Boxoffice-August.11.1975

Gail Stricklands Elephant Ride Part
Of Cincy Zoo, 'Drowning Pool' Tie-in
Actress Gail Strickland has in
Cincinnati recently to ride
Susie, one of the star performers
at the Cincinnati Zoo.
in conjunction with a threeway
tie-in involving the zoo.
the Warner Bros.' release and
Mid-States Theatres' new Tri-
Coiinty Cinemas 1-2-3. Ms.
Strickland appears in the film
opposite Paid Newman and
Joanne Woodward. The tie-in
was centered around a special
benefit screening of the film,
ill which proceeds were earmarked
for the zoo. In addition
to publicity appearances
with Susie and other animals
at the zoo, Ms. Strickland
taped an interview there with
WLW-T television personality
Rosemary Kelly and also appeared
on the station's Bob
Braun 50/50 Club to promote
the film and benefit.
Interview
Regarding
Panthers
Return'
Perry's Charles Cinemas in Lake Charles.
Clayton Courville. manager of Ogden-
La., heralded "The Return of the Pink
Panther" with a radio tie-in using two Pink
Panthers from the theatre.
One week prior to the opening, Phyllis
German and Mary McBeth, dressed in costumes
designed by cashiers Karl Copeland
and Marilyn Fontenot, visited two different
locations in the area. At each one they
would call radio KLOU where they would
be interviewed live. The station would then
announce that the Pink Panther had returned
and could be seen handing out free
passes at such and such a location.
The young ladies also circulated throughout
the lobbies during the engagement of
the
film.
Fox Congratulations
On Inferno' Bally
Promotional campaigns are most successful
where exhibitors have given careful
thought and much hard work to their planning
and execution. Such is the case in
Fairmont, Minn., population 12,000, where
Don Oechsle manages the Cinema Theatre,
a part of the Brookings, S.D.-based
State Theatre circuit.
Upon learning when "The Towering Inferno"
would be coming into his theatre,
Oechsle began planning his campaign that
An "iS"' engulfed in flames was part
of the promotional message painted
on the front door of the Cinema Theatre
in Fairmont, Minn., alerting patrons
to the number of Academy Award
nominations "The Towering Inferno"
had received.
would eventually bring him a letter from
David Forbes, director of special projects
at Twentieth Century-Fox. "Your effort
was certainly proved to be valuable by your
extended engagement (six weeks)," Forbes
wrote. "You should be proud of this fine
campaign."
Oechsle began his campaign, which cost
less than $35 to mount, with a tie-in at a
local bookstore. Setting up a display there,
which featured a movie poster and paperback
editions of the two books used in the
screenplay, he next arranged to have the
store donate a number of the books to be
given away by a radio station during spots
in which the bookstore, film and theatre
were mentioned.
For his theatre displays, Oechsle obtained
a toy fire truck and an old-fashioned,
horse-drawn fire wagon for the interior of
the candy case. Above the refreshment
counter, he suspended antique fire hose
nozzles that the fire department had loaned
him. In the lobby he fashioned his own
Towering Inferno made with plastic panels,
amber-colored lights and red cellophane.
He used a fan to agitate the cellophane,
obtaining a flickering sensation. Suspended
above the miniature tower was a toy helicopter
holding a glass elevator booth. A
large movie poster, several action stills from
the film and pictures of local fires supplied
by the newspaper formed a backdrop for
the display. In the mall area in front of the
shopping center theatre was a 1914 American-LaFrance
fire truck, compliments of
the Fairmont fire department.
For a special premiere showing of the
film, Oechsle invited members from 25
area lire departments as well as city officials
and members of the press as guests. More
Ihaii (0(1 people allended Ihe screening.
One of two Charles Cinemas panthers
is shown here with friends she made
while heralding "The Return of the
Pink Panther."
Live, Film Music Concert
Breaks Ozoner Records
I he recent "July 3" celebration at Midvva\'
Drive-In is something manager Stephen
Duniont and area patrons around Littleton,
N. H., will be talking about for some
time to come: Dimiont because of the
phenomenal boxoffice and patrons because
of the good time.
Billed as a movie concert, the event was
the first of its kind for the New England
ozoner, combining as it did Fox, a fourmember
rock group, with "Gimme Shelter"
and "Pink Floyd." The group opened thj
concert, performing on the roof of the projection
and concessions building.
"We established the biggest boxoffice
gross and concessions sale for a single night
since the drive-in opened over 18 years
ago," Dumont said. He noted further thai
("inemette circuit, which owns the Midway,
is considering movie concerts at a iiumboi
ol Ms olher theatres.
45 BOXOFFICE Showmandiser