Gold Dust Gertie (Warner Bros.) (1931)

_——— —_— re REAL SHOWMAN EXPLOITATION! ous laugh fest! That’s what you have to sell in “Gold Dust Gertie.” Laffs, laffs, laffs, laffs, laffs and nothing else but. That’s the keynote of your whole campaign. Your ads, your lobby, your posters, your stunts should all be peppy, snappy—full of fun and wisecracks. Tell the fans that “Gold Dust Gertie” tops all of Wild Winnie Lightner’s previous successes by a mile. It’s better than both “Gold Diggers of Broadway” and “Life of the Party” put together. Play up Winnie Lightner for all she’s worth! don’t forget Olsen and Johnson, that famous comedy team, heading the knockout supporting cast. Thar’s gold in them thar laffs!) GO GET IT! THERE’S PLENTY OF GOLD IN “GOLD DUST GERTIE” Winnie Lightner in her craziest, fastest and most furi And Teaser Place a hand-lettered card in your box-office window during the week before the run of “Gold Dust Gertie.’ Have the card read as follows: WATCH YOUR MEN “GOLD DUST GERTIE” Will Be Here Next Week! | Pay | | Envelopes es | This stunt will not only get plenty of word-of-mouth advertising, but the newspapers will also be certain to pick up the story for additional publicity. Announce in your ads that on the opening night of “Gold Dust Gertie,” you will give a pay envelope to each of the first few hundred patrons. Inside these envelopes place coins of various denominations, a penny, nickel, dime, etc. Most all of these coins, of course, will be pennies. On the outside of the envelope, or on a card inside, print this copy:— GOLD DUST GERTIE shares her spoils with the patrons of the et Theatre. It doesnt’ cost much to work this idea and its effect will tell in more coin at the box-office! LIGHTNER “GOLD DUST GERTIE Mount still (Winnie Lightner 68) on a dark blue ground running a flesh tint over face. Title cast and copy in maroon Bands at bottom of frame in three shades of green. lettering on yellow ground. Page Two “Mount still (Winnie Lightner 68) and color with flesh tint. panel. Title is orange on a very light purple background. Copy is in black. Date panel is yellow with blue lettering. Free Passes For Red Heads Winnie Lightner is the funniest and peppiest red-headed gal on the screen. All movie fans know her as the mama who made the redheaded girl popular. Announce on your screen and in the local newspapers, that all red-headed girls in town, will be admitted free during the first hour on the opening day of “Gold Dust Gertie.’ The mobs of girls who will take advantage of this offer is certain to get heavy word-of-mouth publicity and newspaper notices. \\ aes Mf AND IE 5 _ BUT NEVER “SS S WINNTE ee ] Se T a ———— eee SS Ses IN —————— STILL N° 18 Illustration of ad or still (Gertie, 17) and (Olsen & Jobnson 18) both in natural tones. Title cast and copy in dark blue lettering on emerald green background. Treasure Hunt Tie-Up with Newspapers GET YOUR WHOLE TOWN SEARCHING FOR HIDDEN TREASURE! Tie-up with a local newspaper to publish the details of the contest and to print the first clue. Here’s the way to run it:— Have the local newspaper announce that the first clue to the hiding place of the treasure is in a public place in a well-known street in the town. This clue leads the searcher to another part of the city where another clue has been planted. Have two or three such clues in all. The last one should wind up in the lobby of the theatre where the final clue reveals the location of the hidden treasure. The prizes for the contest should be gotten by a tie-up with the local dealers. Have the names of the contest winners and the names of the dealers who donated the prizes published in the newspaper. The above stunt is a natural for “Gold Dust Gertie.” Use such lines as “Winnie Lightner—the original gold digger—wants some rivals! Gold Diggers of (name of town) Get Busy! Attractive rewards for the best gold diggers in town! Exit Banner For Advance Display Lobby Laughs A laughing phonograph record is sure-fire to attract the notice of passing crowds. Use one in your lobby or in connection with street ballyhoo. Also set up a large cutout of Winnie Lightner in either a laughing or winking pose. You can also use a poster reading: “You ain’t heard nothing yet’”’ There are hundreds of laughs in “Gold Dust Gertie’—now showing inside! Ideas For Your Lobby Frame Layouts WINNIE I Illustration of ad or still (Gertie 10) mounted on black background with flesh tint over faces. Title and cast in yellow lettering. Copy panel in ocre with blue letters. Cast is im yellow letters on a dark blue Bathing Beauty Contest Here’s a stunt that will capture the interest of the whole town and is a natural tie-up for “Gold Dust Gertie.” Hold a bathing beauty contest to show the latest styles in bathing suits. Your local newspaper will be oo to sponsor such a contest because of its circulation building possiilities. Here is the way the contest should be handled. 