Variety (Apr 1930)

Wednesday, April 30, 1930 PICTURES VARIETY 21 Exploitation and Press Stunts Behind the Keys Milwaukee. Iinniense railroad tieup was ar- ranged by R-K-O for week of Three Doctors' (air act) appearance at the Elverside here. Railroad stations all carry signs advertising excur- sions from the tanks to Milwaukee to see the team, with the return a broadcast of the railroad excursions by the Doctors on the radio, - Chicago. Atwater Kent radio people have entered a triple national tleup with M-G-M and B. & K. on "The Rogue Song" and loudspeaker.. Cabinet firm has spent $10,000 as a starter. Oyer station WIBO Atwater Kent Is running a national Lawrence Tlb- bett song contest,, with daily broad- casts reaching about 10,000,000 regu- larly In the middle west. Radio company Is going Into the thing with page ads In the dallies. Prizes will be cups and broadcast- ing contracts. Most unusual is that Atwater Kent was so eager for the tieup It proposed, the deal original- ly. B. & K. and M-G-M press de- partments had to be gagged to pre- vent over-enthusiastic acceptance. Chicago. B. & K. execs are stocking up with groceries and won't ever have to buy if the lobby displays keep up. United Artists Is slewing off coffee and giving liquid samples, after noted as the quietest, most unosten- tatious spot In the loop. In the neighborhoods Uptown and Tivoli are showing how bees work and giving the customers jars of honey in a tleup to plug the picture of that name. ' Reading, Pa. • All Manager Paul E. Glass needs for the Astor theatre here is a lunch bar. With Nick Lucas singing in , person from the stage and giving : away autographed Brunswick rec- ords, supplied free by a Brunswick record dealer, at matinees to 100 women, a nearby restaurant sup- plied hot coffee and cream in the lounge, free to all women entering the lounge. The stunt brought capacity nightly and all'but one matinee. Fort Wayne, Ind. R-K-O Palace sponsored "Sex Ap- peal Week" in conjunction with ap- pearance of "Golden Calf on screen. Newspaper ads announced contest for calf measurements, equal to Sue Carol's in picture. Manager Henry Kaufman of the R-K-O Emboyd played up "No, No, Nanette''- in good style, arranging with local tea house to serve tea during intermissions on balcony. Music from current talker on player piano and two attendants presided. New York City. Cliarlie Einfeld of First National has devised a simple attractive sort of puzzle until read. Against a line sketch of Alice White is a red col- ored gate, movable, with i-eadlng matter saying to pull down. When down one reads Alice White Is "America's Girl Friend." Inexpensive. Milwaukee. The Carla Torney girls are Mll- I. waukee's own who have been danc- ! ing together for about three years. ! So when they returned from a swing i around the circuit Ben Katz, under . the direction of J. D. Keefe, head of Fox publicity In Milwaukee, got 12 merchants to sponsor the 12 Torney dancers In the stage show at the Wisconsin. Katz got each merchant to boost one girl, display her picture in his window and In his newspaper ad- vertising. He also got the merchants to donate 12 prizes awarded to the gin according to ballots cast by Wisconsin theatre patrons during the week. It cost the theatre noth- ing and got them splendid window display along the main stem. Another stunt was run In the Wis- consin "News," local Hearst paper, seeking a double for Nancy Carroll, star Of the talker. Girl who got the award was stationed in the lobby during the evening performances and distributed over 25,000 pieces of Ziegler Milwaukee candy. Net expense of both stunts to Keefe, Katz and the theatre, nothing at all. Salt Lake City. RK-Orpheum Is going In for lobby acts with a week's tie up on a jazz tand in the lobby. Band, in chaps and four-gallon hats—cowboys, as It *ere—paid by local candy company to plug its Rodeo candy bar. When not In lobby band rides ^ iBtreets In specially constructed and jS-painted gas buggy tootln* tunes. I-'Rodeo signs all over car. • No apparent