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I<br />
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6<br />
6<br />
d)<br />
Philip Morris Tieup<br />
Sparks Heidt Show<br />
For Nate Wise<br />
Nate Wise, publicity director for RKO Theatres<br />
in Cincinnati, came up with one of his<br />
usual thorough campaigns in connection with<br />
the appearance of Horace Heidt on the Albee<br />
Theatre stage.<br />
Several weeks in advance a tieup was made<br />
with the Philip Morris cigaret distributor,<br />
who did a sensational job of blanketing the<br />
town with display pieces. More than 3,000<br />
•Johnny" figures and window displays were<br />
put out with playdates. These went into<br />
di-ug stores, groceries, cigar stores, hotel lobbies<br />
and empty windows.<br />
Radio station WLW regularly uses 100 taxi<br />
tire covers for advertising, and it devoted<br />
all of these to an exclusive plug tor Heidt's<br />
personal at the Albee. The station also circularized<br />
at its own expense every grocery<br />
and drug store in four states with a bulletin.<br />
Wise arranged a series of personal appearances<br />
for Heidt. He appeared as guest<br />
of the Cuvier Press club and was made an<br />
honorary member of the Foundation for Boys<br />
in Cincinnati, had acts which appear with<br />
him on 25 different radio shows over five<br />
different stations, and attended a cocktail<br />
party for press and radio representatives.<br />
Several thousand local artists made application<br />
for auditions on Heidt's show, the<br />
Post coming up with layout and art on the<br />
auditions. The Enquirer and the Times-Star<br />
both used page-one boxes on the local broadcast<br />
of the program.<br />
Additional exploitation included a front<br />
page picture of Heidt on tlie cover of Host<br />
magazine, distributed at hotels, cross trailers<br />
and lobby displays in affiliated RKO theatres,<br />
5,000 table tents placed with restaurants<br />
and hotel dining rooms and a colorful theatre<br />
front.<br />
^mrMSl<br />
Tommy Roderick, manager of the State, Farmington.<br />
Me., had everyone curious on how he<br />
contrived animation with the above display<br />
on "Sitting Pretty." Nylon fish lines, attached<br />
to the sides of the rocker, were hooked to a<br />
small oscillating fan from which the blades<br />
had been removed. As the Ian oscillated, the<br />
rocker was kept in motion. Simple, but it<br />
sure had the citizens ol Farmington stumped.<br />
Business was good. Roderick reports.<br />
Entire Kentucky U. Team Will Go<br />
To Olympics Due to Benefit Show<br />
The Schine circuit executives at Gloversville,<br />
N. Y., have good reason to be proud<br />
of their Lexington. Ky., showmen for staging<br />
a benefit show in conjunction with "Carnegie<br />
Hall." The boys did a terrific ijublic relations<br />
job in addition to hanging up a record gross<br />
at the State Theatre, a third run operation<br />
in the city.<br />
The benefit shows are strictly a home office<br />
device for building business on pictures which<br />
need extra selling. They aKso serve a commendable<br />
purpose by helping local groups to<br />
raise funds. Tickets are usually sold by the<br />
sponsoring organization which receives a percentage<br />
of the sales they account for.<br />
The Lexington tieup was a real masterpiece<br />
of strategy in which everyone connected with<br />
the three local theatres. Bob Cox, city manager,<br />
and Lew Hensler. district manager,<br />
participated.<br />
The University of Kentucky basketball<br />
team, which won the national championship,<br />
was invited to represent the U.S. in the<br />
Olympics. Unfortunately the invitation included<br />
only the first team so that other players<br />
who had helped the team to victory faced<br />
the unhappy prospect of remaining home.<br />
The plan for a "Carnegie Hall" benefit was<br />
proposed to representatives of SuKy circle,<br />
the student organization of Kentucky U., with<br />
the objective of raising funds so that the entire<br />
basketball team could go to the Olympics.<br />
The State Theatre was offered for the purpose.<br />
The organization immediately went for<br />
the idea.<br />
The Lexington Herald went along on the<br />
Faculty of High School<br />
Guests at 'Union' Debut<br />
All faculty members of the local high school<br />
