Variety (Aug 1939)

8 VARIETY PLOITAtfOK WeJneeday, August 30, 1939 FILM SHOWMANSHIP U. Plays Santa Clans In a Big Way to Crix For Gloria Jean BaUy One o£ the biggest and best film junkets to date attended Universal's unveiling of the first Gloria Jean picture, "Tlie Under-Pup,' in Scran- ton, Pa., and then on to New York, with the company still hosting. The premiere was all that a hornetown hoop-de-do should be, with Gloria Jean and her picture both literally getting the works in Scranton, but there have been such things before. It was the handling of the visiting firemen from first to last that had the boys from out yonder in ecsta- sies. By train, plane, boat, bus and car, the critics came from a.s far west as Omaha and Dallas, as far south as Memphis and New Orleans, and as north as Toronto and Montreal. Arriving in New York on Wednes- day they found an elaborate setup waiting for them at the Hotel St. Moritz. Atop the hotel's 32d floor, head- quarters for the junket, with a 24- hour bar, plenty of typewriters for the few who were of a mind to write, and all the trimmings were established. Wednesday night the critics, many of whoni hadn't been to New York in years, some never, attended the legitim. te shows of their choice, and afterward some night club. If Universal wasn't able to arrange the tickets, covers, etc., Immediately by telephone for what- ever the boys and girls wanted, they were told to go ahead and pay the check, then turn it in as an expense account, but not itemized. This sort of thing went on for days. Thursday morning the Gloria Jean special, with the little star's family and personal entourage, pulled out for Scrantoni After the premiere there was a banquet and dance at Casey hotel, with a floor show for which Unl- —versal—had—brought- -Henny—Y-oung.^ man, Estelle Taylor and a half-dozen acts on from New York. Gloria Jean slept through^the floor show, the first rest she (got for days, but the-press-relaxed-and-enjoyed-ilselfr Friday and Saturday back to New York, and Sunday was Gloria Jean Day at the World's Fair. It turned out to be visiting critics'. day ^Iso, with the boys taking East River wate'-taxis to the Fair. Late Sunday night and early Mon- day they began to pull out for home. They found the hotel had looked out for everything, even to having a doorman with a fistful of bills to pay cab fares, and the Universal flack's came around to each insisting on knowing how much extra they might have «pent-f o^■tips, «tc.—and4naklng- It good. Every detail was run off like clockwork. ■ The boys, most of whom had been to similar expeditions to Dodge City, . Springfield, Des Moines, Omaha, etc., left in a daze as well as agreement that there had never been one like this. TELEVISION STUNT IN CINEMAS NO B O: AID By John C. Flinn Theatre wickets are spinning again, and there is generally a more optimistic feeling among theatres, film exchanges and home ofTices than has prevailed in some months. August in past years consistently has brought smiles to showmen. Current month is no ex- ception. Variety's boxoffice reports from key cities indicate a seasonal renewal of audience interest in films. Enthusiasm and sustained exploitation by sub- sequent runs will keep the ticket choppers clicking. With the Department of Justice eyeing legalities of afliliated and independent theatre circuit operations, some fading of managerial effort in the far-flung out- posts might be expected. The contrary, however, is. the fact New product is being handled skillfully by resident managers. The public is responding to ener- getic enterprise. Head of one of the national chains ascribes as a rea- son for better than normal increase in businests the experimentation of.the policy in several of the circuits of decentralizing control over theatre operations. He says the trend for some months past has been to loosen the guide lines and give local operators wider oppor- tunities to use their initiative and ingenuity in adver- tising and exploitation. Experience has proved, he says, that drastic limitations on what a local manager was permitted to do, on a restricted budget, have proved ineffectual. Given -more liberal instructions, with a premium for individual and original ideas in .the preparation of advertising copy and local tieups, the results have justified the confidence' which has been placed in the men on the boxoffice front. BACK TO REAL SHOWMANSHIP Theatre operations are emerging from a critical period—a session which might well have dealt serious and permanent harm to the film industry. Thait the difficulties were self-made does not lessen the danger to the business which followed in