Boxoffice-January.07.1950

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