Boxoffice-January.07.1950
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ADDED INCOME OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROGRESSIVE EXHIBITORS<br />
Small-Town Indiana Theatreman Credits<br />
Confection Sales to<br />
Change of Scene<br />
AXefreshment service operators<br />
with the fattest operating budgets and tlie<br />
sleekest booths can well take a leaf from<br />
the book of David E. McFarling. assistant<br />
manager of the Swiss Theatre in Tell City,<br />
Ind.<br />
The Swiss, with 449 seats, competes with<br />
a circuit owned house of some 600 seats in<br />
this Indiana town of 4,500 people, yet by<br />
sound merchandising, revenue from the<br />
refreshment booth is kept above seven<br />
cents a patron. The magnitude of this<br />
accomplishment can be realized in light of<br />
the fact that the stand is open only two<br />
hours an evening during the week and<br />
afternoons and evenings on Saturday and<br />
Sunday.<br />
In describing his recent Christmas season<br />
promotion. McFarling asserts that<br />
Santa really stopped the customers in their<br />
tracks. The fact that customers' tracks<br />
necessarily pass directly in front of Santa's<br />
vantage point within the stand may have<br />
something to do with this statement, for in<br />
designing the Swiss, the refresliment stand<br />
was located just beyond the boxoffice as<br />
patrons enter the lobby. Balcony customers<br />
use stairs which rise from one corner<br />
of the stand.<br />
The Santa Claus which made youthful<br />
patrons jump with joy, and express their<br />
pleasure in confection purchases, may be<br />
seen in the photograph at right. Made of<br />
plastic and lighted from within, it represents<br />
the most expensive item in the Christmas<br />
refreshment sales promotion. McFarling<br />
justifies the cost, however, by the fact<br />
that Santa will be used in various capacities<br />
around the theatre for several Christmases<br />
to come.<br />
The gap from promotion to product is<br />
bridged by means of giant imitation candy<br />
sticks that flank Santa's smiling face.<br />
Their five-cent caunterparts are prominently<br />
displayed in the candy cases where<br />
the youngster's eyes light next.<br />
The showcase has become an enticing<br />
miniature "Winter "Wonderland" under<br />
McParling's expert hand and versatile<br />
imagination. The 2-inch "snowfall" for<br />
background was created from popcorn left<br />
over from a couple of night's operation.<br />
Using popcorn balls as a basis, the snowmen<br />
were added to the scene. Black silk<br />
hats, eyes, ears, nose and mouth for the<br />
wintry gentlemen came from scraps of<br />
black paper fastened on with household<br />
straight pins.<br />
Crepe paper, discarded window cards and<br />
a stapler provided the materials for background<br />
decoration of the stand. Icicles<br />
were hung along the shelves while strips<br />
of window card were wrapped with red<br />
and white crepe paper to form the imitation<br />
candy sticks.<br />
To attract the interest of adult patrons,<br />
dummy Christmas packages with pictures<br />
of the Hollywood stars whose pictures will<br />
soon be playing were used to adorn the<br />
back of the stand. These packages were<br />
made from discarded window cards and<br />
were wrapped with either red or green<br />
crepe paper, and decorated with crepe<br />
paper ribbons and bows of contrasting<br />
color.<br />
Decoration of the entire stand was completed<br />
at a cost of approximately $8.00.<br />
McFarling's formula for successful refreshment<br />
operation can be summed up in<br />
his statement, "Change the scene to fit the<br />
season and watch the refreshment grosses<br />
jump!"<br />
Having covered one particular seasonal<br />
change, McFarling tells of a Halloween<br />
decoration which included paper jack-olanterns<br />
surrounded by bowls of popcorn.<br />
Theatre film attractions were again tied<br />
into refreshment promotion by stapling<br />
publicity photos of various stars onto Halloween<br />
background paper.<br />
(Continued on following page'<br />
\n the refreshment stand of the Swiss Theatre a Manley popcorn popper turns out the fluffy<br />
white product at a steady pace. In the background, center, can be seen the Santa with illuminated<br />
eyes that proved an excellent drawing card during the holiday season.<br />
BOXOFFICE January 7. 1950 17