Smart Blonde (Warner Bros.) (1937)

“SMART BLONDE” ON EXPLOITING THIS PICTURE | BLANE SCHOLAR STREET BALLY Send out a scholarly-looking fellow to walk the main streets. He Wears spectacles, and a blonde wig, and a sign on his back reading: I’m no longer the smartest blonde in town. She’s at the Strand.” Folks are sure to look around to find out what it’s all about — and that’s when your man hands out heralds. +o + CAR OF BLONDES A carful of blondes will attract plenty of attention in any man’s town. Banner your car, copy reading: “We're the smartest blondes in town—on our way to see “Smart Blonde” at the Strand.” It’s an inexpensive bally, and yet ought to be quite an eye-catcher. If you want, the girls can stop at street corners and hand out heralds. + @ + BEAUTY LECTURE Tie up with a beauty parlor to have one of their operators come over to theatre and give a beauty lecture in the lobby just after the matinee performance. Important thing, of course, is to have her talk concern blondes. Beauty shop might import someone from out of town who could be billed as an expert. Take co-op ad with them announcing the lecture, and you’re bound to get a record crowd of feminine patrons. “TORCHY” GETS YOUR LICENSE Station a “Torchy Blane” at one of the busy corners, to take down five or six car license numbers. Announce in your ad that these will be posted at the box office, your copy reading: “Torchy Blane’s got your number. Identify yourself at the box office of the Strand Theatre with your car registration card, and be her guest at any performance of “Smart Blonde” that you care to attend.” Another angle is to take names from phone book, listing a few every day out front. +o + PHONE CAMPAIGN For a snappy telephone campaign on your opening day, have your girls call up the town, and say: “Torchy Blane speaking. I'm the smart blonde at the Strand — won't you come down and see me?” We'll admit this stunt’s old, but if you’ve got a honey-voiced cashier, she can call in her spare time. +o + LOBBY BLOW-UP For your lobby—a big blow-up of Barton McLane with copy underneath reading something like this: “What detective who thought he was smart was made a fool of by a‘Smart Blonde’?” or “He was the smartest detective in town, until a ‘Smart Blonde’ showed him up.” FRONT PAGE LOBBY DISPLAY EXPLOITATION FOUR BLONDE CONTESTS FOR SELLING YOUR SHOW Here are some contests that are “naturals” for your show. Interested contestants will flock into your theatre if you use them, so look and see which ones are best for you. They’re all inexpensive and easy to run, and they'll show at the box office, so you won’t go wrong on using all four of them. BLONDES vs. BRUNETTES “Are blondes smarter than brunettes?” A fifty-word answer telling why they are or are not. Ducats for the five best answers, no matter which side they take. FASHION TEST Interest a local ready-to-wear shop in tieing up with you on a fashion contest. Have them frame about five fashion questions, and run the contest only for blondes on the stage of your theatre. Store gives the prize — a dress or a credit slip for any amount they care to make it. 5 FAMOUS BLONDES “Name five famous blondes in history, and what they were famous for.’ Answers are turned in at the box office, and the best ones win ducats. SOB SISTER STORY Give ducats or a promoted prize — maybe a month’s subscription to the newspaper — for the best 500 word story about a famous girl reporter of the past or present. Emphasis on the story, rather than the way it’s written. 5 "SMART" SHORT SUBJECTS These five shorts were especially chosen to round out this program so take your choice, and then rely on Vitaphone for sure-fire shorts. For your lobby—paste up a local newspaper with head of Glenda Farrell breaking through middle of front page. Effect is obtained by punching a big hole in paper and pasting a still of Farrell behind it. Line underneath display reads: “Torchy Blane breaks through with a smashing story.” +> + NOT-SO-SMART BRUNETTE Send out a pretty little brunette to walk the streets “COOCOO NUT GROVE” (Merrie Melody Cartoon in Technicolor). A satire on Hollywood’s most famous night club and on some of the film stars who frequent it. (7 minutes—No. 2203) —and she might also hand out heralds. She wears e a sign saying: “I may not be smart, but I’ve got enough sense to see “Smart Blonde’ at the Strand.” + @ + “IT’S ALL OVER NOW” (Broadway Brevity Series). Dan Healy, Broadway’s famed master of ceremonies, as a romantic playboy with a girl in every port. (20 minutes—No. 2018) “VAUD-VILLIANS” (Big Time Vaudeville Series). A diversified variety reel with Marty May, The Three Wiles, Rose King, and The Kitaros. (10 minutes—No. 2604) “~PORKY IN THE NORTH WOODS” (Looney Tune Cartoon Series) . Bighearted Porky and his mates foil the nefarious schemes of a villainous trapper in this fast-paced cartoon. (7 minutes—No. 2804) BLONDE WARDROBE DISPLAY Your leading department store should be glad to give a complete window over to blondes during the run of your show. Sell them the idea of displaying a complete wardrobe for blondes, accenting those colors which are supposed to complement them. Copy and stills, of course, are centered around your show. “A VITAPHONE PICTORIAL REVUE, No. 4” (Pictorial Revue Series). A fast-moving pictorial discussion of famous women in aviation, and of fashion styles in warmer climes. The latter is in color. (10 minutes—No. 2404) Page Seven