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Newsboys March to Loew's Theatre
With Banners on 'The Naked City
Leaving no avenue of promotion unexplored,
Arthur Groom, manager of Loew's
Theatre in Evansville, Ind., put on a thorough
campaign for "The Naked City" that created
considerable word-of-mouth comment and
was reflected in increased patronage.
A dual display was used in the lobby a full
month in advance, and a week before opening
an attractive overhead was rigged up,
with giant size cutout letters of the title.
Duiing the engagement, a 40x60 bearing rave
reviews on the picture was on display in the
lobby.
Ten days prior to opening, a special screening
was held for newspaper and radio critics,
the Chamber of Commerce business manager,
the head of a local modeling agency and
Liberty fleet taxi drivers. The press responded
with advance reviews, three-column
art and story breaks in advance and after
opening, and front-page mention in the Sunday
Courier and Pi-ess. Special art and a
plug were planted in the radio publication.
Listen, which is distributed weekly in grocery
stores and homes.
The Courier newsboys attended the opening
night performance en masse by special
invitation, parading from the newspaper office
down Main street to the theatre, led by
police escort. The boys carried huge banners
announcing "We're on our way to see ..."
Outdoor posting was exceptional, with a
special bamier erected on the Hotel Sonntag
covering the entire length of the building.
This was put up a week in advance and stayed
throughout the pictui-e's run. The attraction
sign for the New Yorker cocktail lounge was
snared for a "The Naked City" plug, prominent
displays were set in the lobby of the
McCurdy, Vendome and Sonntag hotels, on
the mezzanine floor of Schear's department
store, in the windows of two local cafeterias,
and a special display was set up at the entrance
door of Wood's drug store on Main
street. In addition, lOO cards were spotted
in choice windows and on downtown store
counters.
Permission was granted to post a sign on
the bulletin board at Evansville college, and
Groom tied up with a local soda fountain to
feature "The Naked City" sundae.
Lucky number cards were distributed to
1,000 school children, with guest tickets
awarded to those finding corresponding numbers
posted in the lobby. The Liberty taxi
drivers distributed some 3,000 courtesy cards
to fares, recorrunending the picture.
Gratis radio plugs were landed on the
Pass the Buck program. Listen While You
Work program, and a 15-mLnute newscast
every day of the picture's run. Groom got
himself interviewed for the Man on the Street
broadcast, answering questions about "The
Naked City," and a few days later Groom's
assistant, Warren Weber, went through the
same routine.
Paper Doll Cutouts Make
Clever Display for 'Bride'
Lou Fuhrmann, assistant manager of the
State, Courtland, N. Y., devised a clever window
stunt in conjunction with "The Bride
Goes Wild." Fuhrmann took small cutouts
of paper dolls, masked them with crepe paper
for veils, then mounted them on cards to be
used in windows and on counters. They made
a novel display and were unusually attractive.
Fuhrmaim also planted a "Broken Heart"
contest with the local daily at the cost of a
few passes.
'Iron Curtain
Quiz
The question, "What interests you about
'The Iron Curtain' "? was used on the Man
on the Street broadcast in Norwich, Conn.,
to help publicize Joseph Boyle's engagement
of the film at the Broadway Theatre. Boyle
also landed spot announcements on WNOC.
Radio Teaser Offers
40-Cent Halves to
Promote 'Bells'
Will Singer, manager of the Brandeis in
Omaha, worked a neat tieup with station
KOIL's Man on the Street program in connection
with the engagement of "The Miracle
of the Bells."
For several days the station announcer
gave teaser plugs as advance bait. "Watch
for the Miracle," was the keynote. Then he
offered to sell interviewees new Liberty bell
half dollars for 40 cents. That was the
miracle. Once the public caught on, interest
in the picture was hypoed.
Singer recently worked a tieup with local
transportation officials. The utility company
had been promoting a citywide courtesy campaign.
Representatives of the company rode
the street cars and buses asking operators of
the vehicles provoking questions. To drivers
who responded politely, they awarded free
tickets to see "The Mating of Millie," current
Brandeis attraction.
The tram company turned over its outside
advertising space to the theatre at no cost
and purchased 1,650 tickets at regular admission
price and distributed them to all
employes. The local press played up the
courtesy program with theatre mention.
Interest of Teen-Agers
Expanded for 'Mama'
Publicity centered around teen-age interest
for "I Remember Mama," at the United
Artists Theatre in Detroit. Alice Gorham,
publicity director for UDT, contacted all high
schools and invited senior class presidents
Comment cards
to a screening of the picture.
were collected and the opinions were used in
newspaper advertisements to impress the
youngsters with what their leaders had to
say about the film.
The Detroit Times cooperated with a contest
open to teen-age students in which prizes
were offered for the best letters submitted
on "The Best School Story of the Day." The
idea was to cover the most newsworthy event
in their school activities and results were
impressive. The tiein angle was the ambition
of the daughter in the picture to become a
journalist.
Pin Is Safety Insurance
For 'Pretty' Laughter
A laugh-provoking card with a safety pin
attached was used by Elmer Adams jr., manager
of the Hornbeck Theatre, Shawnee,
Okla., to promote "Sitting Pretty." Copy
read: "Free Insurance! Just in case you
cast aside all restraint and laugh aside all
buttons, take this with you when
."
you see . .
The cards were distributed at the theatre
a week in advance.
Frank Pratt, manager of the Paramount, Portland, Ore., used several clever gimmicks to
give the theatre atmosphere prior to the opening of "Fury at Furnace Creek." The house
staff was attired in cowboy outfits and a hitching post was set up outside the theatre for
patrons attending on horseback. A spin-the-wheel gadget was set up in the lobby with
patrons invited to test their skill and win passes. An usherette ran a chuck-a-luck table in
another corner of the lobby which gave patrons a second opportunity to get a free ticket to
see "Fury at Furnace Creek."
Penny Gag Clicks
A card with a permy attached was used by
Jack Randall, manager of the Strand Theatre,
Vancouver, B. C, to arouse interest In his
coming program. Headed, "A penny for
your thoughts," the copy continued: "We
think 'Out of the Past' is one of the most
outstanding pictures ever shown in Vancouver.
Starts . . .
"
.
38 —512— BOXOFFICE Showmandiser :: May 22, 1948
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