Showmen's Trade Review (1939)

July 1, 1939 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW Page 13 ft Colorful 40x60 Display In the old days, exhibitors didn't have displays as bright and colorful as the 40x60 shown above. But it's 1939 now, and one oi these in your lobby and others in prominent spots in the business district will lure extra patronage to your theatie. cream parlors ; "Fidgety Joe" can be made the basis of tieups with a number of establshments for a unique type of ad such as " 'Fidgety Joe' isn't fidgety any more, because he wears one of our tropical suits — you'll note that every 'Man About Town' has one, etc." Get the local radio station to play the records or to have the studio orchestra play the music as often as possible. Here's an excellent telephone stunt to use in your lobby a week before the picture opens, and perhaps during the engagement, if you wish. Set up a table with a telephone on it, with a pretty girl in attendance. Blow up Still 1786-51 which shows Benny on the phone and use it as the background. A large sign should invite girls to call up to see if they have a date with the "Man About Town." Whenever a person on the other end of the line says "Yes !" the caller gets a free ticket to see the picture. Use Petty Girl Drawings Most of you have seen George Petty's famous girl cartoons in Esquire. Well, Paramount is using five of the artist's drawings inasmuch as some of his models dress up some of the scenes in "Man About Town." On one or two of the posters you'll note a Petty girl. Using a different sketch each day, there are five mats available for a newspaper contest in which readers are invited to write a "Miss Petty says" :. She might say, for example, "A good telephone line has led many a man to give a snappy number a ring — only to find himself hooked." You don't have to use the drawings in the contest vein ; you can use them in your program to dress up stories about the picture. But inasmuch as they are so popular (who hasn't seen a Petty drawing?) you'd be wise to feature them in one way or another in your advertising. In the press book you'll find lots of suggestions to help you cash in with the famous Petty girls. That man dressed in evening clothes who walks around town flashing a light beneath his shirt front on which is painted the title of the film comes into its own again. Maybe you've used it before, but it's appropriate again, only this time have two or three lovely girls accompany the handsome man so that he'll be just what the sign on his shirt front says he is — a "man about town." For street ballyhoo, get a large truck and convert the body into a cage, inside of which rides a man dressed in evening clothes with a couple of pretty girls paying attention to him. Copy might be something like this: "He can't get away from them — he's a 'Man About Town' and lovely ladies adore him. See Jack Benny in 'Man About Town' at the Blank Theatre, etc." For a picture as important as this it is only natural that many national tieups would be already effected for you. One is with the Hat Style Council, which makes it possible for you to get displays on hats in men's shops. An attractive poster is being furnished 20,000 hat retailers all over the country, so your local store should have one. Then, a tieup with Modern Merchandising Bureau, 67 W. 44th St., N. Y. C, on Hollywood Cinema Fashions paves the way for you to get displays in stores selling the fashions as worn by Dorothy Lamour and Binnie Barnes. In certain states Pan American Petroleum 24-sheets have been posted, which show Betty Grable in "top form." A credit line runs across the bottom, and exhibitors in Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama can snipe the posters with their theatre name and playdate. A toy instrument called The Jack Benny Mystery Violin may be on sale at novelty stores in your town. Find out, and get them to cooperate with you on window displays. A still showing Benny playing his fiddle would serve as the theme of each of the displays. If no dealer handles the violin, perhaps one of them will write to James McGowan Associates, 1123 Broadway, N. Y. C, for retail rights in your city. Your Paramount exchange can, we feel sure, furnish you with stills of Dorothy Lamour and Betty Grable in bathing suits or in beach attire. Provided you use no endorsements, it certainly ought to be permissible to use them in displays featuring such attire for vacationists. And this reminds us that, for a nominal sum, Paramount will furnish you with blowups of the still of your choice. This will aid many exhibitors in dressing up their lobby displays, special windows, etc. You'll find details of this offer in the exploitation section of the press book. Either through the newspaper or radio station, have one of their staff members, dressed One "MAN ABOUT TOWN about another: wall. "Strictly at one man about town about another, y'underttand, I flat rate Jack Benny all-weather top,! He hat dath. bow-coupe. malet hit own braVet and never tlret. Mind my cab while I run over to get me a brace of ducatt to tee him in hit blggett and bett to date! It's — "MAN ABOUT TOWN" You Takes Your Choice Leave it lo Paramount to provide you, not with one teaser campaign, but two. You takes your choice, or if you're smart, you'll take both. A teaser a day will pave the way to big grosses. Shown above are samples of teaser series. formally, appear on the street daily as a Roving "Man About Town" who interviews pedestrians. He might ask a question such as this, "If you were a 'man about town' and could date either Dorothy Lamour, Binnie Barnes or Betty Grable, which one would you choose?" Other questions along the same lines might be asked by the reporter. Use the full figure of Benny and that of the Petty girl in the 24-sheet in your lobby or marquee display. Attractive display's can also be made from the other posters. If possible, dress your ushers in formal attire. If you put over a smashing campaign on the newest film of the debonair Benny, we believe you'll feel like a "man about town" yourself as you count up the grosses. Put Pulchritudinous Petty Sketches to Work Recognize these two beautiful girl drawings? Sure you do, and we'll wager you have similar ones pasted on the wall of your den at home. Ariist George Petty has prepared a set of six special drawings which you can use in many ways to highlight your campaign; some of the ways are explained on these pages. His models dress up several of the scenes in "Man About Town".