Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1948)

EXPLOITATION PICTURE HDMANCE an the HIGH SEAS A JDY fllHE! A Dream Vacation For The Audiente To the thcatreman surfeited l)y banft-haiij^ and Imrolics comes Warner Bros. ''Romance on the High Seas'" Vikc a tall, frostv niinf-jniep on a hot summer (lay. Gay, girl-fillrd. {jajj-Iaden, gorfjeously Tcchnicohircd. this <iahi musical hnhldes with six to)) tunes, phis an assortment of tropical rhythms, that shouhl make this a hot-weather humdin<!:er. Selliiifi point i\'o. 1 to a vacation-minded populace is an invitation to join the tour stars — Jack Carson. Janis Pai<jc, Don DeFore and the sultrvvoiced, blonde-tressed newcomer, Doris Day — in the ideal vacation, that luxurious Carihhcan cruise to the land of samha, coufia and calvps!) thev have always dreamed about. De<ked out in lavish trai)pin<is that the real thin<r could hardly ho])!' to cfjual. "Romance on th< High Seas ' is just the thing to whisk an audience away lor an hour-and-a-half of wonderful, wish-vou-werehcre fun. With Busby Berkeley, daddy of the movie musical ("42nd Street," "Gold Diggers," etc.), handling the production numbers and top tunesmiths Jules Styne and Sammy Calm, contributing a sextet of toe-tapping ditties, thr nni>^ical portions are insured first-rate treatment. Add the tricky calypso, South American rhythms and a blaze of color, so ideally suited to such numbers, and you have another potent selling angle. And right up there with the other exploitation fortes is a star-studded cast, with an exciting new personality, Doris Day, who reveals talents in the vocal, visual and fun-fetching departments that forecasts a bright film future for the rookie from the radio and dance hand circuit. Disporting herself joyously among such established and clever performers as Carson. DeFore, Miss Paige and Oscar Levant, she scores a I'esounding hit, and the showman woidd do Avell to play up this new personality l>ig. Want more? Easy. There's breathtaking Technicolor; there's a whole boatload of beautiful gals; there are costumes to delight the eye and a wardrobe sported by the Misses Day and Paige to make the ladies gasp. And the box-offieers on Mort Blumenstock s staff have concocted a pressbook crammed with promotional aids that should give Joe Exhibitor a running start to bring this into box office pai'adise. MRIS-OH BOY.y [theatre] on the ^ [theatre ] TEASERS Both the teasers fabove) and the newspaper ads I below) are right in tune with the gleeful, girlful rhythmic proceedings. The teasers can be used, in addition to newspaper movie page space, on travel pages, as post cards, lobby blow-ups and program backs. o«ni4 S S STRAHOio ROMAATCFo. T T Passenger List All effective lobl>y di>[*lay to carry out the nautical fla\or that should < liaracleri/e t h (• promolion \h thie "I'acbenger List." I'alroni are invited l<) -ifin up on numbered lineh and at (liven time tapes are removed and lucky numbers win free passage aboard your "hhip" opening night. PLUG SONGS The six hit tunes from the talented pens of Jules Styne and Sammy Cahn are being plugged on the air via top artist recordings, including Andrews Sisters. Hob Oosby. iJ.ck Haymes, Doris Day and lots more. Augment this by -tunts tied in with the titles: Store window theme. " "I'm in Love' with the New (product).' ": A Doris Day double contest on stage with the ''It's Vou or No One" theme. Others are suggested by "It's .Magic." "The Tourist Trade," "Run, Run, Run" and ''Put 'Em in a Box." Gangplank An easy-to-set-up gangplank to the boxoffice is a novel -tunt to bring the customers aboard. If ticket booth locution isn't right for It, try gangr>lank leading up to lobby entrance or covering three-orfour-step stairway inside the theatre. In lobby, a display of nautical items, captioned. "Gals! Steer a Straight Course to 'Romance on the High' Seas' can be labeled, i. e.. Binoculars — "To help you spot the right guy a mile off"; Compass — "In Case you're just drifting," etc.