reason for candy Bianufacturer to supply band and pay the bills except to get gaping ■crowds to read Its signs. Toledo. More hot exploitation turned out oy Harold Wendt, State p. a., on Fox's "Double Cross Roads." Co-op page arranged with Toledo "Blade," Showing stills of players, with re- Proiluctions placed, one each. In sev- eral merchants' windows. Prizes for ' first one to find and identify all. Sidewalks at street intersections painted 'Double Cross Roads." Cap- sules like those used for medicine passed out, each saying "this is the straight dope," then urging receiver ta see "Cross Roads." rait Lake City. During Paramount's run of "Put- tin' on Ritz," complete picture (nec- essarily shortened in spots) put on air, with dialog, songs and all. No Information given on how trick was turned. Rochester, N. T. City went psychic crazy, with all classes tumbling over to ask Gene Dennis questions. Loew's Rochester packed 'em and put on special two- hour Friday morning question ses- sion at evening prices.' Word out that many errant husbands tried to keep wives away, in terror they would get earful. Girl psychic promised questioners everything from business to grand- children. Lynchburg, Va. A publicity stunt that failed was tried here for "Young Eagles," at the Academy. It is an airplane pic- ture, and the house manager con- ceived the idea of having an air- plane "stolen." ■ Local newspapers bit vigorously at first. When It was discovered that the "thief" had an automobile waiting for him when he landed less than' 10 miles from town, the papers quit the story cold. Cost unknown. Newspapers waited until the pic- ture had left town and then printed an expose. Providence, R. I. Probably the cheapest. but most effective publicity stunts put over here in some time was brought about by Manager McCarthy of Loew's State. Used In connection with "Puttin' on Ritz." McCarthy had Mayor Dunne send Harry Richman, star of picture, in- vitation to personally attend the run of his picture here. Telegram stressed the occasion as inaugura- tion of N. V. A. Mayor Dunne, Mc- Carthy and' representative of local Postal Telegraph office posed for picture with facsimile of telegram. Cost of stunt was price of photo, used gratis by newspapers. New York City. Loew's latest press stunt, with Will Osborne, April 24, trying to sell $5 gold pieces at $4. Osborne, who was on the current. vaude bill at the house, tried to sell the gold pieces at 1 o'clock, but could only dispose of two. Cost $2. No publicity noted. Not a new gag. Montreal. Princess which has had biggest wow of its talker career with "Put- tin* on Ritz," tied It up to stores and radio, offering 84 prizes for those who could guess names of Irving Berlin's early compositions given over radio. They had mailbags full of fan mall. New York City. Auburn auto people capitalizing on Paul Whlteman's purchase of one of the swanky front-drive busses. Company Is sending out 1,000,000 postal cards, supplying postage and mailing list themselves. On one side of the card Is a picture of Whlteman and his new car, reading "This Is my second. How do you like Itr' Other side In spot for correspond- ence is "Don't miss my. latest pic- ture, 'King of Jazz,' Paul." Los Angeles. Nifty bits of exploitation preceded premiere of the Whiteman picture, "King of Jazz," at the Criterion. Two Whlteman efflgles paraded through the downtown streets at- tracting plenty attention, while every street corner downtown was blocked oft with Whlteman's head picture. Los Angeles. Eddy Eckles, director of pub- licity for Fanchon & Marco on the coast, arranged with Postal Telegraph for publicity on "Cities Service" Idea. Company will carry a drop with replica .of ..a telegram 35x42 feet. Telegram Is addressed to the audience from the mayor of each town played, reciting the town's city service. Postal will also distribute advertising telegrams daily In each town. Denver. Put on by Loula HellbotTi for "Ladles of Leisure" Orpheum at- tracted attention aiid cost nothing. Three beautiful