Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
CHESTER FRIEDMAN<br />
EDITOR<br />
HUGH E. FRAZE<br />
Associate Editor<br />
nmm<br />
SECTION<br />
PRACTICAL IDEAS FOR SELLING SEATS BY PRACTICAL SHOWMEN<br />
•uiaiMMuaaHMaMiMi<br />
^nQccadion<br />
Just two years aso. the new enlarged<br />
section of the Showmandiser<br />
made its initial appearance in<br />
BOXOFFICE. Two important innovations<br />
were incorporated into<br />
the section—the BOXOFFICE Bonus<br />
and the first practical quickreference<br />
index. At the same time,<br />
the publisher {I.ecided upon a bold<br />
step. The section was moved up<br />
front in its new format and imprinted<br />
on regular high grade stock<br />
which at the time was a costly and<br />
venturesome project because of the<br />
scarcity of coated newsprint.<br />
The immediate response from<br />
subscribers and the continuing<br />
comments during the past two years<br />
have justified the publisher's decision.<br />
More and more theatremen<br />
are coming to look upon the Showmandiser<br />
section with the same high<br />
esteem other departments of BOX-<br />
OFFICE have commanded for many<br />
years. That is evident in the vast<br />
exchange of correspondence enjoyed<br />
by this department with the men<br />
most concerned in keeping theatre<br />
receipts on the highest possible<br />
plane.<br />
The value of the Index and of the<br />
Showmandiser section as a permanent<br />
up-to-the-minute exploitation<br />
handbook for exhibitors is aptly<br />
expressed by O. Roald Vestbie of<br />
the Franklin Theatre, Oakland^,<br />
Calif., who writes: "I feel I have a<br />
stunt worthy of consideration for<br />
appearance in the Showmandiser<br />
section which I have filed and<br />
bound for the past few years."<br />
The value and importance of the<br />
BOXOFFICE Bonus in stimulating<br />
extra effort, inspiring new channels<br />
of promotion, and helping to place<br />
effective merchandising methods before<br />
the industry are best illustrated<br />
by the tremendous interest manifested<br />
by the hundreds of managers<br />
and exhibitors who contribute their<br />
endeavors to this department.<br />
The greatest influence the Bonus<br />
has wielded is to offer encouragement<br />
to the great majority of showmen<br />
in suburban and rural areas.<br />
There, without the tremendous factor<br />
of large populations, without the<br />
facilities of modern equipped newspapers<br />
and without the financial<br />
resources of their colleagues in large<br />
metropolitan cities, the struggle for<br />
business has always been the most<br />
iContinued on page 38j<br />
Bugs Bunny Birthday Tieup Accorded<br />
One-Year Extension With Air Quiz<br />
Warner Theatres in the Ohio territory recently<br />
observed the 13th anniversary birthday<br />
of Bugs Bunny with a continuous celebration<br />
throLighout the month of April.<br />
One of the most successful promotions was<br />
reported by Paul Montavon. manager of the<br />
Sherman. Chillicothe, Ohio. Montavon u.sed<br />
the occasion to tie up with the Howard Baker<br />
Co., Chrysler-Plymouth distributors, spon-<br />
.sors o! a radio program aired by station<br />
WBEX, to inaugurate a Good Deed Kiddy<br />
show from the stage of the Sherman.<br />
Merchants handling Bugs Bunny trademark<br />
items such as dolls, score cards, neckties,<br />
comic books, etc., were brought in on the<br />
deal as donors of special prizes for weekly<br />
and monthly winners of the Good Deed<br />
show.<br />
The over-all program received outright support<br />
and endorsement from the Ministerial<br />
Ass'n, PTA, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts,<br />
Mothers clubs, and had as its objective a reward<br />
for the boy or gnl who performed the<br />
most outstanding good deed each week.<br />
A committee of judges representing the<br />
various groups selected the winner from letters<br />
submitted by adults commending boys<br />
and girls for good deeds during the week.<br />
Weekly winners from the candidates were<br />
presented with a $5 savings account donated<br />
by a bank. These winners also became eligible<br />
for the Golden Deed Award of the<br />
Month and a variety of sports equipment<br />
provided by dealers handling the Bugs<br />
Bunny merchandise.<br />
The weekly stage show at the Sherman<br />
consisted of a quiz with questions furnished<br />
by the Teachers' A.ss'n. Contestants in teams<br />
of five boys and five girls in matched age<br />
and grade groups competed against each<br />
other. The show was broadcast over WBEX<br />
with the auto firm awarding cash prizes to<br />
winners. Theatre passes, ice cream sodas<br />
and other prizes were given the losing contestants.<br />
WBEX cooperated by furnishing two masters<br />
of ceremonies to conduct the quiz and<br />
recorded the half-hour program for rebroadasting<br />
at 7:30 every Saturday evening. The<br />
station also plugged the quiz for two weeks<br />
in advance and in daily spots throughout<br />
the month.<br />
Theatre participation in the advertising<br />
setup included lobby credits for the cooperating<br />
merchants. As a direct result of the<br />
one-month tieup. the auto agency and radio<br />
station extended the agreement for an entire<br />
year including the weekly quiz.<br />
BOXOFFICE NUGGETS<br />
Howard Griffin, manager of the State<br />
Theatre, Jefferson City, Mo., has been getting<br />
increased grosses on Friday and Saturday<br />
at a net expenditure of less than $2.00<br />
a week. Griffm recently discovered that his<br />
Friday-Saturday business was dropping off.<br />
He began to use advance lobby displays made<br />
from National Screen posters and photos<br />
which are moved out front during the current<br />
engagement. After one month, business<br />
began to get back to normal and then started<br />
to improve.<br />
Byron Frame, manager of the Lorraine<br />
Theatre, Hoopeston, 111., has a weekly tieup<br />
with the Chronicle-Herald for a classified<br />
ad section contest. The theatre issues free<br />
passes to local citizens whose names appear in<br />
the classified section, upon proper identification<br />
at the newspaper office. Frame has been<br />
getting extra publicity and creating good will<br />
in his community by inviting women's groups<br />
to use the Lorraine for their meetings. At<br />
—141—<br />
the Hoopeston General Women's club meeting<br />
recently, he delivered an address on the<br />
making of motion pictiu-es.<br />
Working without the services of an art<br />
shop, John Haney, manager of the Patio Theatre,<br />
Freeport, 111., contrived a false front<br />
for "The Sun Comes Up." Haney utilized<br />
stock litho paper, making a banner overhead<br />
from lettering cut out of a 24-sheet. For side<br />
retiuns, three-sheets were mounted on<br />
beaverboard.<br />
Bill Hulbert, manager of the Massena<br />
(N. Y.i Theatre, promoted a full-page newspaper<br />
co-op ad to help exploit "So Dear to<br />
My Heart." The stunt was worked in connection<br />
with an offer of passes to persons<br />
identifying the titles of song hits from previous<br />
Disney films, inserted in each of the<br />
sponsoring merchant's ads.<br />
37
Change language