Variety (Oct 1940)

a EXPLOItATIOM "^^nesdayj Ocl^^ 9r 194.0 age on By WB An Impressive Selling Job ■.vV■^■ By ■■• ARTHUR '.tfi^ ' ' ■ ■., South" Bend, Ind.^ Oct/ 8. Warners has achved tophotch position of salesmanship and exploit tation in a campaign arid pr^enta- tion here bif 'Kriute Rbckne, AH- Americah,', in the home of the great Knute and iii view of the gold dome 6f Notre Dame. :^Picture missions tp lodale or ^ epical spbtiMn the. past Were virtually dwarfed, by . the' linag- "jiitude and dignity of this expeditipri frdin all-coriiei-s pf the UnU^ 3tateis; pf perspnalities, notableSj ■ d.rama(tic, filin and sporty press. : It was a well prepared and exer ■cuted sales jpb of fpur weeks dura- tiph, drew some -35,000 but pf tPWnr ers iiito SPuth Bend ainid cost War- hiers iround $20,000, with the local committee who copperated. pitching in an extra $12,500; Result was mpst fruitful in, publicity, and news b There was npt an angle miised. in .' ither magazine, hewspaper or xadiP tieups, and even the social element was mPst impr,essive and cooperative toward making the belatpd public acknowledgement of Rockne, nipe . yearis after his. death; via the screen. It seemed as though all of th^ U. S. was 'RQckhe': conscious ai)d the pre- miere here, tied in with the dpen- ing of the" Notre Dame foptball sea- , spn, was gigantic in accomplishment, pteparatiPh, executipn and. final re- sults. There have been previpus trips put. pf HpliirwPPd; but this pne looks Vas thpugih it wiH stand tpps fbr many and many a mpbn; tP coin^.- ..' From • Thursday ■•.On; y- FrPiri Thursday nppn, when .the ^ visiting cPntingent met in Ghicagp after coming by train and planie frpm all cbrriers pf the cbuntry tP ; descend pn l^buth ' Bend ■ pne big special train, until the last persbn departed Saturday fbilpwihg the Nptre Dame- Cpllege pf pacific game, it was a cph-r tiriupus selling program for the pip- ture itself and the industry besides. Headman Charlie Eihfeld, Bbb tap- linger and their bunch pf bpys did a ihpst thprbugh'jplj.frpin beginning to isnd. They missed nothing and grabbed'plenty for free, ; The Hollywood contingent In the main pulled out of Lbs Angeles Tues^ ' day night (1) ph thp Super Chief with pthefs ipllpwihg by plane.. It was first time a picture company Kad Btreamline transpprtatiPii fpr its missipnaries, With half the train, bie- liig turned oyer tb them.; En rpute tp: Chicagp there were ttb v prp- grammed appearances : pr . l)allyhpp -stunts, but the fans were at all sta- tions andthe writing hands of the t)layers were plenty cramped frpm ■ inscribing autpgraphs, But \yhen it came tp Chicagp Thursday afterribon, and ea$t met west fpr the assault bn Nbtre Dame enmasse, the battery of publicity . and explpitaiipn sttints ' were. unlM^ to cbntinue fpr..a • sbiid 52 hours.. iZ-Czx Special Train Peace, It*8 Wonderful ■■■■. Chicagb, Oct. 8. tpni Gorman, SKO theatre division : chief, here,', pulled a. ppUyanna in: his advertising with resultant gopd: bpxpfTice returns for the Palace, dualiiig 'Dance, Girl, Dance' and 'Argentine ilights.' He advertisfed. them as 'all laff week,' . fpPtnbted by 'pPsitiviily hb bbmbing r Pt war, piX, ypii'll find bnly; jpy, laughter and happiness herei this week.' ■ . . In opppsitipnl tb . The West- ernbr,' Mickey Rbbney and 'Siea Hawk,' the Pal will isee aimbst $i5,000, excelieht busincfss; Press Stunt Backfires er's Coast Hop for 'Fantasia' ■ Hal Hprne, Walt Disney's eastern rep, will fly tp the Gpast tonight (Wednesday) tp catchi the fihished version. pf 'Fantasia,' fprthcoining feature, cartPpn release, He'll be ac- companied by Richard E, Condon, publicity chief, and Jack Pegler, of ad. agency , handling the accPunt., They'll be back about next Thursd«^y (15). ; ■ ■ v' v Trio will arrive in time tp see. the pic just a few hpiirs befpre RCA en- gineers dismantle, the sound