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CHESTER FRIEDMAN<br />
EDITOR<br />
OXOfflW<br />
HUGH E. FRAZE<br />
Associate Editor<br />
SECTION<br />
Set- u f<br />
Theatremen frequently gripe because<br />
pressbooks have too many<br />
four and five-column ad mats and<br />
too few small-size ads to fit their<br />
budget.<br />
RKO Radio demonstrates another<br />
use for oversize mats in conjunction<br />
with "The Set-Up." Packed<br />
with punchy illustrative material,<br />
the five-column mats are perfect for<br />
window cards. They can be imprinted<br />
locally, at low cost, from<br />
either a casting or by the offset<br />
process.<br />
The idea of using ad mats for<br />
window cards is not new, of course.<br />
The setup for "The Set-Up," however,<br />
is a natural for getting into<br />
barber shops, bars, gymnasiums or<br />
other places frequented by the menfolk.<br />
In other words, it's a setup<br />
for reaching the public and a setup<br />
for getting extra patronage for the<br />
picture.<br />
Recent big-scale picture openings<br />
for new product in key cities have<br />
set the pattern for showmanship<br />
campaigns on U-I product by theatremen<br />
who have their eyes and<br />
hopes on the $4,500 golden jackpot<br />
in the U-I Unity drive contest.<br />
The judges committee is being<br />
swamped with campaign entries.<br />
Readers are reminded that campaigns<br />
on any U-I pictures played<br />
since last October through April 30<br />
are eligible for the nine regional<br />
prizes.<br />
Entries should reach the New<br />
York address of BOXOFFICE by<br />
May 15. Campaigns have a double<br />
payoff—at<br />
OFFICE.<br />
the boxoffice and BOX-<br />
* * *<br />
In Baltimore last week, before<br />
train time, following the dinner for<br />
Morris Mechanic and the premiere<br />
of "Mr. Belvedere Goes to College,"<br />
we had time for quick howdy with<br />
Harry Meyerberg, owner of the new<br />
and most modem theatre in the<br />
city, the Crest. Meyerberg reminded<br />
us it was 22 years ago we worked<br />
together as ushers at the New York<br />
Paramount. We can't be that old<br />
or can we? Let's see . . . April 9.<br />
Yep! Life begins . . . tomorrow.<br />
Red Cross Fund Drive Provides Key<br />
To 'Knock on Any Door Campaign<br />
Pictorial highlights of the New Haven campaign for "Knock on Any Door.'<br />
and window tieups ore shown.<br />
Taking his cue from the New York campaign<br />
for "Knock on Any Door," Morris<br />
Rosenthal, manager of the Poll Theatre, New<br />
Haven, Conn., used the Red Cross drive as<br />
a basis for gainnig pubhcity and access to<br />
normally closed channels of promotion.<br />
Rosenthal persuaded the local Red Cross<br />
committee to adopt the slogan, "Red Cross<br />
Workers will 'PCnock on Any Door'—When<br />
they knock on yours, GIVE!" Two hundred<br />
cards with that copy were posted throughout<br />
the city. A "Knock on Any Door" competition<br />
was inaugurated among 1,500 organization<br />
workers, with a congratulatory scroll<br />
being offered to the solicitor rolling up the<br />
largest collection for the fund. New Haven<br />
and Bridgeport newspapers cooperated extensively,<br />
giving both pictorial and news coverage<br />
to the stunt.<br />
The chief of police and members of his<br />
staff attended an advance screening ot the<br />
picture. A wire-recorded interview with the<br />
officials was later broadcast over WNBC.<br />
Rosenthal dressed up his lobby with lifesize<br />
cutouts of the star of the production and<br />
special recordings with spot plugs were piped<br />
in via a record player. Publicity layouts<br />
from Look magazine and Silver Screen provided<br />
additional interest. For outside ballyhoo,<br />
an usher wheeled a door through the<br />
downtown shopping area inscribed with theatre<br />
and picture copy.<br />
—105—<br />
Street ballyhoo<br />
Disk jockeys featured the recording of<br />
the<br />
Humphrey Bogart Rhumba and music and<br />
book store tieups predominated in the business<br />
area of the city. Local libraries cooperated<br />
by displaying posters on bulletin<br />
boards and through the distribution of 10,000<br />
bookmarks.<br />
Working with the local distributor of MGM<br />
records, Russ Bovim, manager of the State,<br />
St. Louis, arranged a number of tieups in<br />
connection with "Knock on Any Door"<br />
around the recording of the Humphrey<br />
Bogart Rhumba. Twenty-five cards carrying<br />
theatre copy and tie-ins on the record<br />
were placed in leading music shops throughout<br />
the city.<br />
A plentiful supply of the records was obtained<br />
as prizes for radio contests promoted<br />
in cooperation with radio disk jockeys. Pat<br />
Bradley, heard over WXLW, offered records<br />
as prizes to listeners who identified stills<br />
from Bogart's previous productions which<br />
were displayed by Katz Drug Stores in the<br />
area.<br />
Extra newspaper and radio publicity was<br />
garnered by means of an advance screening<br />
for members of the prosecuting attorney's<br />
staff, members of the grand jury, police of-<br />
(Continued on next page)<br />
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