Boxoffice-September.23.1950

Store Imprints Bags
With Coloring Mat;
Theatre Pays Nil
A new technique for advertising motion
pictures on grocery bags was developed by
Reg Streeter, manager of the Huntington
Park (Calif.) Theatre, as part of his campaign
on "Rogues of Sherwood Forest."
Streeter contacted the manager of the City
supermarket, who agreed to imprint all shopping
bags distributed during a ten-day period,
prior to opening, with a mat and information
on a coloring contest. Store customers who
colored the drawing and submitted it to the
theatre were eligible to receive ten pair of
passes offered as prizes. Many thousands of
grocery bags were thus brought directly into
the homes, with complete information on the
playdates. A container was placed in the
theatre lobby, where entrants could deposit
their completed art pieces.
The unusual part of the tieup is the fact
that in exchange for the passes offered to
w'inners, the market agreed to pay all imprinting
costs.
To exploit "The Great Jewel Robber,"
booked on the same program, Streeter used
a "safe" stunt in the theatre lobby, sponsored
by a local jeweler. The merchant contributed
a ruby ring and a U. S. savings bond as
prizes for persons who were able to open a
safe in the lobby. The community was saturated
with cards noting various safe combinations,
and the public was invited to try
and open the safe. Those who were successful
received the big awards, and consolation
prizes of
theatre tickets were distributed.
Eight-Week Giveaway
Sponsored by Bottler
Douglas Craft, manager of the State, Lima,
Ohio, recently concluded an eight-week tieup
sponsored by the Dr. Pepper Bottling Co., in
which a bicycle was awarded to the person
turning in the largest number of bottle caps
from the sponsor's product. The distributor
also provided runnerup prizes, including cowboy
outfits, baseball outfits, etc. Weekly
prizes for persons turning in the most caps
created additional interest in the promotion.
At the conclusion of the contest, the mayor
of Lima awarded the grand prizes to winners
from the stage of the State.
The contest was publicized via newspaper
co-op ads, banners on the dealer's trucks and
an attractive lobby display featuring an exhibit
of the prizes offered to winners.
Movie Quiz Supports
Roy Rogers Feature
Art Baltzer, manager of the Palace, Corning,
N. Y., got some extra publicity for "Trigger
Jr." through a tieup with the neighborhood
record shop. He sold the merchant on
the idea of distributing circulars promoting
a Movie quiz, with questions based on Academy
awards. The first ten persons who submitted
printed forms with the correct answers
received theatre tickets for the new Rogers
film. The circulars included full mention of
the theatre bookings. In addition the merchant
ran a two-column, five-inch newspaper
ad with the same copy.
Local Promotion Adds Support
To Producer Aid for 'Prince
Considering the fact that Manchester, Ga.,
has a population of 3,300, George Slaughter,
manager of the President Theatre there,
believes that the record established of 3,122
paid admissions when he played "Prince of
Peace" is a considerable one. The picture
broke all previous records for attendance and
did a new record high on concession sales.
Aside from the cooperation of the producer's
representatives. Slaughter aroused
tremendous interest in the film by starting
his campaign two months in advance. At that
time he launched a whispering campaign and
a personal campaign by contacting preachers.
The clergymen gave him endorsements and
permission to promote a full-page advertisement
through public subscription, carrying
their laudatory comments. They also announced
the picture from their pulpits and
in Sunday school classes, and permitted window
cards to be placed in the windows of
their churches.
Cooperative advertising from the producer
provided several hundred window cards
v^^
SHOWMEN
^dont gamble
when you book a
HALLMARK
PRODUCTION
/
which were distributed throughout the area,
special lobby displays and a de luxe trailer
and 2,000 heralds which were mailed to rural
boxholders.
A 70-foot flagpole on top of the President
Theatre, which had not been u.sed for ten
years, was put to work for the display of a
banner 20 feet long and shaped like a windsock.
The difficult task of placing the banner
on the pole was done by a sign painter who
also donated his services in making the sign.
Slaughter promoted three large newspaper
cooperative ads from merchants, with the
Chevrolet dealer using a three-column layout
for 14 consecutive days prior to opening. A
local florist was contacted who made a huge
cross from new plastic foam, with a central
floral piece of roses. This was created for
the lobby and was displayed with a religious
bust painting.
The overall effect of the tremendous interest
aroused in the picture was directly responsible
for the record attendance and gross
which Slaughter reported.
Hallmark features
are Designed to
Produce Record
Box-office Grosses
then backed by
SliotomoMsAip
Campaigns to
make
these Record Grosses
Certain /
Ready for release Jan. 1,1951
ONE TOO MANY*
Hallmark's Sensational Story of Alcoholism
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PHONE
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BOXOFFICE Showmandiser Sept. 23. 1950 — 319 31