Press archive
Dracula publicity stunt backfires in Flint
29 May 1958 · Motion Picture Daily
Estate summary
A contemporary report describes a failed publicity stunt for Horror of Dracula at the Capitol Theatre in Flint, Michigan. Assistant manager William Kern dressed as the Count and walked through the city, attracting complaints and police attention. The report describes elaborate gruesome props and records a breach-of-the-peace charge, a suspended sentence for Kern and a $100 cost to the theatre circuit. It offers evidence of how exhibitors promoted Hammer’s film through public spectacle and the reactions that such campaigns could provoke. The article appears on page 2 of Motion Picture Daily on 29 May 1958; the earlier saved link opened the front page instead. The recovered scan has an obscured inner margin, so some wording remains difficult to read and no definitive full transcription is claimed.
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