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It<br />
The army brought up its heavy armor to<br />
help Manager Nick Lavador ballyhoo "Salerno<br />
Beachhead" when it opened at the Center<br />
Theatre in Boston. The equipment was exhibited<br />
in conjunction with recruiting tieup.<br />
February Advertised<br />
As Movie Month<br />
Lamar Humphries, manager of the Pix<br />
Theatre, Evergreen, Ala., advertised February<br />
as Motion Picture month to stimulate<br />
patronage and arouse public interest in the<br />
outstanding attractions booked during the<br />
four-week period.<br />
He obtained a letter from the general<br />
manager of the Martin circuit stating in<br />
part: "I have advised our booking office to<br />
go allout for you in making February your<br />
Motion Picture month by bringing to the<br />
Pix the finest pictures available from all the<br />
major producing companies during this<br />
period." The letter was blown up and displayed<br />
in the theatre lobby along with four<br />
calendar cards lettered with the weekly attractions.<br />
Humphries promoted a full-page co-op ad<br />
from local merchants, congratulating the Pix<br />
and listing the February bookings. The ad<br />
appeared In the Evergreen Courant.<br />
Every '13th Letter' Wins<br />
Box of Writing Paper<br />
For "The 13th Letter," Monty Salmon,<br />
anager of the Rivoli Theatre, New York,<br />
vited women patrons to write in their opinion<br />
of the "new" Charles Boyer. In the film,<br />
Be Boyer plays an elderly small-town doctor,<br />
Jjalding and with a grizzled beard. For the<br />
5Wi best letters received, Salmon awarded<br />
21-jewel Bulova wrist watches. The writer<br />
of every 13th letter in the contest received<br />
a box of Whiting Royal deckle writing paper.<br />
Recruits Are Guests<br />
As a public and patriotic service. Gene<br />
Pleshette, manager of the Brooklyn Paramount<br />
Theatre, and Henry Spiegel, publicist,<br />
tied up with the army and air force recruiting<br />
service to obtain extra publicity for "At<br />
War With the Army." All accepted enlistees,<br />
both male and female, were guests of<br />
the theatre management during the run.<br />
Civic Proclamation<br />
Hails Astor Opening<br />
With 'September'<br />
The newly rebuilt and redecorated Astor<br />
Theatre in Syracuse, N. Y., opened with September<br />
Affair" as the feature, attraction and<br />
a citywide celebration sparked by Mayor T.<br />
J. Corcoran's proclamation marking Motion<br />
Picture Entertainment day.<br />
Fifteen hundred guests of the management<br />
and Paramount Pictures attended a special<br />
preview of the film, following a dinner at the<br />
Syracuse Hotel for leading citizens of the<br />
city.<br />
The advance campaign for the picture included<br />
large newspaper ads in the two daily<br />
papers and in the Syracuse University daily.<br />
Radio spot announcements and television<br />
trailers were part of a saturation campaign to<br />
reach the at-home audience. Three hundred<br />
three-sheets were sniped in conspicuous<br />
places throughout the area.<br />
A tieup with the safety campaign enabled<br />
the theatre management to placard several<br />
hundred street poles with arrows pointing In<br />
the direction of the Astor Theatre, copy reading,<br />
"Drive carefully on your way to the new<br />
Astor and the opening of 'September Affair.'<br />
" Smaller arrows were stenciled on the<br />
sidewalk in the downtown business area.<br />
Sjrracuse university students selected a boy<br />
and girl who most closely resemble the two<br />
stars of the film. These two acted as proxy<br />
stars at the opening night show. A halfhour<br />
program broadcast the premiere festivities<br />
opening night, and giant searchlights<br />
and a local band lent a Hollywood touch to<br />
the proceedings.<br />
The campaign was conducted by George<br />
Maxwell, manager of the Astor, and Ed Wall,<br />
representing Paramount Pictures.<br />
Ads Advise His Patrons<br />
Newsreels Are Back<br />
W. D. Van Derburgh, owner-manager of the<br />
Pageland (S. C.) Theatre, used newspaper<br />
publicity and special heralds to notify his patrons<br />
that he was again featuring newsreels<br />
as part of his regular theatre program.<br />
Van Derburgh dropped his newsreel several<br />
months back due to lack of public Interest.<br />
Since the war in Korea, however, and the fact<br />
that newsreels are now being flown Into the<br />
area to make them timely, he decided to rebook<br />
the U-I newsreel. A story was released<br />
to the newspaper, stressing the fact that the<br />
renewed service will bring local theatre patrons<br />
a pictorial account from all branches<br />
of the military service.<br />
Special circulars were distributed, announcing<br />
the fact that the newsreel would be shown<br />
three times nightly. A special display in the<br />
theatre lobby also publicized the added program<br />
attraction.<br />
Promotes Windows<br />
E. E. Coxall, manager of the Capitol Cinema,<br />
Barking, England, promoted window displays<br />
tieing in hats, underwear and bathing<br />
costumes as part of his campaign for "Two<br />
Weeks With Love." The Abbey Valet Service<br />
also used a full window tlein, exhibiting<br />
star heads, posters and stills. Theatre playdates<br />
were prominently in evidence.<br />
Loew's exploitation department in New York<br />
had this float tour neighborhood residential<br />
districts to ballyhoo "Eim." Models in harem<br />
costumes, three mechanical elephants, grass,<br />
palm trees, etc., made an attractive ilash.<br />
Hypnotist Promotion<br />
Breaks AP Wires<br />
Frank Paul, manager of the Lyric in Indianapolis,<br />
used a ballyhoo in behalf of the<br />
appearance of Jay Zee, a hypnotist, which<br />
Associated Press.<br />
made the<br />
Working through a local radio station at<br />
Shelbyville, Ind., Paul arranged for the hypnotist<br />
to give a demonstration in the window<br />
of a local furniture store. A boy and girl<br />
were put to sleep, and other interesting<br />
phenomena were performed while the subjects<br />
were in a state of hypnosis.<br />
The stunt was brought up to date by having<br />
the store run a telephone line into the<br />
window. While this was going on in Shelbyville,<br />
the hjrpnotist placed the subjects under<br />
his influence by telephone from the Lyric In<br />
Indianapolis.<br />
Paul tied up with a prominent market, arranging<br />
to have Zee give a demonstration of<br />
hypnotism on the store premises. In return<br />
for this, the store purchased a full-page<br />
newspaper ad announcing the event.<br />
Truck Signs Promote<br />
To Please a Lady'<br />
Several effective tieups helped to exploit<br />
"To Please a Lady" for W. L. Beck, manager<br />
of the Five Points Theatre, Jacksonville, Pla.<br />
Beck tied in with the local Ford dealer who<br />
used signs announcing the theatre booking<br />
on the back of all demonstrator cars.<br />
The Firestone Tire dealers also bannered<br />
delivery trucks and set up window displays as<br />
well as paying for two large newspaper<br />
co-op ads. A department store featured a full<br />
page ad offering values "To Please a Lady"<br />
and included a large display ad for the picture<br />
with theatre dates.<br />
A racing car, borrowed from the Jacksonville<br />
Speedway, was exhibited in front of the<br />
theatre and the Speedway made announcements<br />
to fans during sports events. Window<br />
displays connecting the title with bargain<br />
sales were used by shoe stores, radio shops,<br />
florists and the Jacksonville Gas Co.<br />
BOXOFFICE Showmandiser : : March 10, 1951<br />
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