Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1950)

EXPLOITATION PICTURE 'YOUNG MM' MAKES A HORN EXCITING Music, Torrid Triangle Are The Angles THE excitement inherent in music generally and in jazz, particularly, is the them? o!' Warners' "Young Man With a Horn". Uniquely American, jazz permeated the entire beings of young men and women to create a new field in music and this new film is the story of one of them, based on the actual career of the greatest jazz trumpeter of them all, the late Bix Biederbecke. Adapted from the b?st selling Dorothy Baker novel, this Jerry Wald production, directed by Michael Curtiz, has been accorded one of Warners' glossiest production values, and endowed with three bright stars to dramatize the story. Kirk Douglas, Lauren Bacall and Doris Day. Therein lies the basis for another selling factor, the romantic tr'angle. The Biederbecke role is taken by Douglas, a potent boxoffice figure ever since he scored so strongly in "Champion"; Miss Bacall plays a sultry neurotic who vies with the trumpeter's love for his music and finally loses, while Miss Day is the wholesome, vibrant young band singer who gives the young man his opportunity for immortality and sticks to him through adversity. DAY, DOUGLAS, DRUMMER And 2 Ghosts: Biederbecke, James While all of this goe 3 to make up what the audience sees, the greatest part of the film for many is the sound track, wherein a dozen of the greatejt modern tunes are treated to superlative rendition, with Miss Day singing and the oil-screen trumpet of Harry James playing as Douglas mouths the instrument. The hitter's uncanny simulation has been compared with Larry Parks' contortions in the Jolson sagas. Mort Blumenstock, Gil Golden and the rest of the WB box officers have worked up an excellent selling campaign, based cn the musical and romantic angles. The former offers good opportunities for tie-ins with music stores, utilizing stills and display material that any tune shop would be eager to exhibit, crediting picture, theatre and publicizing p'avdate. The big pitch should he mad? to the younger element, capitalizing on their intense interest in popular music. One idea that suggests itseT is a competition on the theatre stage to find the town s most talented ""5 oung Man With a Horn."' Get the guys and gals who make up the bulk cf a movie audience in and you've got a boxoffice picture. DISPLAYS A couple of tricky, eye-pulling displays for the lobby have been cooked up by the WB exploiters that can b • worked easily and inexpensively. One is a combination featuring a torrid embrace by Douglas and Bacall with the ad lines: "They Had to Meet! It Had to be Great!" on a background with four horns revolving around the silhouetted clinch. Details for this are given in the press book. Another suggestion is th>^ one above, a surefire lobby stunt. The Douglas still is silhouetted blow up of 8 x 10. The head works on hinge, (note small diagram at left), so that patron substitutes his own head in place of Douglas' to have his picture snapped by cooperating local photographer or by one of the theatre employes. STARTIEUPS WB has instituted several tieups, including a Chesterfield national mag ad campaign on Douglas and a bank display featuring Doris Day on a 30 x 40 board to be placed in savings banks from coast to coast. A set of seven stills is available for several other local ti ups. featuring the three stars. CONTESTS A swell newspaper contest, featuring publicity scene mats from the film, is suggested with caption clues to identify famous "Young Men With a Horn," like Louis Armstrong, Louis Prima, Harry James. Dizzy Gillespie, Clyde McCoy, etc. The group of answers should be sent to the newspaper, together with a 25-word finish to the s'. ntence beginning: "I want to see 'Young Man with a Horn' because . . ." Another competition, for newspaper, radio or lobby, could be tying up former Kirk Douglas j leading ladies from previous films. DOUGLAS upunq with a ri horn LAUREN Bacall l|ounq ((man . with a whs™ i|oun<j ^ man =y*A\ uiitfia NEWSPAPER ADS At left, three of the newspaper display ad» available in different sizes. Abovj% a three-day teaser campaign, suitable either for three day* in advance of opening, or all three, run-of-paper, opening day with slug directing attention regular <li>|ila> ad in amusement pages.