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New Year's Eve Party (Matinee) for Kids
Girl Scouts Build Gift
Tree in Theatre Lobby
Winds Up Series of December Extras!
December, traditionally the "toughest"
show business month of the year, ended
1957 with a blaze of glory for Manager
Nyman Kessler and the tired but happy
staff of the DeWitt Theatre in Bayoniie.
N. J . thanks primarily to what Kessler
calls "two of the most successful kiddy
shows ever staged.
"The month was a very active one here,"
Kessler reported, "with kiddy shows plus
our regular shows, our entire staff was
pretty well tired out. but it made us all
happy to see so many happy children."
Kessler opened the month with a Saturday
afternoon kiddy show featuring the
"Johnny Jellybean Show" from the Time
for F*un TV series on stage. The TV show
is presented Monday through Friday at
noon on station WABC-TV in New York
City and is one of the most popular children's
shows on television.
The stars are Bill Britten as Johnny
Jellybean and D. J. Faye as Penelope the
Rabbit, and the show features ventriloquism,
music, puppets and magic. Kessler
used heralds, ad lines in daily newspaper
ads and enlarged photos of the show stars
In the lobby, over the candy stand and over
the twxoffice for almost a month in advance
of the show.
"I was on stage as one of the participants
in the show," Kessler said, "much to the
delight of the children and their parents.
They put a wig on me and rolled up my
trouser legs. Then Penelope the Rabbit
had one of the children from the audience
come up on stage and cut off my necktie in
a half dozen places. Then through audience
participation in having the children
yell out magic words, they returned my
necktie to me in one piece.
^ ^
Penelope Ihc Kobbil. Monagcf Nyman Keillor
ond child from the oudienco ihown ol the
mikc during the Johnny Jellybean mohnee show
for the youngitcri.
"It is amazing how txith Johnny Jellybean
and Penelope the Rabbit captivated
the audience for over 30 minutes with solid
entertainment. It was wonderful to see
everyone having such a good time. Prices
were increased to 50 cents for children and
90 cents for adults for this special matinee.
In addition to the stage show, we had two
special kiddy feature pictures and five
color cartoons. Free star photos also were
handed out."
The second outstanding kiddy show was
the annual New Year's Eve matinee party
for children on Tuesday, December 31.
The party was advertised as, "Welcome the
New Year Just LJke the Grownups Do at
Your OwTi New Year's Eve Matinee Party."
Each child received three gifts, a horn, a
hat and another novelty noisemaker, which
Kessler said, "gave them a chance to blow
off plenty of steam, and they sure had
plenty of that."
The theatre offered an eight-unit screen
show, including "Tarzan and the She-
Devil," Abbott and Costello in "Jack and
the Beanstalk," a Three Stooges comedy
and five color cartoons, including a community
singing cartoon. Admission price
was 35 cents, and concession sales were big.
"We spared no expense in advertising this
in our newspaper ads." Kessler said, "to
sell this show to the parents and their
children, since many parents accompany
their children to such shows."
To further bolster December business.
Kessler had other events in work, too, with
two sponsored kiddy shows, on December
23 and 24. The first show, sponsored by
the Police Athletic League brought in 2,400
youngsters, who spent plenty at the candy
counter.
The following afternoon, the AAA Sport
Center sponsored a free show for some 2,500
children.
In addition to this, Kessler also had
eight merchant ads on the screen, another
annual event for added Income.
Kiddy Shows, Yule Ads
Fight Holiday Slump
Figuring that the December slump was
inevitable. George Jonckowski, manager of
the Prague Theatre, New Prague. Minn.,
set out to make up the deficit In a positive
way.
"I .sold, In our town, which has a population
of 1.915, three consecutive Saturday
Christmas kiddy shows to the local
Civic Club. I also sold a free show for the
public .school and high school, and .sold 78
merchant sea.son greetings ads to be run
before and through the holidays.
"Prior to these Christmas promotions,"
Jonckowski continued, "I sold $25 worth
of adult theatre tickets for $22.50 to the
buNine.Hsmcn to be given out as gifts and
promotions."
J. P. Harrison, manager of Interstate's
Campus Theatre in Denton, Tex., cooperated
with the Girl Scouts of Denton
County in his Christmas theatre decoration.
A large tree branch was erected in
the center of the lobby, painted white and
adorned with hundreds of ornaments made
by the Girl Scouts of the county. It was
lighted by overhead spots of red. green and
blue.
Harrison, when approached by the Girl
Scout leaders on the tree idea, immediately
gave his consent to the display as a goodwill
project. There are two large state colleges
in the city, and since the theatre Is
in the main shopping district of the town,
the tree is being seen by many people.
Credit is given to the Girl Scouts on a sign
at the bottom of the tree.
Harrison is one to see the public relations
aspect of a project such as this. He
has been in show business for over 30
years, and is still "going strong" at his
70-plus years. He continuallj' works with
organizations at the colleges and the public
schools of the area. He has been city
manager here for several years for Interstate,
which until sale of three theatres to
Trans-Texas four years ago. operated four
local houses.
Many people, stopping on the sidewalk,
and coming Into the lobby to Inspect the
tree commented on the unusual decorations,
especially a star made from ordinary
paper spoons, with gold glitter on them.
Thei'e are also Santas made from colored
paper, cresses from ice cream .sticks, large
snowflakes from foil cookin:' plates and
hundreds of otiier Items.
Sound Coverage for 'lailhouse'
A station wagon rigged up as a
soundtruck covered all the school areas and
downtown for the showing of "Jailhouse
"
Rock at the Poll Palace in Merlden. Conn.
Manager Tony Mnsella plastered the side
of the station wagon with proix'r signs and
fixed a Ufeslzc standee of Elvis Presley
atop the rear bumper. Tlie record playeramplifier
played Presley records and announced
the playdates.
— 22 — BOXOmCE Showtnanditcr Jan. 37. 1958