The film daily year book of motion pictures (1937)

Old Timers •k 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. Guest Ticket if 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 gril 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. Oldest Couples if 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 that 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. Slogans if In your newspaper 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 Do not publish a synopsis, but fell the readers enough of the story to give them an idea of the theme. Invite the advertising manager in judging the slogans. Use the slogans selected as winners, and also the honorable mentions, in your lobby with the name of the author at the bottom of each card. Juvenile Reporters if 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 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 cheap news for him and a fine boost for you. To add color to the stunt, stamp each pass "PRESS" in red ink. Star Resemblance if 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 mere 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. Girls Swimmers if With the swimming meets now one of the popular sports, it is always good for a raft of publicity if handled right. Organize it under the auspices for the local A.A.U. athletic club, or the Y.W.C.A. For girl contestants only The A.A.U. rules govern the meet, and members of the local club should act as judges. Every amateur girl swimmer in the city is eligible. The entry blanks are obtained at your box-office. The contest features three swimming events and five diving events. Used on a big feature it may be possible to secure a telegram from the star sponsoring the contest. Offer a cup to the main winner. The local dealers come in with additional prizes. The winner is the girl making the most points in all events. The newspaper can get behind this and build it up as a big community event, which it is when properly handled. Careful Drivers if A natural for Safety Week. It is an old stunt, but can be used effectively in the classified advertising eclumns. Each day an observer notes down instances of careful driving, and takes the license plate number. Several of these appear the following day in the classified ads. This can be extended as long as the newspaper finds it a drawing proposition. Rewards of tickets to these careful drivers makes it a cheap stunt for you, and it gives the paper a good play on interest in its classified columns. Smart Dressers if Here is a two-way tie-up, including a fashion shop as well as the newspaper. The paper plays it up by announcing that a photographer will snap the most smart'y gowned woman for several days in the downtown shopping district. The dealer presents the woman with a pair of advertised hose, identifying her from the published photos. It's a good plug for the newspaper, as it keeps all the women and girls scanning the sheet daily for the run of the contest, to see if their photos appear. 894