The Great Dictator (United Artists) (1940)

ifxtq 1 UwAifinia asr aiD y„, m 'arcfruee A Chaplin as the mighty "Dictator" with a loony look in his eye—Chaplin as the world-plotting confrere of the bulgy-faced Napaloni and the bespangled fat boy—and Charlie as the wistful little tramp in love with a ragged nymph—there you have the showmanship essentials of your hilarious picture which you'll want to drive home to the customers from your marquee. Illustrated above is a blueprint suggestion of how you can get these elements across, using illustrative material available for blowup from the stills. The group at the left is cut out from Stills PI 66, PI 62, PI 92; the large Chaplin figure is Still No. Pub-73; the Goddard cutout at the right is from Still No. P35. Have them blown up good and big, and colored for your marquee display; and for animated effects you can revolve the globe or make Chaplin's arm rise and fall by using a concealed motor and rocker arm attachment. For a dramatic spectacle it's "See" copy . . . but for the side-shaking mirth marathon that is "The Great Dictator" you'll want to blazon "LAUGH" copy to the customers in your lobby. Set up a 40x60 easel display, dominated by a "Dictator" cutout (the one shown here is from Still No. P-151), with several punch lines each selling one of the hilarity angles of the show, each emphasized by a comedy scene still. Here are some lines: "LAUGH at the Dancing Dictator as he trips the light bombastic on a heavy heifer's hooves!" (Still No. P208—Chaplin dancing) "LAUGH at the hop-headed Hynkel as he compares Ersatz notes with 'Noodle' Napaloni!" (Still No. P200—Chaplin and Oakie holding dishes of food) "LAUGH at Charlie's great broadcast—the battiest barrage of boisterous blah ever heard on long or short wave!" (Still No. PI 48—Chaplin speech) "LAUGH at the ducking Dictator, dunked by a shotgun's shimmy!" (Still No. P318—Chaplin falling into lake) "LAUGH at the million and one side-splitting situations in Charlie Chap¬ lin's funniest show of all time!" (Any comedy scene) “GREAT DICTATOR” BREAKS THROUGH! For a unique teaser display that punches home beautifully the progress of Chaplin in this picture from timid little waif to dictator, use a two-sided vertical display board with blowup cutouts of the two special stills illustrated above. Your cutout of the tramp figure should be made of flexible material to permit of bending it slightly, so that the figure of Charlie actually seems to be leaning through the board. On the other side place the "Dictator" head from Still No. Pub-73. This is a teaser with a sock suggestion all its own, and you will want to omit the usual ad lines and billing. We suggest using no copy at all on the outer side, and only the word "Coming!" on the inside. CHAPLIN TALKS-CHAPLIN DANCES 1 SBef //ie iPt'c/n'ieA ■%// //te / At least two of the socko still sequences illustrated on Pages 10-1 1 are naturals for lobby displays that will sell the hysterical hilarity of this show better than many thousands of words. Set them up on lobby panels, with caption copy which you can lift or adapt from the captions under the picture strips. The stills used on the "Chaplin Talks" display shown here at left are Publicity 106, 104, 105, 95, and 109. Stills used on the "Chaplin Dances" panel at right are P223, P208, P219, P221, P222, P224. Get these displays up in your lobby or out in front; and place similar ones in store windows or any other spot in town where you can find space for a display that trumpets the greatest entertainment news of a decade! Page Four