women in an open car with footman and chauffeur rode around town stopping at va- rious stores, going Inside for a few minutes and then drivlnff to an- other. , ^ "Ladles of Leisure" and th« Or- pheum name were conspicuous on the tlr« covers. Wh«« glimpsing the layout, natives thought the Prince of Wales must be In town. . Minneapolis. Minnesota (Publix) tying up with ■local sporting goods house, is stag- ing a "golf show" as a lobby at- traction. Sporting goods house sup- plies a golf pro and equipment and actual Instruction Is given to pa- trons desiring It. A large coop en- closed by net has been rigged up and golfers are enabled to practice driving, etc. Attraction getting a big play. Minnesota also had great tieup with "Journal" on the Byrd exhibit In its general lounge. Minnesota got "Journal" to help sponsor the dis- play of pictures, etc., of the ex- plorer's recent expedition and, as a result, received dandy free publicity splash In the news columns. The- atre reinforced exhibit with a bat- tery of airplane motors, 'propellers, etc New London, Conh, "Mammjr" opened at the Garde, when M. Melincoff of that theatre got the Bamby Bread Co. to pay for a full-page ad calling attention .to the kind of bread Jolson said mammy used to make was like Bamby. For every loaf baked Friday a coupon was issued and the first 20 presented at the Garde today (Wednesday) will be given free ad- mlsh. Melincoff also staged a minstrel parade as a street ballyhoo for "Mammy," engaging the High School Band for the stunt. Detroit. Tie-up called Lost Melody con- test englneet'ed by Joe LaRose. of the Fox Is with the Detroit "Dally" newspaper. Station WGHP, Gard- ner-White Furniture store and Fox theatre. Prizes amounting to $250 given away free to winners of prize lyrics contests. Newspaper space and broadcast- ing. Costs theatre nothing. Duluth. For Shadow,3 of Progress Month, which was icerebrated In Duluth by Publlx. Theatres, Jfnc, an Interesting window display was devised by Manager P. F. Schwie of the Gar- rick theatre through the courtesy of "Screen Snapshots." This publica- tion furnished Mr. Schwie with many rare photographs- of stars In productions of 16 and 20 years ago. These pictures Included Mary Plck- ford as she appeared in "The Little Devil," Douglas Fairbanks as he appeared shortly after his entry into pictures, Lillian Glsh on the stage. Norma Talmadge In "De Luxe Annie," and Gloria. Swanson in "Male and Female." "Young Eagles," Paramount's air picture, hit Duluth with a big cam- paign ahead of it Garrlck ar- ranged with local Sky Climbers' Club airplane building contest In empty store building adjoining the theatre window was dressed as a hangar where miniature aeroplanes were displayed In attractive setting. Virtiially every type of plane in dis- play and many models perfectly executed. Local merchants combined lii a co-operative page in Duluth "Her- ald." Headline read: "Young Eagles Will Bomb Duluth With Gifts from the Sky." Arrangements were made with a local aeroplane company to fly one of its planes over the city at. noon, when great crowds were on the street, and drop 500 balloons, upon which were at- tached orders on the different deal- ers advertising on the co-operative page for furs, hosiery, dresses, shoes and cases of canned goods. This campaign brought overflow to Garrlck when picture opened. Newark, N. J. Frank La Falce, publicity direc- tor for Warners, getting out four- page tab called "Newark Screen News." Carries ads of stores hav- ing tie-ups with Warner houses. Stores pay for ads bringing bul- letin's cost down to minimum. Mc- Crory's took 6,000, wrapping one With every sale. Priced at Ic, but newsstands give ■ It away. Issued weekly. Schenectady, N. Y. This town went In a big way for "Cohens and Kellys in Scotland," due principally to ballyhoo stunt pulled by Manager A. J. Gill of the R-K-O Proctor. Resulted In a last half record business house. House seats 3,000 with three shows daily. S. R. O. sign out nearly all the time. Stunt was the dressing