Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (Sep 1935 - Aug 1936)

EXHIBITORS FILM BULLETIN AWAKENING THE 'SLEEPERS' The purpose and plan of this department is to bring forcefully to the attention of tbeatremen those pictures which are ordinarily overlooked or neglected in their advertising. Mr. Wolfe-Smith, prominent theatre publicity expert, aim., 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 GENTLEMAN FROM LOUISIANA, The, Republic, 65 Min. Eddie Quillan, Charlotte Henry, Chic Sale, John Miljan THEY'RE OFF! And a dozen handsome thoroughbreds break the barrier and are away on a thrilling race. On the back of "Lucky Linda" rides Tod Sloan, an unknown youngster with a flaming desire to be a great jockey. The others ride sitting erect, but Sloan crouches forward, bearing his weight forward on the animal's neck. This method of riding has never been seen before and the crowd roars with laughter. But, slowly and surely "Lucky Linda" passes the field and races down the stretch an easy winner. Thus was born the modern method of riding race horses and "The Gentlcmin From Louisiana" tells the story of that boy Tod Sloan ... his ambition . . . rise to fame . . . heart-break . . . and comeback. Boys, this hasn't any hidden angle we can give you. It's right on the face of the story and it makes for THRILLS . . . EXCITEMENT ... and DRAMA. Nothing sets the blood of men and women tingling as fast as the charge of beautiful thorough breds racing neck and neck down the stretch. Young and old, they come up out of their seats and cheer at the track. On film, an exciting race will bring them out to the edge of their seats, so sell them HORSE RACING A-PLENTY ! ! ! In the cast you've got Eddie Quillan, one of the most sympathetic young actors on the screen today, and this film marks his comeback to stardom. He's the perfect jockey and he makes the famed Tod Sloan live and breathe again. There's Chic Sale as the Deacon, pal of the jockey and one of the sure-fire laugh-getters in pictures. He's tops in this. The story is placed in the Gay Nineties and such famous characters of that day as 'Diamond Jim' Brady, John L. Sullivan and Steve Brodie flash across the screen. It lends color and gives you additional selling points. Listen, guys, dig out every old horse race stunt you might have pulled or heard about and set them going all over again. We'll remind you of a few, but don't stop at these. "Gent" will pay you nice dividends if you'll go out and sell, make them horse race conscious and they'll flock in. STREET BALLY Tie up with your local riding academy to supply four or five good-looking horses on which you place young boys dressed in jockey costumes. Put a number on each horse and have the copy on oilcloth blankets hanging down the sides of the animals. Parade them single file down the main streets. Copy: "The Most Thrilling Horse Races Ever Filmed" . . . "You'll Cheer Until You're Hoarse" . . . "This Is A Sure Bet" . . . "Don't Miss 'Gentleman From Louisiana' ... At Strand Theatre, Fri-Sat-Sun." LOBBY AND INSIDE There are still a few harness shops in existence, so locate the one in your town and tie up for a display of all sorts of riding paraphernalia in the lobby. They may also have some pictures of horses and riding equipment. These will add color to such a display. Now here's one that will get you a whale of attention and shouldn't cost you more than a couple of dollars — if that. There are many pin ball machines around based on horse racing. Rent several of these and place them in your lobby a week in advance of showing. Place an usher in charge with slugs (or you can have the device that requires a nickel to be inserted removed) and give every patron a chance. Signs should explain that every person getting over a certain score wins a pass to see "Gent." Don't use the eight or ten marbles that are usually in such machines, but remove four or five to speed up the game. And make the winning score a reasonable one. PRINTED MATTER There's a wealth of trick heralds and teasers that can be gotten out on a horse racing picture. (Continued on page 6) I