Year book of motion pictures (1929)

WINDOW DISPLAYS NAME CARDS Arrange with dealer for novel display of twenty or thirty cards. Each card contains the name of some local resident. Upon properly identifying themselves at the store, they receive a pass. This is a good publicity stunt for the dealer, as it keeps a crowd of people constantly scanning the window to see if they can discover their names. LETTERED BALLOONS Tie-up with dealer by placing varied colored balloons blown up in his window. On balloons place single letter from title oi picture, using as many balloons as there are letters in the title. These balloons are blown in various directions by two fans. Card in window offers theater tickets to persons guessing title of picture. Place scene stills from the picture around the window as an aid of identification to passers-by. PRINTED MATTER LAUGH TICKETS Distribute tickets separately numbered. The tickets state that if the number corresponds to a number posted on a boaid in the theater lobby, the holder is entitled to a free admission. Copy emphasizes the comedy value of the attraction. This stunt is bound to bring a lot of people into the lobby to check up on the numbers. WALL PAPER STUNT Good for popular feature whether comedy or drama. Use strips of wall paper on which are printed red lettering: "Get ready. We are tearing the wall paper off the theater wall to make room for (name of star) in (picture)." CURIOSITY AROUSER Use novelty envelope stunt, regulation letters size. On envelope is printed : "What Every Woman Craves. I (Information Inside)." The insert slip reads: "To see (name of star) in (picture and play dates)." LAUGH POWDERS Use this on comedy feature. Envelopes are printed bearing the following: "Save these. You'll need 'cm. Laugh powders to eas» your aching sides when you have seen (picture)." Inside the envelopes place two capsules containing flour. DOOR TAGS Print the following copy on several thousand oidinary tags used for shipping bundles, etc. "Closed — have gone to see at the theater." When attaching tags to store doors, use elastics. Use red ink — it gets greater attention value. Distribution to be made early Sunday morning, so that tags remain on store doors in full view of passersby all day Sunday. LAUGHTER CARD For comedies a Laughter Card can be circulated. It purports to be a membership in the firotherhood of Laughtermotive Engineers, and is gotten up to resemble a union card. SPECIAL STUNTS AUTO NUMBERS Have a reliable house attachee take down auto licenses of automobiles parked in the theater district. Also place throwaway in the automobile, calling attention to the fact that the theater will give away free tickets to the persons owning the automobiles whose numbers are announced on the screen, in lobby or in the newspaper. SPECIAL FANS Good hot weather stunt through distribution to patrons of special fans advertising a coming comedy. Have fans carry a comedy illustration, with a few words announcing the showing in a peppy way. FLIVVER PRIZE Secure an old flivver, decorate it with a lot of "wise cracks," such as, "Lincoln's Poor Relation," "Why Girls Walk Home." etc., and offer it as a prize to the person who submits the cleverest name for it. This is a good stunt in a college town. To the runncrs-up prizes of collegiate pipes or tarns can be presented. HAROLD LLOYD STUNT Rig up a novel lobby shadow box, on the front of which is the head of Harold Lloyd. Through his famous eyeglasses the public can view stills from the picture. CLOCKING THE LAUGHS When presenting real comedy picture, place large announcement board in front of box-office with picture of man with large beaming smile, accompanied by copy reading : "The person who sends in to theater manager, the number of real laughs in the picture, will receive a pass, good for one month, to see the shows at this theater." Naturally, people will be obligated to see the picture in order to count the laughs. Laughs to be guided by funny situations in the picture, and the number of laughs checked up against the contestants. SPECIAL SHOWINGS "LAUGH MONTH" The National Laugh Month Committee suggest the following ideas : Dress ushers in clown costumes. Have your sign painter make "HA" and "HO" compo board cutout signs in various sizes, from a foot high to six feet high, in assorted colors. Hang these about the theater, or stand them in lobby or out front. Run Laugh Month trailer. Use "Laughing" records placed in a phonograph with repeat attachment set up behind a cut-out poster of a laughing face. Stage a Laughing Contest with an award to those who can sit through your show without laughing. Conduct a Laughing Contest on the stage to discover the person having the most natural laugh. Another stunt is to "plant" one of those high-pitched, shrieking laughers in your audience. Try a Clown Carnival, with the neighborhood kids dressed in funny costumes parading to the theater. The comedy "Amateur Night" is a good bet. Allow anyone three minutes on the stage in an effort to make the audience laugh. If you get a good announcer to put this over, it is sore-fire audience stuff. KID IMPERSONATORS On comedies featuring children, hold a special performance at which the youngsters give impersonations of the juvenile characters in the film. Appoint a committee of three as judges, consisting of school board officials or prominent people. The mothers and school teachers will readily cooperate in helping the kids with their costumes. Here is a real neighborhood event. Historical and War NEWSPAPERS WAR HEROES The newspaper secures the names of the city's decorated war heroes and writes them up. A theater party is given them. Special program arranged, with cooperation of local organizations. Decorate lobby with war trophies and flags. Get military organization to loan army truck for ballyhoo. NEWSPAPER EXTRAS Where possible, secure consent of newspapers for permission to surprint over first page in red. caption similar to the following: "Extra — All New York is Ablaze with Enthusiasm over the Spec tacular Motion Picture opening tonight at the " Two thousand copies is a sufficient number in fair-sized cities — distribution to be made in street cars, railway stations, barber shops, restaurants, etc. Green extra to be used on St. Patrick's Dav. LOBBIES TANK CUT-OUTS A cut-out of a war tank mounted on compohoard is effective in the lobby, with a border of electric lights around it and no other lights showing. Tilt the tank at an angle, md have a trench eftcct at one side. HANDKERCHIEF STUNT Theaters presenting features with plenty of pathos can get a big kick out of the following idea : Place large clothes basket in front of box office with sign telling patrons that after seeing 77%