Father Steps Out (Monogram) (1941)

FUN FOR SALE! YOUVE GOT WHAT THEYRE LOOKING FOR! Whenever depression, jitters or troubles of any kind hit the nation, showmen the country over know there’s one SUREFIRE remedy for low pressure at the box office—-LAUGHTER! Well “Father Steps Out” fills the bill perfectly. It’s gay, fast-moving, thoroughly human entertainment that any audience will enjoy. First there’s the highly hilarious idea of a millionaire railroad magnate who accidentally falls in with a couple of hoboes and likes the life so well he decides to become a road knight himself. Then you get the added fun of the reporter who poses as a doctor to crash way in the big man’s confidence. Instead of working on his intended victim, he finds himself trapped by the latter’s hypochondriac sister.. Interwoven with these two comedy lines is the speedy sub-plot of a battle to control a huge railroad merger... PLUS a highly provocative romance between the reporter and the millionaire’s daughter. The whole show is well-balanced, smartly produced and 100% fun. The title reflects the story’s hilarity and the cast is headed by three popular favorites. Everyone loves Jed Prouty for his long string of successes in the Jones Family films; Frank Albertson clicks in a big way with the younger set, having scored strongly in “Bachelor Mother’’ with Ginger Rogers; and Lorna Gray will be a revelation in her first role of this type. Make sure the whole town knows you have fun for sale! They‘re looking for relaxation and you've got it for them! Tie-up Stills to Help You Grab Off Beaucoup Space and Displays Up-to-date merchants know the value of motion picture personalities in their advertising and are always open for all kinds of tie-ups, co-op ads, giveaways, displays, etc.—especially when you have stills like these which have been shot purposely for this use. Get after store managers well in advance so that the displays will have the ticket-buyers all built up when your ad campaign hits them. Photos shown here can be used for men’s shops, furriers, office-supply dealers, tobacconists and all stores handling typewriters. Order stills from Monogram Exploitation Department, aan 4376 Sunset Drive, Hollywood, Calif. If you have any LORNA GRAY Suing 3 suggestions for tie-up stills on future productions, let Fucdiors us know and we'll do our best to help you. MAXINE LESLIE Still No. Pub. 2 Logan Water Cooler FRANK ALBERTSON Still No. Pub. 3 Pipes and Men’s Shops FRANK ALBERTSON Still No. Pub. 4 Remington Typewriters "Father Steps Out" A Pip for Travel Hook-ups The title is perfect for tieing-up with all agencies handling travel and vacation reservations. Still No. 62, showing the picture’s three principals on the rear platform of a train, will fit in with almost any display you have in mind. Here’s sample copy you may want to use: When FATHER STEPS OUT for his vacation, you can be sure he’ll have the time of his life if he takes the Southern Pacific to Bear Lake Mountain Tavern. And you can be sure you'll have the time of YOUR life when you see “Father Steps Out” at the Barlow Theatre with Frank Albertson, Lorna Gray and Jed Prouty as “father”?! Order stills from Monogram Exploitation Dept., 4376 Sunset Drive, Hollywood. How About Contest for Most Popular Father? The promotional possibilities of a ballot race for the most popular dad in town are endless. It’s a contest that should be easy to plant with one of your local dailies because it’s sure to build up tremendous reader interest and also promises lots of fun and good “art” for the paper’s picture section. It’s a cinch bet that every store in town carrying men’s wear and sporting goods will “go” for a prize and you'll have a swell list of offerings for the winner and runners-up. Simplest way to run the contest is to have the co-operating newspaper publish a ballot each day for a week. Readers clip and mail in to the theatre, filling in the name of their candidate and perhaps listing the number of children he has. To give the stunt impressiveness, each ballot should be worth 10 votes so that the total figures will be plenty big. Pictures of leading contestants and their families should be published as soon as first returns start coming in. Get the mayor or some other local celebrity to act as judge. If you have any difficulty planting the stunt with a paper, it will be equally effective if you run it yourself in co-operation with the merchants. Ballots can be given out with each dollar purchase in the stores and with each ticket sold at your box office. Photos of the entrants and early vote counts can be posted in the lobby and in the store windows. You should be able to get various fraternal organizations to enter candidates and campaign for them. All in all, this stunt, properly handled, can make “Father Steps Out” a gold mine for you.