The Thief of Bagdad (United Artists) (1924)

More Exploitation Suggestions How to Make the Magic Carpet Procure a rug, size six feet by nine, which is as large as you re¬ quire; although a smaller rug will suffice. This rug should have a long fringe on all sides. A frame will have to be built strong enough to support whatever weight you place on the rug. For a cut-out a light frame will suffice. . The most effective place for the Magic Carpet as an attention attractor is over the marquee. Suspend the carpet from the guy wires or stanchion supports of your electric sign, allowing it to hang a few feet clear of the marquee, using piano wire strands fastened to each corner of the rug. Place cut-out figures of Doug and Julanne Johnston on the rug. Although the piano wires may be seen in the day time, at night with proper spot lights trained on the figures, a wonderful illusion of the carpet floating over the marquee will be cre¬ ated. Or it might be possible to brace the display from the back of the cutout invisibly. Another Use for the Magic Carpet For theatres that have an equipped stage and those who specialize in prologues, the Magic Carpet can be used very effectively in a pro¬ logue. The stage setting should be a moonlight desert scene, with a starlit cyclorama as a background. The foreground should be a sand dune effect with two or three straggling palm trees for decoration. The rug, mounted on a stout flexible bamboo frame suspended from the flies on piano wire, will support two singers, a man and a woman, With proper mechanical equipment it can be slowly floated across the stage while the singers render an oriental ballad or love song. For an effective finish, as the carpet floats off the stage, stars cut out in the cyclorama, so as to spell: “HAPPINESS MUST BE EARNED” could be slowly lighted from the back. A Y. M. C. A. Tie Up Circulation of literature among Y. M. C. A.’s and similar organi¬ zations can be obtained in the following manner as easily as in Hart¬ ford, Conn., and other cities where the stunt was done. A folder, envelope stuffer, mailing card, or throwaway is printed on which the space is divided between the picture and the association. A teaser title on the outside may be “ADVICE FROM A THIEF.” Inside the advice is as follows: Advice from the “Thief” By Douglas Fairbanks The secret of success is a good digestion, being responsive emotionally and comprehensive mentally. I would rather be six feet less than a mental giant with a good digestion than to be actually a mental giant with a poor digestion. After all we are ninety per cent, physical. So much depends on the physical that we can never neglect this for any other condition or faculty. To succeed in life WE MUST EXERCISE. My theory is that we should exercise ourselves so as to round out a well-balanced personality. (Thus in his own words “Doug” Fairbanks, the movie star whose attention to physical activity has kept him in a condition of marvelous energy, gives you a secret of his success. “Doug” practices what he preaches. Part of his program is to get at least one good sweat a day through healthful exercise, followed with a swim.) Another page can have a picture of “Doug” stripped to the waist in his character of “The Thief of Bagdad” showing his splendid physical development. The “Y” uses its pages for text suggesting that its members may also attain perfect condition by using the gymnasiums, handball courts and swimming tanks with cuts of these departments. An envelope stuffer printed on two sides only, with the cut of Fairbanks and his advice, with only a small space for the “Y,” is the simplest form of this stunt. Fortune Telling Sands of Arabia An attention-attracting and intriguing novelty display for Douglas Fairbanks in “The Thief of Bagdad” may he made at little cost in this manner: Set a sheet of plate glass in a wide shallow box with black paper under it. On this glass paint with gelatine or glue some words like this: Douglas Fairbanks IN “THE THIEF OF BAGDAD” NEXT WEEK Then sprinkle white sand on this letters and leave until dry. Cover the whole plate of glass with a fairly thick layer of fine, loose white sand. On either side of the box have a masked electric fan or blower to blow alternately left and right across the sand. Each time the sand clears the lettered portion, the words will stand out and appear as if magically assembled from the sand grains. The entire sand box should be encased in glass, as there will be considerable flying sand. If colored lights are set to play through the haze of fly¬ ing sand, a very pretty effect is obtained. An “Incense Ballyhoo” This is a novel variation on the ballyhoo idea. Instead of noise or spectacle to attract the passer-by in front of the theatre, a fragrance serves the purpose. The “Incense Ballyhoo” was effectively used dur¬ ing several engagements of “The Thief of Bagdad,” for example, at the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia. Incense is ignited in the lobby and wafted onto the street to regale the nostrils of the passing throng. This is accomplished by putting the incense in jars overhead in the lobby. Electric fans are directed in a manner to blow the vapors out into the street. Everyone who comes by gets the Oriental suggestion of the scent and becomes aware that something unusual is being presented at the theatre. The oriental atmosphere of the picture naturally ties up with the incense and the suggestion of “The Thief of Bagdad” immediately registers an impression that is not easily forgotten. It has been found remark¬ able in practice how easily the scent of perfume can be spread over wide areas by the simple electric fan device. The lobby idea has also been found more agreeable to patrons than the use of incense inside the theatre where it can easily become too much of a good thing. For lobby use the very cheapest incense will prove satisfactory owing to the free circulation of the diffused fragrance. “Chasing the Thief” Stunt A great deal of interest might be aroused by a new slant on the old “chase” stunt. ^ Let it be known that “Thief of Bagdad” will be at a given point at a certain hour, and in plain sight of all who care to chase him, by picking up his trail of confetti. He asks only 45 seconds’ start of the crowd. At the appointed time, he appears, clad in oriental costume. Let him take a prearranged route—where a car is waiting—and he must get out at several places along the route, walk or run several blocks and take another car—leave his mark—the crescent-and-triangle— where your men are posted, so they can record and prove his appear¬ ance there—and finally let him end up 7 or 8 miles away and await the winning trailer. Prizes could be cash, if the theatre handles the stunt—or merchan¬ dise, if the Thief ends his flight in the department store of a firm that will cooperate. If a department store works with you on this, it means advertising for the show in all their newspaper ads. The theatre can offer prizes of seats to a certain number who dis¬ cover the “Thief’s” marks.