PROMOTES PRIZES FOR BEST LOVER LETTERS
November 23, 1933. Motion Picture Herald.

We have been wondering why the possibilities of letter contests in cooperation with the various fountain pen, stationery, and typewriter people have not been more thoroughly exploited, as there is no reason why a stunt of this kind cannot be put over to good returns.

The management of the Paramount Theatre, San Francisco, Cal., evidently concurs with this thought by putting over the most effectively a love letter contest with one of the leading stationery stores in which a prize of a Parker pen desk set was given to the writer turning in the most fiery epistle.

The competition ran during the entire showing of the picture, and the store went for it very enthusiastically in newspaper advertising and also with a splendid window display (see below) that featured a striking enlargement of Kay Francis with lead copy as follows—“I wrote this letter. Can you write a better one?”, trying in with the actual letter incorporated in the story, and the results are reported to have been very gratifying.

This idea can be further restricted by requiring entrants in these contests to use the stationery, pen or typewriter featured by the participating merchant, but either way, the stunt is very promising and we should like to see it used further in members’ campaigns.