Central Park (Warner Bros.) (1932)

USE PICTURE’S BEAUTY CONTEST FOR YOUR OWN EXPLOITATION STUNT A publicity stunt that plays an important part in the plot of ‘‘Central Park,’’ might well be copied by showmen to sell this picture to the public. The stunt, as used in the picture, is the selection of ‘‘Miss Fifth Avenue’’ by a committee stationed in front of a prominent Fifth Avenue building and comparing the respective merits of the girls who pass during certain hours of the day. “Miss Fifth Avenue” is then given the signal honor of opening the Golden Charity Box at the big banquet in Central Park Casino. To apply this idea locally, arrange with prominent department stores of your town and with a local newspaper to form a committee of judges to be in the department stores qach day and pick the prettiest feminine shopper of the day, or two each day if the committee so desires. The girls selected during the duration of the contest enter the finals, which are held on the stage of your theatre, with the audience acting as the final judges. This contest is a brand new angle on the “beauty contest” ideas, with all cooperating parties deriving extreme benefit. Here’s what the idea can accomplish if properly promoted and handled: 1—THE NEWSPAPER gets reader interest and circulation by the publishing of the daily “=ns; publicity in the dePa ovsvvu Of yout thoau 6, 2,— THE DEPARTMENT STORE receives more customers { a daily, much newspaper publicity and notice on the screen and in your lobby. 3—THE THEATRE gets daily newspaper space, notice in the department store ads and in their windows, and a packed house on the night of the finals. Committee should be composed of representatives of the department store, newspaper and theatre as well as a local photographer. Prizes should be promoted from department store, the photographer (who will be glad to give the winner a sitting) and other merchants in town. The newspaper should have a photographer on hand at all times to take pictures of the contestants. As soon as a probable winner is spotted, her name and address should be taken as well as her picture. If tie-up is made with local photographer, you can probably arrange to have him make one picture of prospects daily in his gallery which would eliminate necessity of news paper photographers in stores. _Ii’s a great business-builcing stunt from every angle and shouia be one of the BIG guns of your entire exploitation campaign. CLEVER RETORT CONTEST Joan Blondell enjoys a tremendous reputation on the screen because of her splendid repartee and snappy come-backs in conversation. You might tieup with the newspaper to run a contest based on Joan Blon dell, asking readers to send in the eleverest repartee they have heard. The newspaper will undoubtedly be glad to publish four or five of the cleverest each day for a week in advance of your show. Offer a ticket to “Central Park” for all published. JIG-SAW PUZZLE THROWAWAY JIG-SAWYERS!. Fit together this one hundred-piece cut-out of Joan Blondell and Wallace Ford, featured in the production — “CENTRAL PARK” Opening Saturday at the L-I-B-E-R-T-Y Here is an attractive give-away with which to eall attention to your show. It is a Jig-saw WHAT HAPPENED TO ME IN THE PARK! Many people have had strange adventures in parks — some while touring through National parks, others while strolling in a local park. See if you can tie up with your newspaper for the most interesting letter on “What happened to me in the park” definitely tieing up with “Central Park.” In the picture Joan Blondell and Wallace Ford are two homeless, friendless waifs, total strangers to each other, who meet in the park. From this casual meeting comes the thrilling exciting adventures that furnish the action in the picture. Publicity Story Did You Find Adventure In A Park? Tell Us What Happened to You in a Park and Win One of the 25 Guest Tickets for “‘Central Park’’ Public parks, a rendezvous for lovers, a playground for children and for others who would commune with mother nature, ofttimes furnish unexpected thrills and adventure, as is the case in ‘*Central Park,’’ Warner Bros. picture which opens at the ....... See en Oe PEROALO oat SS The: Daily News and the: =. 5) 22 Theatre are offering 25 guest tickets for ‘‘Central Park’’ next week for the most interesting letters entitled “What Happened to Me in a Park.” This contest will run for an entire week and the six best letters will be published inthe Goes cee In the picture “Central Park” Joan Blondell and Wallace Ford, who play the leading roles are cast as two hungry strangers in a big city who accidentally meet in New York’s famous park — Central Park. As a result of this chance meeting they become involved in a series of hair-raising adventures which furnish the plot for the picture. Now sit down and write us an account of not more than 200 words of your most exciting adventure in the park. Address your letter to Central Park Editor, Daily News. All entries must be in by (set date). AMATEUR FLOWER CONTEST Now that the season is here for florists and amateur gardeners to start preparing their pet flower bulbs for the winter, there is a corking chance for a tie-up between your theatre and the local florist. Arrange to have your local florist sponsor a bulb contest in conjunction with the showing of ‘‘Central Park.’’ Announce the contest in the lobby of theatre, schools, newspapers and floral shop windows. The idea of the contest is for all amateur gardeners to submit their largest and finest flowers, grown from bulbs, to the theatre manager or florist. The local floral author ities and florists can be requested to _ act as judges. Get the florist and other merchants to donate some valuable prizes to be given to the winners of the contest. The three best flower bulb specimens are to be the winners and you can offer passes to the next ten best exhibitions. Display the winning exhibits in the lobby of the theatre with the winners’ names and credit the florist - who sponsored the contest. Be sure that the garden ean _ of your local newspaper receives all the details of the contest in order to get daily newspaper publicity during the entire run of the contest. FREE FICTIONIZATION A, complete __ fictionization of “Central Park” appears in the January issue of Screen Romances. Get your local magazine dealer to co operate on a 7 x 11 inch ecard, or a one-sheet if you prefer, plugging the sale of Screen Romances as well as puzzle made up from the heads of Joan Blondell and Wallace Ford. The puzzle is 8 in. wide, 14 in, deep and is printed on heavy cardboard. Room left for imprint of your playdate. Price is $4.00 per thousand. Order direct from: ECONOMY NOVELTY COMPANY 239 West 39th Street, New York City your showing. See your local editor about running the fictionization illustrated with stills from the picture during your showing. The fictionization is free, the only requirement being that the line—Reprinied with permission of Screen Romances Magagine — be used. Transportation Tie-ups, Open “Central Park” because of its nationally known character affords a fine opportunity to tieup with tourist agencies, street cars, buses and trains. Signs for street cars and buses reading, “This Car or Bus Will Take You to ‘Central Park at the eres Theatre”— should be easy to put over. Taxicabs also can earry a window sticker with the same line. Perhaps you can make a deal with a taxicab company whereby all their cabs will earry this announcement. Of course a good bet, if you have transportation lines running to Baseball or Football Parks or Public Parks, would be to make a tie-up with these lines. Sign reading, “This Car Goes to Grant Park and ‘Central Park,” at the Strand,” should be used. Parking Spaces Good Bets A fine idea would be to plant special posters or hand out circulars at all automobile parking spaces. Copy should read “Park Your Car Here While You See ‘Central Park’ at ‘théceo eee Theatre.” It is possible that you can even persuade the owner of a parking station to print up some throwaways which a boy can distribute. In that event of course mention should be made of the parking space. Page Thirteen