Motion Picture News (Jul - Sep 1930)

52 Motion Picture N e iv s J uly 5 , 19 3 0 MANAGE!?!' rcODND TABLE CLUE It was a certainty, in view Graduation Time °f ^ f?ct ^ couldf tie-in the xx r ♦ /"v i t Graduating Class of his local W aSIl t Overlooked high school with his showing r> tv/t •.<_. T-»«ii °f "The Vagabond King," by Merritt Either that D. M. Merritt, manager ■ , = of the Strand Theatre in Bir mingham, Ala., was going to cash in on the good will the stunt would net him, by sending out invitations to the class to attend the show. The invitations were neatly printed and read as follows: "We are taking this opportunity to extend our congratulations to the Graduating Class of 1930 of Phillips High School and to offer the privilege of attending the performance of VAGABOND KING on Wednesday afternoon, May 7, 1930— Management, Strand Theatre. — Please show this card at the door." Another angle was covered on the Sunday preceding the Monday opening when he arranged with the Davis Air Lines to he picked up at Mercer Field and then land at Roberts Field, the Army Depot, where they were holding stunt flying before a large crowd. He was accompanied in the plane by an empty can of film which was supposed to carry the print of "The Vagabond King." He also arranged for an auto to pick him up at the field. The car was bannered on both sides, "Vagabond King brought back to Birmingham upon popular demand by aeroplane — First time at regular prices." The car was then driven through the main streets of the town with the film can prominently displayed by means of a background of red satin, and the necks that were craned led Merritt to believe that the picture would go over extra well. And, as we understand it, he wasn't disappointed. A flower show that proved a Rudy Born Placed natural for Rudy Born, mant» i s^.r -r^ a§er °f tne Coronado Theatre Bunches Of Roses »n Rockford, 111., was engi1 t i_u A t»i neered recently in conjunction In LrODDy AS rlUg with his showing of "The Vag abond King." With a theme song like "Only a Rose" to plug, it can be seen that his flower show tie-up was a most appropriate medium for selling the show. Accordingly Rudy arranged with a local florist to have a display created for the lobby that would have them looking and sniffing from the other side of the street. And did it? We'll say so. When the passers by got a whiff of those flowers they just naturally had to stop. And another thing that was used to hold them there when they stopped was a special display board carrying an enlargement of a telegram, sent by the stars of the film and plugging the picture's engagement in Rockford. Some valuable newspaper space was given the theatre by the florist who ran a number of ads plugging his exhibit and the picture at the theatre. He also promoted a lot of interest in the display by announcing, through his ads, that a bunch of flowers from the stars had been sent to the theatre via telegraph. This stunt created a lot of comment, particularly as it had not been used before in the city, and the house and florist were the subjects of plenty of word-of-mouth comment. We want to thank Don Hoobler for letting us see what Rudy is doing out there and we know that we are going to hear more of this showman's work in a little while. So what do you say, Rudy, keep us posted so that we can pass along the results of vour many showman activities. "Just Another Day99— Is Dis ah Seestem? 10 A. M. at the Blink Theatre. Enter the manager, bright and cheerful and ready to tackle all the detail and routine so that he can get out and arrange for a Chamber of Commerce tie-up before the matinee gong strikes. He sits himself down at his desk whistling and happy. Carefree as the birds in the trees (hell, ain't we getting artistic?) and picks up unusually large stack of mail, noting with a slightly sinking feeling 'round the gizzards, that most of it is from the home office — (God — bless 'em). First letter from the publicity department, cutting to pieces his last report on the great campaign he put across. Everything they told him to do was great and everything he did himself was rotten. (Now, ain't that strange?) Letter ends by telling him that he must start getting a little original if he wants to keep has job. Next letter is from the district manager asking why his marquee lights were turned out 9 minutes later than they should have been. Likewise calling his attention to the fact that he goes to dinner too early. Likewise inquiring whether he ought not call the district manager up before spending forty cents carfare to get a reel over to the other house. Less-cheerful manager now removes his coat and picks up letter number three, and it happens to be from the supervising manager of that division, asking why he don't leave his marquee lights on a little later, the "big shot" feels that late customers are being chased away. Also, why don't he go to dinner earlier so as to be back and ready for the evening rush. Also, why he didn't take a taxi to insure faster delivery of that reel to go to the other theatre. By this time he is hot and bothered and he stops to mop his forehead before continuing with the batch of bad news. But once more he tackles the pile of mail and after going through about ten letters asking ten times that many fool questions, he feels that he can clean up his copy for next week's program and continue with his plans for the morning. Phone rings. D.M. shouts: "Say, where in hell have you been all morning? (It's just about ten-thirty) I've been trying to locate you about . . . blahhh . . . blahh . . ." — and so on for various and sundry other matters. Manager hangs up receiver and turns back to desk again. In walks the porter. The vacuum machine refuses to vacuum. Doesn't he think they ought to put in a requisition for a new one? So out into the orchestra sails the team and after much talk on the part of the porter the manager discovers a rip in the pipe. Instructs porter to tape it up temporarily and back into the office he goes. Assistant comes in and tells him that the lobby signs for that night's changes are still undelivered. Why weren't they followed up a few days before? Assistant explains (as only assistants can explain) that he was busy doing so and so and which or what. Time out for the poor harassed manager to get the sign shop on the phone and straighten out the mess. That off his mind, he gets rid of the latest pest and tries working on his program copy again. Phone rings. Home office bookkeeper phoning to ask him to please make up a duplicate of all last week's b. o. statements as someone in the office misplaced them and they were needed right away. Before noon, if possible. His cheerful expression, now entirely gone, poor manager opens the cabinet and digs out the statements. After about an hour and a quarter he gets the duplicates finished and dispatched by assistant to office. Back again to the programs. Printer calls and tells him that copy must be in a day earlier because of orders from the "big shot." Manager tries to explain that he would gladly have sent it in a day earlier if someone had tipped him off to the secret. Promises to get it out by messenger before matinee starts. Locks the door and starts on the copy again. Banging on door — in about three minutes, shouts, "Whoinell is that?" Answer, "Jim, the operator, open the door quick." Door is unlocked, enter perspiring projectionist, all flustered and het up. Conveys the glad tidings that the sound plant has stopped furnishing any sound, notwithstanding all his efforts to the contrary. It is now after twelve and the chances of getting a service man are rather punk. Rushes up to the booth and between them they try everything under the sun to get some sound out of the equipment. At one-thirty they are still at it, going over and over all the rules on the trouble chart. Enter the reel boy munching a ham sandwich (we specify the kind of sandwich so you won't be misled), asks what the trouble is and after being told goes over the control board and throws the switch from non-sync to sync. Enter the sound with everything at the high point, such as monitor control, and fader. The first of the few customers almost drops dead from fright and is awaiting the manager when that perspiring individual reaches the main floor once more. Quieting that gent, he returns to work on his copy. Matinee starts and he is almost finished when the highly (?) esteemed district manager walks in and asks, as only a d.m. can ask, "Why is it that you must always do your office work when the show is on?" . . . . , Thereupon, the now distracted h.m. picks up an ink bottle and flings it at the h.e.d.m. making much mess of him. Walks out for a cup of coffee and a piece of dunk and then calls the printer and tells him if he wants his copy to come and get it. MORAL:— According to Aesop (and Moran and Mack): "The parlv bird catches the worm." And the early manager catches HELL. DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS!