Chances (Warner Bros.) (1931)

INEXPENSIVE STUNTS THAT WILL YOU CAN’T GO TOO STRONGLY! Smash through with everything you’ve got on “Chances”! There’ll never be another picture that will so completely back up anything you say or do about it. As Douglas Fairbanks Jr.’s first starring picture it will send him soaring to the top rank of Hollywood favorites. The girls who love him, the men who admire him and the kids who cheer him will find young Doug twice as good as ever before! Sock home his blazing ascent to stardom in your ads! And on top of this, remember that “Chances,” based on a widely-read best seller by A. Hamilton Gibbs, is the most soul-stirring war drama ever screened! BOY, OH BOY! IF YOU CAN’T PUT OVER THIS PICTURE, YOU DON’T BELONG IN THE FILM BUSINESS! Public Safety Week — Police and Fire Departments are constantly carrying on publie safety campaigns. Arrange with your local officials to inaugurate a safety drive which you can tie-up with the title, “Chances.” Offer to supply them with the following cards to be displayed on all busy corners: SOCK ‘EM Chances Prizes The following stunt is an effective one with plenty of box office appeal and makes a natural tie-up on the title “Chances.” screen and in your newspaper copy that on the opening day of Douglas Fairbanks’ first starring vehicle each Announee on your patron will receive a lucky number. These numbers are for prizes to be given out from the stage of your theatre. You can arrange with local merchants to supply the prizes in return for lobby displays and mention of their co-operation in the trailer to be run on the screen just before the drawing of the lucky numbers. In connection with this contest use such lines as “Free Chances For Valuable Prizes When ‘CHANCES’ Plays Here.” Or, “See ‘CHANCES’ ‘And Get A Chance At A Valuable Prize.” IN THE EYES WITH THESE LOBBY FRAMES! Teaser Campaign A knockout teaser campaign for sniping and newspaper ads ‘can be built around the title, “Chances.” Paste the following half sheets throughout town about two weeks before the opening: “CHANCES” WILL THRILL YOU! | DO YOU TAKE “CHANCES”? | “CHANCES” COME ONCE IN A LIFETIME!! About two days before the run of the picture snipe in the following half sheet: “See Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., in ‘Chances’ at the Strand Theatre.” Guessing Contest “CHANCES” can be very effeetively tied-up with guessing contests to be run by all loeal stores. Have each merchant arrange a complete display of _ stills “Chances” and in the center place a large glass jar of peas. The contest is for customers to guess the number of peas in the jar with the closest guess receiving a credit slip that can be exchanged for $5.00 in merchandise. Tie-up cards for the contest should read: window on “Take a Chance’. How many peas in the_jar? Valuable prizes for the most accurate estimates. You can guess now, but you won’t be guessing when you see Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., in ‘Chances’ at the Strand Theatre. tertainment.” It is great en Slips for the contest can be given out by the store with each purchase of $1. or more and can also be given to each ticket buyer at the theatre. STOP! LOOK! LISTEN! You are taking chances every time you cross the street without looking. STOP! LOOK! LISTEN! You are not taking chances when you see DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS, JR. ines: “CHANCES” at the Strand Theatre To-day. It’s Sure-Fire Hntertainment! ~ made up for display on all traffic light posts and stands should read: SPEEDING CARELESS DRIVING PASSING RED LIGHTS Are CHANCES Which May Result in Disaster. Play Safe With Yourself By Obeying the Law. ACTION ROMANCE DRAMA Are The Ingredients of Perfect Entertainment, Play Safe By Seeing DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS, JR. in “CHANCES” Along the same lines as the Police and Fire Department tie-up you can arrange for the co-operation of the Board of Health. Get the local Health Commissioner to sponsor a public health week, making up window ecards with the following copy: “CHANCES” Taken with your health are dangerous. Visit your family doctor or our free clinics at regular intervals. “CHANCES” Taken on entertainment are equally dangerous to your disposition. Play safe by seeing Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., in “Chances” at the Strand Theatre. Book Tie-up The novel, “Chances,” by A. Hamilton Gibbs, on which this picture is based, is one of the most enthralling stories of the war ever published. It is a current best seller and gives you a great chance for tie-ups with every book store in town. Arrange with these dealers for special window displays of copies of the book surrounded by stills of Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and Rose Hobart in scenes of the picture. You should also make a show ease display of these books and stills to place in your lobby. The publishers of “Chances” are Little, Brown. and Company, 60 East 42nd Street, New York City. Page Six Another card which you can have]. ground. Copy is in purple. Use stills (Chances 50 and 108) and mount on yellow background with a flesh tint running over faces. Name Fairbanks in gold letters with title in white on a purple back FAIRBANKS STite Mount stills (Chances Pub. U and Pub. E.) Coloring helmet dark brown and flesh tint over