20th Century-Fox Dynamo (August 5, 1939)

NEW DYNAMO 9 PROLOGUE TO Seventh Annual S.R.Kent Drive Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Joseph M. Schenck in Motion Picture Industry by ROGER FERRI W ITH the first week of the seventh annual S. R. Kent Drive but a fortnight distant, many branches were planning to dedicate that lap to none other than enterprise of their working staffs. Special weeks are being planned all the way down the line. For example, up in Boston it’s virtually Sam Berg Week for that stanza will mark Sam’s 25th year in the employment of this company. C HARLIE CLARK’S Okla- homans have already cir- cularized the territory—and in circus fashion. Exhibitors down there have been bombarded with exceptional^ forceful sell- ing letters, pointing out the ad- vantages of booking certain an- nounced releases. Keep your eyes on the Oilers in the coming Drive. • D RIVE Leader M. A. Levy re- turned to Minneapolis this week. He has several important deals that demand his personal attention. He expects to have them cleaned up in town to go Sam Berg C. J, Broggi to the Coast during the latter part of next week, preparatory to starting on the second swing around the branches a few days following his arrival in Los Angeles where he will meet Mr. Webber. • E ASTERN Division Manager William Sussman and his managers from branches serv- ing the Schine circuit took ad- vantage of the latter’s conven- tion in Gloversville, N. Y., this week to line up considerable valuable Drive playtime. Watch the East step on the gas in this Drive! • W ITH the winners of the K-6 total delivery prize con- test now determined, the victors are tightening their belt for the purpose of launching the 1939 Drive at maximum strength. The managers of these branches are well aware of the fact that their prize-win- ning will turn the spotlight on them and that every employee, as well as executive, is wonder- ing just how they will start the Big Push. All of the prize-win- ning branches made history for July. But, more important now, will be their showing at the outset of the new season and the Drive. • T HE second swing around the branches will be a swift af- Fred Miller Joseph Neger W. J. Kubitzki T. P. Tidwell fair. General Manager of Dis- tribution Herman W o b b e r would like to visit every branch in the United States and Cana- da, but he must be back in New York for important business that makes his return to the Home Office imperative in the first week of September. Thus there will be more consolidated meetngs held during the Drive’s second series of meetings than in any swing conducted to date. • T HE dollar crews of the fol- lowing branches will travel for Mr. Wobber’s Drive meet- ings: Vancouver and Seattle to Portland, Ore.; Omaha to Des Moines; Milwaukee to Chicago; Oklahoma City to Kansas City; New Orleans to Memphis; Char- lotte to Atlanta; Toronto and Montreal to Buffalo; Albany, New Haven and St. John to Boston, and Winnipeg and Cal- gary to Minneapolis. • H ARRY BUXBAUM’S expla- nation why New York did not finish in the money in the two last Drives was original at least. Said Harry: “In 1937 we could not possibly win the Drive because I fell off my horse playing polo and in 1938, well, it just wasn’t our year and we wouldn’t doublecross anyone. But this year is our turn and with St. John out of our way, we’ll be first.” Bux- baum recalled that three years A1 Davis E. Sichel ago it was St. John that stopped New York, which finished sec- ond to Reg March’s Saints. • F OREIGN Sales Director Wal- ter J. Hutchinson attended his first Domestic Drive meeting at a branch. He said he was “re- turning the visit of Mr. Wob- ber to our British and French conventions.” Mr. Hutchinson then stirred his listeners with an inspiring talk on reasons why everyone in this industry should be proud of his and her business affiliation. • E rnest landaiche’s New Orleans certainly knocked the props from under Stan Mayer’s Iowans. For a while the Iowans looked like champions, but Eckhardt’s Chi- cagoans and March’s Saints quickly pushed them to their rear. But in the final rush the Crescents smothered the Des Moines crew, taking third mon- ey from the latter. And is Des Moines’ face red ? • N EW YORK newspaper re- views and the Roxy busi- ness on “Frontier Marshal” made bookers for the national circuits headquartering in the metropolis sit up and take no- tice. And this, judging from in- formation we have just re- ceived, will come in very han- dy, for we note a rush for “Frontier Marshal” bookings, which need not surprise any- one who has seen this entertain- ing outdoor romance. • I" OCAL Drive leaders are do- ing a magnificent job, judging from the reports we have received this week. Prac- tically every branch has put into effect a schedule of week- ly meetings whereas the ex- change personnel will take in- ventory while the salesmen con- fine their efforts to field rev- enue buildup. 0 W E note the Overseas De- partment is using the stu- dio angle the Domestic forces utilized in the Drives of 1934, 35, 36 and 37. It is designating a certain star to sponsor a for- eign office. Elsewhere you are Lou Blumenfeld C. Kellenberg given details regarding the stu- dio’s unusual interest in the Do- mestics’ 1939 Drive! And re- member this: that’s a Drive- minded organization that Dar- ryl Zanuck supervises; and we mean everybody from Zanuck down to members of the police and fire departments. 