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Playhouse Theatre 727 15th Street NW, Washington, DC - 1954

Sign of the Pagan is a 1954 American historical drama film directed by Douglas Sirk, shot in CinemaScope (color by Technicolor), and released by Universal Pictures. The film stars Jeff Chandler, Jack Palance, Ludmilla Tchérina, and Rita Gam.

Theater manager Kenneth McGuire startled local residents by placing an ad in the classified section looking to rent aged human skulls for theater lobby decorations

The promotion was tied directly to the release of Universal-International’s CinemaScope film “Sign of the Pagan”, which depicted the Roman Empire and Attila the Hun.

The stunt caught the eye of local papers like The Daily News and The Evening Star, ultimately winning McGuire a national industry promotion award.

The intimate, 400-seat theater opened on April 27, 1948, with high-profile guests including Margaret Truman.

Contributed by Greg Lynch -