Boxoffice-May.15.1949

1
ing
National Promotions
Work on Local Basis
For 'Life of Riley'
Randall Roberts, manager of the Browny
Theatre, Brownsburg, Ind.. comes into the
U-I Unity drive exploitation contest with a
hangup campaign on "The Life of Riley."
He followed up all national tieins on Pepsi-
Cola. Reader's library. Bendix wa.shers, Prell
shampoo, etc.
A progressive grocery tied in by offering
free theatre tickets to "The Life of Riley"
with each order purchased during a onehour
specified period on Saturday before
opening. The store used a large ad to announce
the offer and easily made back the
expense of the ad plus the cost of the theatre
tickets. A downtown restaurant offered
a "Riley" special.
A banner was placed across the main street
of town, giving the feature, location of the
theatre and playdate. Roberts took a sound
truck to six neighboring towns where the
picture received a personal ballyhoo.
The Brownsburg newspaper and a weekly
published in an adjoining town provided extensive
cooperation thi'ough the insertion of
the picture title in type at the bottom of
each merchant's ad. Roberts received personal
letters of thanks from several of the
merchants who used tieups.
Chicks Given to 100 Kids
For 'Chicken Every Sun.'
One of the highlights of the campaign
for "Chicken Every Sunday" put on by
Spencer Steinhurst. manager of the 'Weis
Theatre in Savannah. Ga.. was a full-page
co-op ad in the Savannah Morning News.
Cooperating merchants also went along on a
stunt whereby theatre pas.ses were given to
store customers, paid for by the individual
sponsors.
The Coastal hatchery donated 100 baby
chicks to the first 100 kids attending the
opening show. Steinhur.st reports that downtown
Savannah was loaded with children as
a result of the baby chick giveaway. The
stunt worked so successfully that it was
repeated.
Five large markets paid for the cost of a
full-page ad and announced that theatre
tickets were enclosed with some of the
chickens offered for sale. The theatre received
a quarter-page ad on the picture at
no cost.
Jigsaw Puzzle Ad Is Used
To Plug life of Riley'
Duke Elliott, manager of the Strand, Carthage.
N. Y., developed a full page co-op
ad in conjunction with "The Life of Riley"
which had an unusual twist. Free theatre
passes were offered to the first 25 newspaper
readers who cut out and correctly assembled
a scene from the picture. Parts of
the scene were placed in each of the cooperating
merchant's ads. A large portion
of the space on the page was devoted to a
display ad plugging "The Life of Riley" and
the Strand dates.
Elliott also promoted window displays with
a furniture store and a clothing store. Taxicabs
and two mail trucks carried banners
plugging the picture.
BOXOFFICE Showmandiser May 14, 1949
SAN FRANCISCO CALL-BULLETIN
(0«i if
'Red Pony'
A Family
Life Study
By FRED JOHNSON
GIVEN A dog or a pony on Ihe
screen, you also espy the boy who
get-s same and loses ditto, or
otherwise does his juvenile best
to break your heart.
There's enough of that in "The
Red Pony," John Steinbeck's
story of ranch life in the Salinas
Vallev. which had its world premiere
yesterday at the Fox. But
there's also refreshment in its
study of the domestic relations
bound up with and influenced by
'
might be a cure for his discontent.
This it it
proved to be
after
he'd also felt loneliness during his
visit and returned to find the cure
within himself.
Child Shall Lead
It wouldn't seem a boy and hia
pony has much to do with all
this But loss of the animal docs
figure in it. with a conflict between
Tom and the farmhand
which atso has to be resolved,
along with an easier life emerging
for the gabby grandfather as
well.
a boy and his tiny horse.
In similar screen affairs the Myrna Loy. oddly ca.st as the
adults usually are bystanders drudging wife and mother, acquits
herself graciously and with-
whose lives move placidly on and
all that matters is the adolescent's
outcome after heart-trying Robert Mitchum is the personiout
benefit of smart answers and
fication of a kindly farm worker.
experiences.
Shepperd Strudwick. currently
Mission to Fulfill
the Father Matthieu in "Joan of
But boy and pet have much to Arc." turns in a thoughtful study
do in reshaping a family's way of of the confused father; Louis Calhern
is delightful as a Buffalo
getting on in "The Red Pony.
They were needed in the farm type of grandfather, and 10 year
circle of the Tiflins. whose head old Peter Miles is lovably unaffected
as the boy.
was a former schoolteacher who
remained a stranger to both family
and neighbors. His son Tom ing technicolor, is sensitively pro-
The Republic picture, in pleas-
had his gift of a pony, but looked duced and directed by Lewis
to the .sympathetic farm hand for Milestone from Steinbeck's own
companion-sh'ip and guidance. adaptation and with splendid photography
by Tony Gaudio.
A boresome father in law, with
his repetitious tales of the Old With no concessions to youthful
romance or other Hollywood
West, was resented only by the
maladjusted pedagogue, whose glo.ssing. "The Red Pony" is an
patient wife advised a visit to his exceptional and vastly entcrtain-
San Jose kin without suggesting
film for all ages.
Rep'-inted fro m The Son Francisco Call-Bulletin
MYRNA LOY
(IIAKLK.S K fflllHAN prfsmts
ROBERT MITCHUM
JOHN STEINBECK'S
in
yJ^e I^ee^Pon^
and introducing
illlJUll and SHEPPERl
PETER MILES as TOM and MARGARET HAMILTON
Screen Play by JOHN STEINBECK • Music by AARON COPLAND
Produced and Directed by LEWIS MIIESIONE • A REPUBLIC PROOUCIION
COLOR BY TECHNICOLOR