were invited to the opening night of "State<br />
of the Union" at the Poli Tlieatre. Norwich,<br />
Conn., by Joseph Boyle, manager. Next day,<br />
the instructors recommended the picture tc<br />
their history classes as a must-see attraction.<br />
Boyle also promoted radio plugs on the spot<br />
time of a local leather firm. Catchline was,<br />
"How is the state of your luggage?" followed<br />
by tiein with the picture and playdate credits.<br />
Barometer Lobby Display<br />
Indicates 'April Showers'<br />
After a long and diligent search, Ansel<br />
Winston, manager of the Coliseum in New<br />
York, located a barometer that features two<br />
figures on a swinging platform to indicate<br />
upcoming weather. He borrowed it at no<br />
cost and used it for a lobby display on "April<br />
Showers" with an accompanying sign, "We<br />
can't guarantee the weather but we can<br />
guarantee you'll have a good time when you<br />
see, etc., etc!"<br />
Scene Mat, Radio Contest<br />
Are Planted on 'Mama'<br />
Reynold Wallach, manager of the Strand<br />
in Cumberland, Md., planted a two-column,<br />
five-inch scene mat with his local newspaper<br />
on "I Remember Mama." The NBC radio<br />
outlet featured a letter writing contest on<br />
"Why I Remember Mama," with the picture<br />
coming in for numerous gratis plugs.<br />
deal enthusiastically with a 14-day buildup of<br />
stories and pictures. The mayor of Lexington<br />
issued a proclamation urging all citizens<br />
to coope:ate. Each of the four radio stations<br />
plugged the show continuously for one week.<br />
At an intersection of Main street, a ticket<br />
booth was erected by special permission of<br />
the city commissioners. Lifesize blowups of<br />
the basketball stars were placed in prominent<br />
windows captioned, "I Want to Go, Too."<br />
Lexington was plastered circus-style from end<br />
to end.<br />
The SilKy group was organized into ticket<br />
selling teams and a systematic block-to-block<br />
campaign was set in motion to reach a goal<br />
of 20.000 tickets.<br />
For all practical purposes, the promotion<br />
has already won complete endorsement from<br />
the faculty and students of the university,<br />
city officials, businessmen and Mr. John Q.<br />
Public. The theatres have improved their relationship<br />
with the community as a whole in<br />
a manner that will have enduring effect.<br />
The idea was originally proposed by Lew<br />
Hensler. The campaign was organized and<br />
directed by Bob Cox, who reports that the<br />
two most responsible for the success of the<br />
promotion were John Hutchings, manager of<br />
the State, and Clyde Dickerson. chief of<br />
service. Dickerson is an active member of<br />
SuKy. made all the newspaper and radio<br />
contacts by himself and personally sold 1.000<br />
tickets.<br />
The other Schine managers and assistants<br />
also pitched in to help. They are Bernie<br />
Deap, Bob Anderson, Woodie Walters and<br />
George Pugh.<br />
False Front Backs<br />
'T-Men' Campaign<br />
A barricaded false front in the form of a<br />
gigantic "T" covered the boxoffice of the<br />
Colonial in Allentowai, Pa. It was devised by<br />
Charles Bierbauer, manager, for his engagement<br />
of "T-Men."<br />
Three weeks in advance, all ushers, doormen<br />
and cashiers at the Colonial and affiliated<br />
houses wore large "T-Men Are Coming"<br />
buttons.<br />
Outdoor posting was achieved with an illuminated<br />
24-sheet and six-sheet set in busy<br />
downtown locations. 100 cards used on dashboards<br />
of trolleys and buses running to Bethlehem<br />
and other nearby towns, display boards<br />
in the leading iiotels in" the city and a window<br />
display in Woolworth's with a tieup on comic<br />
books.<br />
The regular advertising budget was upped<br />
accommodate increased newspaper lineage<br />
to<br />
and a series of tea.ser ads tour days in advance<br />
of opening. Cross trailers were used<br />
in affiliated theatres.<br />
Bierbauer was assisted in tliis campaign by<br />
Max MUler, Eagle Lion exploiteer.<br />
Lampposts Posted<br />
Three hundred cards tied to lampposts in<br />
the dowiitown section of Rochester. N. Y.,<br />
advertised "Duel in the Sun" a week in advance<br />
for Lester Pollock, manager of Loew's<br />
Theatre.<br />
BOXOFFICE Showmandiser :: May 29, 1948 —Sis- sy