Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1921)

2006 Motion Picture N Wlliam Jcx ark, ^main's CONNECTICUT IN KJNGA^JHCJ^ coin^r pilllllllillllllllllllllllltlllllllllllllllllllllUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!IUIIIIIIII!li| iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii glllHIIUIIIIIIIIIIIUUIIIIUIIIIIIIIIIUIIIIUIIUIIIIIUimilllillllUIIUIIUIIIIUIIIIUIIIIIIUIIIUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIUIIH^ nil Illlllliiiililll UIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!lllllinilllllllllllllllllllllUIUIIIUIUIIUIIilUIIIIUIIimMIUIIII»llllllll|l!£ I Exploitation Survey of | I MARK TWAIN'S | I A Connecticut Yankee | I In King Arthur's Court j liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiNiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiNiiiiiiiw A THREE-FOLD BIG METROPOLIS SUCCESS H \ CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT," A\ Mark Twain's masterpieC'C, released by William Fox as one of twelve super-specials, played for five solid months to crowded houses at the Selwyn theatre, New York City. Twelve weeks was the record it established in Los Angeles, the city of picture critics, where it taxed the capacity of Miller's theatre. It is now playing a return engagement there. A six weeks' pre-release engagement at the Alhambra theatre, London, England, only began to satisfy the demands of the people wanting to see it in that city. Everywhere it has been pronounced by experts as flawless entertainment, in which two major " appeal " elements, that have never before been combined in a production, predominate. The outstanding note, of course, is Mark Twain's delicious humor — irresistible comedy that gets under the thickest skin, but back of this, and of almost equal importance, is the fact that it is also a great spectacle, the magnitude of the sets and the massiveness of the entire production having never been approached. ■William fox, J)resen.ts Marie 'Bvain greatest Comedy ACON^^ECTICU YA^^ICEE IV WiG J^THHI^'S conn; (Staged, by £mmett J '^Itjn.. Selling the Picture to Your Public A PICTURE, after all, is much like any other commodity and has to be sold in a similar way. " Create desires " is the cry of the salesman the world over and this, of course, is just as necessary with a picture as with anything else. " A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court," aside from being a really great picture, offers more opportunities to create desire, more angles that will appeal to every class of entertainment seeker, than any production ever put on the screen. Those who want to laugh will laugh as they have never laughed before; those who enjoy thrills will find their nerves tingling time and again; story interest in abundance, wonderful characterization, a touch of pathos, myster}' — all are here to satisfy the most exacting demands. Get the big men of your community behind your campaign by appealing to them through Mark Twain as an educator. Invite them to a private showing of the picture. The}' will appreciate its literary value — they know, of course, that Mark Twain has taught more truths to more people, through the delightful channels of comedy, than any other author — they will enjoy every second of the entertainment — and they will go out and talk. W ord of mouth publicity is the greatest kind of publicity and all you have to do is to start the ball rolling. Another factor you shouldn't overlook is that humans are much alike the world over and unconscious envy is a part of their makeup. Show them conclusively that vast throngs of other people have obtained and enjoyed a certain thing, and they will immediately want that thing and go to any lengths to get it. You can show them conclusively that thousands upon thousands of people in NewYork, London and Los Angeles, three cities in which the fans, to say the least are discriminating, have seen " A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court " and have received an immense amount of enjoyment from it. The critics on the dailies, on the trade papers and on the fan magazines in these three cities were unanimous and highly laudatory in their opinions of this picture. Many excerpts from these opinions appear in the exploitation book and press sheet prepared by the Fox Corporation. Others will be furnished upon request. Use them unsparingly in your newspaper advertising, as program briefs and even in printed form to send to your mailing list. Guarantee the entertainment value of the picture under your own signature and back up your judgment with the opinion of these critics. Big city newspaper critics wield a large influence on the mind of the average fan and their opinions of this picture are so strong that they are bound to have an immense effect. Pound home the thought that tens of thousands have already reaped their share of enjoyment from this production and that hundreds of thousands more will enjoy it. Insidiously play upon the envious strain in human nature bj adroitly suggesting that if they miss " A Connecticut Yankee " they will be deprived of a measure of pleasure that all others have enjoyed or will enjoy. There are innumerable points about the production itself that will suggest forceful selling arguments. A few of these are : It has distinguished authorship. It is based on a novel almost everyone has read, the fame of which has spread through two hemispheres. From the spectacle standpoint it has never been excelled. For novelty of theme and treatment it stands in a class by itself. It is entertainment pure and simple ; it sparkles with wit from the most brilliant minds ; it is punctuated with mirth. Work Through Educational Channels MARK TWAIN Societies exist in many towns. Nearly every town and village has a literarj club. Make use of these in publicizing ■■ A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court." The librarian at your public library will help you. He will give you names of influential people who are interested in Mark Twain's works and whose social connections will enable them to spread the news that your theatre has a treat in store. Get in touch with your Board of Education — the literar> value of this production will inveigle their interest. Circularize your schools and colleges— make the children your word-of-mouth press agents. Offer prizes of tickets for the best essay, from the various classes, comparing Mark Twain's novel and the picture. Competition among the chil dren is the surest way of interest ing the parents. Booksellers will be delighted t tie up with you on window display and newspaper advertising. I means increased revenue for botl of you. Remember this picture is gooi for a run anywhere. Everybodwill want to see it and it's up to yoi to let the people of your com munity know, in every way possible that it's coming to your theatre. Stunt Exploitation Suggestions tJERE is another angle to whid ^ this production is particularl; ! adaptable. One phase of the pic ture shows a vast army of motor cycles ridden by men in armor an( led by a girl in a flivver. This scen< was taken advantage of in the Nev York City exploitation. A score o motorcyclists were engaged to rid' through the business and residen tial districts bearing placards ad vertising the production. The nois< created by the incessant and simol " taneous explosions of the many ma chines excited curiosity long befon thej' arrived, the result beinj throngs of interested spectators al along the way. It was a very ef fective ballyhoo. Dress up a man in a knight' armor and have him walk th' streets. Put a Pittsburgh stogie i), his mouth, give him a cane to swinj and a wrist watch to wear. H would have delighted Mark Twain He will delight your patrons. H symbolizes " A Connecticut Yanke in King Arthur's Court." a pictur A group of scenes which feature the spectacular comedy, " A Connecticut Yankee," offered by William Fox