What's New? (Oct 1952)

Pace a WALLY HOPP SHOWS THE WAY TO PUBLICIZE A DRIVE-IN! Many people like to forget birthdays. Not Wally Hopp, of the Starlite Drive-In, Nanaimo, B.C. When the second birthday of the Starlite came around August 21st, Wally took advantage of the occasion to receive greetings and make the birthday important and significant to his patrons. He did so many things to celebrate the putting of the second candle on the cake, that we’llonly summarize them, but here they are: A co-operative page of advertising wishing the drive-in happy birthday was promoted by Wally. Across the top of the page, which featured a story about the drivein was headlined: “Starlite DriveIn Theatre 2nd Anniversary Tomorrow.” Who in the Nanaimo district could have failed to know about the Starlite? A shopping magazine distributed to 2,000 persons a month, carried all the attractions at the Starlite for the month of August, as well as mention of the special nights Wally features every week at the theatre. The features each week include: a married couples’ nite, with approximately $50 in prizes donated by local merchants. Each week the couple is chosen, as perhaps, the youngest, the oldest, etc. Another feature is the lucky license number which is used every night with the winner receiving a credit slip from a local dealer. A gift book stunt is used to add $25 to the Foto-Nite offer. Theatre passes are put into the popcorn boxes, and that fact advertised. Programs are given out at the theatre, as well as mailed to those on a mailing list which tells of the upcoming films. These are paid for by an advertiser who has the back page of the four page booklet. With these promotions, Wally had no trouble in having a story in the Nanaimo Daily Free Press to the effect that the Starlite broke an attendance record. THEATRES PROMOTE ARMY RECRUITING Rais, eats... rats! “that's what Stan Andrews at the Paramount theatre, Brantford, Ont., had when he played “Fighting Rats of Tobruk.” To plug the picture, he had a tailless rat placed in a cage in his lobby. With it, he put a card which read: “I’m an Australian Orig small Australian inal Rat and am waiting for The Fighting Rats of Tobruk coming soon to this theatre.” In a display of bren guns and army equipment, with a sign advising, “Be Happy—Go Army —Enlist Today,” Stan rated a three-column picture in the Brantford Expositor. Of course, Stan’ was able to promote the equipment from his local armories, but he was also able to plug his picture. Tom McKnight of the Patricia, London, also tied “Rats of Tobruk” in with army recruiting and planted pictures in the Free Press. TRUDELL PLUGS HIS THEATRE’S SERVICE Are you getting all the attention you should from one of the valuable services you offer in your theatre? Bill Trudell of the Capitol theatre, London, decided that more people should know his theatre offered hearing aids for the hard of hearing, free. He pushed hard and obtained a two-column picture in the London Free Press showing a patron wearing one of the aids. Did you boys hear that? FLYING SAUCERS IN SARNIA! Hammy Bowes of the Capitol theatre, Sarnia, Ont., cracked one of the toughest daily newspapers in the world when he played “Lady in the Iron Mask.” For the price of the gas, Hammy had one of his airplane-owning friends drop 500 paper plates, imprinted with sales copy entitling the finder to a free admission to the theatre. About 30 took advantage of the free show. But what made Hammy happiest. was the four-column picture in the Sarnia Observer plugging the feature and showing the paper plates flying, since they looked like flying saucers. CIRCUS STUNTS HELP “G.S.O.E.” “The Greatest Show On Earth” will probably provide some of the best exploitation work of the year, and herewith are some of the stunts on that picture pulled by Michael Hall, Paramount theatre, Kelowna, Be. Michael developed a real “Big Top” atmosphere in the interior city, as he gathered up all the clown costumes and decorations available. During the busiest time of day, before the opening of the picture, Michael had a man travel the streets with a placard. Then he lined up a window display in a shoe store as a tie-up with their “Carnival Casual” shoes. Girls were sent up on the stage following the trailer to announce that “Everyone” should see the picture, and the radio station taped a ditty with a carnival music background. Michael pitched in too. Two men were dressed as clowns to ride a bicycle built for two. You guessed it. Michael was one of them. During the run of the picture, the girls and the doorman were decked out as clowns, the candy counter was dressed up in circus fashion, and calliope records were played in the auditorium. Pitching in with Michael, which by the way rated space in the local paper, were Dick Lennie, doorman, Betty Egg and Marilyn Oatman. Patrons walking into the Capitol theatre, Brantford, Ont., might have thought they were seeing candy canes aplenty as they looked at the striped candy bar Bill Burke set up to help plug “The Greatest Show on Earth.” Bill gave the bar a striped tent effect for a week in advance, and dressed his girls in colorful circus costumes. For his outside activity Bill captured a threecolumn picture in the Expositor as he put in a float in the Brantford Labor Day parade. The truck had a circus make-up with clowns scampering all over it, the highlight being a trapeze mounted in the centre of the truck with an acrobat in clown attire amazing and amusing all the spectators. Vern Hudson at the Capitol theatre, St. Catharines, Ont., certainly didn’t let anyone for get he had “The Greatest Show on Earth” playing as he really put the circus touch to his campaign. For a week in advance, he had his entire service staff attired in clown costumes borrowed from the Canadian Legion. His candy bar was appropriately decorated with circus copy, balloons, etc. His whole theatre gave the impression of a circus being in town. During the run of the picture, an usher in clown attire sold peanuts and popcorn in the street outside the theatre. A nearby town has an annual Labor Day parade, and Vern went to town with that too. He borrowed the “Mr. Peanut” outfit from Planters, lettered it with ‘Greatest Show’ copy, dressed one of his boys, and sent him out to mix with the crowds. Later, for the duration of the run, Mr. Peanut paraded the streets of the city. In addition, Vern tied in with his radio station, received many free spots, and had them playing circus music every time there was a break. KNEVEL’S TIE-UPS Each week during the month of July, Bob Knevels, manager, Tivoli theatre, Windsor, dreamed up a stunt to sell his current attraction. The first week, when he played “Trio,” he did a natural. He had book marks made advertising the picture, and plugging other Somerset Maugham books, to be distributed by the Windsor Public Libraries. Bob credited the libraries. So successful was he in that tie-up, that he came through with another book-mark to plug “Belles On Their Toes.” In addition to using the bookmark, Bob sent out a warranty, valued at $1,000 of entertainment, guaranteeing his patrons they would enjoy the film, and if not, their money was re funded. For the showing of ‘The Pride of St. Louis,” Bob got out a small booklet called “How To Pitch” by Dizzy Dean. What the four-page herald “pitched,” naturally, was a plug for Bob’s picture. Neat gimmick.