ynduA^

'Bachelor' More Fun,
Says Serta Tie Line
For "Bachelor in Paradise," Foster
Liederbach, manager of the Ben Ali Theatre
in Lexington, Ky.. got a furniture
dealer who handles Serta mattresses to go
in on the promotion. He received a full
window display featuring large blowups of
Bob Hope and Lana Turner, two Serta
mattresses, etc. The barker copy was:
"More Pun Than Wall-to-Wall Serta!
. . . 'Bachelor in Paradise' . . . etc."
The Serta Co. also ran $300 worth of
radio spots ahead of the Ben Ali playdate,
plugging the mattress and the film.
Poster also tied in with two bowling
alleys and obtained space for two large
easels in each center. This got plenty of
attention, as the bowlers received guest
tickets if they bowled a certain score.
Not calling it quits, manager Liederbach
contacted the IGA stores for the "Ten minutes
in Paradise" stunt. He set up a
treasure chest in the theatre lobby, and
the store gave out 10,000 keys with the
winner getting a 10-minute shopping spree.
The arrangement created traffic in the
theatre and the paiticipating stores.
For his showing of "Bachelor in Paradise,"
Gary Rhodehouse at the Elmwood
Theatre conducted an essay contest to determine
the "outstanding bachelor" in
Perm Yan, N.Y. The ten best essays received
two guest tickets to see the film.
Sam Gilman Promotion
The extensive promotion executed recently
at Syracuse, N.Y., on "Bridge to the Sun"
reported in the January 15 issue of Showmandiser
was the work of Sam Gilman, city
manager for Loew's, at which theatre the
film played. Inadvertently, credit for the
promotion was given to S. L. Sorkin, manager
of RKO Keith's.
Tommy Persoll is following fhe footsteps of his
father, Manager Les Persoll of the Pasco Theatre
at Dade City, Fla. Here Tommy is a clown, helping
his father and the Pasco Theatre promote some extra
business for an oldie, 'The Greatest Show on
Eorth." The whole thing was young Persoll's idea
... he even made his own suit and signs, went
around town and gave out free candy to the youngsters
attending the show. We asked Papa Persoll
to send us a clearer print but we guess none was
available. So meet Tommy, a new showman (dim
view).
'Mark' Campaign Begun
With Screening Series
A special campaign was put on for "The
Mark" at the Pai-kway Cinema in the Oakland-Berkeley
area by Detlef Hammann,
manager, and Martin Poster.
Two weeks prior to opening, a series
of
three screenings was held for psychiatrists,
professors of sociology and psychology,
professors of di-ama and humanities
from the University of California and Mills
College, leading citizens, doctors, members
of the PTA and other groups. Special radio
coverage was arranged with local station
KRE. The police department also cooperated
by allowing automobiles to be
parked free in the metered zone of the theatre.
In addition, the Parkway Cinema
budgeted an unusually large newspaper advertising
campaign, utilizing the revised
advertising that Continental Films created
for this picture. The result was the biggest
opening the theatre ever has had to date,
and attendance held up well on weekdays.
"The Mark" headed for an extended long
Manager Goes on Radio
To Sell 'Navarone'
Radio stations in Tiffin, Ohio, declined
to use the interview recordings supplied to
promote "The Guns of Navarone," so Ritz
Theatre Manager Dick Williams made a
"personal appearance" on the station to
talk about the film. He also stenciled the
main sidewalks with copy from "Guns" and
an arrow pointing to the theatre.
Catholic chui-ches in Tiffin assisted when
Williams played "Francis of Assisi" allowing
him to staple 1,500 bulletins with coupons,
on which he received excellent return.
Schools also were dismissed early so that
students could attend the showing.
Pass Deal With Radio
Phil Thorne has come up with a real
Saturday matinee booster. The radio station
in Canandaigua, N. Y., has set up a
15-minute program every Saturday morning
with two local stores as sponsors. The
Playhouse Theatre receives free amiouncements
during this program, giving the title
of the movie and the fact that ten free
passes to see it will be awarded at the
store. The cost to the theatre is ten passes.
Churches Aid 'Assisi'
Two Cortland, N.Y., Catholic chmxhes
gave "Francis of Assisi" a big boost for
Manager Bob Anthony at the State Theatre
by placing window cards on their bulletin
boards and making announcements from
the pulpit and in their Sunday bulletins.
"Konar Is Featured
"Kanal," the Polish-made prize-winning
film about the horror and desolation of
war, was featured at the DeWitt Theatre in
Bayonne, N.J., on a Wednesday and Thursday.
Billed with it was "The Coronation of
Pope John XXIII" and "Festival Days of
the Nations."
$1,000 for Art Students
Art students of San Francisco were invited
to submit paintings on the life and
times of Jesus Christ in a contest in behalf
of "King of Kings." Prizes totaled more
than $1,000.
Film Exhibition . . .
(Continued from preceding page)
tackle ideas and subjects impossible for
individual units.
Local interest was high in the exhibition
A small auditorium, seating eight persons, wos set
up in the lobby, where patrons could view the
amateur films.
of "The Changing Years," a film produced
by the Brevis group, which showed pictures
of Wood Green as it looked in 1619 when
its population numbered 50, and other pictures
showing development of the city to
its present 50,000 population. The film included
drawings of the Chapel of Ease /
opened at Jolly Butcher's Hill in 1844 and ?
another of Chesser's Forge, one of the
earliest buildings in the locality.
The St. James unit showed "Landmark,"
illustrating the planning and building of
the Wood Green Civic Center, and film sets
for "Civil Defense in Action," which the
group is making for the Middlesex County
civil defense organization.
Group 14 exhibited its film "Satanist,"
and others under production.
The result of the festival was tremendous
goodwill for the theatre and a newly stimulated
interest in both amateur film production
and current theatrical features.
Pressbook Teasers
Posted About Town
Here's an inexpensive, but effective, idea
that can be utilized on virtually any picture
in any situation. It was used by Tom
Keating of the Capitol Theatre, Ilion, N.Y.,
on "The Naked Edge."
Keating cut out every teaser ad from
two pressbooks, a total of 42 ads, and
wrote in the playdate and theatre. Using
tack cards, Keating placed the teaser ads
on lamp posts around town, where they
attracted considerable attention.
He also arranged with a local hardware
store to display a flashing red light in its
window with a tie-in sign reading: "When
the Red Light Flashes at the Capitol Theatre.
It's the Last 13 Minutes of 'The
Naked Edge.' When the Red Light Plashes
on the Dashboard of Your Car, It Could
Mean Trouble With Your Battei-y. Check
on Battery Prices Today."
— 22 — BOXOFFICE Showmandiser :: Feb. 5, 1962
•