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This is Alfred Hitchcock.
Having lived with Psycho
since it was a gleam in my camera's eye,
I now exercise my parental rights
in revealing a number of significant facts
about this slightly extraordinary entertainment.
This is a pressbook on film,
an advance pressbook to present to you a visual story
on the care and handling of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho.
The scene is the DeMille Theatre in New York.
The entire motion picture industry knows that Psycho is being exhibited
with a special presentation policy,
a creation of Paramount Pictures' showmanship.
The man in the tuxedo is Nick Justin of the DeMille Theatre.
He is a theatre manager.
He is the main instrument of the policy.
Listen now to the heart of the policy.
I've suggested that Psycho be seen from the beginning.
In fact, this is more than a suggestion, it is required.
And here is what Broadway saw.
The audience had been sold this concept.
With it they were sold on Psycho.
Mr Hitchcock tells you, as he told them, why.
This, of course, is to help you enjoy Psycho more.
We really have only your enjoyment in mind.
The campaign began with newspaper teaser ads
calling attention to, explaining, selling the policy.
The "keep the story a secret" idea supplemented the policy.
Special Hitchcock ads, well in advance,
announced why it was desirable to see Psycho from the beginning.
Close to opening day, another ad told why it was required
and clearly supplied the time schedule of Psycho performances,
as did every display ad before Psycho opened.
The directory ads, after opening, confirmed the Psycho policy,
gave the show times clearly.
When they came to the theatre, the audience saw Hitchcock in person.
Well, not really.
But there was a real Pinkerton policeman to emphasise the policy story
which the newspaper ads had presold.
Everywhere in print and sound
the policy was emphatically and entertainingly told.
I insist that you do not tell your friends
the little, tiny, horrifying secrets of Psycho
after you see it.
I would also like to point out that Psycho is most enjoyable
when viewed beginning at the beginning
and proceeding to the end.
In advance, in cross-plugs,
theatre trailers made the point again in another way.
The newspaper campaign, the publicity,
the big sell on the entire special presentation policy,
brought the audience to the theatre well in advance of performance times.
Paramount, with the assistance of Mr Hitchcock,
was prepared to sell them again, inform them and entertain them
with a set of specially recorded lobby spots.
I must apologise for inconveniencing you in this way.
However, this queuing up and standing about is good for you.
It will make you appreciate the seats inside.
It will also make you appreciate Psycho. Psycho is...
Handling the lines of people who had come to see Psycho -
and every showman knows that these were its best advertisement -
was the one main challenge of the Psycho policy.
The box office was always clear for ticket selling
by the device of a ticket holders' line.
The advertised times were for the start of each complete performance,
which began exactly at the end title
of the previous showing of Psycho.
For the large-capacity DeMille Theatre, there was a 25-minute break,
allowing time for the spill and the fill of the theatre.
This break included a programme of shorts and newsreels
just prior to the next showing of Psycho.
At peak audience showings,
the shorts could be reduced to meet the need.
Ticket sales were momentarily stopped at the moment the feature ended.
Psycho ticket holders who had been waiting were admitted first.
But ticket sales were resumed during the balance of the break time.
A special Hitchcock 40 by 60 standee,
which is being supplied to every engagement of Psycho,
carried the exact starting time of the feature.
At the moment the opening titles of Psycho hit the screen,
the new time for the next showing
was announced at the theatre front.
There was an occasional late arrival.
The cashier and all the theatre staff explained the presentation policy
and politely offered a ticket for sale now
for the next performance of Psycho.
In New York and in Chicago
and in Boston
and in Philadelphia,
four pre-release engagements,
the policy of the special presentation of Psycho has proved itself.
It has proved itself in the best way it can -
smash box-office business,
highly entertained patrons,
movie-goers now in the hundreds of thousands
who enjoyed Psycho because they saw it under strict circumstances
that would ensure their enjoyment.
The presentation policy for Psycho has made it a most special attraction,
leading to big business, big word of mouth
and building to even bigger business for you.
Every Paramount exchange and the Paramount home office
is ready now to consult with you and make you a partner
in this extraordinary showmanship plan
and to furnish you with a detailed start-to-finish manual
on the care and handling of Psycho.
Paramount has brought Alfred Hitchcock's exciting new entertainment
to its fullest potential by making a point,
a powerful point to the motion picture audience.
The point of all this, of course, is to help you enjoy Psycho more.
You see, I like you and want you to be happy.
What more can I say?