iequip- hient prepairatpry tP beginning in- stallation in the Broadway,. N.; Y,, where 'Fantasia' ppens Npv. 13. ' 'NORTH WEST MOUNTED' PREEMS IN CHI Oa 24 . Mlhneapplis, Oct. 8. A publicity stunt of Manager Bill Sears of the Orpheum, invplving the gift pf a pet mbnkey in Laurel and Hardy's behalf for; the winner pf a CPU test tp name thie nevy cplumn which Merle PPtter, film editpr; has started, ' the TimesrTriburte, re- sulted in some slight injuries and plenty pf grief fpr Sears, but landed a frpntipage yarn. pptter has been listing and cPih- menting in his cPlumn pn the numerous gifts cpntiributed by pub- licity-eager pepple tP be awarded to the contest winner and, with Laurel and Hardy coming into the Orpheum in perspn, Sears cpnceived the monkey idea. The animal was pur- chased and brpught to the theatre where it ran amuck. It attacked and scratched up Sears and escaped into the recesses pf the empty space ambng the rafters Pver the theatre balcpny. V After three days, the monkey Is still at large sPmewhere in the the- atre and withput fppd or drink. The ppehing into the rafter space is be* inig cphstahtly guarded so that the animal cannot dash into the audi- tbriiim prpper." • - ; Several Houses Reopen For New . American premiere, pf 'Nprthwest Mounted Police' will be held at the Chicago^ Chicago, Oct. 24 with Cecil B. deMilley Gary Copper, Madeleine Carroll, Paulette Gpddard, Prestpn Fpster, Rpbert PrestPii and Lynne Overman' coming on frpm the Coast to, make personal appearances.. There will be a 45-minute-Cbast to Coast oTpadcast bf the ppening Pver a Mutual hpokup of 131. statipns with deMiUe acting as m.c. : For a week- preceding the. preem there will be spot announcements on XYie picture, also over'the Mutual web. . British, officials, Canadian digni- taries and commissioners from most British dominion cpuntries will be horior guests tonight (Wednesday) at the Canadian building at. the New York World's Fair when 'Northwest' will be shown fpreign press repre- sentatives. Special screening is be- ing held thrpugh the cooperatipn of the Canadian government Th^ arrival ot "the OfiS-car special In Soutli fiend was the biggest thing the tpwn has ever had and the r"e ception and greetings at the Union (Continued on page 54) BirdweD h and Out On L j;BegjiULPi»Ps Tab Speclaf aign Publicist Russell Bird well planed Into New Yprk last week (2). an? back to. the Cpast three days later after confabs .with United Artists : and eastern execs • pf ■ Alexander Kprda bn ; pub-ad campaign' fpr •Thief pf Bagdad.' Birdwell also made final arrange-; ments for initial showing of 'Bagdad' fpr infantilis paralysis victims at Warm Springs, Ga., Mpnday (14), Mike Beck,- Biirdweirs N. Y. rep, flies dpwn Saturday (12) and will be joined by Sabxi and June Duprez, pf the cast That Personal Touch Minneapplis, Oct. 8. . . . Mpst npvel . newspaper • ad for a film seen here in a Ipng. time had the - -. State publishing sn-apshbts pf all. its . . 28 employees and an 'enthusiastic* indprsement by them of 'Strike Up the Band.' V ; Previous ads alpng such lines have had only the hpuse manag'Cr's plug. This ad, headed 'An Urgent Personal Message to the Pepple We Make Happy,' was a three-column, 12-inch long affair and the employees' names were listed under their photps. Regina, Sask., Oct. 8. Tp celebrate wprld preem pf 'Northwest Mounted Police,' due here Oct. 21, Regina Leader-Post will publish a 40-page tabloid i)ic- ture supplement tp issue pf Oct. 19. iSupplcment, which will C be' dis- tributed all pver Canada and in bpr. der states of U.: S., will mark the first time the RCMP, today's suc- cessors, of: Northwest Mounted .Po- lice, has ever permitted itself tb be publicized in this way. Pistrifes' Key City Reps To Aid In Red Cross Drive In helping local committees of theatre owners and theatres in the brganizatioh and cpnduct pf