Publix Opinion (Sep 14, 1929)

“modern IE WORLD-FAMOUS BOOKING FIRM BECOMES PART OF PUBLIX One of the most important amalgamations consummated in a long time, occurred last week when President Sam Katz, of Publix, and William Morris Sr., entered into an agreement whereby the Mortis Booking Agency and its staff becomes a part of the Publix organization. As a result of this agreement, the unquestioned world suprema| cy of the Morris booking and PERSONA LL | T Y ZI fi by William Morris, Sr., with Abe stability of its founder with. the the personalities of Paramount’s showmanship facilities are linked with Publix manpower for stage The William Morris Agency is manned by a force of ace showmen and bookers whose status is unrivalled. in this country. Headed () ii Lastfogel and William Morris, Jr., seconding the chief, and Harry a a Lenetska and Johnny Hyde actOver 40 Publix de luxe theatres ing as other important heads, it| will participate in a nation-wide forms a powerful working organ-|New Star Personality Contest ization of talent and entertainwhich will have as its object to ment buyers which combines the| familiarize the general public with showmanship of _ the|New Show World and to act as a younger and energetic element. wide-spread box-office stimulus. "Always noted for handling the) ach week for thirteen weeks, biggest and best attractions iN|, new.-Paramount personality will name and money that the world| be displayed on the screen without affords through its international a name and the audience will be. offices, in tying in with this famous] jnyited to identify the person. At posal the source of stage attrac: a tions and the benefit of the Morpee See E ea ana ris office show experience. The| yyites the best slogan on “Why|1. affiliation is to be a perpetual); prefer Paramount Talking PicOne: : ... | tures.” The relationship between William Morris and Publix has alPrizes for the contest will be ways been, of a cordial nature promoted in each town by the from the early beginning of both| Theatre and Advertising Manager organizations. As an agent in the|from the merchants of that town days when A. J. Balaban was| who will be glad of the chance struggling with the unusual prob-| to contribute for the valuable lems of that time to provide extra | screen credits and newspaper pubattractions in the Balaban and|licity involved. In the BrooklynKatz houses, Morris tendered the| Paramount, where a similar conservices of himself and his agency test is being staged, Lou Goldberg, to promote the B & “K struggle. | Director of Advertising and PubliHis reward came when the pic-| city, had no difficulty at all in ture house stage show developed | promoting a trip to Paris, a Buick | 6, under the direction of A. J. BalSedan, a fur coat, ten Zenith radaban in the B & K houses and|ios and other valuable prizes for later in Publix: his contest. The Morris staff, which handled Coupons will be run in each ie 2. 3. 4. 5. 7. the bulk of, Publix booking, alsie: oflone: of the: ‘dail ) : y papers ene ae er ik were which the patrons will be asked, part of the organization it now is. 1155 for rg Gia Sera LL To render these coupons more available, papers will be sold in|8. the lobby of the theatre, and the paper, like the merchants, will get screen credit. In return, the newspaper will widely herald the contest in daily publicity stories giving hints on the personalities in the contest with personal descriptions, a list of Paramount New GET °EM HOT? Here are the sure-fire money-getters you're likely to play during the next few weeks: 1. WHY BRING THAT UP? Moran and Mack laugh classic that will soon rock the land. . WELCOME DANGER! See Les Whelan’s account of audience reaction to Harold Lloyd's first talkie, on page 1. 3. GOLDDIGGERS. The lure of Broadway. With Ann Pennington, Winnie Wightener and all star cast. 4. PARIS. Tuneful eartickling musical comedy with the irresist = ible Irene Bordoni. 5. SATURDAY NIGHT KID. Clara Bow! Nuf’ 9. the contest, etc. Aside from the newspaper publicity and merchant’s co-operative ads, a series of trailers will keep the interest of the public keyed up to the highest possible pitch. Locally made films will announce the prizes and donors. A committee of impartial judges, not in any way connected with the theatre, will decide the awards. MEGAPHONES FOR FOOTBALL SEASON 1 ©) HUNAN Ced! 6. HIS GLORIOUS The Publix-Great States AdverNIGHT. The picture tising. and Publicity departments the flapperg are waiting = have officially opened-the football for! With John Gil2| 8e2son by distributing countless bert. =\small megaphones costing two 7. SWEETIE. The good 2 cents apiece at all the opening news of the screen with = football games. Colors of the high Helen Mane, Nancy = schools and colleges are used on Carroll, Jack Oakie. A : the megaphones together with the sure-fire record-wrecktheatre ads and copy concerning the coming attractions. These megaphones are very substantially made so that the students will keep them and use them for all er! 8. THE MIGHTY. Absolutely topping any picture Bancroft has ever made. = = aN Ha," SEASON. PUBLIX OPINION, WEEK OF SEPTEMBER l4rn, 1929 PUBLIX BUYS MORRIS AGENC Save This! This issue starts Book III. Have you saved your back copies? Start WITH THIS ISSUE to save and make up your own Volume Us LUNSQCUOEUDUELOCEROGU00000E0UUOOUAUELET OTE T SMART SHOWMEN DO WITH TIPS! Knowing how to use PUBLIX OPINION, according to District Manager Nate Frudenfeld, and systematically is building profits at the Box Office. Read his letter to his organization. Mr. Frudenfeld’s plan justifies the expense and effort involved in pro WHA cashing in on the knowledge, ducing your newspaper. TO ALL MANAGERS: Gentlemen :— agency, Publix will have at its dis-|the end of this period, prizes will What I foun A very valuable article on the highlights and how to sell Jeanne | Eagel’s picture “JEALOUSY.” Cut this out and file it away. | Home Office. On the same‘ page—Nation-wide tie-up on “Why Bring That has for itself. Up?” What some of the big pictures are doing on Broadway. Look this over. On page 3—‘Start yelling about Harold Lloyd in “Welcome Danger”.’ Good tip. Pages 4 and 5—There is a number of reprints from the PublixVariety Issue. How about trying to plant some of these stories in your local papers? And then I note that Balaban & Katz ran a trailer on their screen quoting what Variety said about Publix theatres, pointing out the fact that over twenty-five million people éach week were entertained by Publix. How about a message from your screen? Page 7, under the title of “WHERE.” Read this short mes sage and follow it through. Page 10—a clever gag by Madeline Woods which was used on You have some $7.70 pictures coming. “COCOANUTS.” Steal the idea. 10. Page 11—“Standard prices and schedules on Lamps.” This certainly should be cutout and filed for future reference. Show World pictures, resume Of) 44> And on the back page, as usual, Publix Opinion gives you the length of features and short subjects. Cut thesé out and keep them in a handy place to check back on your program plot as submitted to you from Des Moines. We may make a mistake on the running time_of the pictures and you can correct it on the sheet by referring to this service. 12. I have repeatedly requested that you study Publix Opinion from cover to cover, not just glance through it and file it away but behind locked doors, absorb every bit of this valuable publication. After every publication is received I am going to write you excerpts on what.I personally find in Publix. Opinion. 13. Again I request that you send in your unusual stunts to New York as the Editor of Publix Opinion has repeatedly requested in pact issues. Yours very truly, din Publix Opinion the week of Aug. 30th: | Publix-Northwest Division Headed By Martin Mull Times Square said “good-bye” to Martin J. Mullin, one of j greatest favorites among the new type of showman-executives w # brought the greatest prosperity to.show business that has ever beens? known to the amusement industry. Mr. Mullin, who-is 34, but w i | obtained a college education during his fifteen years of theatrica i! experience, goes to Minneapo} is) and St. Paul, Minn., to take charge p of the vast interests of Publix y Finkelstein & Rubin. Publix ye’ cently purchased control of ¢ a” four-score F & R theatres, turned the operation over to 9 yas of its ‘ace’ showmen in ore’ to give theatre goers of the nor west as quickly as possible, th, same type of theatre operation a c entertainment that has made Pyp. lix an internationallv famous by, J word. is In the de: parture | “Mart in Mullin from, Broadw ayy to the hub Og the north. west 0 T ime 0 Square sag see anothel, indication of: the truth of, what “Van” iety,” they atrical trad); paper, recent; ly said. AC: ¢ i September 4, 1929. | | | | M. J. Mullin On page one—A warning not to enter into a contest connected cording to “Variety,’”’ Publix hag); with Paramount Studios without getting full consent from the turned the United States insid out and has given more of Broad way to the inlands than Broadwaj,, “Tt used to be 4. press-agent’s lure to shout ‘We'r Bringing Broadway to Yo Town, but nowadays it’s com mencing to look. like Broadway: will have to advertise that it : got a piece of Minneapolis ol, St. Paul or some other red hot, inland metropolis, in order t¢ give the bigtown visitors a thrill. Besides the immediate rear rangement of entertainment pol, icies that will give the northwes: everything that is available it show business, Mr. Mullin as res. ident division manager will set: to it that every modern and sche entific convenience for the luxutl, and comfort of patrons, is imme diately installed in the theatres under his supervision. He Wi} have as his principal aide, H old Finkelstein in the Twin Cities! Edmond Ruben will be Divisiok Director, with headquarters New York. Between the three 0 them, and the knowledge thal Messrs. Finkelstein arid Rubit have of the Northwest, Publix & pects to provide even the smalles communities and theatres in th! northwest chain, with the bigse' thrills that the genius and gis) Wie resources of Publix can pro vide. 4 Mr. Mullin startea in show bust ness with the old Triangle film com pany, and at the time of its absory) tion’ by other interests, W&% charge of all of its booking interes’ for all of the many Triangle be changes. He then helped tepne Lynch organize the Southern mnter: prises, and though he_ was teens, helped build and buy arr theatre properties of that organs tion which was later to form nucleus of Paramount's, thea), operating interests. Most 8%) ocr theatre managers now_in gouth! cities, employed by Publix, wi selected and trained by Mr Mu When Balaban & Katz thes NATE FRUDENFELD APPROVED! Mr. Nate Frudenfeld: I was grently pleased with your letter of the 4th Instant t = lenance and operation. e emphasizing, the value of the current edition of PUBLIX Pe SE S12 charge of this work when the mov! desirability of studying ‘all issues from cover to cover. N and the merged with the Paramoun tres in the formation of Publix. oy Mullin took charge of the Min tenance of physical properties fo ‘organized a huge operating P ain combined purchasing power! 4 transformed themselves into {a and required the tremendous tas had in mind writing 1 similar lette I had in mind wr ws u Similar letter to you and you have suved me} almost overnight installation hh the trouble, us IT am forwarding n copy of your communic : Saether for use in the Ohio-Indlann territory. municntion to Mr.| complete new equipment. Publix took over control If you have not already done so, send x copy of your letter te mr, | Finkelstein & Rubin interests if i the contests during the gridiron} Cummings for ase in hia district. ARTHUR L. MAYER, Division Director northwest, Mr. Mullin was % Oe t job of translating to it all o Publix policies and benefits. : Si al