Variety (Aug 1939)

8 VARIETY EXPLOITATION Wednesilay, August 2, 'l9;i9 FILM SHOWMANSHIP Schine Saccess Story Told to 300 at Circuit Meeting of Managers Gloversville, Aug. 1. From ruch humble beginnings as a converted roller-skating rink, an upstairs affair, the Schine Bros, the- atre circuit has'?rown in 20 years to an operation of 150 film theatres, scattered through five states. Story of the growth and influence of the circuit is being related in various versions at a convention of Schine executives and managers opening a three-day convention today. More than 300 members of the organiza- tion are present. Meeting is being held Gloversville Community Center.. „ , . i- t Harold F. Sliter is general chair- by no means the first of top ranking concert man and brief talks were Biven by ^'^'^ operatic artists, unique personalities and hefty at- J MVer Sch?ne, presiderand I^^^^ I"<=«°"'' ^l^^'^ T". ''"^"'"^f' '° ^"^'"PVto straddle iir o v.- i>,»,i^..„f r'v,o„«,.o,T the wide chasm which separates music, as an art, and W Schine, V ce-pres.dent Chauncey entertainment. Geialdine Farrar. at C. Thayer city s mayor, made a wel-, 'eatV her Metropolitan career, appeared in a coming address. . | ^^^.5^^ ^^^^^^ ^j^^ ^^.jj ^^^^^ ^^^-^^ 3 Dejiille's di- All phases of theatre operations ^ rection; subsequently under Goldwyn supervision. Her were discussed b:' various executives; first film, 'Carmen,' was a smash success, although her <5f the organization. Special impor-1 voice was silenced. Mary Garden also tried, with dis- tance was given to analyses of new I appointing results, a round, or two with silent films. By Job C. Flinn As a test of real showman.ship, the handling of Samuel Goldwyn's latest production, Jascha Heifetz, in 'They Shall Have Music' tUA) will hold trade atten- tion for some weeks, during the period of its national first run release in key spots.' Currently, the firm is playing at the Rivoli (NY). The kickoR was attended by lukewarm pre.is reviews: Concensus is that Heifetz and his fiddle are terrific, but the screenplay offers weak support. Interesting issues are raised by the presentation of Heifetz, outstanding virtuoso, as the star in a film, which will be exhibited at prevailing film boxoflice prices, in contrast to the higher tariff which he always has collected as one of the big money-getters of the concert field. Unquestionably, millions who have never heard him within the rather restricted area of concert bookings will be intrigued at the chance to see him in a film theatre. He has played infrequently over the radio, a Sunday evening Ford hour three years ago being one of the few occasions. Heifetz, therefore, fu.i is a $3.30 (and up) article soon to be offered at cut- I rates through the medium of film theatres. So did Enrico . Caruso, best known of all. His second American made film never was released in this coun- try, so poorly did the first draw at the boxoffice. With the introduction of-sound on film, there was a rush to bring to film audiences the best talent in the season's product from. the various distributoi's. George V. Lynch, film buyer, and Leu Goldstein, head booker, touched the highlights of coming films. Stress was laid on individual theatre advertising and e.\ploitation. | Starting with a small group of houses in the central section of New York state,"the Schine Bros, have extended operations into Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Mary- land. Convention is the first gen- eral meeting of operating heads of : the organization. Home ofTice executives from the major film companies are pro- grammed for tomoiTow. Speakers include Herman Wobber and Wil- liam Sussman, of 20th Century-Fox; Lou Pollock,- of Universal Greenthal, of United ArUsU; Hoyltioning Holmes' connection with Haines, Warner Bros.; Leon Bam-:'Zola,' 'Nazi Spy' and 'Juarez' (cur- berger, of RKO, and Charles Case- rent). nove, of National Screen Service. |. ^^^g credited advanced man with Banquet will precede bust-up. beginning career with Buffalo Bill, opera and concert field.