Prairie Thunder (Warner Bros.) (1937)

STUNT ROUND UP INDIAN FIGHTERS You may be able to locate in your community one or two old veterans who took part in some of the Indian skirmishes. Invite them to your theatre and get their reactions to picture. You might get them to give an interesting talk on frontier life from the stage. Use photographs and try to plant some of their reminiscences in local newspapers. If you locate a few old Indians in your locality, have them give talks on tribal customs and get their reactions to frontier life as they knew it. INDIAN CHASER A U.S. Cavalry officer chasing an Indian through the streets might not fool passersby but it’ll let them know there is going to be plenty of excitement at your theatre. Sign on horse reads: ‘“There’s ‘Prairie Thunder’ When Cavalry Meets Indian. See it at the Strand Theatre on Wednesday.”’ STORE TIE-UPS Get in touch with local novelty shops and have them display cowboy hats, guns, badges, lassos, etc. together with stills from picture. Tie in with sport Stores and have them display old time riding equipment together with latest riding apparel. Also contact book dealers and have them display famous western stories. Be sure all stores are amply supplied with stills from picture for their window displays. FORAN CONTEST Dick Foran has been in plenty of westerns so it might be a good idea to run a contest in which patrons identify scenes from his previous pictures. Run this either in lobby or in cooperation with your newspaper. Display stills from ‘Song of the Saddle,” ‘Moonlight on the Prairie,’ “Cherokee Strip,” “‘Devil’s Saddle Legion” and ‘‘Prairie Thunder” and give clues to each one. Award free tickets to the first patrons correctly identifying pictures. COVERED WAGON How about putting across the “‘western” angle with a “‘covered wagon’’? Send wagon thru streets with cowboys, guns in hand, sitting on top. You might have one of the cowboys play a banjo and sing songs from picture through P.A. system. Place this copy On wagon: “There'll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight — ‘Prairie Thunder’ opens at the Strand Theatre.”’ RELICS ON DISPLAY Display equipment used by U.S. Cavalry and Indians—saddles, guns, lariats, medals, tommyhawks, bows and arrows, war paint. If there’s an Indian reservation in your locality you should be able to get hold of interesting material for lobby display. Local Boy Scout Group should be able to help you out with relics and other material. WESTERN WARRIORS Give the Heroes of the West a spot in your lobby. You can use such names as Custer, Hickock, Buffalo Bill, and Kit Carson. Place still of Foran in center. Bill him as the greatest cowboy of them all. How about this copy over your display: ‘‘There is ‘Prairie Thunder’ When These Cowboys Ride.’’ CHILDREN’S HOUR If there’s a children’s Story hour on your local radio station arrange to have narrator tell children about Indians, frontier fighting, and Pioneer life. Be sure to plant spot announcement before and after program. HISTORY DISPLAY Mount a large U. S. A. map in lobby and mark spots where famous western skirmishes took place. Get hold of an American history book and dig out such episodes as Custer’s Last Stand, Attack of Fort Leavenworth. Mark locale of picture on map and there show blow up of Dick Foran riding his white horse. BOY SCOUT GROUPS Contact your local Boy Scout Group, you might be able to get one of the leaders to give a lecture in your theatre on frontier life and customs. Also contact history teachers and try to arrange student discussions on this subject. Hubert. two mice in a hat store. telling of his adventures in Africa. VITAPHONE SHORTS ‘““VAUDE-FESTIVAL”’ (Big-Time Vaudeville). Sparkling, fast-pace vaudeville novelties with Joe Biviano, Bob Dupont, Ross and Bennett, and Fritz & Jean “SUNBONNET BLUE” (Merrie Melodies, Tech.). An hilarious escapade of “THE LYIN’ TAMER” (Vitaphone Novelties). George Jessel at his funniest “PORKY’S BUILDING” (Looney Tunes). Porky Pig becomes a building contractor in another riot of mirth and melody. “FLOWERS FROM THE SKY” (Broadway Brevities) . Charming Josephine Huston singing in a scintillating musical. “PICTORIAL No. 12” (Vitaphone Pictorial Revue). How to make a piano, and how to paint murals are the highlights. SINGING COWBOY Conduct a search for your town’s Singing Cowboy in cooperation with your local newspaper. Hold finals in your theatre the opening night and have winner sing the picture’s three song hits: “When It’s Sunset on the Trail Again,”’ ‘Over the Plains,”’ and “We're Headin’ Home Again.” You might contact your local radio station and try to arrange for a broadcast. Orchestras always like to put in a few cowboy songs in their programs, too. KIDS ON PARADE Kids sure love a parade particularly when they can be in it. Dressed as cowboys and carrying placards they ought to create enough noise to make ’em Stop, and look. Have a round up on Stage of your theatre and award prizes to best dressed cowboys. PICTURES IN LOBBY If you get in touch with your telegraph and railroad companies you might be able to get hold of paintings and pictures showing the linking of the east and west in the 1860's. Display these in lobby of theatre and in local shops with copy: ‘‘The hardships encountered in the building of the transcontinental railroad (or telegraph) is Stirringly shown in ‘Prairie Thunder’ coming to the Strand Theatre on Wednesday.” TRAIN ON DISPLAY Toy dealer might be interested in getting an electric train display in your lobby. To add to the novelty of stunt try to get hold of train which stops and goes when attendant speaks to it via microphone. Don’t spare the tunnels, signals, switches in giving display the right atmosphere. Copy should read: ‘Prairie Thunder’ Brings You a Great Moment in History—The Building of the West.”’ (10 minutes—No. 2611) (7 minutes—No. 2218) (10 minutes—No. 2713) (7 minutes—No. 2811) (22 minutes—No. 2009 ) (10 minutes—No. 2412)