the Red Crpss , campaign by the film industry next mpnth in each distribution zone, Major L, E. "rhompson, general chairman of the film business drive, has named district coordinators in key territories. "This was done with the approval of hibme pflices in disr tributbrs. • These men will take charge of this part of the campaign in their re- spective territories with the, aid of other branch managers in the; zone. Parampunt during thie current season will rely almost entirely on the Tom fizdailc publicity outfit for radio plugging of its pix. Fizdale was awarded a yearly pact to work on all of its films by Par after fie did a test publiclty-explbitatibn job on 'Drv Cyclops* last spring. Aside, from handling virtually all the radio, work, iFizdale crew is con- fabbing regularly with Par execs on general piiblicity for each picturie as it comes up. Publicity outfit is aeting mostly as a "consultant, how- ever, outside of the tadio. field, the regular Par press ' depiartment .tan- dling actual work on most of its sug gestions. .. Grape-Crushiiig Stunt For Lombard-Langhton • Sari Francisco, Oct. 8 RKO is giving 'They Knew What They. Wanted* a traffic-blocking sendoff at the Golden Gate tonight (Tuesday), with 20 girls in costume dFushi^'g.five tbns of grapes in a 24 loot vat spotted in middle of Gold- en Gate avenue. Street roped of^ at S p.m. in prepa rjaiion for stunt, lensed by "three' newsreel~crewtf, Pathe, , Paramount ' and Universal Two bands, one perched atop the Gate marquee, will add jive tp the fiesta atmosphere, arranged through tieup with; Beringer Bros, of St Helena, whose .vineyards were usee in filming the Laughtbn-Lomb arc bpus. ■ i,'.; Laughtpn perspnals bn the stage tonight with Lepn Errol, ZaSu Pitts Linda Hayes, Olympe Bradna, Guy Kibbee, Simpne Simon, Ann Shirley and pthers. Yesterday (7) Laughtpn was hpst tp 300 critics from as far east as Denver and as far north as Seattle who saw iflick at private screening in Larkin theatre^; rented frbm Herbiert Rpsener fpr the purr ppse; .■'■ - Terry Turner and Louis j. Alle- mari, pf RKO New Yprk office, han- dling affair. Tpmprrpw (Wednesday) Tyrner will start- hpmeward trek, making 26 stpps eh rPute, which will have Laughtpn. making a perspnal appearance in a different tbwn every day; - V. . Buffalo, Oct. 8. Lincbln, Manlius,- dark since spring, to be reopened Oct. 15 by H. J. JFtath- jurn. Del Rio, Falconer, closed since spring opens this week under new management.; ; Arcase,. Sodus, renamed the Sodus, will be managed by Maurice R. Slot- nick also operating the State, at Caledonia. ' Webster, Rochester, added to the Schine chain. Max Vogel, former- operator, goes to Schine with the deal. Byron Interbitzeh, former opera- tor of the Star, Buffalo, purchased he Central Park from the Kohcza- 1 cowski chain. New . management will open this month with new seat- "ng, projection and sound. Movie Guide, official progi'am and lOuse organ of all. Shea-Paramount lOuses, celebrated its fifth anniver- sary last week. Maurice Osterman continues as editor.; George Lynch, buyer for Schine, married at Gloversville Oct. 5 to Parian Kearney, daughter of Major General and Mrs, Bernard J. Kear- ney. . New Gem, Brockton, reopened by the American Legion. • Legion, at Wayland, now operating under aegis of Barney Hoffman. -.- Cleveland, Oct. 8. Warner's downtown. 900-seater Lake, kept under wraps for nearly a year, was.. reported with 'Pastor Hall* (UA). ■; Ben Schwartz ap- pointed manager, Steve David as- sistant of house which goes into pol- icy of dualed first-runners after Pastor Hall.