faces. Background is in yellow with Fairbanks in dark green and title in dark red. Copy is in white. Enlarge stills (Chances Pub. T, Pub. K and 109) running flesh tint over all three. Background is in dark blue with title and cast in black. Copy is in light green... Bars are in brilliant colors. Mount stills (Chances 225, 106 and 64) on a Sienna background. Title cast and copy in yellow with a magenta background in circle. Copy circle in dark green with magenta lettering. Yellow ground in bottom panel. Newspaper Contest Here is a newspaper contest that is sure-fire for reader interest and ties up effectively with the picture. Offer prizes for the most interesting essays on the greatest chances the readers have ever taken. See your local newspaper editor at once and go over the details with him as follows: 1. Announce the details of the contest in the newspaper several days before opening of “Chances” with the following story: In keeping with the theme of “Chances,” the First National picture starring Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., which comes to the Strand Theatre next week, this paper and the management of the theatre will offer prizes for the best essays on the most interesting and astounding chances you, yourself, have ever taken, Lindbergh took a long chance for fame and fortune when he erossed the ocean alone in a plane. We don’t expect your chance to be as outstanding as lLindbergh’s but surely you have found it necessary at one time or other to take some great risk. Your adventure may have oc TALKING THE TRAILER ON “CHANCES” WILL DO MORE FOR YOUR BOX-OFFICE THAN ANY OTHER ADVERTISING MEDIUM. STRIKING! DRAMATIC! STARTLING! GET IT FROM YOUR LOCAL EXCHANGE! curred in business, athletic competition or perhaps love. Now is your chance to cash in by relating these experiences with Lady Luck. Tell your story in an essay of not more than 100 words. Send it to the “Chances” editor of this paper and follow this column to see if your name is among the lucky winners. 2. Make an announcement of the contest on your screen and in the ‘theatre program, 3. Tie up with local merchants to supply the prizes for the winners. In return for this the newspaper can give them full publicity in every story and you can also feature the names of their stores in your program, lobby and screen trailer, 4. Have the newspaper publish stills of Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and scenes from “Chances” in conjunetion with all contest stories, 5. The complete prize list should be headed by a cash award from the theatre to be called the Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., grand prize. TRAILER Lobby Display With a spectacular hit like “Chances” on your screen there is f Appreciation Cards Cash in on the star’s box-office draw by mailing appreciation cards rom Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., to your no reason why you cannot make up patrons. You can use ordinary post an equally spectacular lobby display. | cards imprinted with this copy: Ask the co-operation of the American Legion in securing various pieces of war equipment in your lobby such as machine guns, bayonets, gas masks, ete., and if possible a small piece of artillery. Be sure to have a card announcing that the display has been arranged thru the courtesy of the American Legion. As this is the rst starring picture for Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., his name and pictures should be played up over everything else. Use large heads of Doug cut out in the shape of a star in your lobby frames with copy reading: “He is a star now in First National Pictures,” “A New Star to Thrill You,” ete. Other lobby frames should include enlargements of the many enthralling love scenes available in the still set. Dress up the marquee with banners and pennants described elsewhere in this press sheet. Civil War Veterans Announce in a story to your newspapers that all Civil War Veterans will be admitted free during the run of “Chances.” Although there may not be many veterans in your locajity the story will surely be picked up by the papers. This alone makes the stunt worth while trying. Dear Movie Fans: I want to thank you for all that you have done in making me a star. It was your attendance in theatres playing my pictures that prompted First National Pictures to elevate me to my new position of stardom. In return for your kindness I want to offer what I consider to be the best picture of my career, “Chances,” which will play at the Strand Theatre beginning next Monday. Sincerely yours, DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS, JR. Also print the following applause cards for the use of your patrons: Dear Doug, Jr.: I was certainly thrilled by your performance in “Chances.” You have proven your right to stardom and T-ayy looking forward with pleasant anticipation for your future pictures at this theztre, Very sincerely yours, (Name) (Address): 30 ee es P. S.: I should very much appreciate a signed photograph. Arrange to have a large desk sup plied with pen and ink in your inside lobby. Next to it have a large box -with a slot in the top with the sign “Drop your Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Applause Cards.” desk place a large photograph of the star himself. Hubert Voight, Burbank, Calif. Above the Mail all eards to Publicity Dep’