The General (United Artists) (1926)

BOOST BUSTER KEATON’S WEDDING PHOTOS Invite the public to enter old-time bride* and'groom portraits in a contest; call for “Daguerreotypes of the ’60’s”; offer prices for the quaintest poses and costumes; or for costumes most closely resembling those used in “The General.” Let Still No. 17 be your guide. Get newspaper cooperation on the old daguerreotype contest. Such a contest prom' ises great reader interest as well as novelty. Get a loan collection of old tintypes or daguerreotype subjects for a window or for a lobby display, especially tintypes that are contest entries. Feature the contest in every way. Make slides or film shots of the winning tintypes and flash them on the screen for your audiences. Or, you can develop this screen idea by having the audience make the decisions from the entries flashed on the screen. Handle this contest in a dignified man' ner, and press home the fact that the old portraits had high artistic merit despite the fact that the costumes look odd to the pres' ent generation. LAUGHTER CARD Make up an imitation labor union mem' bership card for special distribution. It should be made out to Joseph F. (Buster) Keaton, as a member in good standing in the “Brotherhood of Laughtermotive Engi' neers”; address, your theatre; employed, on the W 6? A. R R.; local lodge, “The Gen' eral”; dues paid up, to date of your open* ing; etc. You might also plant cards of this kind and offer rewards for their return, conduct' ing a treasure hunt. Distribute these “Laughter'Motive Union Cards” to all local lodges in your town, having them handed out on meeting nights to individual members. If you can get a mailing list of lodge members, mail them out direct. RAILROADING Railroad offices will cooperate with you in displaying photographs and models of their older equipment, along with atmos' phere stills from “The General,” and with models and photographs of their modern rolling stock as a contrast. "FROZEN FACES” Go in for a “Frozen Face Contest.” Call for candidates to rival Buster Keaton’s im¬ passivity under any circumstances. Hang up prises for those men or women who can keep a straight face when everyone is try¬ ing to make them laugh or smile. Handle this like an “Amateur Night”— having your contestants on the stage while the audience goodmaturedly “rasses” them The first contestant who laughs or grins at one of the audience’s “wise cracks” is elim- _ inated, and so on until the most stoical one % remains. Have the orchestra help along with grotesque medleys of standard and rag time airs. You can combine a newspaper compe¬ tition for stony'faced photographs with per¬ sonal appearances in the “Frozen Face Contest.” An ice cream eating contest can be com¬ bined with the “Frozen Face Contest.” Let your contestants freeze their “Frozen Faces by eating ice cream on the stage while the audience tries to make them laugh. Ice cream should be supplied by some local dealers for the ad. “HOW TO FIRE A CANNON”-Posed by BUSTER KEATON in “THE GENERAL” LOADING—Obtain ammunition at a bowling alley—round shot, shrapnel, pretzels, Edam cheeses—anything! Procure a pair of rubber ice tongs that will not scratch the enamel. You have already packed the bore of the cannon with T. N. T. and apple sauce. Lift in shot. Wad same with a clean undershirt and some Chinese laundry tickets. RAMMING—Push the charge home with a dustless mop. If no mop is available, use a crutch. Save the crutch—you’ll need it. For the sake of an accurate shot be sure and chalk the tip of the crutch. See that all dampers are open Make your will. Before doing that, however, kiss the cook. FIRING—Shake all the old ashes out of the grate so that cannon will have a good draft. Insert short fuse into firebox and touch fuse with a match. Use a lot of matches; use two. Tune in your radio for angel music. Look into muzzle to see if T. N. T. has caught. If it has, you will hear beautiful singing and see visions of Venus doing the Charleston. For this newspaper feature get BK-11 — Four-Column Cannon MATS ONLY (Mat 30 Cents) Page T wo