The film daily year book of motion pictures (1936)

Rural Bait • THIS can be worked by managers running houses that are supplied from rural communities. Papers to be delivered R.F.D. should include a free guest ticket for any boy or girl under twelve years of age. As the kiddies will have to go a considerable distance to the theater they are sure to be accompanied by another child or one or two grown-ups. This is a dandy for houses that run juvenile films and can even be worked in connection with any short subject that especially appeals to the children. Handle it on "off nights". It will swell the box-office receipts. "Find Yourself" Stunt • YOU can't go wrong with this one. It's old, but healthy. Have a "roaming photographer" from the newspaper take still pictures of various groups at certain hours on the streets of your city or town. The paper should announce that pictures taken one day will be reproduced in all editions the following day. Persons "finding themselves" in the reproductions will receive a ticket to your theater. It's sure-fire for the circulation department of the paper, a business getter for you and also a tie-up proposition for merchants whose stores show in the photograph. Size 'Em Up • HOW tall is Clark Gable, Richard Dix. Robert Montgomery, or whatever star is to be on your screen in the near future? What size hat? Shoes? Gloves? Collar? Socks? Those are the questions to be printed in a coupon to be run in your local paper. Readers are to guess the star's exact measurements. Give an enlarged still of the star, or a pair of tickets as the prize. On the day you announce the winner, have an enlarged telegram, supposed to have come from Hollywood, giving the star's exact measurements. This telegram will make a fine display if surrounded by a score of coupons received from contestants. Hot News • HERE'S a wow. There is very little actual "heel and toe" reporting done by a small town newspaper, and yet there are a thousand items of news and scandal that the editor would be glad to have — and pay for. Invite the editor to attend the next meeting of your children's Saturday morning club. Have him offer one free ticket to the theater for every news item handed in by the lads and used in the paper. No items are to be duplicated. First come, first served. In this manner the editor will get plenty of local goings on and some red hot scandal that can be handled with impunity. Arrange with the manager to pay you half price of every ticket he gives to the kids. It's cheop news for him and a fine boost for you. To add color to the stunt, stamp each pass "PRESS" in red ink. Old Acquaintances • TELL the editor of the paper that the theater is interested in finding the oldest married couple in the community. Tell him that you want to invite them, and their children and grandchildren to your theater. After the story has broken, you'll be surprised at the number of letters thai will come in. That all means that attraction has already been centered on your theater. Leave out the couple's children and grandchildren if you want and just make it for the old couple. At the pay-off you can invite the oldest five or ten couples. You're sure they'll have all their relatives, who will pay admission in the house. Permanent Co-ops • IN cooperation with local merchants, run a weekly co-op page with a contest angle. Letters are dropped from various words in the ads, and when these are replaced they can be assembled to spell the title of the current picture. Offer prizes for the six neatest and most original replies each week. Merchants contribute the prizes. They should go for this stunt during the summer months, for it insures their ads being read. Star Resemblance • THE idea in this is to ferret out the local beauties who most closely resemble the star in your feature. The bigger the star, the more interest this will arouse, so the stunt should only be used on an outstanding name. The newspaper prints the star's picture daily. Girls who think their features approximate those of the star, are requested to send their photos to the paper for reproduction. The local photographer will be glad to co-operate in taking pictures, and you can offer him some free advertising. Old Timers • A GOOD stunt to arouse the interest of the old-timers. It is used on a film adapted from some old stage play. The editor calls on the old-timers to submit their recollections of the original stage play reminiscences of the original cast, etc. It is surprising how many letters will disclose that there are a lot of folks in your community who are well informed on the old stage classics. Slogans • IN your neswpaper ads, include an announcement that you will give guest tickets for the snappiest catchlines or slogans for a forthcoming picture. Do not publish a synopsis, but tell the readers enough of the story to give them an idea of the theme. Invite the advertising manager in judging 861