Showmen's Trade Review (Apr-Jun 1939)

Page 28 S H O W M E N ' S T R A D E R E V I E W April 15, 1939 Streets of New York IF your audience likes a good heart throb, here's one you can sell for all you're worth, for they'll get a real thrill out of the heart throbs in this picture and we'll wager that many a tear will be shed during its unreeling. "Streets of New York" with Jackie Cooper starred! There's a title for you and a star who will pull them in. But you need more than that to convince them of the entertainment values in this picture, so here's how we suggest you sell it. First of all, don't forget little Martin Spellman, whose acting has won the plaudits of every reviewer who has seen the picture. He's under contract to Monogram so you'll be seeing him in other pictures. Therefore, use his picture and his name in all your advertising. ANOTHER SELLING ANCLE Now, aside from the heart throb angle we have mentioned there's another selling slant which mav be very useful in your city. Where the title "Streets of New York" means tough guys, killing, murder, etc. that angle is a good one. In other words, in such situations, sensationalize your campaign. Of course, in many spots the public has been satiated with this type of selling so if yours is one of them, we suggest staying away from that angle. But where powerful drama involving the "tough guy" angle still sells tickets at the box office, that's your cue, for this picture lends itself (REG. U. S. PAT. OFF.) admirably to such a type of selling. But if you find that this Showmanalysis leans toward the less sensational type of selling, it is because we believe that the majority of theatres will prefer to sell it as a heart throb. There's a World's Fair going on in New York, as you may have heard from various sources. That should give you the cue for some fine selling for you'll be playing this picture either just before the Fair opens or after it is underway. How about contacting the bus line that runs through your city enroute to New York and asking its officials to placard buses with a sign reading, "Ride the Bus Line to the New York World's Fair. See 'Streets of New York' at the Theatre." The local bus depots should give you the same cooperation as it will help sell tickets f(jr them as well as for you. Another idea tieing right in with the title would be to rename certain streets in your city temporarily after streets in New York. This was actually done in New York City itself recentljr when Times Square temporarily became Hollywood Boulevard for a picture. It is simply done. Have some cards lettered up the same size as the street signs and have them placed on top of the existing metal signs. "Radio City," "Times Square," "Broadway" and "Fifth Avenue" are good choices for such a stunt. The newspapers should cover the ceremony and city executives should officially be present for t'he re-designation of the streets. The title should be emphasized by having arrows printed up reading, "This Way to the 'Streets of New York'." If you have a large quantity printed, be sure that half of them are printed on one side and half on the other in order not to restrict you too much in placing them. Do you remember what a furore the "Apple Annie" stunt created for "Lady for a Day"? Here's a picture on which it can Sell It With the Heart Throb Angle As Your Keynote be repeated. Take a boy from a settlement house, an orphanage, or just a plain boy without any connection but who is a typical boy of your city. For one day he becomes kingpin. Lodge him at the best hotel, have him given the finest meals, have cooperating merchants clothe him from head to foot and to cap the climax, make 'him the guest of honor at the first showing of "Streets of New York." In the picture, Jackie Cooper plaj^s the part of a newsboy. Now here's a stunt in which you have newspaper cooperation practically guaranteed. You stage a contest with newsboys. The boy who sells the most papers gets a season pass to your theatre. This can be readily tied up with the picture since you are giving something away and the newspaper gets all the benefit. All you ask the newspaper to do is to state in its columns that "Streets of New York" playing at your theatre inspired this contest because Jackie Cooper is a newsboy. A great many men, now prominent in public life or in the business of your city probably started as newsboys. Try to arrange interviews with them through the newspaper. If the newspaper for which they sold papers is still in existence, it would be especially good material. If possible get photographs of these men as they are today and as they were when they were newsboys. AN UNUSUAL CONTEST As we were writing this we heard of a stunt pulled by Manny Reiner, Monogram's exploiteer, who is busy this week putting over the world's premiere of the picture in Hartford, Conn. He planted a contest in the newspapers, offering prizes to those who could name the greatest number of Hartford streets with the same names as New York streets. Besides getting this in the newspaper Reiner got it in an insurance publication in Hartford, which has a wide circulation since Hartford is insurance headquarters. If your city has numbered streets, you must exempt them from this contest. Your merchants should be glad to cooperate with you on this picture. Here's a line you can use in cooperative ads — "Better Bargains Than You'll See on 'The Streets of New York'." Every merchant in every city outside of New York will see the sales value of a line like that and will be glad to cooperate with you. Special STR Service Since this is an especially appropriate picture for the stunt, send out cards bearing on one side a scene from the picture and selling copy and on the other a personal message from someone, ostensibly visiting the New York World's Fair or just visiting New York. Have them printed, addressed and stamped and STR will gladly mail them for you so they will have a New York postmark.