Marry the Girl (Warner Bros.) (1937)

PAGE 13 — “MARRY THE GIRL” — EXPLOITATION MOCK MARRIAGE On a car decorated with old shoes and other marital equipment place one-sheets and ad copy from “Marry the Girl.” An open car will provide a better chance for a display of crazy characters who ride around town with the bride. Through a P. A. system you can get over a steady stream of gags from the ads and other material relevant to local situations. ft it's A “Natty” Campaign You're After Here Are Just the Items For You. LOOK AT OUR COVER! This stunt is good enough to be illustrated on the front cover, which ought to make things nice for you. A gang of local “nuts” dressed to represent characters from film with sign: “Danger! Crazy People At Work” and including title plug should make swell gag for street or in lobby. Or perhaps you’d just want to see the cover for illustration in your lobby or out in front. JUST THE GIVEAWAYS Be sure to capitalize on the nut angle by arranging for various appropriate giveaways. Give out little bags of nuts with tags telling folks that the nuts are from “Marry the Girl” coming to the Strand. Also, bags of nuts and bolts with an explanation that they are from a lot of screw-loose people in “Marry the Girl.” Might add odd buttons to replace ones patrons lose while laughing. FUNNIER THAN THE COMIC SHEET Tie up with the promotional department of your local newspapers by furnishing pictures of the comedians reading the funnies. Stunt can be worked as a display in lobby with stills of the comedians hung on a background of funny papers. Or your artist might set up cutouts of the stars in attitudes of reading the funnies. Top off display with a hidden laugh record which sends out peals of laughter from behind cutouts. Use a copy and tag lines something like this “Funnier than your: favorite funnies,’ “The bughouse couldn't hold’em...so we put’em in this show,’ The funniest syndicate of comics to ever foist themselves on a laugh-mad public,” etc. DESIGNED IRATE FATHER Dress up a stooge in the traditional father-in-law-to-be attire with a shot gun, etc., and have him stalk up and down in front of theatre. Sandwich sign over his shoulder plugs the picture. Plant item in local gossip column to the effect that McHugh, Herbert, and Hughes “Auer” thata way in “Marry the Girl.” In your lobby mount a compo board hand the ring finger of which is extended upward. Have your artist fashion some cardboard rings painted with gold gilt and give them to patrons to toss at the ring finger. Those who succeed in placing a ring on the finger get ducats to “Marry the Girl.” STORE TIE-UP SUGGESTIONS Take advantage of the Hi-Li rage by placing stills of Hugh Herbert in toy shop windows. Still No. MG 14 shows Herbert playing the game. Still No. MG Pub. S shows Herbert playing a mouth organ, appropriate for music shop window. In your tie-up with a nut shop try using this copy on the counter: “There are more like these in ‘Marry the Girl.’ ” Tie up with a florist and plug title with line “Say it with flowers and— Marry the Girl’.” In a jeweler’s shop plant a line “If you ‘Marry the Girl, get your ring here,” etc. Order all stills from Campaign Plan Editor, 321 West 44th St., New York City. FOR LOBBY of constantly changing pictures is presented to the tune of a mechanical cuckoo. From the ad copy your artist can reproduce a miniature hall of fun as a lobby display. The heads of the players are mounted on pedestals underneath which you run lines of ad copy and nutty biographical notes. For a title to the exhibit you might use something like “Believe it or Nuts” etc. ATTRACT LOBBYISTS WITH THESE You can play up the crazy cartoonist angle by having your artist draw a series of line drawings of some of the situations in the pictures. Drawings are placed in frames to represent a comic strip. Stunt can be animated by placing light bulbs at rear. Another stunt that is adaptable for use in lobby is the jar of nuts which is placed on display for patrons to guess the number of nuts therein. If you can get hold of some straight jackets, display them in lobby with tag lines something like these “The nuts in ‘Marry the Girl’ jumped right out of these,” “Believe it or nuts, they're fugitives from a brain gang,” etc. The stunt illustrated at the left is designed to catch both eye and ear attention. The clock (is. made — of compo board and can be mounted in lobby or out front. Attach stills of the principals on a_ scene-changing device so that a series 3 STREET STUNTS For a moving bally, mount cutouts of Hugh Herbert (with a gun) leading Frank McHugh and Carol Hughes. Cutouts are carried about on a truck with posters and a P. A. system. For street ballys get hold of a horse and rider and send them about town with tag lines like “I’m on a bridal path to ‘Marry the Girl’ at the Strand. Or you might have an unsaddled horse led through the streets with a sign reading “You can’t bridle me, I’ve just seen “Marry the Girl’ at the Strand.” A mock marriage in which all the participants are dressed as caricatures of the actors might be arranged. Have the procession pass down the street with signs from “Marry the Girl.” STARS SEEN THRU BUGHOUSE DOOR Have your artist make up a compo board set to represent the entrance to a bughouse. In the doorway of the house place cutouts of the characters. Cutouts can be made to pass the door by setting them on a moving turntable. Place a laugh record inside so that loud guffaws accompany the caricatures as they pass in and out of sight — could have man dressed in uniform of an asylum guard to prowl up and down in front of bughouse entrance. Ad copy reads “They'll never leave the bughouse door open again. They’re all in ‘Marry the Girl’ 2. OIL AL PELL LPL AD POA AP LSPS PIAA P LIP ALL ESAS aD peanut en pales