The Perfect Specimen (Warner Bros.) (1937)

FIVE CONTESTS .... © The limer ick idea is still good. You won’t have any difficulty selling it to your patrons when they learn that Hugh Herbert plays the part of an eccentric poet in this picture. Award free tickets for the best last lines to the following limericks: There was a young poet named Shawe Whose rhymes were always a roar, One day he met Wicks Who was tougher than bricks, Hugh Herbert who’s in grammar school yet, Is not the type for Romeo’s Juliet, If his face were like Flynn’s, He’d be having his ‘ins’, Hugh Herbert in “The Perfect Specimen,” Said, “Hi-ho, what a mess I’m in, I’ve just cashed a check Which the bank will reject, This is the story of one Killigrew Shawe Whose head was harder than King Kong’s jaw, When he made up a rhyme It was worse than a crime, 2. Tie up with beauty salon or department store and award prizes to girls who, with the aid of make-up, most resemble Joan Blondell. Beauty shops display stills of Blondell, giving details as to coloring, weight, height, etc. Beauty experts in store suggest the type of powder, rouge, etc., each star would use. Beauty shops advertise that certain stores will give free advice on coiffuring, make-up, costuming, and so forth. 3. Make your town woo-woo (Herbert’s favorite expression) conscious. Run a poetry contest and award prizes for the best jingles ending with “woowoo.” Here’s an example: Cuckoo's yield The whacky field To Herbert, Hugh W00-wo00, woo-woo0 4, Who is the “perfect couple” in your towne Run as a voting contest with ballots printed daily in newspapers. Ballots are clipped and deposited in lobby box. Photos of high vote getters are published from day to day. 5. Find the healthiest baby in town. Parent of winner in radio and newspaper interviews tells what she (or he) thinks are the best methods for raising a child. Questions dealing with diet, exercise, and punishment for misbehavior should be discussed. THE FEMMES... . Flynn is plenty popular with the gals. Ask them to speak about him. Reproduce best comments in lobby. Also ask whether they prefer to see him in modern or costume pictures. CUT-OUIS .... The 24-sheet_contains separate giant figures of Errol Flynn and Joan Blondell (about 8 feet high). These can be cut out and sed on lobby, front, and marquee. “ey RIGHING IN... . Place weighing “amachine in lobby and a height and weight chart along with it. Give complimentary tickets to anyone who is the right weight for his height. “PERFECT SPECIMEN’ CONTEST The “healthiest boy and girl’’ contest idea is easily adapted in the exploitation of “The Perfect Specimen.” It’s the same contest by another name. With the cooperation of proper civic authorities and the Bureau of Health, conduct a voting contest to find the perfect specimen — male and female. Your search leads into schools, colleges, offices, homes, clubs and organizations. Hence you have a “‘natural’’ that should interest the following: NEWSPAPER: Which may be a co-sponsor. Prints voting coupons, daily stories and pictures of latest entrants, standing of contest ants, and news of the competition. RADIO STATION: Which interviews leaders in the contest in your theatre lobby. MILK COMPANY: Which may be interested to advertise the contest, or to sponsor it as a feature in connection with commer cial radio program. YOUR THEATRE: Which is the only place where votes may be deposited after patrons have entered the theatre—thereby insuring maximum regular attendance. Finals on your stage, with broadcast, etc., etc. PERFECT VOICE... . Via heralds and local papers announce contest in which people who think they have telephone personality call your theatre during specified hours. Party calling gives name, address, and says a few words about any subject. Might be a good idea to set up switchboard in lobby. Judges rate voices on percentage system. The ‘perfect voices’ (highest percentages) are invited to your theatre the opening night to receive prizes. STRENGTH TEST .... Set up equipment in lobby to test athletic prowess of patrons. This should consist of a punching bag which hits register to record strength, a lung tester, consisting of a long tube which sends up liquid when blown into, etc. Over each machine print the mark which The Perfect Specimen would attain and embellish with stills of Flynn and Blondell. “LAUGH HOUSE”... . Have artist make drawing of a ‘humanized’ house—front is drawn to look like a human face laughing, ‘arms’ of house hold sides. Copy: “The whole house shakes when this ‘nut gang’ gets together under one roof.” Use stills showing cast of picture. CO-OP PAGE... . On pages 10 and 11 you will find a salable layout for a merchants’ co-op page. Space should be sold to local dealers with cooperation of paper’s ad solicitor. Ads may be inserted individually, run of paper, if you cannot put over the full page co-op ad. BEAUTY FLOAT... . Round up a bevy of beautiful gals and have them stand on top of float in bathing attire. Each wears a large letter spelling out “Perfect Specimen.” The last girl carries a placard plugging film. QUESTIONNAIRE... . Errol Flynn gets in a few ‘tight spots’ in the picture—but being The Perfect Specimen, he always knows how to act. Run questionnaire in your lobby asking patrons how they think a perfect specimen would act if he found his girl in the arms of another man; if a hotel clerk told him that he’d have to marry a certain girl; if he read in the papers that he had been kidnapped. List other awkward or embarrassing situations. STAR PHOTOS .... Anita Louise, Olivia de Havilland, Kay Francis, George Brent, Humphrey Bogart, Dick Powell are as perfect specimens as you'll ever find. Mount photos of these stars in bathing attire for lobby display and a blow-up of Flynn and Blondell in center. Copy: ‘“Hollywood’s Perfect Specimens.” SPORT STORES .... The title of picture lends itself to tie-ups with sporting goods stores and gymnasiums. Display stills of Flynn and Blondell with this selling line: “Sach’s Sport Store has all the equipment necessary to make you The Perfect Specimen.” TRAILER . . . . “The Perfect S pecimen” trailer is a riot of fun showing romantic and comedy highlights of picture; surefire to bring them in once they’ve seen it. Throw it on a screen in your lobby or in a store window with a portable projector. MODEL GIRLS . . . . Conduct search for town’s Perfect Models and have them display latest Hollywood fashions in lobby. Get merchants to cooperate by loaning apparel. PROMOTION SF ILIAITLOV @