the wake of the giveaway, lottery, cash prizes, bank nights and gam- bling hypoes which prevailed in nearly every section of the country a year ago. Come-on schemes were not confined to neig]hborhood and subsequent run houses. Some of the largest theatres in important" key spots fell for the lottery rackets as stimulants for the box- office. for a period, the gags brought in the customers. When the novelty wore oft and the public no longer was content to trade its desire for entertainment for the boredom of nightly drawings for cash prizes (some of them phoney )t there was a sharp drop in attendance. Premiums and free dishes proved Inadequate as a steady diet. Something different to intrigue the pub- lic into theatres was necessary. Local managers had the answer and, when given proper encouragement from the home offices, they started to plug the pic- tures. As a result there is a 'quickening and reawaken- ing among both circuit and independent theatre men which is rnanifestirig itself in better business. The push is in the -right direction. If the prognostications of the circuit executive are correct, a heavy obligation rests upon distributors to capitalize the opportunity and take advantage of the shift of exhibitor effort, now making itself felt in nu- merous situations. Sales information about the films, ■ ideas for their exploitatiori, suggestions for ticket sell- ing aids and detailed accounts of successful showrnan- ship are the ammunition most needed to further en- courage theatre operators. However satisfactory the job of plugging the hit films (and skimming or com- pletely forgetting the lesser releases), the real task of studio and home office advertising departments is to capitalize the trend and ride to profits with live-wire exhibitors. WHERE THET mSSES pUT-^ELLINa Survey of boxoffice figures of any oit the major or independent theatre chains will show a surprising number of -films, released during the past season, which missed 'hit' grosses by a narrow margin, measured only In terms of misdirected or' neglected showmanship. There is not a theatre man in America who will not admit that, if he had only known the values of some of his pictures, he (^ould have improved his intake. Uninformed in advance of the real values of his mer- chandise, confused to some extent by the complexities of dual bookings,'he was forced, more through ignor- ance than laziness, to watch money-making films .skip through his booking sheets, unheralded and unsung. He missed but because the distributors, intent only Upon the buildup of the smash hits, had brushed off valuable product with slight, or, in frequent cases, no trade press mention whatsoever. He was the unwilling victim of the prevailing practice of directing public attention to 30 outstanding films each season, over- looking and passing up the potentialities of at least 100 other first class attragtions and 200 of less appeal, among which are to be found a dozen nuggets. In show business there is no substitute for the en- thusiastic word-of-mouth praise of entertainment; there is no remedy for the attraction that incites or is given the silent treatment; BABY BANQUET NOVE -STUNT FOR TOTHER^ Ft. Worth, Aug. 29. Worth theatre played . up RKO's Pennies in Slot Give Antos^Borrowed-Tnne^ -GOLDEN JUBItEE DRIVE Half a dozen New York indie houses which, during the past four months have installed television re- ceivers, . have found them no sig- nificant! draw at the b.o., despite continued plugging via the screen, marquee and heralds. Sets in most cases are on a mezzanine floor with 50 or so folding chairs around them. "They-pperaterTSf-course,-only -when- KBC is telecasting. According to Frances Bregman, Who has a large receiver in her Greeley theatre at Sixth Avenue and 30th street, there is usually a small crowd around the set when It is in operation, but it apparently means nothing at the b.o. Audience re- sponse to the shows Is tepid. ' Receiver at the Greeley, like that at .the other: houses, is an RCA cost- ing more than $^00. Sets cannot be leased or rented, but must'be pur- chased outright. Bachelor Mother with a compre- hensive campaign that registered heavily at the till. Feature of the campaign was a Baby Banquet, held at the Worth hotel, at which 25 ba- bies were registered. Frank Starz, publicity director for theatre, hooked in a broadcast of the event over lo- cal station KGKO. Other stunts included a street gag with a man dressed in a Santa Claus costume, carrying on his back a placard which read: 'Don't get ex- cited^ It'^_141 days-until_Christmas„ I hurried in to see Ginger Rogers In 'Bachelor Mother' at the Worth'; 500 personal lelte'rs each containing a bona fide check for ten cents, drawn on the First National Bank, were mailed to business and professional women; two clotheslines on which diapers were hung were strung in- side the theatre spelling out the pic- ture's title, star's names and play date. Street stunts included a man dressed in morning clothes, wearing an apron and pushing a baby buggy, a placard on which read. 