Boxoffice-August.16.1965

Buffalo Showman Features Displays, Parade Cleveland Library Exhibit
For Opening of Those Magnificent Men'
Carl Schaner. managing director of the
Century Theatre in downtown Buffalo,
readied his reserved seat engagement of
the 20th Centui-y-Pox production of "Those
Magnificent Men in Their Plying Machines"
by a concentrated effort on the
advance promotion.
On opening night. Wednesday (ID.
Schaner arranged for a big parade on
the main stem in downtown Buffalo featuring
some old-time planes mounted on
trucks, bands, glamorous girls and city
officials.
One of the outstanding exhibits in advance
was the displaying of one of the
planes used in the picture in the parking
lot of the GEX Shopping Center. Appropriate
banner, telling the folks where and
when the picture would be shown, were
placed all around the exhibit. The plane
was shipped to Buffalo from New York in
a truck and reassembled at Buffalo.
Buffalo newspapers sent representatives
to interview the pilot who accompanied the
plane. Two lovely models gave out heralds
to everyone that went to the shopping
center the weekend of the display.
Television and radio stations also inter-
Two Judges Added to 'She'
$10,000 Exhibitor Contest
Russell V. Downing, president of Radio
City Music Hall, and Nick LaPole. entertainment
editor of the New York Journal-
American, will serve as judges for the $10,-
000 exhibitor promotional contest for the
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Seven Arts production
of "She." They will join Charles
A. Alicoate. editor and publisher of Film
Daily, previously announced as a member
of the three-man panel.
The contest already has spurred a deluge
of entries from creative showmen throughout
the country where the Cinemascope
and Technicolor adventure spectacle has
opened to excellent grosses.
Scrapbooks submitted to date have contained
such imaginative ideas and gimmicks
as a "Miss She" Beauty Contest, a
"Color Her She" coloring book for youngsters.
"She Scent Perfume," displays with
3-dimensional optical effects, eternal life
foi-mulas, and poems inspu-ed by Ursula
Andress, who plays the title role.
The contest is believed to offer exhibitors
ths biggest money prize in the history
of the motion picture business, with a top
prize of $5,000. Exhibitors who come up
with wimiing campaigns for the best individual
theatre promotions also will be
eligible for a $2,000 second prize, a third
place prize worth $1,000 and 20 fourth
prizes of $100 each. All entries must be
postmarked on or before December 31.
viewed the pilot and shots of the plane and
pilot were used on TV. Twenty-four sheets
were placed at the far corners of the shopping
center and there were displays galore
in the stores and remained there until the
picture opened. In the GEX Center, clerks
placed heralds in customers' bags.
Schaner arranged a tie-up with American
Airlines, the feature of which was the
sending of two couples on a free weekend
to New York and the World's Fair.
All downtown theatres and several outlying
houses cross-plugged the picture on
screens and in lobbies and gave away
ticket order forms which were contained in
a pocket on 40x60s. All the Cavage Record
Shops used exhibits. There were several
attractive window displays in the Statler
Hilton Hotel.
Publicist Irving Shiffrin of Columbia Pictures effected
this tie-up in Cleveland with the library in
connection with the showing of "Lord Jim" at the
Hippodrome Theatre. Visitors to the main librory
had their attention drawn to "Lord Jim." "Read
the book. See the movie."
Universal Holds Shenandoah' Merchandising
Meeting in Chicago to Coordinate Campaign
Chicago-area exhibitors participating in
the special first-run engagement of "Shenandoah"
Friday (27) in 24 theatres took
part in an advertising-merchandising
meeting a month in advance of the openings
to enable them to coordinate their
individual planning wtih the Chicagoland
campaign.
Herb Martinez. Universal's Chicago
branch manager, and Ben Katz, Midwest
press representative for Universal, hosts,
pointed out that five 1.000-line color ads
on the James Stewart starrer would be
utilized in the city's newspapers.
"Bud" Fisher, M. M. Fisher Advertising,
said the broadcast promotion will cover
all of Chicago's major television and radio
stations, where more than nine million
listeners are expected to see and hear
the "Shenandoah" spots over a ten-day
period.
"Shim" Weiner, manager of Decca
Record Distributors in Chicago, said special
promotion centered around Stewart's
"Legend of Shenandoah" recording, the
soundtrack album and "The Blue and the
Gray" album of Civil War songs. Decca
is distributing 500 posters in Chicago-area
music shops and 100.000 record-envelope
heralds to introduce the recordings and
picture along with theatres and playdate
listings. Twenty-nine special window displays
also have been arranged with the
larger Chicago and suburban record outlets.
Two lovely models, one in Confederate
uniform, the other dressed as a Yankee,
greeted exhibitors with a mint julep. Confederate
and Yankee flags and a knapsack
containing ad and publicity materials.
After the meeting, a special "Shenandoah"
fried-chicken luncheon was served.
Breakfast' Reissue Set
Keyed to Paramount's rerelease of
"Breakfast at Tiffany's" in September. RCA
Victor Records will re-service record stores
with Henry Mancini's original soundtrack
album.
The album ranks as one of the biggest
sellers in the recording industry.
Chicago exhibitors attending the "Shenandoah" merchandising meeting in the Universal exchange, left,
are Jim Feeley, Tom Gorman and Ed Scguin, Baioban & Katz Theatres; Sam Coston, Coston Theatres;
Harry Lustgarten and Nate Plaft, Balaban & Katz; Frank Sfandel and Bill Nicholson, Great
States Theatres; David B. Wailerstein, president, Balaban & Katz; Jock Clark, president, Allied Theatres
of Illinois. Right are Oscar Brotman, president, Brotman-Sherman Theatres; Bene Stein, manager, Golf
Mill Theatre; Mort Fink, Golf Mill; Bob Templar, Kohlberg Theatres; Dick Balaban, H&E Balaban
Theatres; James Coston, Coston Enterprises; Carl Heyl, Coston Enterprises and Beverly and Jeffery
Theatres; Sam Meyers, Meyers Theatres; Sol Horwitz, Illinois Allied; Carl Funk, Glencoe Theotre; Jerry
Winsberg and Abe Plott, Balaban & Katz.
BOXOFTICE Showmandiser :: Aug. 16, 1965 125 —