Boxoffice-Febuary.18.1956

O
Birthdays Promotion
Influences Elderly
Bob Walker, owner and manager of the
Uintah Theatre, has a birthday and anniversary
greeting card system working for
his theatre in Fruita, Colo., which is attracting
considerable attention, even from
the town's TV fans.
The American Legion auxiliary in Fruita
last summer started making up a 1956
calendar showing the birth dates and anniversary
dates of local residents. The listings
cost 25 cents each and the calendars
sold for 50 cents. To help the auxiliary
on selling the birthday listings, Bob oifered
to mail out passes to persons on their
birthdays and anniversaries if they were
listed on the calendar.
The first of the year after the calendars
were delivered, Bob made up a couple of
hundred postcards on the mimeograph,
both for birthdays and anniversaries. The
cards were imprinted to look like the
Uintah marquee, and to liven them up, Bob
drew colored lines to represent neon tubing.
The sign board part of the marquee bore
appropriate "Happy Birthday" or "Happy
Anniversary" lettering, and the card was
good for one admission to a specific picture
on stated nights.
"One card," he said, "was mailed to a
lady who is somewhere between 75 and 80.
Some time back she won a hundred bucks
on Money in the Bank night and bought
herself a TV set. Of course, she quit me
cold right then.
"Then she got the birthday card, which
just pleased the heck out of her. She
brought the husband along on Friday and
Saturday. She was so thrilled over the
show and so enthralled by Warners' short.
Hold Your Horses,' that she wrote me a
card to tell me about it and thank me
again. She's liable to get the TV habit
again, but at any rate, I pleased an oldtimer.
"Another one, who came in Saturday, was
a lady of 93. On my first oldtimers party
she was the longest-married bride. She and
her husband had been married 71 years
then. Her daughter and family never miss
a show, but the old lady doesn't get out
very often since her husband died last year.
"Well, they brought her and I never felt
better than when she came over to thank
me for the card. Those oldtimers really
appreciate being remembered on their
birthdays."
All in all, Bob said, the calendar pass
idea helped the auxiliary, and it seems to be
helping the theatre.
"I've already had a repeat from a few
that hadn't been here since TV," he said.
"It pleases them, I'm sure."
Star Photo Giveaway
Ed Beaman of the Jayhawk, Topeka.
recently gave away pictures of Tony Curtis
as a concession premium to build advance
interest in "The Square Jungle." Popcorn
boxes were marked to signify winners, and
Beaman said the teenage girls were really
buying popcorn to get the pictures.
Ballyhoos Receive Starring Emphasis
In Campaign for The Golden Arm'
For "The Man With the Golden Arm,"
William J. Trambukis of Loew's State in
Providence, R. I., planted giant six-foot
postcards addressed to Frank Sinatra on
various street corners during rush hours
each day for a week in advance. Pedestrians
were asked to affix their signatures
to the card, telling Sinatra that they were
awaiting the arrival of his most recent
film.
Trambukis also secured permission from
the landlord of a vacant store in the downtown
area to blacken one section of a
main window with the exception of a small
peephole. Copy on the window stated,
"Take a glimpse of an unusual picture."
Beyond the peephole, Trambukis set up a
suspended gold arm. Near the store entrance,
the manager stationed an usher
who distributed heralds to all passersby
who stopped for a peek.
GIRLS IN TIGHT COSTUMES
A black skintight costume was obtained
and one arm was gilded with gold paint;
then a pretty model put it on and toured
the downtown section wearing the costume
and a sign: "Curious? Call me at
GAspee 1-2987." That's the telephone number
of the theatre, of course.
Another crowd-stopper was a drummer's
marathon, worked out with the aid of the
Adam's music store. A drummer appeared
in the main window of the store from early
morning and into the night one day, with
the music concern advertising the event
in its ads. Arrangements were worked out
for serving of food, shaving by a barber,
etc. Every two hours, WRIB played a
record of a drummer as background, then
announced, "The drummer is still at it at
Adam's Music Store, as you just heard
over our direct hookup, etc."
DISPLAYS BY JEWELERS
Providence being the heart of the jewelry
industry in this area, the manager also
worked with the Jewelers Ass'n to have
counter and window displays on all forms
of gold, with proper tie-in credits.
For radio-television publicity, Trambukis
serviced the disk jockeys on WJAR,
WHIM, WRIB and WEAN with the Sammy
Davis jr. record inspired by the picture.
WJAR-TV used a trailer featuring Drew
Pearson, and an interview featuring Trambukis
and United Artists publicist Joseph
Manfield the day after the opening, adding
up to a total of 20 minutes of free
programming.
Six Silverstein News Agency trucks were
bannered on both sides plugging the Pocket
Book edition of "The Man With the Golden
Arm." The agency also serviced its distributors
with window cards and streamers.
A giant overhead display located on the
main theatre staircase three weeks in advance
utilized a giant golden papier-mache
cutout as an eye-catcher. After a week
it was moved into the main lobby, and.
finally, for the last week before playdate it
Illustrated here is one of the promotions being
used for "The Mon With the Golden Arm." This
one was arranged by Frank Henson, manager of
Loew's State in St. Louis. The "drummer marathon"
was conducted for 40 hours in the Ludwig music
store. It was picked up by local radio and TV stations
and newspapers.
became an overhead piece on the outside
of the theatre.
The front of the marquee bore only the
giant golden arm during the engagement.
The sides carried the usual billing copy,
which could also be seen when viewed from
directly in front of the house, because of
the angle.
Puts Trailer on TV
A television program, "Hollywood Today,"
gave time to Jack Golladay, manager of the
Lincoln, Springfield, 111., for a trailer on
"The Lieutenant Wore Skirts."
Harold Smythe used downtown vacant
buildings in Du Quoin, 111., for windowdisplays
and special displays on "The
Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell."
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BOXOFFICE Showmandiser I
Feb. 18. 1956 — 51 — 45