Loaded Pistols (Columbia Pictures) (1948)

BALLYHOO THE FILM! . . . Around your theatre . .. in the lobby... on the streets . . . from your screen... and out front! Here's how: DRESS UP THEATRE: Give beth your staff and your theatre the Western treatment for your engagement. Staff should be garbed in Western attire, and the theatre lobby decked out with Western paraphernalia. A display of guns might be accompanied by the sign: "These pistols are NOT loaded! If You Want to See ‘Loaded Pistols,’ It'll Be Here Friday with Gene Autry and Barbara Britton Co-Starred." CHECK YOUR GUNS: Place an old-fashioned trunk or large table in your lobby, with a sign reading: "Check Your Loaded Pistols Here Before You See Gene Autry and Barbara Britton in ‘Loaded Pistols’ on Friday.” Two or three borrowed—and unloaded!—guns might be included with the display, to lend a note of realism, but be sure that they are protected from souvenir-hunters. STREET BALLY: Send a mounted cowboy through the main business streets and in the vicinity of schools, athletic fields and wherever else youngsters congregate. If your bally-man can strum a guitar and sing Western ballads, so much the better! Sign on his back should give full credits. ADVANCE TRAILER: The range rhythms and thrills of "Loaded Pistols’ are shown in this sock trailer which should be ordered—and used!—well in advance! Order from National Screen. 4 STILL SETS: Available at National Screen: 1) production set of 25; 2) newspaper set of 25; 3) art set of 4 (reproductions of key ad art work on page 7); 4) publicity-exploitation set (stills used for scene mats and in exploitation). J-SHEET SETPIECE The 3-sheet can be cut and mounted as shown here to make an arresting advance setpiece. Snipe "Now Playing" over the starting date and move setpiece out front during run. SSOSSOSS SS SSS SSS S SOS SSSSSOSOSS / J mpor tant! 4) vy) % It is suggested that in all billing, win dow cards and other material using their names, Gene Autry’s name be followed by the slogan, ‘‘World’s Greatest Cowboy,”” and Champion’s name be followed by the slogan, *““World’s Wonder Horse.”’ POOP PS SSS OSS OPP SSO O SS SSS SSS Ss SSOSS SES SUSE SS SESS SSS SE SSS SS SS OOS SOSS SSS 3 Drawing Contest This 2-column mat makes an ideal newspaper children’s page plant, or it can be used as a theatre contest via locally-printed card handouts. Print full credits in a caption below the drawing, as indicated here, or on the reverse side of the card if it is used as a handout. Order Mat 2-D (same size as shown) from your National Screen Service exchange. SO OO POCO OS FOS OOO ON OOF, os LOADED PISTOLS Loaded pistols provide plenty of trouble for Gene Autry in "Loaded Pistols," leading to a wild manhunt for a mystery killer. Arrange with your chief of police, district attorney or other leading law enforcement agent to issue a statement to the newspapers and radio pointing out how hundreds of persons are killed annually by pistols and other weapons which weren't "loaded.'' The statement should warn all legal and illegal possessors of guns to examine their weapons carefully and immediately, with particular attention to veterans who include enemy weap ons among their souvenirs. WESTERN STORIES "Loaded Pistols" is an excellent tie-in title for library and book store displays of Western literature, and for promoted Western story magazines to be used as street giveaways. Tie-in copy might be along the lines: "Loaded Pistols Blaze in These Western Stories! 'Loaded Pistols’ Blaze in the Gene Autry Film Starting Its Engagement at the State Theatre Friday.” CARTRIDGE CONTEST Arrange with a prominent sporting goods store to stage a ‘'guess-how-many" window contest involving empty shells in a sombrero. Passerby are invited to guess the number of shells, for guest tickets, via special forms which include the guess, name and address. Sign calling attention to the contest should contain full credits and stills from the picture. PPPS PSSSS PPP PDPP DPD PPP PSPSOSSSP SSIS SSSI OSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SESS SS SPSSS SSO 9S 9 99999999 GENE AUTRY sings ‘LOADED PISTOLS” to CHAMPION, :,yua y/ world’s wonder horse. Can you draw Champion? Shown above is an artist’s drawing of a scene from “Loaded Pistols,” starring Gene Autry and Barbara Britton with Champion, world’s wonder horse, at the ............ Theatre beginning ............. The artist has left Champion out of the picture. Can you draw Champion? Send your drawing to the Blanktown “Chronicle” before midnight tonight; the ten best drawings will receive guest tickets to see Gene Autry and Champion in “Loaded Pistols” when it opens at the ............ Theatre on ............ YESS CESS S99ESSS SS FSSSOVOE ELIE EES SOS SG 99599959 955 D599 959995 5F 9S SS SSESSSE6 5566559668 1 SSS ESOO SSOP SS OSSSS9SG8SF. 9S SOOSSS OS SSS S OS SSO SISSIES AMATEUR CONTEST Gene Autry's tremendous popularity as a singer of Western and hillbilly songs makes a Gene Autry Amateur Singing Contest a useful stunt to be worked with your "Loaded Pistols" engagement. Get a disc jockey to co-sponsor the contest, with promoted merchandise as prizes. Contestants should sing one of the songs from the picture (see page 2 for complete list). If contestants sing over the air, with listener write-in or phone-in votes, finals might be held on the stage of your theatre opening day. Be sure of constant press coverage and frequent picture and playdate mention. POLICE GUN TOURNEY Stage, with the aid of the Police Department, a police pistol-shooting tournament which should be covered by press and radio. Offer a Gene Autry trophy as a prize, with guest tickets to runners-up. If police chief is willing, prize might be a day off for every contestant whose score reaches, or tops, a specific high standard. . PPPS IOS PSPSPS SSS OS OPS OPS SOP OOS SOS SO SS Radio Spots 15 SECONDS Gene Autry, world’s greatest cowboy, rides herd on a mystery killer in “Loaded Pistols,’ his new Columbia picture co-starring Barbara Britton at the 242.5 Theatre beginning ............ Don’t miss ‘‘Loaded Pistols!” 30 SECONDS Loaded pistols and loaded dice! Those are the thrill-filled elements which explode into Gene Autry’s greatest screen adventure, “Loaded Pistols,” the new Columbia picture opening ..... ae at ine 6205. Theatre. Barbara Britton co-stars with Gene in “Loaded Pistols,” and Champion, % the world’s wonder horse, is in it too. Don’t miss % PIGSSSS OOS SS SISOS SS SSS Gene Autry’s singing and fighting in “Loaded Pistols,” opening ............ atthe. .o-:.: Theatre. POODOSSS SOS IS SSS SESS SO SSS PSPS SO SSFGE, $5SSS9S696906" Page 9