up of two men In Scotch costume. One played bagpipe and the two went through the city's downtown streets all day long. Second man gave out small envelopes to every passerby, en- velope containing three Life Savers and printed on each envelope was the following: "Hoot Mon, a Scotch- man giving something away. See the Cohens and Kellys In Scotland at R-K-O Proctor.'a" New York City. Fashion Show at Proctor's 125th Street last week drew capacity, with free publicity by the 125th street stores which contribute! ta the stage exhibitions. Promoted by Tommy Dowd for the hons*. N« eost Sale Lake. Helen (Jarrity Is the now puhlloity chief for the local Publix houses, and comes from a brilliant newsn.%- por career with the Salt Lake "Tele- gram," wh-ere she climbed. In a few years, from classified ad counter at- tendant to feature writer and lit- erary page editor. Ottawa, Can. Famous Players Canadian Corp. has closed for an atmospheric thea- tre In Port Hope, Ontario, to replace the Royal theatre, tl»e license for which was cancelled by the Ontario Government because of structural shortcomings. San Francisco. Stanley Brown brought here from Milwaukee by Publlx to succeed Nat Holt as manager of the California theatre. Springfield, 111. The Senate theatre, closed since the Gifford stock company left it several weeks ago, has been re- opened with a policy of three vaude- ville acts and talking picture. Bill changes twice a week. South Norwalk, Conn. Publix has taken over Empress and Regent here and will operate them in opposition to the town's other two theatres leased last fall by Warners. Connecticut Mutual Realty Corp. leased Empress and Regent for 21 years for an aggregate rental of $1,330,000 to Publlx. Theatres ope- rated for six months by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Vuono of Stamford, who have leased their two Stamford theatres, Palace and Strand, to Pub- lix for 16 years. That deal also now in effect These four theatres are the first that Publlx has In Fairfield county, whose population Is one-fifth of all Connecticut. Warner Brothers have six houses and Fox has one. Bucyrus, O. Theatre battle looms in this town of 7,000. Bucyrus Theatres Co., which already operates two houses here, will start work shortly on new 1,000 seater on site of present Hip, to open Sept. 1. John Seifert Day- ton, O., and Ardin Wlsman, Bucyrus, now building l,60p-seater, also to open Sept 1. Town will have 3,000 seats when new houses are finished. H. L. Charnas, of Warner Bros., is presi- dent of the Bucyrus Theatres Co. North Baltimore, O. Business men of North Baltimore, O., sponsoring free pictures in Tlr- glnla theatre each Wednesday night to bring In shoppers. Wlnston-Salem, N. C. Publlx-Saenger opened here Easter Monday with the State, formerly Auditorium, chain having taken it over from A. F. Sams under 10-year lease. Publlx closed Colonial for good. Sams takes over lease on this building, and if he opens It as a theatre the rent on the State drops from $25,000 a year to $15,000. H. F. Burns will manage the State, going there from Colonial. Minneapolis, April 29. Defeat of the Sunday show pro- posal at a special election at Worth- Ington, Minn., is proclaimed by the Luverne, Minn., "Star" a "victory" for Herman Jochlms, proprietor of the theatre In Luverne, only a short distance from Worthlngton. "Worthlngton will have Sundays without movies, but the citizens of Worthlngton may still have their Sunday talkers In Luveme and other nearby cities the same as they have for the past several years," says the Luverne "Star" In the edi- torial captioned "Herman Jochlms won the city election In Worthlng- ton." Boston. E. A. Vlnscon shifted to the Scol- lay Square. Thomas James, former manager, to get new assignment Miami. Howard Luter Is manager of Rosetta. Luter replaces N. L. "Tow- er, resigned. GrccnvlUe, Miss. Monte Hance will n^anage the Stenger. Formierly at the Strand, Hattiesburg, Latter theatre goes under management of A. Brown Parkes, who also manages Saenger, Hattiesburg. Seattle. Robert Blalr, former managor at the Metropolitan, Is now Publix dis- trict manager for Portland and Seattle, under Ralph E. Crablll, di- vision director. Blair makes his headquarters at Paramount, Port- land. Glens Falls. N. T. Supreme Court Ju.stlce O. Byron Brewster has granted an Injunrllon to John A. Fitzgerald, owner of fh" Strand, Hud.