Murder by Invitation (Monogram) (1941)

A Real Showman's Special! Dont Miss a Bet in Selling It to Thrill-Seekers! Mystery means money—every exhibitor, every book dealer, every radio program director knows that the most consistently popular type of entertainment in the world is the good old ‘’who-dun-it.“” In every walk of life, in every age classification you'll always find detective story fans. So if.you can just tap this great “‘pool” of potential customers, you’ve hit a ticket-buying ‘‘gusher.’” We’re positive that this is the picture to do it! Take the word of reviewers and exhibitors who've seen ‘’Murder By Invitation” that it’s a great piece of entertainment, crammed with laughs as well as thrills. The cast is top-notch from the leads down to the smallest bit. Wallace Ford scored so heavily in Monogram’s “’Roar of The Press” that we immediately brought him back for another starring role. Opposite him is Marian Marsh, one of Hollywood's prettiest stars, a ‘“name*’’ who has played leads with some of the biggest box office stars in the business. The third leading role is taken by Sarah Padden, one of the outstanding character actresses on the screen. “‘Murder By Invitation’ is one of the most intriguing mystery titles ever flashed from a marquee. It packs punch and novelty... It’s a sure-fire curiosity-whetter . . . loaded with exploitation and advertising possibilities. Give it the ‘gun’ with a real live-wire campaign and you can expect socko business. REMINGTON SHAVER TIE-UP Excellent stills are available of Wallace Ford using the popular Remington Dual Close-Shaver. This famous electric razor is one of the biggest selling gadgets of its kind on the market and is a big profit item for the countless drug and department stores which handle it. Hence, dealers should be eager to join in any promotion you suggest. Go after them to feature the Wallace Ford photos in their newspaper ads preceding the playdate. For these ads and for window displays, too, the following copy is suggested: “When you use an old-fashioned face-destroyer instead of a streamlined electric razor, it’s just ‘Murder By Invitation’—you’re killing your skin. Get a shaving thrill from the Remington Dual Close-Shaver and a screen thrill from ‘Murder By Invitation’ !” Atmospheric Lobby Catches Coin Atmospheric lobbies are always a good bet on mystery films. Here are a few suggestions you may want to carry through: 1. Have your cashier, doorman and ushers wear black masks. 2. Feature a display of lethal weapons such as revolvers, knives, strangler’s rope, axes, etc. Head the layout with a sign reading: “If you were invited to a murder, which would you choose?” 3. Borrow photos of famous local crimes, murders if possible, from newspaper morgues and plaster them on a bulletin board labeled: “The strangest crime of all is MURDER BY INVITATION.” 4. If possible, feature a green lighting effect throughout your front, lobby and marquee. MASKED MISS GIVES AWAY MURDER INVITES TO MEN Have a mystery woman, a shapely miss wearing a black mask, walk through the busiest sections of town distributing small cards to all the men. Throwaways should read: “If you're looking for thrills, join me at the Palace Theatre. Don’t come if you have a weak heart. Murder by Invitation!” It might be a good idea to perfume the cards. You can be sure that every man’s curiosity will be piqued by this “invite” from a pretty stranger. Co-operative Stunts for Book Dealers, Libraries Tie up with the many book outlets in town to promote a “mystery week” coincident with the run of “Murder By Invitation.’” This should include special window displays of current mystery novels with a good selection of stills from the picture, which should be hailed as the “mystery of the month.” Furnish the stores and libraries with book marks to be inserted in all outgoing books. Use a one-column ad from the pressbook to illustrate the book mark. In return for their co-operation you can display a list of suggested thrillers to be read by moviegoers who wish to “tune-up” for ““Murder By Invitation.” You might also construct a flash lobby display using as many mystery book jackets as possible with a big splash of red in the middle bearing the plug— “And now, the mystery of the month—’Murder By Invitation.’ ” Extra Thrills for Fans With Last-Minute Guess Many smart showmen have pulled this stunt in conjunction with their screenings of mystery pictures and it always results in a great deal of wordof-mouth publicity as well as giving the who-dun-it fans an extra “kick.” The idea is to stop the film just before the climax is reached and challenge the audience to pick out the murderer. This can be done by an announcement read over the p. a. system or by an inexpensive trailer you can have made up by any trailer company. Announcement should list the various suspects and state that those who fancy themselves as amateur sleuths have an opportunity to test their talents by picking the guilty party in this murder case . . . and “we'll bet you’re wrong!” There’s a perfect spot in “Murder By Invitation” to pull this stunt. It’s just before the mystery mansion is set on fire. The old lady, played by Sarah Padden, describes how the conflagration will trap the criminal. As soon as she starts to put her plan in effect, cut off the picture and either make your announcement in the darkened theatre or run the trailer. It’s little showmanship touches like this that will keep people coming to your theatre. Preview for Law Enforcers You can whip up extra interest and probably get good newspaper breaks by running a special showing for the members of your local police force, the district attorney and his staff, prominent representatives of the bar, etc. If you can swing it, a good gag would be to have the picture reviewed by the Chief of Police instead of the regular film critic.