Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (Sep 1935 - Aug 1936)

2 INDEPENDENT EXHIBITOR FILM BULLETIN' AWAKENING THE 'SLEEPERS' The purpose and plan of this department is to bring forcefully to the attention of theatremen those pictures which are ordinarily overlooked or neglected in their advertising. Mr. Wolfe-Smith, prominent theatre publicity expert, aims to point out the latent exploitation angles in these "Sleepers" with the view to having you SELL them to the public in a manner that will bring you the best possible returns. Follow these "Sleeper" campaigns for bigger grosses! By Wolfe-Smith . THE AMATEUR GENTLEMAN, United Artists, 97 Minutes DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS, JR EL8SSA LANDI His father had been convicted — unjustly — to die for a petty theft he hadn't committed! He had been forced to suffer the tortures of a brutal prison system, the system conceived and condoned by the "gentlemen" of England at that time. Since, then, it was a "gentlemen's" world in which he was living, Barnabas Beverly, son of the champion prize ring boxer of England, whose life had been taken by that cruel and corrupt society, determined to win his spurs in London's society. He, too, would win esteem by prize fighting like a "gentleman;" by gambling and cheating like a "gentleman;" by making love carelessly like a "gentleman." Thus, he hoped to lift the cloud from his father's name. But, he was only an AMATEUR GENTLEMAN! Okay, guys, here's a nut to crack that's a pip. If you've bought it. you're going to play it and on its face "Gent" might get you down in the dumps. Don't let it do that — it has angles that will pull it thru. The picture has everything that makes for swell entertainment and everyone of your patrons who drops the price of admission on your till will feel plenty satisfied that he bought his money's worth in entertainment . . . But, the catch is— GET 'EM IN!!! ANGLES Here are the guts that we see dough in . . . 1. THE ROTTEN LAWS OF ENGLAND of that time, when a man might be hung for a theft of as little as 50c. 2. THE FILTHY PRISONS AND CRUEL TORTURES that were inflicted upon prisoners . . . (a) The TREADMILL to which .1 man was chained and which he had to continually work with his feet. Ir he stopped treading even for a moment, he hung himself! This usually happened when the prisoner collapsed from exhaustion . . . (b) The STRETCHING RACK on which a suspected prisoner was laid across a series of wooden spiked bars with his arms and legs laced spreadeagle, over the frame and stretched until his limbs were pulled from their sockets. Thus were "confessions" obtained. 3. THE BEGINNING OF PRIZEFIGHTING . . . Bare fists ... To a finish! PLAY DOWN Jeeze, we can't be too emphatic about warning you to avoid the romantic angle. Elissa Landi and Doug Fairbanks, Jr. do a fine job, but the love business won't get any house a dime's worth of customers. Play down the stars as well. Neither Fairbanks nor Landi mean much and, in many spots, they may actually hurt. Those potential patrons who know Jeffrey Farnol wrote the story also know that it is costume. Others don't know that and shouldn't be shown. Avoid the stills and other stock material that shows the period dress. CAMPAIGN We promised, at the inception of this department, that we'd give you inexpensive and practical campaigns. We've stuck to that policy as closely as possible. However, when an attraction like "Amateur Gentleman" comes along, you've gotta spend some dough if you expect to come out from behind the eight ball. You've gotta use a little imagination and you've gotta get your cans offa those aforementioned comfortable office chairs and stir your stumps into activity! Take your choice of either the prisontorture or the prize-fighting angles and you (..in make "Gent" mean bucks. Dig up or make up imitations of those torture devices used in the old days. Contact the prisons for "implements of confession" and tie it up with the present humane method of punishment employed in our prisons. Contact a wax museum for figures of notorious executed murderers and torture apparatus that was used in earlier times. Arrange it around the lobby with cutout of a man hanging on spread-eagled. Copy should read: "EXECUTED BY TORTURE FOR A THEFT OF 5 0 CENTS!" If you prefer the prize-fight angle, dig up photos of the old timers like John L. Sullivan, Jim Jeffries, etc., make blowups of them (30x40 or 40x60) for display in the lobby along with one of Fairbanks in fighting pose as "The Amateur Gentleman." Run a classified ad in the newspaper asking for old fight pictures and we'll bet our best girl that you get a flock of stuff from people who have swell old prints in their attics. Here's a swell stunt for the street . . . Get a wide, open side truck. Mount a board about 1 5 feet high on it. Chain a man, spread-eagle, on it, so it appears that he is suspended by chains which hold his arms and legs. (Actually, he stands on a small platform, thus taking the pressure off his arms.) Banner the top of the frame with: "TORTURED FOR THE THEFT OF A LOAF OF BREAD!" Run the truck in advance without showing title, cast or theatre and playdates. Repeat the next day with this catch line: "THEY TOOK HIS LIFE FOR FIFTY CENTS." The third day should carry title, cast and playdates. If you're afraid to try the human torture victim on the truck, use a compo cutout silhouette figure. SENSATIONALIZE The campaign on "Gent" needs to be sensationalized. Remember how they're selling "Shark Island" and why it's doing business. "Mutiny" and "Captain Blood" were sold along strong, brutal lines and they brought results. Make this hot. It needs a pepping up badly and we've just given you the angles with which to do that. DO SOMETHING . . . Don't allow it to come in COLD — or it'll stay that way. Now git! $ $ $ $ $