Back in Circulation (Warner Bros.) (1937)

ay 4 ROVING PHOTOGRAPHER Get someone with a camera and a woman reporter to go around town getting shots (with blank plates) of people in the streets, night clubs, department stores, etc. After the shot, the people gathered around are handed heralds with copy, “If You Want To Get BACK IN CIRCULATION, go to the Strand this week.” TRIO OF BLONDES Shapely blondes used in street stunts are always good for their share of attention. Get a trio to walk around town with placards on their backs reading, “We are ‘Back In Circulation’ ’’, at the Strand. To dress it up a little, your artist might paint it on their slickers in water colors. Add to the gag by making up a number of limericks for them to recite ending with the line, “Now we’re back in circulation.” SELLING LINES FROM THE ADS Every Catchline A Headline A murder a day keeps marriage away! Pity poor Joan, always a bloodhound, never a bride! Just a hard-working gal who'd rather be married than President! You'd better get a preacher, or a bullet-proof vest . . . ‘Cause I've got a gun... and a paid-up hunting license! He wanted a nice fresh murder ... He got a nice, fresh girl friend! SNIPING THE TOWN Get plenty of notice around town with a tack card snipe drive. Copy can read, ‘‘Editor Weds Star Reporter,’’ see “Back In Circulation,” or “Giant Train Wreck Kills Scores,” etc. Tie in with newsstands around town to tack these up, and get newsboys to wear cards fastened over shoulders with string. INQUIRING REPORTER Station an “Inquiring Reporter’ in front of your theatre with a microphone once a day to ask passersby questions taken from the picture. For example, “Should a woman (Margaret Lindsay) sacrifice her reputation for the man she loves?”’ or ‘‘A career or marriage?” VITAPHONE SCOOPS “GET-RICH-QUICK PORKY” (Looney Tunes Cartoon). A hilarious adventure with the rotund Porky. No. 2815—seven minutes “LONG BRIGHT LAND’ an E. M. Newman Colortour Adventure again in far off lands brilliantly filmed. No. 3501—ten minutes RUSS MORGAN (Melody Master). “Music In The Morgan Manner,” a leading New York orchestra. No. 3701—ten minutes VITAPHONE PICTORIAL REVUEWith Clem McCarthy, ace sports announcer. Ne. 3801—ten minutes “DOG DAZE” (Merrie Melody Cartoon) , a laugh-packed short about the hounds. No. 2217—seven minutes “THE LITTLEST DIPLOMAT,” with child star Sybil Jason filmed in Technicolor. No. 3001—twenty minutes EXPLOITATION STAR ROLES’ STILLS Pat O’Brien has in the last few years played a number of he-man roles requiring uniforms of one form or another. Display stills of him as aviator in “China Clipper,” policeman in ‘The Great O’Malley,’’ and warden in ‘‘San Quentin.” Accompany these with some of Joan Blondell from the “‘Gold-Digger’ pictures and ‘The King and The Chorus Girl.”’ OUT OF CIRCULATION Make use of the reverse of the title with a gag like displaying anything that is now outmoded, or “out of circulation,’ that is, coins, stamps, discontinued newspapers, or even furniture and the like. Follow up with still display of Joan Blondell and Pat O’Brien, who are “Back In Circulation.”’ PLAYED ‘FRONT PAGE’ The role which Pat O’Brien is playing in ‘Back In Circulation” is not entirely new to him. A few years ago, he played the lead in ‘‘Front Page,’ both stage and screen versions. Play up this fact in your lobby displays with appropriate art, and in your newspapers. PLAY WORD GAME Make your patrons conscious of the word “circulation” in as many ways that you can. One way is to have them make as many words as they can out of the single word, dropping their lists into a box in the lobby, with the longest lists coming into a pair of ducats. STORY OF THE WEEK Ask your patrons to tell what they considered ‘“‘The Biggest Story of the Week”’ in 100 words, winning answers to get passes. Play up the fact that the Best Picture Story is “Back In Circulation” starring Joan Blondell and Pat O’Brien coming to your theatre. NEWSGIRL BALLY Newsboys are ordinary, but newsgirls are bound to get plenty of attention. Get one or two attractive girls to get around downtown streets yelling “Extra!’’, passing out the flash heralds, free. Besides howling extra, they could use “Editor Weds Star Reporter’ or “Read all about the great train wreck! See ‘Back In Circulation,’ with Pat O’Brien and Joan Blondell at the Strand. Read all about it!”