Boxoffice-Febuary.07.1948

I,
Radio, Lobby Contests
Inaugurate 'Senator'
Run in New York
Radio and lobby contests and window tieups
highlighted the New York campaign for
"The Senator Was Indiscreet" at the Criterion
Theatre. Publicist Jerry Sager conducted
the campaign.
The Jerry Roberts show on WAAT featured
a ten-day contest in which listeners
were asked to identify famous campaign songs
of previous election years. Prizes were passes.
In the second radio contest, WMCA listeners
were asked by the station's popular disk
jockey, Ted Steele, to write on the subject of
"I Like William Powell Because" . . . Fifty
prizes were awarded consisting of merchandise
which was promoted.
Starting three days in advance, a contest
was held in the lobby of the Criterion with
patrons and passersby being given blanks to
identify famous campaign slogans of yesteryear.
A 40x60 poster focused attention on the
contest. Prizes were passes.
Window tieups with F. W. Woolworth, luggage,
book and stationery stores took the
form of diary tieups. A picture of William
Powell, star of the film, writing in his diary
provided an ideal promotional tieup for stores
pushing year-end sales of diaries.
Cleveland News Contest
Plugs 'Unfinished Dance'
A four-day contest in the Cleveland News
was a strong factor in exploiting "Unfinished
Dance" for Manager Arnold Gates at the
Stillman there.
Six art and story breaks, plus a story on
the winners, were received on the contest
based on letters, "Why I Like to see Margaret
O'Brien and read her colimin in the Cleveland
News."
Gates promoted a citywide tieup with
music stores on the "Unfinished Dance"
record album, getting 500 streetcar announcement
and 30 window displays. Radio stations
plugged the picture through disk jockeys and
the music score. A dance school paid for a
large co-op ad in the Sunday amusement page
of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The ad contained
a scene from the picture and carried
the theatre dates.
$1,200 Worth of Air Time
Costs Pincus Only $47
Manager Charles M. Pincus of the Utah
Theatre in Salt Lake City spent $47.50 and
received $1,200 worth of free preopening
radio promotion on "My Wild Irish Rose."
His gratis time consisted of 13 quarter-hour
programs of the complete album with theatre
mentions and plugs for the picture on all
five local radio stations; three 15-minute
shows for five days prior to the opening, with
the theatre plugged, and guest tickets given
for prizes to see the pictui'e; 15 spot announcements
plugging the Junior Spelling
Bee and "My Wild Irish Rose"; spots on the
Junior Spelling Bee; spots on Flight to Fame;
ad-lib plugs on the Jazzbo radio program;
sports announcer program with tickets to
the picture offered for those guessing the
name of the champions mentioned. All he
paid for was a spot anouncement following
Louella O. Parsons and a half-hour program
over another radio station.
Pincus also promoted a 4x8-ad, sponsored
by a local jewelry store the day before the picture
opened. The picture held for an extra
week.
Harrisburg Telegraph
Sponsors 'Good News'
Cooperative Page
The Harrisburg, Pa.. Telegraph annually
offers a cash prize to the first baby born after
the new year. This year, Sam Oilman, manager
of the Regent, sold the new.spaper on
the idea of a full page co-op ad by local merchants
which was headed, "Good News for
the first baby born in Harrisburg in 1948."
Each merchant also contributed a gift for
the child and incorporated the title of Gilman's
feature attraction, "Good News" in
his space.
Door panels leading into the Regent were
covered with blowups of chorus girls holding
megaphones. Each panel had one letter
spelling out the title "Good News" to form
an eye-catching flash.
Calendars, heralding "Good News for the
New Year," were distributed throughout the
city.
The Canadian Advertising Approach
Publicity on 'Shoe Shine'
Sparkles in Cincinnati
strong newspaper support was enlisted to
publicize "Shoe Shine" at the RKO Lyric
in Cincinnati. The three Cincinnati dailies
devoted advance stories and art to the film
which recently won acclaim from the National
Board of Review. The Italian language
paper. La Voce, gave exceptional space to the
production, including page one readers and
notices.
were contacted by Nate
Italian societies
Wise, local publicity manager for RKO Theatres.
A special theatre front was erected
highlighting the rave notices the pictvu-e
received both nationally and in Cincinnati.
FmaL "a TIVOUECUNfON
VICTOR MATURE BRIAN DONIEVY.-./ «w,,,.,;COllEEN GRAY
1!«
Sells Action Film
An impressive lobby display helped promote
"Killers AH" for Ernest Alcanter, manager
I
%
of the Mission, Sacramento, Calif. Al- %
canter made up a large setpiece showing
scene stills from the picture, with graphic
photographs of noted criminals, an exhibit
of rifles and a blood-stained dimmiy. Playing
up the "crime does not pay" angle, Al- ||
canter reports better than average business
with the show.
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BOXOFFICE Showmandiser —369—
Striking a note of originality, these ad layouts arranged by the art department of
Famous Players Canadian Corp. under the direction of James R. Nairn, circuit adpublicity
head, deliver maximum selling appeal. Emphasis is on star values, whenever
possible, particularly where new talent commands attention from the public
through advance publicity.