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CHESTER FRIEDMAN
EDITOR
HUGH E. FRAZE
Associate Editor
mmj
SECTION
PRACTICAL IDEAS FOR SELLING SEATS BY PRACTICAL SHOWMEN
I
APRIL AWARDS MARK FIRST
ANNIVERSARY OF BONUS
Ten managers and exhibitors added their
names to the list of BOXOFFICE Bonus winners
during April to round out the roster
of showmen who qualified during the first
12 months of the incentive plan.
Just one year ago, in a new enferged format
of the Showmandiser section, BOXOFFICE
announced its unique plan to stimulate the
exchange of ideas among theatremen and to
recognize their efforts and achievements
through monthly Bonuses and Citations of
Honor.
Including the April winners, 114 theatremen,
representing almost every one of the
48 states, the Canadian provinces and the
British Isles, were among those who received
one or more Bonuses. Only one of the winners
was cited twice in the same month although
at least six others have won Bonuses
more than once.
Because of the fact that outstanding ideas
each month are selected on the basis of merit
with allowance for the type of theatre, run,
size, drawing power and local limitations,
theatremen from the rural and suburban
communities were as well represented among
the wiimers as their colleagues in the metropolitan
areas. More than half of the Bonus
recipients were managers, assistant managers
or publicity men connected with Independent
theatres without circuit ties.
Scores of letters received from subscribers
during the last year attest to the value of the
BOXOFFICE Bonus in stimulating their own
efforts and in helping to increase their
grosses through the application of ideas and
suggestions of other theatremen in situations
similar to theirs.
An original idea, such as the one which
won a Bonus during April for James Mc-
Carthy, manager of the Warner Theatre in
Memphis, will be picked up and used to advantage
by many other showmen throughout
THE APRIL WINNERS
HOUSE PROGRAM;
Mark Allen, manager, Austin Theatre,
Kew Gardens, N. Y.
LOBBY DISPLAY:
William Joven, manager, Luna Theatre.
Kankakee, 111.
WINDOW TIEUP:
W. W. Fenety. manager. Gaiety
Theatre. Fredericton, N. B.
THEATRE FRONT:
Frank M Paul, manager, Lyric Theatre,
Indianapolis.
NEWSPAPER AD:
Phil Keough, manager. State Theatre,
Oklahoma City.
BALLYHOO:
Abe Ludacer. manager, Valentine
Theatre, Toledo.
ORIGINAL IDEA:
James McCarthy, manager, Warner
Theatre, Memphis.
GENERAL TTEXIP:
Norman Shannon, manager, Dundee
Theatre. Omaha, Neb.
COOPERATIVE AD:
Eddie DiResta, manager, Rialto Theatre,
Amsterdam, N. Y.
PUBLIC RELATIONS:
Max Page, manager, Browny Theatre,
Brownsburg, Ind.
the country during the coming months. Mc-
Carthy's stunt involved a realistic rainfall
effect created at the edge of his theatre
marquee to exploit "April Showers." Besides
earning the appreciation of the BOXOFFICE
staff for his Ingenuity, McCarthy has already
received commendation from many of his
fellow theatre managers in letters addressed
to the Showmandiser section.
One of the Schine circuit managers, Eddie
DiResta of the Rialto Theatre, Amsterdam,
N. Y., earned preference over dozens of his
colleagues in winning the April Bonus for
co-op newspaper ads. DiResta averaged a
full page of co-op advertising a week and
was a close contender for a Bonus last
month.
Phil Keough, manager of the State in
Oklahoma City, was awarded a Bonus for
devising an unusual newspaper advertisement
running in one column width down the full
depth of the page. Keough arranged for
the ad to nm on the right side of the page,
making use of tf a white space in the page
gutter to get a unique effect.
An attractive series of house programs in
offset printing, the handiwork of Mark AUen,
manager of the Austin, Kew Gardens, N. Y.,
was rewarded with a $10 check and a Citation
of Honor.
The most outstanding window display submitted
came from W. W. Fenety. manager of
the Gaiety, Fredericton, N. B., Canada. William
Joven, manager of the Luna Theatre,
Kankakee, HI,, demonstrated his creative
skill in an illusion simulating a "Stairway
to Heaven" lobby display.
A Bonus was awarded to Norman Shannon
of the Dundee Theatre, Omaha, for a general
tieup. Max Page, manager of the Browny
Theatre, Brownsburg, Ind., received the public
relations Bonus for his quick action in staging
a benefit show for neighbors made homeless
by the recent floods.
Frank Paul, manager of the Lyric, Indianapolis,
and Abe Ludacer of the Valentine, Toledo,
received Bonuses for theatre front and
ballyhoo promotions.
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Jrend
According to a report published last week in the New York
Times, the motion picture industry will not be alone in its
efforts to rekindle public interest in its services. .\n entire
crop of educational and public relations campaigns are planned
for the immediate future by many national advertisers which
will move competitive promotion into the background.
The new trend is designed to "inform" the public on a variety
of topics. The indirect approach will accentuate the "tell"
method of promotion rather than the "sell" method. Many
such promotions have already been planned, according to the
Times report. They include savings banks and a church
denomination. Pictures such as "\ Remember Mama" and "The
Bishop's Wife" can probably do more for banks and churches
in regaining the interest of the public than any other method.
At the same time, it is reassuring to see that theatremen
and exploiteers do not lose sight of the opportunities these pictures
offer for cooperative tieups.
Banks and churches are two of our great national institutions.
So is the local theatre. Understanding each other's problems
and working together promise greater mutual benefits.