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Columbia<br />
Its<br />
Shorts<br />
Projects<br />
Most Important<br />
Program<br />
A 'McBoing Boing' Sequel<br />
Among 118 Subjects<br />
Lined Up for 1952-53<br />
Columbia is projecting the most ambitious<br />
short subjects program in its history<br />
—a total of 118 subjects for the 1952-53<br />
season. The lineup includes a number of<br />
continued series, new and reissue comedies,<br />
and the cartoons in Technicolor, all of<br />
which add up to 27 two-reelers, 87 one-reelers<br />
including 27 cartoons, and four serials.<br />
Dozen Releases From PA<br />
At the top of the list go the dozen releases<br />
compounded on the drawing boards<br />
of United Productions of America, creator<br />
of "Gerald McBoing Boing." And on this<br />
year's expanded schedule there is another<br />
"hot" item, the second Gerald cartoon.<br />
"Gerald McBoing Boing's Symphony," the<br />
sequel, shows the little noise-making boy at<br />
work as the one man sound effects department<br />
of a radio station. By calling attention<br />
to its Academy Award winning predecessor,<br />
the new film, backed by the same sort of<br />
advertising, promotion and publicity campaign<br />
given the original, can make a similar<br />
or better record at the boxoffice. The<br />
newly published "Gerald McBoing Boing"<br />
comic book and the hard-cover volume of<br />
the same title are definite pre-selling aides.<br />
The continuing and growing success of<br />
UFA cartoons has created a steady 'rise in<br />
the number of releases. Of the 12 on the<br />
1952-53 list, six star Mr. Magoo, who has<br />
cracked the top rank of cartoon characters.<br />
Five others join the new "Gerald" in the<br />
Jolly Frolics group. Among the latter is<br />
"Madeline," based on Ludwig Bemelmans'<br />
children's book classic. The book publishers,<br />
Simon & .Schulsler, and local book<br />
stores are alerted to cooperate with exhibitors<br />
in tie-in campaigns. Columbia has already<br />
held special screenings of this subject<br />
for educators and librarians, who have<br />
expressed hope that local theatres will advertise<br />
the showing to inform children and<br />
adults who have been told about the short.<br />
Three Stooges in<br />
Eight Films<br />
For laughs, the Three Stooges will be<br />
hack in eight two-reelers. Jules White, who<br />
produces the Stooge comedies, also will<br />
turn out six more two-reelers, under the<br />
All-Star banner, starring Andy (Hyde, Joe<br />
Besser, Wally Vernon and Fddie Quillan.<br />
Along with the old standbys, there is a<br />
new series in Columbia's (jiie-reel program.<br />
'Animal Cavalcade," devoted to showing<br />
the training and performances of top animal<br />
acts, is narrated by radio-TV comedy<br />
It's the Follow Through That's Important in Selling Shorts<br />
by MAURICE GRAD<br />
Short Subjects Sales Manager,<br />
Columbia Pictures Corp.<br />
Today, more than ever before<br />
"Follow Through" in our<br />
industry', just as with the<br />
golfer who fervently hopes<br />
one day to turn in a score<br />
in the 70s, is absolutely essential<br />
in order to accomplish<br />
the desired result. He cannot,<br />
as the pro so correctly<br />
emphasizes, stop his concern<br />
with the ball at the moment<br />
of impact, but must see to it<br />
that the whole body continues<br />
in the same motion<br />
with which it began so that he<br />
can receive the full benefit of<br />
all his weight and all the<br />
strength at his command.<br />
This is just as true in business<br />
as it is in sport.<br />
But what about our own industry?<br />
Do we "follow<br />
through," or do we sometimes<br />
let our picture play without<br />
any help from a merchandising<br />
point of view?<br />
Too often the latter is what<br />
happens in the case of shorts<br />
and serials. And it is in this<br />
very field that the exhibitor<br />
should exert greater effort, for<br />
it is often through these films<br />
that a weak engagement can<br />
be built into a profitable one.<br />
1 am reminded particularly of<br />
one exhibitor with whom I<br />
spoke on my recent trip<br />
around the country". He had<br />
booked our "Cavalcade of<br />
Broadway" reel featuring<br />
Johnnie Ray, which was produced<br />
just as that young singer<br />
hit the peak of his popularity.<br />
Not content to sit back satisfied<br />
with the usual "also selected<br />
short subjects" line, he<br />
star Morey Amsterdam.<br />
Maurice Grad<br />
