Year book of motion pictures (1935)

BALLY HOOS The Ballyhoo stunts outlined in this section are necessarily of a general character. — But they have been chosen with the thought that they are adaptable to a variety = of pictures. Of course every showman knows that certain attractions contain the suggestion for a brand new ballyhoo never before done. He should constantly analyze his comiilg features to grab these "naturals." LAUGH BALLYHOO On a big laugh special, dress a couple of kids as hospital internes. They carry a stretcher around town on which reposes a wax dummy. Signs on the side of stretcher read: "Not dead, just unconscious from laughing at (name of feature)." BUS BALLYHOO With the cooperation of the local bus company, this simple stunt goes over strong. A man with a loud voice is hired to stop the local buses. Each driver is asked if he passes your theater, where a certain attraction is playing. The ballyhooer is always careful to mention the feature. He also makes it a point to stop the buses that are not going past your theater. The driver gives him the proper directions, and gets a pair of tickets for his cooperation. PARKED FAN A well dressed young chap is parked near your theater, for several days before a big attraction. He is seated in a chair carrying an umbrella on which is lettered: "I am going to be the first in line to see (star) in (picture) playing here — " PICTURE FLOAT A motor truck is secured to carry a float ballyhooing a scene from your coming feature. The scene can be duplicated with a few props and the work of a carpenter. A man and girl are used to pose the scene the same as the featured players do it. The stunt can be adapted to a variety of subjects, and only requires a little ingenuity to make it an outstanding ballyhoo. And the expense can be kept nominal. NEWSPAPER GIRL One of the stunts that never fails to attract attention. Have a girl dressed in a costume composed of newspaper headlines, with all of the heads bearing some reference to your feature, whether it be scandal, society, mystery, etc. The newspaper clippings are mounted on a cloth foundation, and the ballyhoo more than shouts the idea you are trying to get over. Sprinkle a few ads for the attraction in among the headlines. The girl can wear a small white mask, which emphasizes the novelty. TRAVELING JAZZ With the assistance of five high school boys musically inclined, this stunt gets over attractively. They team up as a jazz band, consisting of a piano, drums, clarinet, trombone and sax or cornet. A Ford truck can be gotten from the dealer in return for a banner on the truck. The music store furnishes one of those miniature pianos. The truck parks occasionally in front of the music store. If the attraction has a musical number, they feature this in their repertoire. During selling hours, the truck plays in front of the theater. Easy to enlist the boys for this, as they play after school hours, and get passes for the show. FUNNY COSTUMES Where the local merchants are in a drive for Buying Week, or any other stunt to try and bring folks into town, suggest a Comedy Costume Parade for the kids. It can be made stronger for the dealers by having them enter their own contestants. The newspaper will get behind this one, as the main idea is helping the merchants and the town generally. The youngsters are advised as to the costumes through the newspaper, and the conditions of the contest. The grand windup is at the theater, with prizes awarded from the stage. BEACH COMPETITION If you want to give the summer beaches something to think about, hire a sound-truck, equipped with good amplifiers, to visit each beach and stay for about an hour or so. During the stay, records are played and in between records, announcement is made of the films playing your house. When a musical is scheduled, play the numbers from the picture and announce them as such. Few beaches provide music for the swimmers and many couples like to dance on the beach. Do this on Sundays and watch the jump in Monday and Tuesday business. As a variation, play some old-time records for community singing. FLIVVER BALLY Use an old broken down sedan for this one. 747