Boxoffice-Febuary.28.1953

Local Promotion and Press Praise
Spark Anniversary Celebration
Observing the 25th silver anniversary of the
founding of the Georgia Theatre Co., P. E.
McCoy, city manager at Augusta. Ga., enlisted
the aid of newspapers and radio stations
in highlighting special attractions booked at
the Miller Theatre.
Both the Augusta Chronicle and the Herald
used editorials praising William Jenkins,
president of the circuit, and commending him
for his services to the state and the local
community. Each paper ran photos of the
local theatres and pictorial features, touching
on milestones of the motion picture industry
from flickers through sound to third-dimension.
Four radio stations in Augusta. WRDW,
WGAC. WBBQ, and WJBP, gave laudatory
observance to Jenkins and the local theatre
enterprise. McCoy decorated the theatre
Washington Day Show
Has Bank as Sponsor
A neighborhood savings bank sponsored a
special morning show on February 2? honoring
Washington's birthday at the De Luxe
Theatre in the Bronx. The tieup was made
by Arnold Kirsch, manager of the De Luxe,
who sold 1,000 tickets at regular admission
to the bank. Upon request, every adult customer
received a free ticket good for a child's
admission at the special show.
Kirsch gave the bank credit in a screen
trailer and on 5.000 heralds distributed at
neighborhood schools. Posters at the bank
and in the theatre lobby informed the public
on the manner in which free tickets could
be obtained.
The screen .show included "The Sea Hawk,"
a reissue, and several cartoons.
'Miserables' in Library
Jack Knight, manager of the Capitol Theatre,
Welland, Ont., had the public library
display a large setpiece in the reading room
plugging "Les Miserables." Knight also had
the cooperation of school principals who instructed
teachers to announce the time, place
and picture in classrooms.
(Continued from preceding page)
promises as much, or more, for exhibitors Parent-Teachers Okay
as the current furor over 3-D.
Special Kiddy Shows
High installation costs of TV in theatres
has retarded expansion of this phase Sam Greisman. manager of the Embassy
of our business, .\nother factor has been
Theatre, Fort Wayne, Ind.. has launched a
series
the scarcity of suitable programs with
of eight special Saturday morning
sufficient public interest. Still another
children shows which has been approved and
is
the uncertainty of the attitude of the
endorsed by Parent -Teacher as.sociations
throughout the city. Films are selected from
FCC.
Meantime, theatre telecasts of events the Children's Film Library.
having exceptional national importance, The series has been approved by the safety
if
continued as a public service, can do a
patrol of the police department, public school
officials,
tremendous job of indoctrinating the public
and getting the people wanned up for
the Athena child study club and
the Photoplay endorsers.
the advantages large-screen television will
Members of the PTA organizations serve
provide when regular telecasts are available.
as hostesses at the morning show, and city
departments furnish fire and police protection.
— The programs have been enthusiasti-
Chester Friedman
Direction Signs Plus
Song Tie-Ins Exploit
Guelph, Ont., 'Bali'
Herb Chappel, manager of the Palace Theatre,
Guelph, Ont.. placed 20 arrow-.shaped
signs on telephone poles along the main
street, pointing in the direction of the theatre.
The signs were appropriately lettered with
"Road to Bali" copy.
Songs from the picture were plugged over
the local radio station; a scene cut was
planted with the daily newspaper, and the
largest music .shop in town decorated its entire
window space with posters, records and
picture credits.
On " Sudden Pear." the new,spaper sponsored
a contest in which readers were asked to
describe their first "sudden fear" and how
they overcame it. Chappel put up theatre
passes as prizes.
A comprehensive campaign wa-s worked out
in connection with "Something for the Birds."
Chappell used conventional lobby displays
advertising a baby giveaway, the "baby" being
a bird. A complete exhibit was set up in the
lobby and used display piece, with a picture lobby consisting of baby carriage, diapers and
of Jenkins, in the center of the lobby.
a clothes dryer with the tie-in catchline,
The anniversary celebration was launched "Clotheslines are for the birds, etc." The giveaway
with a showing of "Breaking the Sound Barrier,"
was al.so advertised in the local paper.
which was widely covered by the press An usherette dre.ssed in feathered bird
and radio. The mayor of Augusta sent invitations
costume distributed packages of bird seed in
to county civilian defense officials, envelopes imprined with picture and theatre
civic heads, school officials and leaders from copy. The bird seed was promoted from the
nearby towns and communities as well as distributor.
military personnel. Columns of publicity in In return for theatre passes, 30 college students
obtained the signatures of 4,000 apart-
both local papers, announcements in city and
rural schools, and high praise from the military
ment house tenants on window cards—an in-
aroused wide local interest in the picture dication that 4,000 persons had read the thement
for its regular engagement at the Miller. atre ad copy.
On opening day, through arrangements with Downtown merchants displayed counter
the local defense director, a squadron of jet cards, and the A & P stores permitted theatre
fighters zoomed over the city. McCoy, in
employes to rubber-stamp thousands of
addition, arranged an exhibit of colorful jet paper bags with picture copy. The stamp
planes in the theatre lobby.
was also used on serviettes in popular restaurant,s.
Stresses Co-Op Heralds
Hartz Mountain Corp., distributor of bird
seed, provided Chappel with 2,000 special
heralds
On eight succe.ssive attractions which
imprinted with theatre advertising
played the Seneca Theatre. Salamanca.
on the reverse side. These were distributed
N.Y.,
in stores retailing the product. Woolworth's
Manager George Eiff sold co-op heralds to
devoted a full window to a display of bird
local merchants. Pictures which benefited
seed with picture and theatre advertising.
included "Plymouth Adventure."
Other tieups on "Something for the Birds"
Mi^^S^Sgs
included two co-op ads—one a quarter-page
layout. The Guelph Mercury used a fourcolumn
cut the day after opening, showing
f-^ubtic ^eeruice
the theatre audience laughing at the picture.
cally hailed by the Fort Wayne press.
38 — 46 — BOXOmCE Showrmandiser :: Feb. 28, 1953