Parachute Jumper (Warner Bros.) (1933)

PRACTICAL EXPLOITATION SNAPPY STREET-SPANNER Stretch a wire across the street, in front of your theatre. On the span place a small parachute, of some bright color. Attach to the parachute cords a figure of Douglas, Jr., which may be blown up from stills available at your exchange. Be sure that the lowest part of the display is high enough so as not to interfere with passing traffic. The parachute should be suspended from the centre of the wire. On each side hang large letters which spell out P-A-R-A-C-H-U-T-E J-U-M-P-E-R. LOCAL AIR MEET Tie up with your local airport and aviator clubs to hold an air meet and parachute jumping contest. Have your contestants give stunting exhibitions in various type planes and if possible stage an airplane race. Make the big event of your exhibition a parachute jumping contest. Mark off a big spot on the landing field and have as many aviators as possible enter the ’chute jumping. Give a definite height that the plane must reach before the jumpers take off and jumper landing nearest to the target is to be judged the winner. Invite all your local notables and aeronautic officials to the meet. Give your local newspapers the complete dope on the stunt. Contact all your leading stores and manufacturers and possibly you can get, besides articles of merchandise, a large cash prize to be given to the best parachute jumper and pilot. If this air meet can be arranved vou are hound to get plenty of publicity free from all your local newspapers in advance and during the run of the picture. JUMPING TOURNAMENT FOR SCHOOLS AND CLUBS The title, “Parachute Jumper,” may be tied up with schools and boys’ clubs, by promoting a tournament for all local champs in the various kinds of jumping—pole-vaulting, standing broad, running broad, etc. Permission may be obtained to rope off the space in front of the theatre for the exhibition. Or it may be held in local gym, on vacant lot or school field. See Superintendent of Schools, _ CONTEST FOR BEST MODEL | PLANES AND PARACHUTES | Scout Masters, and heads of other boys’ organizations. Promote prizes from sport store. Tie up with newspapers in printing stories to herald the event, and to write it up, with pictures of winners in various kinds of jumping. Advertise the plan as sponsored by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. star of “Parachute Jumper.” Scores of boys in your town have made models of airplanes. For the purpose of exploiting this picture, invite them to make tiny parachutes with whittled figure of parachutejumper attached to the apparatus. The parachute-top, when spread, should not be more than the size of the ordinary dinner plate; the figure of the “jumper” not over four inches in height. (If desired, it may be specified that the figure may be a ready-made one, such as can be had at ten-cent stores.) Models submitted should be displayed in lobby, or prominent window, with names and addresses of the makers. Scenes from the picture should form part of the exhibit. Grand prizes and guest tickets should be offered as inducements. ANAGRAM CONTEST Plant this anagram in a newspaper contest. Contestants are required to buy the paper to get the coupon, on which the puzzle appears, and turn them in to the Anagram Editor of the newspaper. The stunt consists of adding the specified letter to the word mentioned, rearranging the letters, and forming the word suggested by the definition. CAN YOU SOLVE THIS ANAGRAM? Free Tickets to See DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS, JUNIOR “PARACHUTE JUMPER” at the Strand To First Fifty Correct Answerers Directions: Add the letter suggested; mix the letters and get the word indicated by the definition. Put answers on dotted line, add your name and address and mail either to the Strand or the Strand Box Office before noon tomorrow. If you are one of the first fifty to hand in eorrect answers, you will be given guest tickets to Doug. Fairbanks, Jr.’s, starring picture, “Parachute Jumper.” Mix “e” with “bill” and get a word meaning slandeP..........cccc. Mix “r” with “chase” and get hunt. Mix “s” with “plane” and get framed-wall-space.. Mix “s” with “blonde” and get braves Mix “o” with “sport” and get military bodies NAME ADDRESS Se (RABEL) (SEARCH) _..