0 T HE Gaumont-British special, “The Ware Case,” contin- ues to do an outstanding busi- ness at the Little Carnegie thea- tre in New York. The recipient of fine press notices, this pro- duction continues to enjoy an excellent audience reaction. And you’ll probably get some angles that you can capitalize direct from Arthur A. Lee, Vice-Pres- ident and General Manager of G-B, who will shortly visit your exchange. 0 O NE thing must happen: the adsales department should beat its quota during the first four weeks of the Drive. Avail- able pictures, the best exploita- tion bets ever to start off a Drive, will be available and the only conclusion one will have to draw if there is not a de- livery of the national adsales quota, as minimum, is that there is something cock-eyed about our method of selling advertis- ing accessories. So, check up NOW. Mr. Adsales Manager. Anything under quota, at a sin- gle branch, will be unfair to the efforts of those who make our pictures. Earl Wright C. G. Norris G. W. Edgerton W. J. Reid I >EGARDLESS of what their ^ status may be in the final standing in the coming Drive, employees in at least 27 of the 37 branches will have their own distribution of prizes. And these prizes will vary. There will be cash prizes and there will be prizes in the form of wearing apparel, brief cases, radio sets, silver sets and what not. As of press time the to- tal of the cash prizes that will be locally distributed, money given by managers, salesmen and bookers or raised in various ways among employees, is in excess of $3500. 0 C ANADIAN District Manager Jim O’Loghlin received us joyously at the CPR station in Toronto. Said Jim, who led the past two Kent Drives: “You don’t know how happy I am to meet you. It’s the best moment I’ve had in months.” Then turning to the Drive leader, he explained: “While this is the first time I have met you on this trip, rest assured I have been with you every foot of the way. Once one leads a Drive, he gets restless and wonders what has happened to him when the time comes to return to your office after the comple- tion of the Drive job.” And we know Jim got a real thrill listening to the Drive message. Lester is doing the booking job, while Manager Harry Bail- ey and Salesman Bill Reid are concentrating on the sales task. Incidentally, that was, indeed, an exceptionally warm greeting the Drive crew got in Toronto. Thank you very much! # Y OU would be amazed at the quality of orators we have in the field. It took the local Drive leadership angle to bring out that fact in no vague man- ner. In the past week we were especially swept off our feet by the extemporaneous talks given by local Drive leaders Joe Lee at New York, Earl Wright in New Haven, Sam Berg in Bos- ton, Elmer Sichel in Albany, Bill Reid in Toronto, Jim Pearson in Montreal, Lou Blumenfeld in Buffalo, Nate Scott in Cleve- land and Art Knapp in Detroit. These boys have the situation ably under control. More pow- er to you! 0 ffJHE hottest race ever to mark A short subjects activity is Joe Feld J. F. Pearson that which is bringing the $2000 K-6 short subjects deliv- ery prize contest. It’s a toss-up. The chief bets are Grassgreen’s Albany, Eckhardt’s Chicago and Phil Longdon’s Charlotte. Al- bany is putting in more than double quota in this final week. Chicago, which will set a new record, will have to come near double quota to keep the Al- banians from overtaking them in the final stanza. And Char- lotte will have to do at least double quota to finish ahead of either Chicago or Albany. It’s a white-hot finish — and any- body’s battle. The final results will be published in New Dyna- mo within the fortnight. 0 Joe Flanagan A. Knapp E ddie English has those K-7 accounts immediately under control in the bag. And from these he has obtained ex- cellent deals, providing the justified increases and getting generally finer terms than in any past years. So far as the Montreal exchange’s own ac- counts — those situations that the manager and Salesman Jim Pearson sell—that quota for the Drive is in the bag. Now if the same sort of deal providing for the same earning power is obtained from the circuits closed by the Home Office, then Montreal will have another out- standing over-quota Drive. Of that there is no doubt. But the precise amount of money Mon- treal delivers in this Drive will depend largely on the quality of deal secured from the cir- cuits and accounts not directly sold by that office. 0 Yt/'E missed the smiling face of ** Jim Powis, alert Toronto head booker, while at that ex- change. Jim is at a hospital and has been there for about two months. Salesman Lionel 1>Y the way, we expect to be -*-* able to publish the final standings of all branches and districts in the 52-week K-6 de- livery prize races in the next two weeks. In the total deliv- ery battle, the scramble for first money and for the seven other prize - carrying positions was exceptionally close. This was to be the outstanding week of the Spring-Summer chapter of the K-6 season. Auditors will check the final returns as soon after the official receipts have been received as possible. Continued on Page 16 Mark Sheridan C. Blasius