Modern Times (United Artists) (1936)

MEMORY The greatest, most noted and best remembered of all the Charlie Chaplin motion pictures are represented in this Five-Day Memory Test. Stills that should be remembered by all the movie¬ going public and Charlie Chaplin fans in particular are used in this contest, which should make the contest comparatively simple and invite the interest of all the newspaper’s readers. But there’s a catch! In the publicity story accompanying each of the two-column mats, read¬ ers should be informed that the contest consists of the identification of the individual pictures as to the name of the film from which the photograph was taken and also the approximate date they saw that motion picture! Read no further! Look at the illustrations! Can you identify them yourself? Of course you can, but just to check on yourself, read these correct answers: (1) The Kid—1921; (2) The Cold Rush—1925; (3) The Circus—1928; (4) City Lights—1931; (5) Modern Times—1936. The mats have been placed in their chronological order. If you want to make the contest that much more difficult, you can scramble them—keeping the “Modern Times” mat last, of course. The illustrations you see below are one-column reproductions of the two-column mats or cuts which are all the materials necessary for running this contest—besides the prizes which can be either passes to the Chaplin picture or cash or promoted commodities. NOW! For real reader interest, order Mat Numbers 24A, B, C, D and E—$1.00; Cuts—$2.50 per set. NEWS FEATURES The features in the news of fifteen and twenty years ago have extraordinarily similar counterparts in the news of today. With the latter as your argument, try the city editor for a series of special compari¬ son features, to be picked from the news of. 1 5 or 20 years ago and matched with today’s news feature items, illustrated with pictures, etc. Your angle is that the title of the features should be “Headlines in the news—15 years ago and in Modern Times.” For the feature, the day before your opening, the paper can use Charlie Chaplin and his films through the years for copy, showing development and progressive modernization. TEASER CAMPAIGN “He’s back again!”—you know whom, so do we and so will everybody elsq when you use this slogan accompanied by an illustration such as you will find on the cover of this book, showing Charlie Chaplin’s back, with derby, cane and tattered frock coat and shoes in promin¬ ence, in a typical Chaplin pose. Blowing up the illustration directly from this book, you can use it on banners to be spotted all over town with the copy: “He’s back again!” at the top and: “in ‘Modern Times’ . . .” with your theatre name under the illustra¬ tion. The same illustration car* be used for a sticker, which you can get up cheaply at your local printer’s. Use the sticker on all your mail and send out kids to paste ’em on all available spots in town. It’ll start ’em talking! MODERN TIMES SYM¬ PHONY While there is no reg¬ ular music score for “Modern Times,” which can be used for radio publicity purposes on the local stations, there is an angle which should serve to get you a deal of mention on the air. There have been a great many songs published during different peri¬ ods of American history, each of which is definitely associated, nowa¬ days, wth that period. Try persuading the maestros on the various stations in your town to play these songs in chronological order on their programs in advance of your opening and an¬ nounce the arrangement as the “Mod¬ ern Times Symphony,” inspired by the latest Charlie Chaplin photoplay, “Modern Times,” at your theatre. • • • BANKS, INSURERS AND REAL ESTATERS save is the word every banking institution is trying to impress upon the American public. You can try tying in with their ad and window display campaigns by suggesting the slogan, “Save for your old age in these MODERN TIMES.” If they like it, tell ’em you’ll go for the cost of the window displays, then you’re sure of getting your title in BIC CAPS! Insurance firms will find the slo¬ gan, “Assure yourself of a Comfort¬ able Old Age in these Hectic MODERN TIMES,” suitable to any promotion campaign they’re now using. The line can be used in ads, window displays and even promotional broadsides. See what you can do! The real estate firms in your town might go for the slogan, “A Modern Home for MODERN TIMES!” in their promotional material and windows, with stills from the picture to illus¬ trate their story and a plug for your theatre in their copy. FREE DISPLAY UNITS Your press-book cover and the various Charlie Chaplin illustrations in this book are ‘different’ in design and finish than anything that has ever been used on a Chaplin picture. Use as many of the illustrations as you like to decorate your lobby and lobby pieces. They’re all swell! And don’t forget your posters for their cutout value! Use the cutouts on your marquee and in front of the stores of your obliging neighbors. Use ’em in special window displays. They’ll help your gross! * OO C’OOOOO o OGGOGGG NEON MARQUEE FIGURE Neon, the best bally light for day oN, night use, should give you a swell effect over moving blowups of Charlie Chap¬ lin on the corners of your marquee. J Make blowups of good still of Chaplin, showing him holding his derby / with one hand, to life size. Arm holding hat and hat itself should be cut from / blowup and connected up by your house electrician so that Charlie is continu- "A ally tipping his hat. Add neon outlining the face and figure of the star and a neon sign line across the middle of the figure, saying: “He’s Here!” and you’ve got an ace display that’ll get ’em looking and keep ’em coming!