The Gold Rush (United Artists) (1925)

SELUHG points the way to RUSH at your Ticket Wicket! UNIQUE CONTEST SELLS CHAPLIN TALKIE ANGLE The sparkling commentary, spoken and written by Charlie Chaplin, that runs through the entire action of “The Gold Rush,” is something unique in pictures and one of the sensa¬ tional laugh-creating features of this show. As the action pro¬ ceeds, Chaplin’s pungent comments point up each hilarious sequence and make it even funnier. You’ll sell the fans on this unprecedented entertainment appeal of your picture by joining forces with your local news¬ paper to run a novel “Commentary Contest”—a stunt that offers fans a chance to write their own commentary to a number of Charlie Chaplin scenes in “The Gold Rush” and see if they can make them as funny as Charlie does. A set of two-column contest mats, shown here in reduced size, is ready for planting in a big six-day Charlie Chaplin Commentary Contest that pro¬ vides Chaplin fun for the fans and a socko series of running breaks for your show. Set a maximum limit of twenty words ^ to the captions—the shorter the better—and suggest to fans that they write them either in prose or in rhyme. Here’s a sample Chaplin Commentary for the first scene shown: ^ a Gold Rush prospector our Charlies well posted — He sees that his tootsies are thoroughly toasted!” Set this ticket-selling contest in your paper well in advance! Order the complete set of contest art on Mat No. 48B—30c; Cut—50c. Qet ^Em All Doing ^^The Oceana RoW^ One of the most famous sequences in all film history is of course the great Oceana Roll scene in “The Gold Rush,” in which Charlie Chaplin inserts the point of a fork into each of a pair of frankfurter rolls and, treating them as a pair of ballet dancer’s feet, makes them do an exquisite dance on ^ a dinner table. The delightful humor and pantomime artistry of this scene make it an unforgettable classic. An “Oceana Roll” contest for patrons in your lobby, on your stage or in a promoted auditorium, is a made-to-order stunt that can’t fail to get the town talking. Many people have already tried it in their homes. Set up a small table in your lobby, provide the necessary rolls and forks, and then invite the fans to try it to the accompaniment of some snappy recorded dance music. The best performances given by contestants at stated times during the day can be awarded guest tickets or cash prizes promoted through a tieup with a local baking concern. It’s a stunt that will make for hilarity, whether the Oceana Roll performances are good or bad. See that it’s well covered ^ by the press, with pictures and feature stories. Second Day Third Day ON THIS SCENE Fourth Day Fifth Day Sixth Day Sell It Through the Schools Student Essays on Charlie The value of humorous entertainment as an aid to national morale furnishes a vital theme for compositions and essays by school children. Local school authorities and teachers should be more than willing to sponsor essay contests on such themes as “The Importance of Charlie Chaplin Comedy to America in These Times.” Comparison can be made with previous times of national crisis, when the famous comedians of the day con¬ tributed vitally to the morale of the public and the armed forces. "Gold Rush" Poster Contest Charlie Chaplin is an irresistible subject for kid artists, and a “Gold Rush” poster contest run in conjunction with elementary school and high school art classes is a certainty for widespread par¬ ticipation—the kind of participation that will clinch the appeal of your show both with the youngsters and their elders. Show them some of the regular “Gold Rush” posters for an idea of possible treatment, with scene stills as suggestions for subject matter with which they can work. You’ll probably get some results good enough in quality to merit reproduction in your local paper for added publicity; and you can also display the winning poster in your lobby. Page Five