^on Falls, against Fr'>fl Mausert, of State, this olty, and against First National, rc.«tralnlng re-run of picture, "S.iUy," at .St.-itf, prior to a showing of it at .«fr;in'l. "Sally" was to have bff>n shown at the State again Fri»l;iy ;uul Siat- urday, and at Strand for first time May 1-2. Picture was at the State .March lC-20, Youniistown. Publi.\. takes over the State and Cameo houses May 1. Omaha. Promotion of E. K. Ciinunli'srs to division manager has shiCied I>ea Richmond from district manager- ship o£ southeastern Nebraska to Cummings' former job. Vogel Oet- tier succeeds Richmond. Gcttler formerly city man.ager at Grand Ij- land. Champaign, III. Town now sewed up by R-K-O, which takes over the Virginia, indie vaudfilm house. Chain owns the Palace. Virginia will continue vaud- film. Was booked by Morris office, Chicago. Bloomfield, la. Sunday show war flared up again, when H. E. Rehfield of Iowa the- tre, arrested for operating Sunday. Ashland, Ky. Holding company organized her* to erect $500,000 theatre. Paris. Ky. Phoenix Amusement Co. of Lex- ington has extended for a long pe- riod its lease, on the Gcand opera house here. Seating capacity will be Increased from 700 to 1,200 and sound Installed. Alton, III. Publlx-Great States has acquired the Princess, sewing up this town. Chain owns Grand and Hippodrome, latter closed. Chicago. Publlx-Great States chain has been divided Into four Illinois dis- tricts Instead of three, southern dis- trict being split, with part becoming a central district. Perry Hoeffier, former house manager, and of Pub- llx managers' school, takes charg© over eight houses. Henry Sticklemaler, formerly southern district manager, has heexi promoted to divisional manager tot the Indiana houses, with headquar- ters moved to Chicago. Clyde Wl- nans, city manager at Peorla.^ ap- pointed eastern Illinois manageh Mahanoy City, Pa. Elks theatre in Mahanoy City, leased by the Chamberlain Interests, closed for renovation. It Is said. Reading, Pa. Rajah, this city, Wllmer & Vin- cent house, closed suddenly after trouble between the. management and the Jack ISrlckson musical com- edy stock, after the management had advertised performances.^ Lancaster, Pa. Legal details connected with the sale of the old Pennsylvania railroad station site to make way for a War- ner theatre, are belnjj cleared up. Boyd theatrical Interests, Philadel- phia, had an option, but it was latei* purchased by Warner-Stanley. West Chester, Pa. Grand opera house, closing April 19, may be put out of service by the new theatre now bel;ig erected by Warner. No plans have been made for next season. Los Angeles. Fox West Coast managerial changes additional to those pre- viously reported transfer Los Foun- tain from Long Beach to San Diego; Marshall Taylor from the Dome, Ocean Park, to Long Beach; L. P. Carr from the Criterion, Santa Monica, to Ocean Park, and Jerry Carr from Glendale to Fox's River- side, at Riverside, Cal. ROXY PUYING ITs 1 TALKERS Roxy tlieatre, New York, has taken for exhibition Unlversal's seven pictures U now has ready or almost to show. Second of these to play the Roiy Is Whlteman's "Jazz King," opening: this Friday and penciled In for three weeks, with the Whlteman or- chestra on the stage. Another is "Western Front" opening Tuesday at the $2 Central, to go In the Roxy as a pre-release for general dis- tribution, meaning the end of th» Central's run. Others Include a foreign made, "White Hell," with a sub-title oC "White Hell of Pits ToUeu." It's the single one of the sextet not V». The rem.Tlnder are "Czar of Broadway, "Captain of the Guard," fir.st at the Roxy and now released;' "The Storm" and "Why Mea Marry."