1. Visit your local newspaper editor and point out to him the reader interest and news value contained in a beauty contest of this sort. Assure hhis co-operation by having him announce that his paper is sponsoring the contest. 2. Announce on your screen that all the local girls may enter the panes by signing application blanks available at the box-office or at the oor. 3. Make similar announcements in your program copy and in your local newspaper. 4. Prizes for the winners of the contest can be secured from your local dealers by using the names of their stores in all announcements as the donators of the articles. Give the winner a complete girl’s sports outfit, each part of which should be donated by a different sports dealer. If possible, some of the prizes should be cash and free subscriptions to the local newspaper. 5. The contest should be staged in your theatre with the people in the audience acting as judges. You can be sure that each girl entered in the contest will be well represented by friends and relatives in the audience. 6. Pictures should be taken of all the contestants in a group. Other pictures of the winners should also be taken for publication in the newspaper sponsoring the contest. : 7. If possible, arrange for a city official or celebrity to make the presentation of the prizes from the stage of your theatre. 8. Warner Bros. have a tie-up with the Jantzen Knitting Mills. Your local Jantzen dealer will be glad to cooperate with you on a bathing beauty contest. Snappy Teaser Campaign The title, “Gold Dust Gertie,” is an excellent one for a novel teaser campaign. Get out catch-line cards like the following and plant them wherever possible. Warning to Men of (Name of Town) “GOLD DUST GERTIE,” the original gold digger, is coming to town “GOLD DUST GERTIE,” The lass with an eye on every male bankroll is here! Watch for Her! Lobby is “GOLD DUST GERTIE,” Display Has Every Man In (Name of Town) “On the Spot” Winnie Lightner offers plenty of Watch Her Winning Ways! opportunities for attractive and effective comedy lobby displays. Use a large cut-out of a head of Miss Lightner in a winking pose. Another cut-out that is very attractive is a full figure of the star snappily posed in a bathing suit. Arrange with your local sports dealer for a display of the latest styles in bath YOU CAN’T WIN! “GOLD DUST GERTIE,” Is On A Gold Digging Spree ing suits. Use live model in a bathing suit. Have her on a platform in the lobby displaying both bathing suit and her charms. Your color scheme for “Gold Dust Gertie” should be a combination of | gold and silver. Illustration of ad and still (Gold Dust Gertie 38) with flesh tint on both. Girls bathing suit is in orange. Title and cast yellow aid emerald green letters on deep purple circle. Background of copy and still is in pink. LAUGH LONG AND LOUD with LIGHTNER! “GOLD DUST GERTIE,” Is Coming Soon! “GOLD DUST GERTIE,” Will Make You “GIVE TILL IT HURTS” Sports Store Tie-Up A tie-up with a sporting goods dealer is an effective means of ex ploiting “Gold Dust Gertie.” Arrange with a local store to feature a window display with a live model posed in a snappy bathing suit. This. is certain to make an attractive window display that no passer-by can resist. Place placard in the window reading as follows: WINNIE LIGHTNER the original gold digger, Reveals all in “GOLD DUST GERTIE” Now playing at (Name of Theatre) Also use any of the following stills of Winnie Lightner in a bathing suit. WL 84 or WL 71, for use in this window display. If your exchange hasn’t got this still, you can get one from the home office by writing to Warner Bros. Pictures, 321 West 44th Street, New York.