Showmen's Trade Review (Apr-Jun 1939)

Page 24 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW June 10, 1939 JUAREZ (WAR-EZZ) Timeliness, Significance Of Screen Achievement Factors That Command Extra Selling ( BEG. U. S. PAT. OFF.) HAVING given you "Dark Victory," "Life of Emile Zola," "Confessions of a Nazi Spy," "The Story of Louis Pasteur," "Dodge City," "Four Daughters," "Brother Rat," "Angels With Dirty Faces" and other attractions which have been noted for their mass appeal, Warner Brothers have now made available Paul Muni and Bette Davis in "Juarez." Depending to your situation, it may or may not be very long until you play this picture. For, after auspicious roadshow engagements in New York and Hollywood at $2.00 top, the film has now been made available for popular-priced runs throughout the country. If you are scheduled to play it in the near future, you should leave nothing undone to see that it receives the large audience it merits. It won't do to simply date the picture in and forget about it. Film's Timeliness Important The fact that it "speaks out for the downtrodden, for the poor, and for the democracy which is their hope" is enough to impress one with the timeliness of "Juarez," — a timeliness that will surely make every American citizen eager to view the film. And yet, there are other attributes just as timely, just as important in helping you plan your campaign to get the most out of it. When a picture has two former Academy Award-winning stars in it, that is something to guarantee exceptional box office returns. "Juarez" has Paul Muni and Bette Davis. And when the technical staff of that same picture has six academv Awardwinning personalties, there is a still further guarantee. "Juarez" has Hal B. Wallis, executive producer ; William Dieterle, director; Erich Wolfgang Korngold, music ; Tony Gaudio, photography, and Leo Forbstein, director of the Vitaphone Orchestra. Few films can claim such production assets as these. Don't think "Juarez" is unknown to your general patronage. We'd be willing to wager that at least eight out of ten have heard or read about it and are eagerly awaiting its showing at your theatre. From the time it went into production, which was several months ago, up to the present, "Juarez" has received a barrage of national publicity and advertising. By means of the radio, in rotogravures, in magazines, in news weeklies, in fan publications, in syndicated columns the film has been given a terrific buildup. Through advertising in several outstanding national magazines, more than 20 million people have been impressed with the film's importance. With all this advance publicity and advertising buildup, almost totally obscure from national and world events would be the person who had heard nothing about it. Now that Warners have started the ball rolling, you must continue from there. The New York and Hollywood openmgs were strong factors in making the film an S.R.O. event. It is our belief that you should adhere to the idea of impressing on your public the importance of "Juarez" by making your own opening something local townsfolk will remember for years to come. If the opening is outstanding, you can rest assured crowds will continue to pour into your theatre for the balance of the engagement. Therefore, the important question is — have you dated "Juarez" yet? If so, let's hope it's sufficiently far into the future to permit you to get an early start. For, it should be pointed out, selling the film to your public goes far beyond the usual exploitation. To prepare for an opening of such significance means that every single detail, down to the minutest, will have to be worked out carefully. You'll need the cooperation of important social and civic leaders— people in both your city and state whose names mean something. Get these luminaries to help sponsor the initial performance. With newspapermen, photograph Here Are Your Cast and Credits Benito Pablo Juares PAUL MUNI Carlota BETTE DAVIS Maximilian Brian Aherne Napoleon III Claude Rains Porfirio Diaz John Garfield Marechal Basaine Donald Crisp Alejandro Uradi Joseph Calleia Empress. Eugenie Gale Sondergaard Col. Miguel Lopes Gilbert Roland Miguel Miramon Henry O'Neill Riva Palacio Pedro de Cordoba Jose De Montares Montagu Love and thousands of others A WARNER BROS. PICTURE Associate Producer, HENRY W. BLANKE. Directed b\ WILLIAAI DIETERLE. Music bv ERICH WOLFGANG KORNGOLD. Screenplay by JOHN" HUSTO'N, WOLFGANG REINHARDT and AENEAS MACKENZIE. Based on a Plav bv FRANZ WERFEL and the Novel, "The Phantom Crown" by BERTITA HARDING. ers, and radio announcers and technicians on hand, there will be recorded much publicity certain to be a strong influence on the masses. There is probably a local organization influential enough to sponsor the opening. When you have lined it up, start shooting publicity stories to the newspaper through the organization. Each day new and more important names can be announced as having been added to the list of sponsors. Each day there can be interesting items about "Juarez" as well as illustrative matter. Letters to Worthwhile People To every worthwhile person in town, send out a letter along with ticket order blanks. The stationery should be that of the organization sponsoring the event, and the letters should be signed by the president or some other person strongly influential. With this matter completed, your regular advance sale of tickets begins. Whether or not you wish to reserve seats depends upon you and your situation, and this also applies to the advancing of admissions. Some communities simply won't stand a substantial increase in admissions, so onl\ you can determine just what you should do in this case. The fact remains, however, that you can have tickets made up according to the capacity of your theatre ; that they can be sold at your highest normal admission price, or for perhaps a slight increase for the "big names" who will attend ; that not only can the tickets be sold by members of the sponsoring body and at your box office to individuals, but in blocks to other clubs, schools, churches and charitable organizations. In other words, don't sit