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Salufe to Bell Aircraft Catapults<br />
Premiere of 'Worlds Collide<br />
The world premiere of "When Worlds Collide"<br />
hit the city of Buffalo with an impact<br />
almost as strong as the effect of two planets<br />
running head on into each other. The campaign<br />
started on a high civic level and took<br />
on the aspects of a circus promotion which,<br />
in spite of a severe storm, gave the Paramount<br />
Theatre one of its best openings.<br />
Paramount Pictures sent two exploitation<br />
representatives into the city to work with<br />
Arthur Krolick, C. B. Taylor and Ed Miller.<br />
Paramount Theatre executives.<br />
The main tie-in was with Bell Aircraft<br />
Corp., with the premiere assuming the proportions<br />
of a salute to the famous corporation<br />
which manufactures rocket missiles,<br />
supersonic planes, etc. Bell public relations<br />
officials and the Paramount representatives<br />
mapped out a cooperative campaign. 30x40<br />
posters were placed on bulletin boards in all<br />
three Bell plants in the city. A display provided<br />
by Bell was placed in the theatre lobby,<br />
with another on the mezzanine floor, featuring<br />
models of supersonic planes, jet motors,<br />
photographs of test fhghts of flying missiles,<br />
etc.<br />
On opening day, a flight of Bell helicopters<br />
flew over downtown Buffalo dropping handbills<br />
advertising the picture. Bell devoted the<br />
entire front page of its house organ. Aircraft<br />
News, to tell the story of the picture, enumerating<br />
all the events surrounding the premiere.<br />
Top officials of the company, headed by<br />
Bell, rode in special cars in a procession from<br />
city hall to the theatre on opening night.<br />
Bell addressed the audience, as did George<br />
Pal, producer of the picture.<br />
Two days prior to opening, the aircraft<br />
firm sponsored a luncheon at the Hotel<br />
Lafayette for visiting Korean veterans of all<br />
nations. Full press cooperation was accorded<br />
each of the promotions including a tour of<br />
the aircraft plant by Pal and his wife, following<br />
which the producer was guest of honor<br />
at a press and radio luncheon.<br />
A newspaper campaign was launched several<br />
weeks in advance of the premiere, with<br />
the Sunday Courier-Express using a full-page<br />
pictorial preview in the roto section. A Polish<br />
language newspaper with a large circula-<br />
Part of news agency fleet bannered with<br />
theatre signs announcing Buffalo premiere.<br />
tion carried a two-page feature layout in the<br />
magazine section.<br />
The Empire News Co., distributors of the<br />
Astounding Science fiction magazine, displayed<br />
posters on all trucks and distributed<br />
placards tieing in the magazine with the<br />
Paramount premiere to all newsstands<br />
throughout the metropolitan area.<br />
Sattler's department store cooperated by<br />
advertising the picture in a box topping a<br />
double-truck ad, and distributed 50,000 special<br />
heralds plugging the film. Three hundred<br />
of these heralds had a star imprint entitling<br />
the holder to claim a free pass to the Paramount.<br />
Spectacular display in lobby of Paramount includes exhibit of motors, jets<br />
dramatic photos of lest fhghts made by Bell aircraft by stratoplanes and rockets.<br />
28 — 266 —<br />
and<br />
Original drawings of sets used in filming the<br />
production were brought from Hollywood<br />
and displayed at the Buffalo Public library.<br />
The library further cooperated by distributing<br />
bookmarks advertising the premiere, and<br />
displayed books on interplanetary communication<br />
and allied subjects.<br />
A newsboy parade staged for 1,500 carriers<br />
resulted in additional newspaper breaks via<br />
photos and stories. Tied in with this stunt<br />
was a gimmick in which defense bonds were<br />
offered to boys who brought suitcases containing<br />
articles they would choose to take<br />
along on a trip to another planet. The bond<br />
were awarded for the best three selections ancresulted<br />
in an abundance of publicity breaks<br />
The opening night parade was headed by a<br />
girls drum corps and a contingent of theatre<br />
ushers carrying a large banner reading<br />
"On our way to see the world premiere, etc'<br />
Newsboys marched in the procession, and an<br />
A-board truck which had been used to ballyhoo<br />
the picture in suburban areas brought<br />
up the rear of the parade.<br />
The picture had an extensive outdoor po.sting<br />
campaign which included 50 24-.sheets ir<br />
Buffalo and principal highways leading to<br />
the city. Silkscreen process posters on the<br />
rear of taxicabs kept the premiere fresh in<br />
the minds of the public.<br />
Many large store windows were devoted to<br />
displays saluting the picture. Spot announcements<br />
were used on all Buffalo radio stations<br />
to herald the opening: a flash front'<br />
was built for current ballyhoo, and affiliated<br />
Paramount theatres ran cross-plug trailers.<br />
Thirty-five out-of-town newspapers were<br />
serviced with news stories and art advertising<br />
the premiere.<br />
Novelty Signs Draw<br />
To Halloween Show<br />
Gordon Jacobson. manager of the Lake,<br />
I<<br />
j_^<br />
'<br />
i<br />
'Si'<br />
Devil's Lake, N. D., used a novel street display<br />
to stimulate interest in his annual Halloween<br />
midnight show. On a street lamp-post,<br />
he placed several wide-body directional arrows,<br />
one above the other. They were painted<br />
i<br />
in traditional colors and copy on each arrow<br />
tpito<br />
played up a different feature of the show.<br />
According to Jacobson, the display caught i<br />
the eye of many passersby and motorists andi<br />
was instrumental in helping to draw a capacity<br />
house.<br />
To sell the same show to regular theatre:<br />
patrons, a banner was painted with skull'<br />
and crossbones, pumpkins, witches and black<br />
cats, carrying sales copy for the program. The<br />
letters and illustrations were outlined inphosphores<br />
paint. Following the screening<br />
of the feature, the house was darkened and a<br />
spot flashed on this banner which was hung<br />
against the traveler curtain. The banner<br />
glowed and immediately following, the trailer<br />
was screened announcing the midnight Halloween<br />
show.<br />
Newspaper Sponsors<br />
'Broadway' Contest<br />
Publicist Red King's campaign for "Two<br />
Tickets to Broadway" at the Keith Memorial<br />
in Boston, was headed by a jingle contest<br />
sponsored by the Boston Traveler and the<br />
Sunday Herald.<br />
The contest winner received tran.sportation<br />
to New York, free hotel room and meals, a<br />
tour of the city and theatre tickets. The<br />
Tiaveler devoted almost a column of space<br />
daily to the contest and accompanied the<br />
story with stills from the film productions.<br />
Ten disk jockeys on four leading radio<br />
stations plugged hit tunes form the picture<br />
almost continuously, beginning a week in advance.<br />
On opening day. one disk jockey from<br />
each radio station participated in a marathon<br />
broadcast from the theatre lobby for<br />
five hours. The broadcast was aired by their<br />
respective stations.<br />
BOXOFFICE Showmandiser :<br />
:<br />
Nov.<br />
24, 1951<br />
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