<:, on the theory that the medium offered opportunities previously withheld to popularize their art among great sections of the public denied any chance to enjoy their work. It was not from these higher artistic brackets that soiind films obtained their first impetus. Al Jolson, who never was in the Metro- politan or Carnegie Hall, except maybe as a spectator, crashed the emotional barrier that had held back sound films, in the public mind, as an amusing and interest- ing technical novelty. He 'sold' 'em in 'the Jazz Singer.' Not so many years have passed since then. Film studios have experimented, sometimes with great suc- cess with filmusical offerings, which have ranged from cowboy croonings to. light and grand opera offerings. 'They Shall Have Music,' therefore, wins slight atten- tion merely because it carries a sound-track. But it does have Heifetz, and if there is anything at all to the popular adage about the universality of music appeal, then there is a large potential audience for this latest of. Goldwyn productions. The problem that is in the lap of film showmen is how to get the audiences into the theatres. There is nothing suggesting the glamour boy of films in the appearance of. Heifetz as a picture star. His actr ing role makes a minimum demand on what histrionic abilities he may possess. In dialog and pantomime, he is there, and that's about all. But when he leans into his violin he Is apart and unique, offering something that film audiences never heretofore have experienced, To enthuse the exhibitors of the country with the unusual qualities of 'They Shall Have Music,' is the clear cut course that stretches in front of the Goldwyn and United Artists organizations. Here is a film that will require showmanship follow-through right to the last playdate. It is far out of the groove of routine. It challenges ingenuity and salesmaniship of theatre men everywhere. VET P. A. NED HOLMES' CAREER BECOMES P. 1 San Diego, Aug. 1. Ned Holmes veteran press agent currently with Warners in Holly- wood, drew page on« aMention in- cluding two column art in Sun (Scripps-Howard) here. Plug was Monroe' indirectly a break for Warners, men Thurs<lay evening. UA WORKS FAST ON 'FEATHERS' CAMPAIGN Faced with the unusual situation of having only four days in which to prepare for a last minute booking of 'Four Feathers' in the Capitol, (N. Y.) tomorrow and with un- usually tough opposition from Para- mount's 'Beau Geste' opening today, (We<lne.5day), and 'Stanley and Liv- ingstone at the Roxy on Friday (4), United Artists' publicity, advertising and exploitation department has put on a high pres.sure campaign, in a race again.-.i time. Six 31-ft, helium-filled balloons, 46 years ago, getting his first job as a secretary because he knew ishort- hand, but soon revealing a flair for exploitation. Subsequently he han- dled DeWolf Hopper, Mme. Marie Cahill, Helen Hayes, Jack Dempsey and Leslie Howard on his 'Hamlet' tour, plus several score other names of the past half-century. Veteran recalled how he got his first cross-country job by hanging around a barroom under Brooklyn Bridge in '93. A p.a.'s haven of the day, young Ned's presence was due to big-eared interest in the yarns of beer-ldosened tongues—one of which tipped him-off to an opening with an English extravaganza, 'Spider and the Fly.' He got on as treasurer but filled press agent's shoes when latter got drunk and failed to show. Holmes pegs the American Pros- perity League as his greatest brain- child. His agents would address C, made of yeUow silkoleen and-carry- of C. bigwigs on behalf of anonymou.s jng.blue lettering announcing 'Four Feathers' in Technicolor — Capitol Theatre,' and carrying additional floating banners- drawing attention to location of the theatre, were rented and sent aloft. Time for 36 spot radio announce- ments was purchased from Station WMCA, in addition to a IS-minute program contributed by the station. Mention of the engagement.also ties in with Major Bowes' Amateur Hour program over W-A.BC, tomorrow night ' Sam DeFazio Points Up Problems of House Mgr. itlsburgh, Aug. 1. Sam DeFazio, manager . of the Harris-Denis theatre in Mt. Leba- non, cooked up a showy stunt, which crashed all of Uie columns, last week to acquaint his house sti^ff with the problems of a house manager. For so en days he demoted himself to ai. usher's post and on each of those days elevated one usher and .service director to the managership. DeFazio himself started in the the big. shots who oracled that they'd boost biz if they'd think pirospcrity and dress up their windows. For payoff the speakers offered to donate