Invisible Stripes (Warner Bros.) (1939)

: Exploitation Me hd , Help Parolee Get Job Help an ex-convict or parolee get a job—a natural exploitation stunt for this picture. Idea is to contact some person who is just getting out of prison on parole or some exconvict who has served his sentence. Identity of person can be kept secret if he wants it that way. Enlist aid of all local welfare groups, parole leaders and newspaper editor in contacting business leaders to give the man a job. Warden Talks Get the local prison warden or sociology teacher from nearby school down to theatre to talk on parole angle of picture, problems convicts face upon release from prison, etc. Specific topics might be any of those listed for inquiring reporter stunt. Material for Feature Contact your newspaper for a feature article on what local parolees from prison are doing with their freedom. Reporter interviews warden for possible leads and reaction to parole problem and is also present at meeting of parole board when parolees are required to report. Interviews concern hardships men faced after they were released from prison and how they met these problems. Books for Prisons Arrange with local welfare groups and individuals to supply new reading material for prisons. You might set aside a certain hour during the day when people presenting any suitable prison donation at your boxoffice are admitted free of charge. Suggest Editorial to Your Paper If your newspaper is interested in all phases of the parole system, you might plant an editorial along these lines: While the parole system has lately been attacked because sO many crimes seem to be committed by released convicts, there appears to be another factor which bears discussion in the light of the situation.. This concerns those parolees who in their hearts feel no bitterness toward the social system and are apparently serious about continuing their lives in honest fashion. To these wellintentioned penitents are these words dedicated in the hope that society as a whole will see its way clear to lend more of a helping hand rather than to condemn and to shun. Lately there have come to the attention of this newspaper several cases of men on parole who can hold a job as long as they can keep the knowledge of their Previous penal servitude a secret. Once discovered they have invariably lost their employment. Thus turned out, it may perhaps follow that it is no little wonder that committing more crimes seems the only solution. What to do? Can employers be persuaded to hold parolees on their payrolls in positions where trust is required, and what positions are entirely without trust? How shall these people be treated? The problem is ages old in one way or another, and the solution cannot be put in a word. What is paramount is the fact that our parole boards must exercise increasing care in the selection of those whom they release so that when these men are turned back into society, society will not be in fear of accepting part of the responsibility for their future. A motion picture has lately come to a local screen treating of this very problem. It is entitled ‘Invisible Stripes’’ and as its title implies, it deals with a man who has found rehabilitation practically an impossibility because of his strange brand. [18] ‘Invisible Stripes” is NOT a prison-gangster film! It is the gripping story of the problems facing a man in his after prison life. Play up this angle with exploitips on this page. Letter Copy for Welfare Heads Dear Sir: No more pressing problem has ever confronted the American people, you will agree, than that of released convicts. How shall we treat men out of prison on parole, or those who have paid their debt to society and are now seeking a livelihood in that same society? Are we to continue to impress on these unfortunates their acquired or self-imposed ‘’two strikes’’ and make their third a foregone conclusion? INVISIBLE STRIPES, a new Warner Bros. motion picture, presents this problem in a grippingly dramatic, yet nonetheless straightforward, manner, telling the story of a strong-willed ex-convict who is honestly attempting to rehabilitate himself in a society that repeatedly turns its back on him. The film boasts an excellent cast, with GEORGE RAFT, the killer of ““Each Dawn | Die,” playing the title role in customarily powerful fashion. Also starred are JANE BRYAN, sensation of ‘““The Old Maid,”” and WILLIAM HOLDEN, amazing find of “Golden Boy.” Humphrey Bogart and Flora Robson, England’s leading character actress, head the supporting cast. INVISIBLE STRIPES will be at the Strand Theatre starting Friday for a week. | hope you will avail yourself of the opportunity to see a great presentation of this important problem and inform the members of your group of it. Sincerely yours, Manager. School Promotion Promote your showing among sociology, political science and civics students in all nearby schools and colleges. Direct mail the teachers (see letter copy above and on page 21) to get endorsements for the picture. Secure permission from the proper authorities to post picture displays on school bulletin boards. Plant a story and scene cut in the school newspaper. You might arrange a special rate if the students attend in a group. Showing at Prison Contact your local prison warden to show the picture to the inmates. Similar stunt was worked with “‘San Quentin” in a mid-west spot with excellent results. Prisoners are contacted for statements which, of course, are used anonymously. Local newspaper should be contacted to cover the screening. Man-On-Street Gag Use these topics for inquiring reporter or man-in-the-street stunt, essay contests among sociological students, debates in theatre, etc.: “Would you give an exconvict a job or would you be inclined to turn him away because of his prison record?” “If you found out one of your employees was an ex-convict would you discharge him or keep him if his work was satisfactory?”’ “Should an ex-convict marry and have children, knowing that the stigma of prison might remain with him forever?”’ Screen for Officials Invite heads of local welfare organizations, prison warden, parole officials, etc. for spectal screening. Secure comments and use for lobby blow-ups, newspaper publicity stories, advertising, etc. Possibly you can get one of the officials to speak on the picture and the problem it presents over the local radio.