Death of a Salesman (Columbia Pictures) (1951)

‘Death of a Salesman,’’ Willy Loman boasts that he is not only liked—he is well-liked. This can inspire a competition in which housewives of your town vote for their Get the house-to-house salesmen of your town to distribute heralds boosting the election. Winning salesmen get cash or promoted merchandise awards and are guests of honor at your opening night. Stunt may also be worked by a single department Sample Cases: Have a well-dressed man carry a pair of large, empty sample cases through the busiest streets of your town on opening day. Lettering on each of the cases announces your picture and engagement. © ECOL aN Put Salesmen to Work on ‘Salesman’ N Definitions: In ‘‘Death of a Salesman,” a Pitchman: Get a personable, glib young man Best-Liked: |n ‘ salesman is defined as ‘‘a man way out there to make a pitch for your showing of ‘‘Death of in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoe shine.”’ a Salesman”’ all over town well in advance of Use this as the basis for a contest offering guest playdate. Have him consult the advertising sec tickets for the most interesting definition of a tion of this pressbook, and have him improvise favorite salesmen. salesman. Plant the competition in a local news(and memorize) a speech touting the picture. paper or on the air, with full picture, theatre Your pitchman sets up his stand on busy street and playdate credits. corners all over town. If he is glib (and amusing) Previews: Arrange a special screening, in adenough, you should be able to arrange for his vanée of playdate. fora aroup OF <aleaned. of appearance on local radio and television shows. your community. If there is an important sales Interviews: Try for off-the-movie-page puborehee convention being held in your town, invite saleslicity for your ‘‘Death of a Salesman” showing men from various parts of the country to a preby arranging a newspaper feature story in view. Arrange for newspaper interviews of which the buyers of the big stores of your town your guests, and for a radio or television protalk about ‘‘the most interesting salesman | gram to be held immediately after the preview. have ever known.” BUBPUBUBLUBGLUBGPUGUGLUGLUSEUESGLGLGLGLGRUZGUSUSUSUS 3 PICTURE STORY A story in pictures (stills with captions) is available for newspapers. If your paper will cooperate, write: Publicity Department, Room 901, Columbia Pictures Corp., 729 Seventh Ave., New York 19, N. Y. The material will be mailed to the paper and your theatre’s name will be mentioned. J STILL SETS Available from National Screen Service are five still sets: 1) set of 25 flats; 2) set of 25 uprights; 3) set of 15 11” x 14” stills; 4) art set (photos of key ad art); 5) publicityexploitation set (stills used in publicity and exploitation campaigns). TRAILER Capitalizing on the drama and prestige of the Pulitzer Prize play, this attention-getting regular trailer for “Death of a Salesman” should be shown early and often! Order it from National Screen Service. USE QUOTES The critics’ quotes on Pages 6a and 7a in the advertising section of this pressbook can be effectively used in your lobby displays. Add quotes of local opinion-makers who have attended advance screenings. Use quotes also in heralds and in window displays. oa! 1928 CHEVROLET e In “Death of a Salesman,” a 1928 Chevrolet, a model certain to attract attention on the roads today, figures prominently. If you can locate a Chevrolet of this vintage in working order, use it as a traveling ballyhoo in advance of playdate. On the car, letter the news that March drives a car like this in “Death of a Salesman,” coming to your theatre. e Another way to exploit the 1928 Chevrolet angle is to offer free admission, via press and radio, to anyone who drives a car of 1928 vintage or older to your theatre on opening day. Plant photos of the assembled car-owners who take advantage of your offer. * Contact your local Chevrolet dealer and ask him to cooperate with you in boosting “Death of a Salesman.” Ask him to arrange a parade of Chevrolets of different models, starting with the 1928 car. Autos in the parade carry signs announcing that Chey“sure have improved since Willy Loman drove his 1928 Chevrolet” in “Death of a Salesman,” coming to your theatre. rolets © Still No. 4 shows the Loman boys (Kevin McCarthy and Cameron Mitchell) polishing up the 1928 Chevrolet as Willy Loman (Fredric March) looks on. Blow this up for display in the showroom of local Chevrolet dealers, with credits. Get the help of the dealers in planting the still on the automotive pages of local newspapers, alongside pictures of more modern Chevrolets. Page 7 2s NT eT OG RADIO SPOTS 15 SECONDS: It’s here! The motion picture you've waited for! “Death of a Salesman,” a great play, now is an extraordinary picture. “Death of a Salesman” was produced by Stanley Kramer and stars Fredric March. Be sure to see Columbia Pictures “Death of a Salesman” at the State Theatre Friday! 15 SECONDS: Now at last! “Death of a Salesman,” the greatest prize-winning play in recent stage history is the most extraordinary motion picture of the year, produced by Stanley Kramer and starring Fredric March. See Columbia Pictures “Death of a Salesman” at the State Theatre Friday! 30 SECONDS: “Death of a Salesman!” The most extraordinary motion picture of the year! From Stanley Kramer, producer of “Champion,” “Home of the Brave,” “The Men,” and “Cyrano de Bergerac,” comes the longawaited motion picture production of “Death of a Salesman.” “Death of a Salesman” is based on the play that won the Pulitzer Prize, the N. Y. Drama Critics Circle Award and other prizes. Columbia Pictures’ long-awaited screen version of “Death of a Salesman” stars the distinguished American actor, Fredric March, winner of the Academy Award for “The Best Years of Our Lives,” in the greatest performance of his career. See Columbia Pictures’ “Death of a Salesman” at the State Theatre Friday! LA What's His Line? In the picture, Fredric March as the salesman refers to the item he sells only with the sentence, "" What it is he sells isn't made known, but the play’s popular “There's no line like Willy Loman’s. ity—and the picture’s!—has created considerable speculation. Exploit this fact via a radio or television forum in which participants try to reach agreement on the product sold by Fredric March in the film (see publicity story on page 9 of this pressbook). Arrange for an actual salesman to figure in a radio or television program of the “Twenty Questions’ type, with contestants guessing at what he sells; offer guest tickets and promoted merchandise to the winners. GOO EO Place the following special announcements where they'll do the most good—immediately before and after the leading dramatic shows aired in your town, or other radio programs which reach a large number of people. | = INUIT inc mn