included Johnnie Kay copy in<br />
his newspaper advertising and<br />
posted paper in his lobby well<br />
in advance of playdate. The<br />
result? He told me that although<br />
the feature picture was<br />
one on which he expected only<br />
moderate business, his gross<br />
for the engagement was well<br />
above the average for the<br />
liouse.<br />
An exceptional case? I<br />
think not. for this is the kind<br />
of merchandising so vitally<br />
needed to see us through a<br />
period of declining grosses.<br />
Naturally the job of merchandising<br />
isn't one to be<br />
carried by the exhibitor alone.<br />
Here at Columbia we have always<br />
held the position that<br />
selling film to the public requires<br />
the best efforts of both<br />
the distributor and of the exhibitor;<br />
and kve have always<br />
planned our releases and our<br />
campaigns with this thought<br />
in mind. We believe merchandising<br />
begins with the selection<br />
of the story material and<br />
the production of that story,<br />
not with the sale of a can of<br />
film. And we try our best to<br />
continue our share of the merchandising<br />
right through production<br />
and into release.<br />
The UPA cartoons are going<br />
to receive the same nationwide<br />
effort we have always<br />
There will be eight<br />
of the animal shorts on the first year's program.<br />
World of Sports, with out-front and<br />
behind-the-scenes action in all sports, will<br />
have 12 entries, with Bill Stern again<br />
handling the narration.<br />
There will be six of the Allan Fuiit Candid<br />
Microphone subjects and 12 of the<br />
hardy ])erennial, Ralph Staub's Screen<br />
Snapshots, now in its 32nd year and the<br />
oldest shorts series going. This year's<br />
schedule is headed by "Hollywood Fun Festival,"<br />
starring Martin and Lewis.<br />
A number of past successes are being<br />
rereleased. There will be 12 two-reel comedies,<br />
evenly divided among the Assorted<br />
and Comedy Favorites series. These feature<br />
Hugh Herbert, Vera Vague, Buster Keaton,<br />
I.con Errol, Una Merkel. Billy Gilbert.<br />
Success of the cartoon rereleases. Color<br />
Favorites, has upped the number of subjects<br />
in Technicolor from 12 to 15. Featured<br />
in this series will be the "Fox and the<br />
given them in the past. Many<br />
of you saw the layout in Life<br />
on one of the UP.\ Jolly Frolics<br />
cartoons, "Rooty Toot<br />
Toot." This was a sample of<br />
the sort of publicity we are<br />
always seeking for our shorts<br />
—and the kind we hope to get<br />
for more of them. In particular,<br />
there are two reecnt UPA<br />
releases of which you will be<br />
hearing more in the coming<br />
weeks, "^^adeline" and "Gerald<br />
McBoing Boing's Symphony."<br />
"Madeline" went<br />
into national release Thanksgiving<br />
day, but before that we<br />
had arranged with the book<br />
publishers to alert all of their<br />
outlets to the release, paving<br />
the way for extensive book<br />
shop tieups for exhibitors;<br />
and screenings were held for<br />
educators and librarians<br />
across the country.<br />
The second Gerald is now<br />
in prerelease here in New<br />
York, and promotion and<br />
merchandising is well under<br />
way. Screenings are being<br />
held for every important magazine<br />
and newspaper, layouts<br />
are being worked out, and<br />
every effort is being extended<br />
to make this a worthy successor<br />
to the first Gerald.<br />
But that is only our part<br />
of the job. The most important<br />
part comes when the exhibitor<br />
books the subject and<br />
begins his own campaign. .\11<br />
of the pressbooks, posters,<br />
mats, publicity in the world<br />
do no good if patrons don't<br />
know what the short is about<br />
and were it is plaving.<br />
A public-wise veteran of our<br />
industry once said, "Tell 'em<br />
and you can sell 'em." But<br />
you have to tell them first.<br />
That's what follow-through<br />
will do.<br />
Crow." There will be eight Thrills o;|<br />
Music rereleases, featuring popular bands<br />
men Jerry Wald, Ray McKinley and Raij<br />
Anthony. Retail record outlets and loca<br />
radio disk jockeys can be brought into pro<br />
motion campaigns for these one-reelers.<br />
Columbia also will make available eigU<br />
one-reel shorts of various classes in its neM<br />
Topnotcher series and is continuing<br />
availability of such 1951-.52 subjects a|<br />
the two-reeler in Technicolor, "A Day Witl<br />
the FBI" and the six classical Music t