The movie industry isn't exactly shy about self-promotion. After all, the Academy Awards began in 1928 simply to generate press coverage for the movies and stars of the day. Well-orchestrated PR campaigns designed to get people into theaters have helped many films' box office success. Here are some of the wildest feats in the long history of movie publicity.

1. The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)

Legendary Hollywood publicist Russell Birdwell created a buzz for this David O. Selznick-directed swashbuckling movie by arranging for an airplane to bring a dozen residents from Zenda, Ontario, to the world premiere in New York City. The publicity apparently worked because the film received two Oscar nominations.

The search for Scarlett created widespread buzz.

2. Gone With the Wind (1939)

Birdwell was also involved in one of the industry's most famous PR efforts: The search for the actress to play Scarlett O'Hara in the screen version of Margaret Mitchell's novel created much hoopla as the casting director traveled the country holding open auditions. After three years of interviews and auditions with stars such as Katherine Hepburn, Paulette Goddard, and Lana Turner, the role went to Vivien Leigh, who had appeared in a few films, but remained largely unknown outside of Great Britain. Frankly, the public didn't seem to give a damn, because they made Gone With the Wind the highest grossing film in movie history (adjusted for inflation). Its original release and seven rereleases over the years have raked in nearly $2.7 billion in today's figures.

3. Down Missouri Way (1946)

This musical features an agriculture professor who secures a movie role for her trained mule, Shirley. To promote the film, a studio publicity man led Shirley, with an ad for the movie on her back, down Fifth Avenue and into the restaurant overlooking Rockefeller Plaza's ice rink. Managers naturally refused to seat the animal. The press showed up to record the event, so it accomplished the publicist's mission...but it didn't appear to do much for the movie, which was not a box office smash.

For more of Hollywood's most outrageous publicity stunts, check out the next page.