Convention City (Warner Bros.) (1933)

AG Week (Third Day Publicity Story) Nicknames for Movie Stars Bring Free Movie Tickets Think Up A Pet Name For Star In “Convention City,” Big Laugh Hit Coming to Strand Theatre OOKIT, girls, can you imagine running your fingers through Adolphe Menjou’s hair and ealling him, ‘‘Dolphy Wolphy.”’ And yet, after you’ve mussed his dignity you can’t very well say, ‘‘Mr. Menjou.’’ And that’s the stunt—find the nickname for Adolphe Menjou. Perhaps you’ve often dreamed of life in Hollywood, but have you ever thought that an intimate of the movie colony would never say Mister or Miss. We have reproduced with this story a caricature of the famous star done by Sam Berman, well known cartoonist. Perhaps this will help you in your selection of a pet name for Adolphe Menjou... no doubt you already have one of your own for him... but this illustration and these few carefully guarded facts about his private life should help you select a nickname for him. He is very fond of Chinese thousand year old eggs, especially the spotted ones. And although he is the possessor of one of the most expensive wardrobes in Hollywood has not made a single sartorial purchase in the last five years, tailors being only too glad to have him wear their creations. He is quite popular with the Hollywood correspondents and they familiarly call him “Dolphe.” With a new Warner Bros. contract this versatile star is entering the most interesting phase of his brilliant career. His deeply dramatic role in “Farewell to Arms” just behind him, he swings adroitly to the opposite role of hilarious comedy in the madeap story of travelling salesmen on vacation, “Convention City.” REMEMBER when you pick your nickname for Adolphe Menjou do NOT send it to the Contest Editor until you have selected nicknames for the other stars in “Convention City” whose caricatures will appear in this newspaper on subsequent days. Be sure so see tomorrow’s Daily News. At the end of the contest the Strand theatre will award twenty five pairs of guest tickets to the PROMOTE SAMPLES FOR GIVEAWAYS Quite naturally, the most productive part of your exploitation campaign will be the things you do to create maximum word-of-mouth advertising. Naturally this valuable form of advertising will be forth-coming from everyone who has seen “Convention City.”’ However, in order to get them coming to your theatre to see the picture, give them something to talk about in advance. Try this idea: Promote from local manufacturing and sales companies samples of their merchandise such as boxes of corn-flakes, face powder, thimbles, nail-files, chewing gum, candy mints and other confections—in fact anything tangible. Have printed a lot of heralds advertising the picture, play-dates and name of your theatre and wrap these around the samples to be distributed to your patrons. LOCAL MEETINGS Alert showmen will keep a watchful eye for conventions held loeally. Get after this extra business and invite the business organizations to include the picture in their regular entertainment program and attend en masse. Dedicate certain nights in honor of the visiting conventioneers and play up the event in a big way. He was made sales manager over night, and what a night! twenty five people who send in the best set of nicknames for the six stars in “Convention City.” These guest tickets will be good to see “Convention City” which opens Te ee ae eee a theatre. Menjou is one of the members of the all star cast in “Convention City,” which includes Joan Blondell, Dick Powell, Mary Astor, Guy Kibbee, Frank McHugh, Patricia Ellis and Ruth Donnelly. The story by Peter Milne is a hilarious comedy based on the escapades of wild husbands when they go off to attend alleged business conventions. Archie Mayo directed from the screen play by Robert Lord. AUTO STICKERS AND BADGES The typical ‘Convention sticker’ used for baggage labels, auto windshields, can be. gotten out cheaply by your local printer. This should be done either in two colors or with colored ink on a contrasting tinted stock. Made up in diamond shape, they will appear more like the genuine article. Here is all the copy you need on same. WELCOME to “CONVENTION CITY” Headquarters at the STRAND THEATRE Week of JANUARY 22nd The badges can be made up on tinted stock to represent ribbon. By using the following copy these can be