Crooner (Warner Bros.) (1932)

Street B 1. Girls in —get a coupl put on white blue _ doubleand white ¢ carry megaph nouncements banners on picture and 7 dition, have a portable vi« crowded corr record of ‘‘T and ‘‘Sweeth before makin. ments to the songs can be theatre, sung in ‘‘Crooner,’’ based on the real life story of a radio star. 2. Build an enormous megaphone of cardboard, lettering play date and picture information on it. Have two men dressed in the crooner costume suggested above carry the megaphone. 3. Dress’ a man up in the erooner costume and send him through the streets to croon. Banner him to the effect that *‘T am a crooner—women love me—men hate me—you can see what happens to crooners at the Strand Theatre where David Manners is playing in =—=Crother. it : _—~ ey oe es for the ballyhoo. 4. See if you can get an enormous straw hat of the type used for window display purposes. Have a man earry it around with a banner reading ‘“What crooner needs a hat like this to fit his head? Learn all about it from ‘Crooner’ at the Strand.”’ 5. Truck ballyhoo — put a small band on a truck, each member dressed in blue coats and white trousers. Have them play the numbers from “Crooner = “Fhree’s= A Crowd”? and _ ‘‘Sweethearts Forever’’ while one of them sings to the public. importance of cooperation between theatre and radio station to the program director and show him the value of a weekly picture review by citing the following facts. He is reaching the vast army of radio fans who want good entertainment ; the station builds prestige and insures listeners. To secure even more willing cooperation from the radio station, plant the idea in the commercial department to sell the picture review program to a sponsor. The picture review idea has been tested and found successful in such spots as Dayton, Ohio where Bill Keves, operator | | of the Victoria, began a weekly series and reaped a harvest in publicity and patronage. Jv Best Jokes Offer passes as prizes to the people submitting jokes about |erooners which the newspaper finds suitable to use. Have this ‘‘Crooner Joke’’ section run for a week in advance of the showing and during the run. If the jokes are on individual stars, run photos of them with the jokes, securing them from the newspaper files or radio stations. IITATION Store Displays Secure window display space in sheet music and_ record stores, radio and phonograph stores, musical instrument stores, piano studios, as well as general merchandise and specialty stores. Use the music store tie-up posters illustrated herewith, as well as streamers and title-pages of the songs, for the music and record stores (see explanation on music tieups in this section.) Use plenty of ‘‘Crooner’’ stills in the windows, in addition to ad and eatchline copy on placards and sprinkling of megaphones with copy on them. Streamers and Title-Pages Streamers and title-pages in sufficient quantities to answer the tie-up needs of your local music stores will be sent you gratis if you will notify the publishers, M. Witmark & Sons. in sufficient time to permit advance display on the songs. In ordering streamers and _ titlepages, write the publishers and tell them with what music stores you expect to tie-up. Write to M. WITMARK & SONS 1657 BROADWAY NEW YORK CITY — ————— Crooner Sketches Co-operate with either your newspaper or your radio station on this idea. Invite contestants to write their impression of any one of the foremost radio cecrooners. Material in essays should consist of what they believe his habits to be, what he wears, his hobbies, what he’s interested in, ete. Prizes to be awarded on basis of originality of presentation. If you prefer, contest can be varied by offering prizes for the best caricature of a popular crooner and one of David Manners, who plays the title role. Offer passes as prizes. SNAPPY LOBBY SUGGESTIONS For Controversy (Radio Editors Using questions as suggested in the ‘‘Inquiring Reporter’’ stunt, stir up a controversy among radio listeners and newspaper readers on the pros and cons of crooning. Run letters in the papers and_ special stories on crooners and crooning. Use the news files, going back to the storm of argument aroused not so long ago by a prominent churchman who said erooners weren’t singers, etc. Run the Ann Dvorak publicity story in this manual in which the star gives her opinion as to why men resent crooners. Ask “Tg Ann Dvorak right or wrong ?’’ offering passes for the best answers. Radio Tie-up The ‘‘Slide Stunt’’ in this section can be used as a very unusual tie-up with your radio station. Have a crooner broadeast the theme songs identified with the more popular radio singers, as one of the station’s sustaining features. Have the station make the announcement that passes to your showing of ‘‘Crooner’’ will be awarded to the first 25 people writing the correct titles of the songs and With ‘‘Crooner’’ based on the real life of a radio star everybody knows, you have an opportunity to get your local radio editors interested, as well as the movie editors. Use suggestions outlined in other portions of this section as inspiration for your radio editors. Contact them for special stories on crooners. Hold a special preview for them so their stories can break in the papers before your showings begin. Have him make a statement as to whether or not the picture does justice to ecrooners. In addition, have your radio editors run a popularity contest from the angle of ‘‘ Which Crooners Do You Like Best— Men Or Women — And Which Is Your’ Favorite?’’ Use coupon ballots in the paper, announcing latest results each day. Front Stunt Make a cut-out enlargement of Still No. C206 which shows David Manners singing through a megaphone. Place it in front of your house or on your marquee, attaching a public address system behind the head so the \day for announcements of your figure will appear to be singrecords the crooners associated with them, together with an essay on why they want to see Play the of A ee ing. ‘“Three’s 22 ‘Crooner’’ at your theatre. in further reciprocation for the stunt the station should give you time at intervals during the ‘Crooner’? song i109 make announcement plugs in between numbers. This idea is suitable for either advance showing. or current ballyhoo. JIG SAW PUZZLE NOVELTY Here is a novelty that you can be sure will be taken into the home, with a whole family working on it. Ingeniously designed in the form of a jig saw puzzle, it plugs the star, the picture and your theatre’s showing. The object of the stunt is to arrange the letters ‘‘Crooner’’ to form the head of David Manners. It’s interesting and will appeal equally to grownups and kids. The ways of distribution are unlimited. You can hand them out as giveaways, use them as special mailing pieces, conduct a contest for the neatest solution, ete. . . Size overall, 614 by 514 on good stock. Price, including theatre name and imprint on back, $6.00 per M; $5.50 per M over 3M; $4.50 per M over 5M. Order direct from EXPLOITATION PRINTERS, 20 West 22nd Street, New York City. FREE WINDOW DISPLAYS Here is your chance to get window displays on “‘Crooner’’ free. | A national tie-up has been arranged with the Bee Dee Manufacturing Co. whereby they have designed and dedicated a sports dress to three Warner-First National players, among whom is the lovely Sheila Terry. A large company, having tremendous national coverage, you are assured of free advertising aid no matter where your theatre is located. Merely notify this company of your play date, suggesting if you wish your favorite store and then watch the results. They will see that the store gives a window display to the dress as well as your showing of the picture. They will distribute a fashion sheet which will be of great interest to women, having helpful style hints, pictures of the Sheila Terry dress and a smart plug for the picture; and if you are running a contest on the picture, they will assist you. This stunt will not only be a great help to you but the store will appreciate the tie-up. Thus you get a neat piece of advertising as well as the good will of the store with whom you will probably make future contacts. As soon as your “Crooner” playdate has been decided, notify Mr. Joseph Leibner of the Bee-Dee Manufacturing Co., Inc., at 241 West 36th Street, N. Y. C. Page Nine