* ' Irving, .Ruben,. assistant manager Warner's Colony, married . to Dbro-. thy Ferris, non-pro, m Cleveland. Lew Milder, Variety manager, in hospital . suffering frpm back wrenched when . he picked up a heavy can of film;' ■ Variety Club holding its first fall jamboree Npv. 5, with Bert Stearn as chairman of the event which will include a dance, bridge tourney and raffle with a $1,000 prize. Nat Goodman to be chairman of club's Monday stag night programs. Jack Lykes' . shift from Loew's Stillman here to manage the Valen- tine, Toledo, was one of five changes miade in Loew piersonnel bv Charles Raymond, zone mianager.' Ted Tesch- ner, ; former assistant at State, promoted to. Lykes' post, with* Harold Shulteis from Park as his new aide. Robert Yodice succeeding Teschner and Silvester Pierce made assistant at Park. Alvin manager Bill Zeilpr vacation- ing and Ken Hpel subbing for him ... .Harry Roney, exchange booker and theatre manager, has joined his - wife, Mary Roney, in Los Angeles where she's with the Rep exchange .. . Larry Puglia, Waynesburg exhib. and Larry Neaman, Natrona show- man, both out of the hosp ital. M-G gals tossed a , shower over weekend for three recent brides from their office, Thelma Bruno, Lucy Armstrong and Sylvia Hurwitz, Toledo Blvoll Opens Toledo, Oct. 8. ■ - Opening of the completely riedetio- rated Rivbli scheduled for Oct. 11, Howard Feiglcy, manager. House was not closed diiring repairs. . ; Voted Into Manager's jisb Detroit, Oct. 8. Now it is petitions which get thea- tre managers jobs/ When the Moss Bros, put up their new Parkside hcfre and were getting ready for its open- ing, petitions cropped up iri the stores nearby , asking that thiey ap- , point Bklward Jacobsoh as the house managier. ■ Hundreds of citizens, signed the . petitions. : As a result Jacobspn^ y/ho fprmierly managed the Harmpny in the same neighborhPbd, npw is run- : ning the Parkside. * Oot At Schine ; Rochester, N.Y., Oct; 8. Another shift of Schine managers brings Sam Shafer.back frbm Her- kimer tP manage the Dixie; Jpe .Deacohi Dixie, and Harry Rpckpwitz, Lake, resign, with Bab Meagher tak- ing pver: the Lake, open only Satiu*- . day and Sunday, in addition tp his > advertising and radio chores. :George McGunnigle comes .from Boston' as assistant manager of:; Loew's Rochester, succeeding Ed- mund-Howard, who. transferred to Loew's State. Boston. Majestic, Rochester, .resuming op- erations Oct. 15. Binlon's 30th Anni . Lufkin, Texas, Oct. 8. . Last week in this city was 'Appre- ciation Week* in honor of the 30 years of service of' Non Bin ion, city manager for the East Tekas Theatres, Inc. Group has three houses here, the Lynn, Pines and Texan. Binion started in show biz at the Palace here. Bill Latido'Reopening Pittsburghf Oct, 8, William Landb is making plans to reopen his. Bando-Grand in Hill dis- trict within next few weeks. House was last operated as a picture hbuse by Steve Dascalos. who. spent $4,i)00 remodeling and dropped a bundle on the venture. Since then spot has reverted tp its. original owner, Landb. New theatre here on Greenfield avenue, the Park, finally got under wajr over the weekend. House oper- ated by Herbert L. Perer. and a cousin, Nathan H, Perer Lansing's Newest :\ Lansing, Mich., Oct. 8. Laiising's hew Southtownj the. sec^ pnd. neighborhood filn^ house to be constructed here Withirr-a jjiear, wir' ppen abput Oct. 20, ahnounes E. C. Beatty, president and gerfjpal man- ager pf the Butterfield TheJtres, Iric, which Operates six hpyjjfS here at the present time. 'After School Matinees' Detrpit, bet. 8. Loath tp Ipse that schPPl childreh business, the Vpgue here has started a pblicy of 'After Schbbl Matinees^* starting at 3:30 p.m., which it is .ex- pected will get the theatre arpund the city prdinance here against ypungsters . attending ■ pix during schpbl hburs. ' ' -V First of the programs started this week is aimed directly at the small fry with 'Anne of Windy Pop- lars,' a Hopalong Cassidy 'Stage Coach War' and cartoon comedies. Charles O. Baird, Jr., son of the manager of the Rivoli, Portage, Pa. (Ray Allison circuit), and a captain iri the coast artillery