was the third biggest this year, and the July-to-August drop was much smaller than has been the c-^.-ie. The decline between June and July this year, for instance, was $24i 017, while tho haul last summer full off $184,380 between July and Au'uist. With the Feds taking more mnney every month this yoai' than during 1936, 1935, and before, the ei'^ht- month cumulative total hit $12,752,- 242, a ri.^e of $1,562,346 in the past year.