Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (Sep 1935 - Aug 1936)

8 INDEPENDENT EXHIBITORS FILM BULLETIN' AWAKENING THE 'SLEEPERS' (Continued from page 2) of most treasury men that all fake money has one weakness — a muddled photograph in the center of the bill. Fine steel etching of real bills shows a neat, lined design as a background. Every counterfeit lacks this neat, precise appearance. Another, though less simple to determine, is that silk runs through the paper of real bills. Bogus money has no silk at all — or too much. OTHER MONEY GAG Get from local banks serial numbers on what bills they are distributing on certain days during the week. Offer passes to see "Counterfeit" to those presenting bills corresponding to those printed in local newspaper ads or on your throwouts. The counterfeit dollar cellophane envelopes are also worth a try. Your cashier and whatever merchants you can tie-up with give one good dollar in change encased in the imprinted envelope which plugs the picture title and date of showing and theatre. Your Columbia exchange can furnish these. WINDOW DISPLAYS Put buck notes in center of cards with magnifying glass. LOBBY Get after the local authorities, or try the proper Federal branch in your city, to lend you some of the counterfeiting equipment they have confiscated, such as printing presses, plates, paper, etc. Don't be afraid to go after this stuff. Just work on the angle that you are aiding the fight against this type of crime. If you haven't used it previously, try the fingerprinting gag. Set up a booth in your lobby a week in advance and invite the patrons to have themselves fingerprinted for non-criminal police records. The department will probably be happy to cooperate with you on this — if you ask them properly. If you operate a blood-and-thunder gangster-loving joint, dress up the lobby with a display of captured firearms. Also set up a rogues gallery and reward posters that you can promote out of the police department. Don't wait for someone to come into your theatre to drop this stuff in your lap and show you how to do it. Go out after it; it pays heavy dividends in b.o. receipts. "Not a dark house in more than 20 years of film delivery service!" NEW JERSEY MESSENGER SERVICE Member National Film (Carriers' Ass'n 250 N. JUNIPER STREET, PHILA. LOCnat 4 1 hi race 4600 THOMAS ORGANIZING STRONG INDIE GROUP Harry H. Thomas CONN-HALPERINS . . . A new, formidable independent producing-distributing company is being organized by Harry H. Thomas, former president of First Division Exchanges. This outfit, Mutual Motion Picture Distributors, already includes two prominent inde producers, Maurice Conn and Edward and Victor Halperin. Thomas is known to be dickering with several others. Present plans call for distribution through state rights exchanges, but outlet branches may be set up by Mutual, where deals cannot be made with existent exchanges. TABLOID One of the swellest tabs we've seen in a month of Sundays is all ready for you on this one. You'll find a sample in the press sheet. Use it! There's nothing counterfeit about "Counterfeit" except the title. All you have to do to make it bring you a potfull of dough is to sell that bogus money angle all over your town or neighborhood. You can think of any number of additional stunts yourself— if you'll only think. If you don't — well, we've tried to make you . . . $ $ $ $ $ "finest Theatre Painting and Decorating" HARRY BRODSKY 23 15 WALNUT STREET, PHILA., PA. RITtenhouse 7828 • TRInity 1189 MONOGRAM MAY PRODUCE AGAIN By Hollywood Correspondent Hollywood. — It has been reported here during the past week that the dissolved Monogram organization may be revived to re-enter the production field next year. Strength has been given this rumor by the persistence of reports that W. Ray Johnston will leave Republic when his contract expires at the end of this year. Financial parties said to be interested in re-establishing Monogram are understood to regard the independent film market as receptive at this time, due to the dearth of substantial producers since Republic swallowed the outstanding outfits in this field. What The Newspaper Critics Say: (Continued from page 4) ". . . The evils of the prison parole system effectually and permanently wiped out by Universal Pictures . . . The only characters allowed by the story to be human and understandable are not the nice, reclaimed convicts, but the toughs . . ." N. Y. TIMES. ■* * * "THE LAST OUTLAW" (RKO) ". . . The old and the new West in conflict . . . Lacks the speed and snappiness ef the best of the westerns." N. Y. DAILY NEWS. "Thoroughly enjoyable western melodrama . . . Presents an amusing and conceivable picture of the struggle for readjustment of a man thrust abruptly out into a world he has been out of touch with for a quarter of a century . . ." N. Y. TIMES. ". . . Fair-to-middling western about a famous outlaw just released from prison who uses old-time tactics to track down a gang of present-day racketeers . . ." N. Y. WORLD-TELEGRAM. * * * "MURDER BY AN ARISTOCRAT" (First National-Warner's) ". . . Disappointing mystery film due to the banal manner in which the story is worked out under Frank McDonald's direction . . ." N. Y. TIMES. ". . . Fair mystifier in which powers of magic at unraveling police bafflers are successfully employed . . ." N. Y. DAILY NEWS. ". . . Mignon G. Eberhart's detective novels are notable for weird atmosphere of a sort difficult to translate into pictures . . . In this instance the producer, director, scenarists, and cameraman seemingly gave up without an effort . . . The plot is straightforward and logical. If is also dull . . ." PHILA. EVE. PUBLIC LEDGER.