'Baby and 1 are going to see 'Bachebr Mother' at the Worth'; window displays in leading department stores; daily an- nouncements over radio stations KTAT, KFJZ and WBAP; . a loud speaker announcement at the Ft. Worth ball park and special stories and art layouts in the Press and Star-Telegram. Philadelphia, Aug. 29. Haddon. Matthews, manager of 69th~Street-Thea trt ! in U pper-Barby-,- pulled a new one last week in con- nection with 'On Borrowed Time.' Borough recently installed parking meters that allow motorists one hour for a nickel. Matthews got a squad of moppets and gave each a flock of pennies. They circulated in the area and when they saw red arrow down T—indicating the car has been parked past the hour, the kids inserted a penny in the meter and hung a sign on the car which read: 'You are parking 'On Borrowed Time.' We loaned yo u 12 m i nutes b y inserting a penny in the mefer when the violation flag was up. Don't fail to see the picture 'On Borrowed Time.' Shearer's 'Pride' . Hollywood, Aug. 29. Aldous Huxley at Metro, is work- ing on the script of 'Pride and Prejudice.' Old classic Is for Norma Shearer. Beauty Parades Again On Ziegfeld Stage Gilbert Marbe, manager of Loew's Ziegfeld, N. Y., is taking advantage of 6th avenue's facelift to tie in with the 6th Ave. Association—which takes in Macy's, Gimbel's and otHer department stores—for a little pro- motion for next Wednesday (6). It's in the nature of a beauty contest, with Ed Sullivan (east for the N. Y. News' Harvest Moon Dancers) among the judges, A screen test is one of the prizes; merchandise tieups from the stores for the consolation awards. 'Stronger Than Desire' (M-G) on- screen concurrei)tly, biit the stage hypo doesn't profess to tie In with the film. Theatre Name Contest Nixed by St.L. Atfy-Gen'l St. Louis, Aug. 29. Residents in St Louis and ad- jacent County lost an opportunity to win a Lincoln Zephyr and 500 gal* Ions of gasoline when the Attorney- General's office at Jefferson City last week nixed a contest for naming the de luxe nabe being erected by the Schuchard Investment Co. in a resi- dential district on the outskirts of the city. The theatre management had made a tieup with the Star- Times, a p.m. rag, the contest was under way and a committee chosen to select, the best name submitted. -'Fhe-award ^was to-have been made when the house opened in about 60 days. Altliough the theatre'and newspa- per had obtained an O. K from the Post Office Dept., a ruling was asked from the Attorney-General because of his previous stand that any b. o. bait came within the lottery laws. When the adverse opinion was re- ceived last week the contest was dropped. The officers of the theatre huddled and came out with 'Esquire' as the tag for the new house. It Is reported that the company which also «wns and'operates the Norside, another de luxe nabe In North St. Louis, is preparing an eX' tensive building program. Harry Greenman, former manager of tbe Fox, aiid recently with F & M Inter- ests here, will be managing director of the new Esquire. SCHINE TIES IN WITH Schine circuit Is the first one to map out a full campaign on the TGSiaSi'~Ttfbllee~'A"imlversaTy—tdear Besides issuing a 70-page manual called 'Scoops' for its managers on the Golden Jubilee drive, it has lined up direct selling on the new picture season, prepared institutional copy, stressed the jubilee year idea and framed a 'Movie-Line' contest for patrons. Circuit is getting out 40 to 50 different heralds covering each pic- ture to be. played on the chain dur- ing. the.peciod. .Also-has a specially, prepared trailer on the 50th Anni- versary of pictures made for the circuit by National Screen Service. For its 'Movie-Line' contest, a total of $150 will be given away in each city during the 10 weeks of its du- ration. Besides the cash prizes, guest admission tickets also will be given as prizes. What's This Tune? Is Now Rhythm Riddles San Antonio, Tex., Aug. 29. Something new in entertainment for the patrons of .the Majestic thea- tre midnight show held each Satiir- day Is the 'Rhythm Riddles.' With Johnny Fielder, as master of cere- monies, and Ted Brown, local or- -g.apjsi.9t. th.e jEonsole^^f. the Ifejes- ^tice theatre organ, 'Rhythm Riddles' is a question