used for a corking stunt, bringing in the lucky number idea. Under this plan ‘badges,’ should of course, be serially numbered. WELCOME TO ‘*CONVENTION CLE Y? Wear this badge to the STRAND THEATRE If you find this number posted in lobby, you will be admitted FREE No. 234 (Fourth Day Publicity Story) Everyone Entering Contest For Free Tickets To Strand Novel Contest Proves Attraction as all Toledo Tries Nicknaming Movie Stars In “Convention City”’ ND this, folks is smiling Dick Powell, the singing master of ceremonies, whom Warner Bros. captured for the sereen. A million feminine hearts have gone flitter, flatter, flutter, at the sound of his golden voice. And if that voice were crooning sweet nothings into your own very personal ear you certainly wouldn’t say ‘‘Mr. Powell’? would you? No, indeed! Well, what nickname would you give him? In spite of the fact that this He thinks all conventions should be done away with—at conventions! talented young man should be well enough known to you to select a nickname for him, we are giving besides this interesting cartoon reproduced above, a few pithy intimate facts about him. He saw his first street car when he was six years old and immediately asked what had become of the horse. He is crazy about flying but isn’t interested in a yacht unless it can swim through the air. His greatest hobby is music, yep, that’s what he calls it, and his only pet peeve is people who don’t like it— He plays every musical instrument except piano, violin, bagpipes, and the Patagonian zither. Some talent, eh! He vaulted to stardom through “Blessed Event,” “42nd Street” “Golddiggers,” and “Footlight Parade,” and soon will appear in “Sweethearts Forever,” and “Wonder Bar.” His present role is the romantic lead in Warner Bros. side splitting comedy “Convention City.” Come on, ye millions, pick your nickname for Dick Powell. But remember DON’T send it to the Contest Editor until you have selected nicknames for the other three stars appearing in “Convention City” whose cartoons will appear in this paper on subsequent days. At the end of the contest the Strand Theatre will award twenty five pairs of guest tickets to the twenty five people who send in the best set of nicknames for the six stars in “Convention City.” These guest tickets will be good to see “Convention City which opens (date) EN eee ce eaten ape igre theatre. There is action, punch, surprise. Several individual stories are interwoven to form the main thread of this gay narrative—all of them working out to a conclusion against the background of the riotous convention. As a cast for this sprightly comedy, First National assembled one of the most impressive lists of “names” that has come out of Hollywood in Adolphe Menjou, Dick Powell, Mary Astor, Guy Kibbee, Frank McHugh—all in major roles! Add to these, such players as Patricia Ellis, Ruth Donnelly, Hugh Herbert, Hobart Cavanaugh, Grant Mitchell, Gordon Westeott—and you have some idea of the acting talent that has been lavished on this film. SN “A Free Ride To See Convention City”—in a rolling chair is the comedy stunt used by the New York Strand Theatre as a street ballyhoo for “Convention City.” Five rolling chairs of the type used on the Atlantie City Boardwalk will be paraded along Broadway. Two of these chairs carrying girls who hand out novelties and heralds advertising “Convention City.” The other chairs are vacant Boardwalk Rolling Chairs Used As Street Ballyhoo and carry signs reading: Free Ride! Hop On—We’ll Take You To The Strand Theatre Now Playing The Riotous Laugh Hit “Convention City.” In situations where rolling chairs cannot be secured, the stunt will work equally effective with open roadsters or touring cars. These automobiles may be secured from local auto dealers who will cash-in a real live advertising stunt. Material For Newspaper Art The caricatures used in the publicity, adver tising, exploitation pages as well as on the posters have been created by Sam Berman. Berman has caught the comedy spirit of the players in “Convention City” as he so expertly does in his work for the new weekly magazine “Today,” the ultra-smart magazine for men “Esquire,” and his numerous contributions to other humorous magazines of national repute. Therefore his work for “Convention City”’ makes excellent art material when used with newspaper publicity. —]..2 sessed Page Five