Showmen's Trade Review (Apr-Jun 1939)

S 1 1 ( ) W M N • S T R A I ) I'". K I-. V I l'". VV Page IS _ PLAY Swell Co-op Page Layout Here's a suggested layout for that cooperative page you'll promote from your merchants. By ordering the stills, some of which are shown in ono.her layout on this page, you'll have the material to start your ad man on his way, pronto! tributors and dates, but mix them. It will be the contestants' job to arrange them properly so that each title has the correct distributor and the correct year in which it was released. Then, again, you might ask the fans to name as many fictional "Captains" as they can, such as "Captain Blood," "Captain Applejack," "Captain January," etc. Inasmuch as radio quiz shows are all the rage these days, one on "Captain Fury" wouldn't be amiss. Get an authority on Australia — a geography teacher, for instance — to propound a list of questions to be hurled at a few members of the radio audience. By using the process of elimination when a question is incorrectly answered, the one still standing is eligible for guest tickets. There's a suggestion in the press book for a reward poster. They're so easy to have printed locally that you can give the suggestion to your printer, along with the required mat of Brian Aherne, and he will be able to get them ready for you in a short time. These posters intrigue and excite the curiosity of every person who sees them, which makes them valuable for placing in every available spot within and outside your community. Contests That Will Click Here's another good contest for you, one that sells the principal players of "Captain Fury." Using photographs of Brian Aherne, Victor McLaglen, June Lang, John Carradine and Paul Lukas, ask the fans to see how many pictures they can remember in which each of the players have appeared individually. Then there's also another good contest which depends on four mats of recent film "Robin Hoods," which you'll find in the press book. Fans are to identify the characters and the names of the films in which they appeared. The mats are on Wallace Beery as "Viva Villa," Don Ameche as D'Artagnan in "Three Musketeers," Errol Flynn as "Robin Hood,'' and Brian Aherne as "Captain Fu'-y." The hero is a great benefactor to the poor and oppressed. In view of this why not conduct a search in your town for a local "Captain Fury" — someone who has done the most for the underprivileged and the needy? This stunt will create goodwill for your theatre and warm-hearted interest in the film itself. On the other hand, you might conduct a popularity contest to find the "Captain Fury" of the police force — the policeman with the biggest heart who has done the most for unfortunates in his own unselfish way. Hither one of these ideas would be a strong selling bet, ■;o take your choice. If you could see Still H-136 (and \oti probably will) you'd see June Lang attired in a ciiarming costume representative of the period in which the story of "Captain Fury" takes jilace. Linked to their New York and World's Fair exhibits, dealer outlets for the Singer Sewing Machine Company are tied up with the picture through Miss Lang's costume. The company's exhibit is based on dresses worn by actresses in historical roles, and they are .giving their New York display of the actual dress a strong campaign of national advertising and publicity. So contact your local outlet for cooperation. There is also a national tieup on Venida hair nets, in which 15,000 retail outlets will plug the picture. Get in touch with your local VX'oolworth 5 & 10c store, drug and department stores for displays of counter and window cards. Perhaps there's a native-born Australian in your community. If so, garner extra newspaper publicity by making him your special guest at an advance screening ; by having him speak about his native country before a club, such as the Kiwanis or Rotary club ; or by having him talk over the radio. With his permission, you might use his photograph and endorsement in your ad, using copy something like this : "Take it from a real Australian, 'Captain Fury' is a spectacular, exciting frontier drama of the country in pioneer days." Then follow with his endorsement. If Fans Were "Fury" For a Day Most of us like to think of what we'd do if we could be a modern "Robin Hood" for a day. You can get folk to write what they would do if they were "Captain Fury" living today. Give them the idea of the character in the picture, and then ask them what they'd do if they were in his place. You'll get some interesting angles, we'll bet, if the writers have any imagination at all. Action, thrills, adventure and romance should be the main selling angles in your front display. Blowups of action and romantic stills into 3-sheets or 1sheets, or whatever size sheets are required for your display frames, will attract attention from passersby, and make them patrons. Use the heads, and possibly the title, from the 24-sheet for your marquee display. If you want an effective sidewalk piece, get Still H-167 and blow it up to a giant standee of "Captain Fury" that will reach from the sidewalk up to the marquee. Use a "See" board; that is, a board on which the thrilling moments from the picture are recorded. If your show runs closely to schedule, you can give the time of each of the thrilling moments. Let vari-colored pennants hang from a point high on the building down to the marquee. H T 1 N J C A E ^ ' E L /trian Aherne and Jean Lang ' CAPTAIN FVRY" M E T A N Grab Space With Puzzle Plant this puzzle in the newspaper or in your house program. The scrambled letters form the character names of Brian Aherne and June Lang. June is Jean in the layout, but this error will probably be corrected in the finished pressbook. You can make your street ballyhoo efTective by having a tall, but not thin, man attired in a costume similar to that worn by Brian Aherne as "Captain Fury," walk around the business section appropriately bannered and distributing heralds. Copy on the banner might read : " 'Captain Fury' is bigger than I am, etc." Conduct your campaign in the manner we have advised here, using this Showmanalysis and the pressbook as yonv combined guides. Additional ideas will present themselves to you as you lay your plans. When your work is done, we feel sure you'll have reasons to be glad you went out and sold "Captain Fury" to the best of your ability. And those reasons should be many — manv extra patrons waiting in line at your box office to buy their tickets. Put These Tie-up Stills to Work Now How about arranging some window display tieups? Well, it's rather simple when you have stills like these to aid you. Beginning at the top, left, and reading clockwise, these photos are suitable for dinner dress, pipe, tennis outfU and coiffure promotion. And there are others, too, which are not shown here. Your campaign won't be complete unless you use them.