(PANELS) (BOLDENS) (TROOPS) RS CRSP EPR AT SEE SLT SSO EE ESI LS ME REIN RE AAO te TCO Page Twelve op EE eae “PARACHUTE JUMPERS” WILL CRACK NEWS COLUMNS Here is a grand stunt with which to call attention to your show and incidentially grab off a column or two of front page space. In the picture, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and Frank McHugh, are so badly in need of a job that they tackle Parachute Jumping and also become mixed up with a bad crowd of rumrunners. You can capitalize on this angle in this manner. Run this ad in the “Help Wanted Columns’ of each of your local papers. “Wanted—men as Parachute Jumpers—no experience necessary— will pay $10.00 for each Parachute Jump.” Tell the newspaper frankly that you have no intention of hiring anyone .to do any Parachute Jumping, but that you want to find out for yourself, just how far men in need of a job will go in order to earn some money. Tell them, that a similar situation exists in “Parachute Jumper,” and you are anxious to prove that men will risk their lives for a job. Suggest to the Managing Editor of the newspaper, that there is a great human interest story in the response that will follow your ads. Have him assign a man to cover the story when the applicants for the jobs as Parachute Jumpers arrive. Of course, DO NOT ACTUALLY ENGAGE PARACHUTE JUMPERS. You can ease the feeling of those who reply to your ad, by slipping each one a pass for the picture. Or if necessary, hire one fellow, pay him a few dollars and then tell him you decided to call off the jump. MISSPELLED WORD CONTEST THROUGH WINDOW DISPLAYS Here’s a stunt that brought excellent results when used by one of the largest merchandising stores on Fortysecond Street in New York City. It attracted the attention of hundreds of passers-by daily and thousands of entries were submitted. Here’s how to work it so that it brings your theatre the same big results: Tie up with as many merchants in your town as possible and have each of them display several large sized cards carrying advertising copy and catchlines on the picture in his window. Each one of these cards should contain about two or three misspelled words, the idea being for the people to catch the wrongly spelled words. The first twenty-five who send in a complete list of misspelled words, taken from the display cards in all the cooperating stores, are to receive a pass for the opening night of “Parachute Jumper.” Also, have the stores display plenty of stills taken from the picture. The merchants should be more than willing to go for a stunt of this sort because it involves no expense to them and is sure to attract a great deal of attention to their store win dows. Announce the contest in your regular newspaper ads, in your theatre programs, on your screen, and in the store windows. The stunt is more than likely to be picked up by the newspapers for free publicity space. One of the many advantages of this idea is the fact that every word of copy advertising your picture must be read thoroughly by all who enter the contest, thus assuring a great plug for your theatre. Pick up your copy from the ad section elsewhere in this merchandising plan. Following is a sample window card, with copy carrying misspelled words: “A thrilling story of lads who live fast because they don’t live long... who make every kiss count because it may be their last . . . who take life with a laugh and give their lives with a wise-crack ! “‘DOUGLIS FAIRBANKS, JR., IN ‘PAROCHUTE JUMPER’ “Bigest novelty _ thrill-and-laugh smash of the year with Doug opposite the gorgeous BETTE DAVIS and a cast including LEO CARRILLO, FRANK McHUGH, HAROLD HUBER, SHEILA TERRY, CLAIRE DODD. Sat Soa NOVEL BLOW-UP IDEA | Still No. 97, illustrated here, will make a unique easel for your front, Enlarge it to about 40 x 60, cut it out around the sign, and keep it showing throughout the run of the film. FREE FICTIONIZATION A complete fictionization of “Parachute Jumper” is yours for the asking! Get the March issue of “Screen Romances” from your newsstand, turn for the fictionization they have, give it to your editor—and cash in! Your only obligation is this—CREDIT MUST BE GIVEN TO SCREEN ROMANCES BY THE PAPER. A simple credit line reading This story printed with permission of Screen Romances Magazine is all that is necessary. To get the full worth out of this fictionization, include scene _ stills, available at your exchange, use star and scene mats offered in this merchandising plan and submit them with this story. They dress the page and build your showing. Whether or not the story is reproduced in your newspaper, you should have no trouble tieing-in with local newsstand carrying Screen Romances. A simple 7 x 11 inch card or any convenient size up to a regular one-sheet, bearing a _ cooperative plug will prove of great benefit to both you and the dealer. Suggested card follows: “PARACHUTE JUMPER” See it on the screen then read it in Screen Romances Magazine It's a rip-roaring tale of the snappiest, fightingest pair that ever zipped a ‘chute from the sky! Now Playing STRAND THEATRE with DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS, JR. Bette Davis, Frank McHugh “Coming ‘Lo ‘The Strana™'Théatre ~~ Friday.” s :