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University Sponsors
Art Festival Event
Paul Gifford Anglim, for two years organizer
of the Pox Intermountain Theatres
Film Festivals, recently set up film
festival events for four Ubah and Idaho
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towns for the Intermountain Theatres circuit.
The festivals were set up at Logan
and Provo, Utah, and Boise and Twin Falls,
Ida.
At Logan. Anglim and Robert Hodges,
manager of the Capitol Theatre, secured
the sponsorship of the department of fme
arts at Utah State College for the film
festival. The department went all-out with
each section taking a special part of the
program as a class project.
The music department arranged a short
concert, the art department designed and
executed a special program for the evening
of the festival, and a special committee
rounded up an art exhibit of 27
paintings for the theatre lobby. A group
of faculty wives poured tea and served
other refreshments during a social hour
held before the showing.
Hodges said the townsfolk were highly
enthusiastic about the festival and on the
second program, he reported more than
500 subscriptions sold and an attendance
of over 1,000 for the one night, one-showing
affair.
The series opened with "The Sheep Has
Five Legs." then "Rififi," and wiU be followed
with "Wages of Fear," "The Ballet
of Romeo and Juliet," "Alda" and "Um-
I. berto D." Six programs are sold for $4.50,
" with students prices at $3. Single admissions
are $1.
Nipon Writing on Letter
For 'Madame Butterfly'
Manager Walter Klements of the Mayfair
Art Theatre in Miami sent out letters
decorated with Japanese characters to his
mailing list of patrons to promote
"Madame Butterfly," which also opened at
the Sunset Ai-t and Cameo theatres.
Composer Mana Zucca, a resident of
Miami gave the following quote to be used
over her name in advertising: "Rnest production
of this opera I have ever seen. I
shall never forget it."
The signed letter read:
Illustrious
One:
I do not know what the Japonese characters on
this page mean, but if they were written by someone
who hod seen Puccini's "Madame Butterfly,"
they would surely be words of praise for this magnificent
production.
If you are a lover of grand opera, you too, will
sing the praises of this exquisite motion picture in
glorious color, sung by the world's greatest operatic
voices, with the finest Italian and Japanese
cast.
And even if you are not an opera fan, you will
be thrilled by this tender love story, narrated in
English. Plan to see it for rich, rewarding entertainment.
"Madame Butterfly" is showing at the Cameo,
Sunset and Mayfair Art Theatres starting today,
for a week's engagement.
Short Subject Promotion
Wins January Citation
Lou Liss
Jim Morin
Two showmen, who figured prominently
in the general exploitation of individual
have been awarded BOXOFFICE
pictures,
Showmandiser Citations of Honor. The Citation
awards were based on contributions
to Showmandiser published in January.
Outstanding in the general exploitation
field was the work of Charles Kerwin, Tivoli
Theatre, Brisbane, Australia, who, in
promoting the British film, "A Town Like
Alice," saw to it that every segment of
the public knew about the program. In a
tieup with an oil company, Kerwin worked
out 45 different ways of telling Brisbane
people about the picture and stimulating
their desire to see it. Showmandiser page
22.
Robert L. Mannel, Theatre Del Mar. Santa
Cruz, Calif., won an award in the same
category for his work on "Friendly Persuasion."
Page 14.
For his timely promotion of a short subject,
Paul Reynaud, Capitol Theatre, Union
City, N. J., won an award. Capitalizing
on the current popularity of Lawrence
Welk, TV favorite, Reynaud asked his U-I
exchange to get a print of a four-year-old
reel, "The Modernaires," featuring Welk.
With the booking of the short subject,
Reynaud projected the Welk angle into a
five-way local tieup with area music shops,
beverage dealers and a Dodge agency. The
result was 40 per cent more than the
gross that could be anticipated normally
for the two feature films the Capitol was
showing. Page 1.
F. Harrison Howe. Paramount, St. John.
N. B., won an award in the teenage promotion
category for the lobby disc jockey
sessions he innovated for "Love Me Tender."
The no-cost promotion was set up
BOXOFFICE Showmcmdiser :: Feb. 16, IBM — 41 —
Jack M. Sherier Harrison Howe
with a local radio station conducting a
half-hour disc jockey session in the theatre
lobby during the playdates. Page 8.
A special award went to Walter Kessler,
manager of Loew's Ohio Theatre, Columbus,
Ohio, for his successful juvenile control
program, which he calls, "Operation
Juvenile." P(age 16.
Jack M. Sherzer, Beverly Theatre,
Brooklyn, N. Y., won an award in the field
of public relations with his 25th anniversary
party for patrons, which included the
serving of hot franks, fancy cookies, hors
d'oeuvres, interviews with patrons and
giveaways. Page 10.
Also in the field of public relations, an
award went to J. W. Beach, Appalachian
Theatre, Boone, N. C, for his program directed
at building goodwill among area
school teachers. Page 21.
Jim Morin, Cooper Theatre, Brazil. Ind.,
won an award in the merchant cooperation
field with a trailer-pass program he instituted.
Page 9.
Lou Liss, Lincoln Theatre, Miami Beach,
Fla., received an award in the display category
for the huge front display he used
to promote "Baby Doll." The 28-foot front
had 20x6-inch boxed letters painted in
red glow paint which
caught the eye from
many blocks away.
Page 20.
Elmer DeWitt, manager
of Mailers Theatres,
Defiance, Ohio,
received an award
for his successful telephone
sales campaign
on a theatre
stage show. Page 17. Paul Reynaud
p
M^'
Robert L. Mannel Elmer DeWitt J. W. Beacli