Hell's Angels (United Artists) (1930)

Conduct An Aviation Week ERE is the perfect campaign exploit “Hell’s Angels.” On the strength of this promotional stunt you can get the coopera¬ tion of your local newspapers, local merchants, civic officials and local aviation interests. Telling as it does the story of aviation and its part in the World War, “Hell’s Angels” is an ideal picture to use in staging an Aviation Week in tribute to the wartime flyers and all those who have benefited from aviation. Such an occasion can be made quite important and the picture can be so bound up with the campaign that everyone in town will feel a definite urge, almost an obligation to see the film. v Your campaign to build interest and support in an Aviation Week can be staged along the follow¬ ing lines. 1. Get your local newspaper to run stories about the progress made in aviation. In the stories see that reference is made to “Hell’s Angels,” as be¬ ing the tribute film to aviation and its daring fly¬ ers. Let the paper issue a special invitation to all prominent local airmen who either have fought in the World War, or made some notable con- " tPibution to aviation, to attend a special TRIBUTE SHOWING of “Hell’s Angels” in their honor. Get your editor to run pictures of the different avi¬ ators as well as famous air heroes of the World War. Run pictures of the aerial combats in “Hell’s Angels” as illustrations to show what air fights are like. Greatest Hero 2. Hold a ballot in the paper to determine who of the local airmen displayed the greatest courage in his aerial work. Do not limit the selection to men who have taken part in the war; include all those engaged in commercial aviation as well. As a substitute for the most courageous aviator the £ most popular aviator can be selected by vote. Through a ballot of this sort, local dealers can be induced to offer prizes to the winning candidates. Invite every airman receiving votes in the contest to attend a special performance of the picture. 3. Properly handled this stunt gets out of the realm of picture publicity and becomes a matter of civic pride and civic interest. Prominent civic officials including the Mayor, and the local gov¬ erning board, can be induced to take part in a town-wide demonstration to further the cause of aviation. Y Field Day 4. The demonstration can take the form of a mammoth field day held at the local airport. A program of aerial events can be gotten up which can include manoeuvers and air sham battles. Let the Mayor, or the state Governor or any impor¬ tant official you choose, open the proceedings. Build a speakers’ platform and wire up a number of magnavoxes so that those on the outskirts of the crowd can hear what is being said. 5. See that the title of the picture and your the¬ atre name appears on the wings of all planes tak¬ ing part in the demonstration. On the body of the plane letter wording reading “Blanktown Avi¬ ation Week.” Civic Demonstration 6. Awards to the outstanding aviators can be made at the field by the presiding official. Hold special tribute performances of “Hell’s Angels” on different nights for each of the winners. Have the guests of honor appear on the stage and make # short speeches. Get prominent local men to intro¬ duce the flyers to the audience. 7. Arrange to take motion pictures of the air field day and all those participating for prizes in Uhe newspaper contest. Flash these pictures on /your screen during the engagement and advertise this fact in your lobby and your newspaper ads. Lobby Exhibits 8. Prepare lobby displays exhibiting pictures of the airmen. Arrange with local aviation con¬ cerns to lend you wind machines and act as hosts at your theatre on certain days and demonstrate the different machines. 9. Every merchant in town will be eager to play a part in this campaign. Get leading dealers to prepare special window displays consisting of aviation material, illustrated placards about local airmen and production stills from “Hell’s Angels.” Many will want to offer merchandise as prizes to the winning aviators. These articles can be made the core of the exhibits. Cooperative Spreads 10. The newspaper will jump at the opportun¬ ity of helping you arrange for cooperative ad spreads entered into by local merchants. As a stimulus to taking part in this display, state that you will offer free tickets to see “Hell’s Angels” to all of their customers making purchases above a given amount to be decided by merchants and yourself. Tie-up the spread with your showing by getting one of your ads in the center of the display. Let a streamer run across the top of the spread reading “Blanktown’s Aviation Week.” 11. Interest the town in a tribute dinner to the aviators. Handle the dinner in such a way that every important person in town will feel obligated to attend. Price the tickets at a figure which will permit inviting the aviators as guests of the town. Exhibit displays in the room referring to “Hell’s Angels” as the tribute picture to the aviator. See that pictures are taken of the banquet and run in the local newspapers along with feature articles about the aviators and your attraction. Testimonials 12. Get the aviators to write testimonials en¬ dorsing the merchandise sold by different local merchants. Tie this up with the special offer ad¬ vertised in the paper in which free tickets for “Hell’s Angels’’ are given to those making pur¬ chases above a certain amount. 13. Your newspaper will be interested in any idea you may have to call attention to its Classi¬ fied Ad section at this time. One way of capitaliz¬ ing on this angle would be to conduct a contest to select the best ads in this section and award the winning advertisers and the winning contestants free air trips and free admission tickets to see “Hell’s Angels.” Your newspaper editor, a prom¬ inent writer and a prominent lawyer can act as judges in the contest. Select as winners among the contestants those submitting the best ten word slogans for the classified ad section. Official Parade 14. To insure town-wide attention have the city officials and aviation men parade through town be¬ fore the air field demonstrations. Have the avi¬ ators parade to your theatre to attend the special showing in their honor. 15. This campaign will consume considerable time, and put you to some trouble, but it is worth everything you give it, for “Hell’s Angels” rates as the finest entertainment to come to the talking screen and will justify everything your townspeo¬ ple may expect from it. Catchlines More than a picture—it is an experience brimming with the very essence of life. Conceived on the grand scale—it surpasses every mo¬ tion picture ever produced. By far, the greatest of all motion pictures. You’ll never forget it. The first multi-million dollar talking picture—an air spectacle that defies the imagination. At last! After three years the picture you have been waiting for. Here’s a picture that will thrill old and young alike—it has the universal appeal of all great masterpieces. It belongs among the great experiences of life because it is so real- You may be shocked at “Hell’s Angels’’ but you will never forget it! The most impressive and awe inspiring production that has yet come to the talking screen. Everyone who has seen this sensation concedes its un¬ equalled preeminence in the history of the screen! Authentic to the minutest detail—its realism will leave you thrilled and breathless. The only authentic picture of aerial warfare ever pro¬ duced. No other picture has ever equalled its daring and breath-taking magnitude. The mightiest drama that the world has ever seen—a production that will go down in the history of motion pic¬ tures as an unmatched achievement. The high peak of cinematic air circuses. It costs $4,900,000 and towers above any spectacle yet thrown on the screen. Tops the world in air spectacles. The master motion picture the world has been waiting three years to see. Plane Builders Every youngster in town is interested in making models of contrivances and machines used in life. Here’s a great chance to capitalize on this tendency. Through the co¬ operation of your local editor stage an aeroplane and zeppelin building contest in which prizes are awarded for the best models of famous aircraft constructed by any local boy. Stipulate that the models must be able to fly and arrange with the games committee of your local schools to hold a flying test on some day set aside for the purpose. Take motion pictures of this event and flash them on youi screen during the engagement of the picture. Also run pictures and stories of the winners in the local news¬ paper. Offer free admissions as prizes and get local mer¬ chants to donate articles for this purpose. Arrange to have winning planes exhibited in windows of the different dealers. HELLS ANGELS PAGE THREE