decorations bearing legend 'Let's Go Smiling Through 1922.' Two months after the Prosperity League papered a town, a fllm called 'Smiling Thru' (FN) would show up. About this time folks began to get the Idea and window-scrapers got busy but it was too late. Example of Holmes early exploita' tion ideas was his treatment of a film 'Abraham Lincoln,' flopperoo as an educational. Holmes slashed a long final death scene, wrote a patriotic opening and closing, played 'Stars and Stripes FOrever' at the fadeout and gave it to a Washington premiere with a houseful of top- flight dignitaries. The thing was a smash. Golden Jubilee Press Books Go Out lliis Week McGINLEY'S NEW U CHORE Seattle, Aug. J. L. J. McGinley planed to New York yesterday (Monday) to take charge of Bill Heinemanns show- manship drive in the west, for Uni- versal. M(:Ginley has been Seattle exchange manager for U. He's succeeded by Les Theuerka, promoted from salesman to man- ager, while Cecil Farms, manager at aire business as an u.sher at the old I Portland U offices, comes here to Olympic here in 1911. succeed Theuerka in his former spot. Golden Jubilee campaign com- mittee starts mailing the 50th an- niversary press hook to exhibitors this week. It's a 24-page process job, with full cost paid by the Hays office, print order 20,000. This will be the sole expense of the campaign. The remainder is entirely up to In-: dividual exhibitors. Reaction among exhibs, both chain and individual theatre operators, thus far has been good, according to word received at the Hays office in N. Y. Plan of the Golden Jubilee cam- paign on the film business this fall is to have it fit In with the regular new-season drives or festivals staged almost every year by the film thea- tres. Only difference is that the Golden Jubilee of the industry is re- garded as a more auspicious occa- sion for dressing up the marquees, boosting biz and developing civic in- terest to some degree in the house's operation. Plan for setting Golden Jubilee idea in motion includes a proposal to have exhibitors line up oth^r 50- ycar-old industries in different cities so that they can spot parallel cele- brations to that of the picture in- dustry. Exhibs will be left to decide how much should be-done in the matter of tieups with civic organiza- tions, clubs, etc. Mimeographed copies of the 50lh Anniversary manual were sent to. the Schine circuit managers meeting at Gloversville, N. Y., yesterday (Tues.). Conclave requested 150 copies, These rough-draft copies of the printed manual point out that Will H. Hays will officially designate the Golden Jubilee anni in. a statement Aug. IS. It suggests the then-and- now technique'for stressing mo.dern achievements of the screen.. Campaign's central theme is 'Half a Century of Progress.' The ad- vance mimeographed copy of the manual emphasizes that Oct. 1-7 has -been designated as 50th Anniver- sary week, because the motion pic- ture was born on Oct. 6, 1889. Eight specific suggestions for cashing in on the week plus several for a single anniversary luncheon are given. Six suggested plans of approach for ob- taining the help of local motion pic- ture councils. GINGER ROGERS ADOPTS N. 0. BABY-FOR A DAY New Orleans, Aug. 1 Publicity stunt engineered by Gar Moore, Orpheum theatre blurbist for 'Bachelor Mother' (RKO), clicked heavily with public and press alike; Moore's work resulted in 50 seven- month-old boys bein.g guests at ban quet at the Roosevelt hotel. From this nurnber Louis J. Alleman, rep- resentative' ~of RKO-Radio here, chose the perfect baby to be adopted by Ginger Rogers for a day. Fol lowing the banquet the winning baby was given a suite of rooms at the hotel where long distance call was received from Ginger Rogers in Hollywood. -Moppett also received a layette presumably from actress. Local papers ale it up. The Itcm- Tribiine cracked loose with four- column cut of winning baby and story on page one. The Slates, Times-Picayune and Tribune, were liberal with pictures and news. When Bob Wood, Loew's State ex- ploiteer, failed to got any response to his efforts to get someone to don iron mask and costume to - exploit 'Man in Iron Mask,' he donned it himself and toured business iarea and paid visit to film editors on papers. Result was. pictures of him- self and stories plugging picture in two afternoon