and answer game— questions asked by Fielder and an- swered by the audience. Brown, at the organ, plays a few bars of mu- sic relative to the questions asked. Questions pertain to popular songs, bands, band leaders, titles, composers and ipusic in general. Each contestant when answering the set of questions receives two silver dollars. Around $50 Is given away each show with a special jack- pot which starts at $25 and increases $25 each week with the two dol- lars when a set of questions -can't be answered by the audience. Pro- gram Is sponsored by Pearl Beer and Is broadcast through KTSA for its half hour duration. In addition to 'Rhythm Riddles' there Is also a preview of a first run feature picture. Fiftieth Anniversary Of Fdms Prompts Praise From Nation's Editors Nation's newspaper editors have grabbed the ball tossed in their di> rection by publicists for the 50Ui an- niversary celebration this fJiU of the invention of motion pictures, and some laudatory comment on films has appeared in many sections of the country. 'Iri the brief period of half a cen- tury, the motion picture has gone far,' says the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader. 'From an humble beginning, it is recognized now as one of the world's great industries. It has be- come the chief source of cntcriain- ment for hundreds .of millions.' St Paul (Minn.) Reporter de- clares: 'For weal or woe, the motion picture industry has assumed a place of much importance in modern so- ciety. It has come to exert a power- ful influence on our. living, our thinking and our social relations. With the telephone, the radio, the airplane and the automobile it takes rank among the agencies and Institu- tions which have been revolutioniz- ing the world, and nowhere has it entrenched itself so firmly as In the United Stales, where it literally and figuratively projects itself before the public view in hamlet and metrop- olis from coast to coast. Other editorial excerpts: Hartford (Conn.) Times: 'Looking back over the brief period of the past two decades, it may be that fu- ture historians will mark a.s a great milestonie in the art the period when the screen developed a sense of pub- lic responsibility. That is the basis of the industry's self-regulation which has added vastly to the dig- nity and significance of the art' Ravenna (Ohio) Record: 'The two greatest bargains available to the American public today are the mo- tion picture and the newspaper. Just as the newspaper with its Increasing service of world coverage, tremen- dous-improvements-in-printing-ioto-L. gravure, color pictures, has so vastly multiplied in value to the buyer without Increases in price, so has the motion picture poured the public's—miHions—back—into—better- theatres, better entertainment, better art.' Rochester (N. Y.) Democr.nt and' Chronicle: 'The observance will call to the attention of the world a mile- stone of special significance to Rochester—that is the development by George Eastman, years ago, of the first long strip of film suited to the experiments in motion picture pho- tography on which Thomas A. Edi- son was patiently at work in his laboratory.' Lansing (Mich.) Journal: 'The -science- and the-mechanics,-and the 9rt and the distribution of motion pictures with their sound adjunct, wonderful as they are, are not to be compared with the prodigious effect on the mind of. the public. That the American mind and manner, of think-. ing and moral attitudes are nothing as they were when the 'movies' first began their wide infiuence goes without saying.' Worcester (Mass.) Telegram: 'By putting more concentration on stories written for the screen and for the screen alone, Hollywood might reach new heights in entertainment and inspiration.' Columbus (O.) Despatch: 'Through the years one thing has held true. From "The Birth of a Nation' to the forthcoming 'Gone With the Wind,' good movies, have always been prof- itable. The American public loves its entertainment and no movie ven- ture tlfat has attempted to foist on it_second-Tat&._ acting,. ..second-raJs stories or second-rate production ever got very far.' Vacation Trip Prize In 'Name Only* Contest Syracuse, Aug. 29. Old gags again- proved effective In RKO-Kelth's exploitation for 'In Name Only.' Gus Lampe and Harry Unterford used one newspaper to plug limerick contest which drew hundreds of entries, and then util- ized town's second sheet for a hid- den-letter contest in which prizes, offering week's vacation for two at attractive summer resort, proved highly productive. Keith's broke down reserve of sev- eral leading downtown stores who yielded window display space to pluif^ picture.