The Cinematic Voyage of THE PIRATE by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780826273185
Publisher: University of Missouri Press

THE TRAILER AND MERCHANDISING

Studio staff devoted a good deal of thought and time to the trailer, the all-important teaser for film audiences. Frank Whitbeck, publicity chief at M-G-M, suggested the trailer emphasize Kelly as the pirate, not as Serafin, because “a daring man is more apt to set feminine hearts aflutter. Certainly a bold pirate is the more impressive figure, of the two.” He then wanted to switch to scenes of Garland breaking things over the pirate's head. “It's a contrivance that will, we hope, intrigue the ticket buyer—young, old, meek and bold.” The trailer consisted of various scenes of Kelly as Macoco, giving the viewer the suggestion that he truly would be a pirate in this film. “Here's the MADDEST, MERRIEST, MELODIOUS COURTSHIP ever on the screen,” “A COLORFUL CARNIVAL of LAUGHTER and SONG!” the trailer proclaimed. The studio promised viewers “The LOVELINESS of the CARIBBEAN” as well as a rollicking pirate show. The footage of the trailer amounted to 208 feet of film.15

Despite its emphasis on Kelly as the pirate, the trailer includes a brief scene between Serafin and Manuela that hints that things may not be as they seem. This was a good idea because it keeps the trailer from being too deceptive and also adds a touch of intrigue.

A brief segment of Garland's original “Mack the Black” number, which had opened the preview version, is retained in the trailer, even though the number was dropped after the previews. The trailer also includes a segment from Garland's new “Mack the Black” number, which replaced the dropped “Voodoo” dance. It appears that the old segment was kept to make the trailer more colorful and exciting by showing Garland singing the same song, with a quick change of costumes and settings.

Using segments cut from the film in trailers was a common practice at the time. In a few places, the trailer for The Pirate used different takes than were used in the movie. Serafin's close-up before the reprise of “Be a Clown” and the way Kelly says his lines here is one example. The take of Serafin looking at Manuela when he sees her for the first time is also different. Moviemakers had many takes of each scene on hand, and they wanted to use takes that were good but that did not make it into the release print.

M-G-M produced two programs for The Pirate, one in English and another in Spanish. Lobby cards could be ordered from the studio. These were color posters advertising the film that could be placed in theater lobbies. The Pirate's “exhibitors' campaign book,” issued by M-G-M, was created by Bill Ferguson, a studio advertising executive. He suggested a wide variety of ideas, including offering a free cruise and creating a pirate float for a local parade. Ferguson also suggested that theater owners create a number of scenarios in their lobby, such as daring local girls to walk a low plank into the arms of a young man dressed as a pirate, and offering free tickets to the film for those who accepted the dare.

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