reserve, has re- ported for active duty at Mitchel Field in New York. Briefies: The Sol Goldbergs are divorcing'He's: "the fprmer Elkins, W. Va., exhib, npw an autp salesnian here and the father pf All-American Marshall . Gbldberg... Alisp dissblving are the Ray Wheelers. He's manager pf the State.. .Jimmy Tptman, asst. to publicity head Jne Feldman, War- ner Glub*s new prexy., .Variety Club has resumed its weekly Friday Fam- ily Nights fpr fall and winter seaspnv Mptt; Shea • interests, managing Fulton theatre here for Hyde-Ben hain group for . several years, now exclusive operators pf first-run film site. Deal cpnsummated last week makes. She^ putfit sole controllers of spot, taking oyer everything, includ- ing Ipng-term lease pn Fultpn ,frpm a Ipcal estate. Under new setup, Jphn Walsh, a Shea man originally, stays on as manager. . Nprbert Stern and Geprge C. Davis, whp ppened Pittsburgh's first -driye-iri theatre. near : entrance .of South Park several weeks ago, plot ting a second drive-in in this dis trict for next spring. They've al ready picked , their location, on the Lincoln Highway near East McKees- port, about 15 miles from downtown area.; Saul Gottlieb, Harry Fehdrick and Milton Brauman, M-G local sales- men; all knocked down cash prizes in company's most recent sales drive; In addition, John J,: Maloney,. dis- trict Sales manager, -who headquar- ters -here,- was anbther -dough—Witt' ner. Briefies: Mother of Joe Beile, with WB in Greensburg, died last week . .. .Lou Pbnsetta, Jr., 11-year-old spn of the Apollo exhib, broke both his arms recently playing Tarzan... . Bob Euler's Post ■ Mission, Texas, Oct. 8.. . Bob Euler; whp has represented the R. N; Smith and B. R. McLandon theatres in Dallas for the past four years, has taken a post with the Smith Thieatres, headquartered here. The Smith towns includes this city, Raymondville, Donna and Falfurrias, all in south Texas. ■ Howard Baskin booker fbr the Oskar Korh Circuit, which, has beien taken over by the Griffith interests recently, will take oyer post vacated by Euler who was booker for the Smith and McLehdon theatres: - Piciller Rctamlng . Kenton, O., Oct. 8, Henry J. Pfeiffer, in the business here for 40 years, completed details for sale of the Ohio and lease of the building to W. D. Ward, of Cam-^ bridge, Q.._and__Det roit. P feiffer plans to retire. Ward has been idcn- tified with amusements for 34 years. ': Case's Appolntmetit . Syracuse, Oct. 8. . Robert W. Case, veteran of Syra- cuse neighborhood houses, now busi- ness manager of the Civic University. Theater for 1940-41, appointed by Sawyer Falk, directoir of dramatic activities at Syracuse University, which maintains the civic; He will be in full charge of business: ar- rangements for the various univer- sity productions as well as the house management at the Civic. Case ha^ managed the Harvard and Happy Hour for the Snuth chain here. Remodelled, : RKO Schine's first, neighborhood house in . Syracuse, the. Palace, formally. reopened. Wall's BrbokllniB, Massf./ Spot Boston, Oct. 8. Thomas F. Wall, shifts as manager of. the. Capitol, Allstbri, tb the new Circle, Brookline, Mass., to : .be opened by M &. P Theatres Oct. 12. :. Zimmerman's Sale ' -. Berkley Springs, W, Va., Oct. 8,- Vance Zimmerman, sold the Ideal to the Alpine Theatre Cb. of Kingr wood, W. Va,, which has a chain of theatres in small towns. ' KasBarls* Sell Drlv.e-fn ^ Houston, Oct. 8, The Texas Drive-In, Houston'is only open air theatre, sold last week to C, C, Ezell and W. G. Underwood, of Dallas, for |40,000 cash; Nick and Pete Kassaris, operators of drive-ins in Corpus Ghristi and Texarkana, ■built; the -theatre here,. w>)i.ch. l^as a capacity of 475 cars. / Ezell and Underwood are distribu- tors in Texas .f6r Republic. Pictures, and . also own ■ a large interest in a San Antonio theatre in pool witft Interstate.