dailies. Chance for Four Sisters to See Fair Charlotte. Aug. 1. Carolina theatre has The News, local afternoon daily, tied in on a nicie promotion with 'Four Daugh- ters' (WB). . The theatre, the paper, and War- ner Bros, will give a free trip to New York and three days at the Fair to a family of four daughters most like those in the picture. The News is plugging the stunt with front page stories and pictures and entry coupon.s, and the theatre exchange will finance the trip. Any four sisters may enter by submitting a group picture. Even the Cops Gave In Cleveland, Aug. 1. While the city fathers of Cleve- land are pondering the type of parking meters to install on down- town Euclid avenue, workmen had gone ahead with the erection, of the stanchions to which meters would eventually be anchored. Loew press man, Mill Harris, was annoyed at seeing this valuable ad- vertising space going to waste, so he made up double-faced cards read-, ing: 'Park here while you are seeing •Malsie.' Tokyo Theatres Bally Change of BiUs By Unique Street Parades Tokyo, July 15. In Japan, the most successful method of advertising change of programs at theatres, both stage and screen, is through the mediurh of the 'chindonya,' itinerant musical advertisers or a procession of sand- wich men with musical instrurhent.s.. However, fromi the .Irst of this' month (July), they will be given closer police supervision. It has been decided by the Metro- politan Police Board that these ad- vertisers must act in aciordance ith the spirit of the times, and with this end in view, h.-ive made up the following regulations for their observance: 1. A 'chindonya' band shiiU not b. composed of more than 10 per- sons, including musicians, handbill distributors, and banner carriers. -2. The banners lorne by each troupe may not exceed three, each of which shall not be longer than 10 feet nor wider .than 24 inches. 3. The bands -may not pJay j<t night 4. The bands shall not play wilhin *00 yards of primary schools or kindergartens. 5. The troupes ni;iy not carry lanterns. 6. Dancing or comic gesture.s in the streets are strictly forbidden. 7. Two or more 'chindonya' bands may not approach witi-.ii 100 yards of each other in the strcet.s. If they must, then they should cease play- ing and pass by eacih other quietly. Control of pulp -and printing ma- terials has increased considerably the costs of printed advertising mat- ter so that 'chindonya' bands have now become more popular- with ad- vertisers. The boom in this busi- ness is reiiponsible for the livelihood of more than_2,000^persoiis in Tokyo alone. Tidditional costumes, of Ihejse bands have become so hackneyed that the musicians are racking their brains for new ideas in costumes, resulting in deep frowns from the police. It is expected that the more bizarre of the costumes and make- up will be made objects of fatherly warnings from the police, and that the bands will be lectured about the' serious nature of the time;:. AUTO ESCORT SERVICE, A NEW B. 0. WRINKLE MinneapoIi.<:, Aug, 1., A new wrinkle in theatre service has been introduced by manager Harold Kaplan at his new St. Louis Park theatre. He has one of the Crosley miniature automobiles, with a.femm« looker at the wheel, trans- port motorists to the doors of his showhouse from his extensive park- ing lot, the furthest reach of which extends a block or more distant from the theatre proper arid'down'an in- cline. Innovation is especially ap- preciated in inclement weather. Theatre, largest and most beauti- ful of all local suburban liou.se.s, has been clicking ever since opening sev- eral months ago. Kaplan formerly managed the Minnesota and State for Paramount Murphy Crashes Press With Tourney Syracu.sc, Aug. 1. An "Iron Mask* fe^icing tourna- ment, engineered by Frank Murphy, of Loew's State, in conjunction with the current showing of "The iMan in the Iron Mask' (UA) proved a pub- licity bonanza. Editors, facing mid-summer art doldrums, went for the tournament in a big way for pictures and storii:.':. The contest was staged in the local *Y' Best exploitation received here by any picture in recent months was entirely unsolicited. An editorial writer for the Post Standard dropped in to see- 'Bachelor Mother' at Keith'.s. He came out laughing so hard that he sat down and wrote an editorial plugging the picture.