20th Century-Fox Dynamo (August 12, 1939)

NEW DYNAMO KENT a DRIVE PROLOGUE TO Seventh Annual S.R.Kent Drive Celebrating the 30 th Anniversary of Joseph M. Schenck in Motion Picture Industry ' ■ V-';v/i.v.--7 b y ROGER FERRI 7 * A'S. T HE first advance rentals reports for the 18-week Drive are finally in. You’ll find the standings elsewhere in this issue. But, meantime, congratulations to the leaders—and particularly to Charles Clark’s Oklahomans, whose territorial advance is the highest of any branch. And judging from the first returns, Bill Gehr- ing’s Centrals, last year’s Drive champion division, are prepared to defend their championship. They’ve started 1.1 be- hind Bill Kupper’s West and 8.51 stronger than Bill Sussman’s East. But, then, mates, this is only the beginning—yes, sir, only the beginning. C HEERS went up in the field when an- nouncement was made by Mr. Wobber that “The Rains Came” would be avail- able for release in September. But, heed that wire anent print de- livery on this great at- traction. What a whale of a difference the switch in dates will make to Drive revenue, for the transfer enables the com- pany to conduct a spec- tacular advance cam- paign on and to dra- matically introduce the Technic ol or special, “Hollywood Cavalcade.” H. Metzger • C HICAGO’S Drive Leader Van Dyke is right on the job. He has stirred up a competition that will make Eckhardt’s office as conspicuous in the Drive as it was in the 52-weeks’ K-6 delivery con- test—and in the latter the Breezers won the championship. Incidentally, among the larger territories, you will observe that Chicago’s advance rentals rank the best. • T HOSE Prairie lads will have to show more speed than their advance rent- als figures reflect to successfully defend the district honors they won for 1938-39. As a district they rank 17 points behind pace - setting Midwest, and 13 points behind runner-up Canada and third-place South. Come o n, Minneapolis, D e s Moines and Omaha. Snap into it. This is a big chance for local Drive Leaders Lundquist, Ja- cobs and Fred Miller to go to bat. • A LBANY’S Drive Lead- er Elmer Sichel is not allowing any grass to grow under his feet. The branch per- sonnel has been divided into two com- petitive groups. One group is captained by Winnie Allen and includes Salesman Fred Sliter, W. Carrigan, D. Senecal, E. Hillis, E. O’Hare, G. Powell, J. Reilly, F. McMahon and Booker Dan Houlihan. Scott Lester, adsales manager, heads the team including Salesman Ben Dare, B. Borrell, E. Dale, K. Heavenar, A. Has- brouck, M. Barna, P. McGee, H. Wisper, and Assistant Booker Sichel. • W ASHINGTON’S Drive Leader Glenn Norris is getting a lot of action at Sam Wheeler’s office. Incidentally, Glenn dug up a nerw situation and sold a K-7 contract. It’s the Ivanhoe theatre at Ivanhoe, Ya. You will be glad to know that Ira Sichelman, who was injured re- cently, enough to have to stay home, has almost completely recovered. e A ND by the way, Washington’s Nor- ris has split the personnel into five competitive groups. The standings of | You Never Get ' j Anywhere By | lust Wishing \ the five groups on volume of Drive play- dates secured, adsales and percentage of Drive quota already obtained, as of the week ending Aug. 5, follow: PLAYDATES A LERT Detroit Branch Manager Lester Sturm was a Home Office visitor this week. The Detroit first-run and the Co- Operative circuit deals were in the process of negotiation this week—- and when these deals are definitely set, the Wolverines’ Drive pos- sibilities will zoom high. I "N accordance with in- structions of early last Spring, all vaca- tions are terminated. In other words, all em- ployees who planned A. D. Knapp taking a Summer vaca- tion will have returned to their branches, their sleeves rolled up, fully prepared for the hard work that is ahead of them to effect new records for Drive activity. Let’s go! M 1 [IDWEST District Manager Ward E. Scott and St. Louis Manager Ben Reingold were in New York this week on sales matters. It was a happy week for Ward, for he ascertained that his district was first on advance rentals. The Mid- west’s chances of winning first district place are definitely 75 per cent greater than they were in the 1938 campaign. • N O rest for the Drive leader. He will be on his way to San Francisco to confer with Mr. Wobber by the time these lines are being read. Drive Leader Levy has been working on several important deals while waiting for orders from the distribution chief to head West to make the second swing around the branches. • S T. LOUIS’ volume of repeat bookings on “Jesse James” continues to grow. It will be very interesting to know just how much extra reve- nue Reingold’s Missou- rians garner through the record volume of “Jesse James” repeat bookings they have se- cured. A FTER viewing prod- uct for three dates at the studio, Mr. Wob- wired: “I have abso- lutely no doubt after seeing the completed pictures available for A. M. Van Dyke Drive release that we will obtain that $1,000,000 weekly reve- P RIOR to digging into the Drive, I. J. Schmertz’s Cleveland personnel en- joyed themselves Sunday at their annual picnic at the Shore Country Club. Drive Leader Nate Scott reports progress, but the Forest City veterans rank 13th in the 18-office standing of larger territories on advance rentals. That’s 22 points below pace-setting Chicago. So, up and at them, Cleveland. You can do better! • N EW HAYEN’s Drive Leader Earl Wright is getting remarkable co-op- eration. Frankly, there never has been so much enthusiasm in a Drive at Ben Simon’s office. And Earl leads the na- tion’s salesmen for over-quota delivery already guaranteed for the first week of the Drive. • W EEKLY meetings of branch person- nels to discuss Drive progress are scheduled at practically all exchanges. Managers report a fine spirit and all of them—without a single exception—agree that “this local Drive leadership is the finest Drive development and should have been done several years ago,” as Eddie Callahan of Boston puts it. • O KLAHOMA CITY’S Drive Leader George K. Friedel has so many irons in the fire and the branch employees so enthusiastic over their winning opportunity that no one should be surprised if not only “ exchange, but every ex- isting territorial record for 18-week business is smashed. Incidentally, I Salesmen Osborne and James are cutting a ; very deep figure and they are up there among the first 10 on advance rentals ratings. H. Lundquist TTMtOM Cincinnati P Drive Leader Ed Burkart comes the report that “it is just a question of prints with us.” “Kentucky” is being re-issued and getting the same response in that territory as “Jesse James” is enjoying in St. Louis. And Mrs. Annabella Kelly, who hasn’t yet tasted adsales prize money, figures this is the year she will get in that profitable habit, • J OE HUBER states: “They can shuffle the offices in any fashion they want where competition is concerned, but when the final answer is in, you’ll find Winni- peg up there among the first three.” That sort of fighting spirit, backed with enter- prise, has done a world of good in Winni- peg and been the means of that office win- ning considerable extra money. Drive Leader R. A. Cringan and the office em- ployees are collecting a lot of extra play- time for the first two months of the Big Push. • H OWARD METZGER, who is leading the Denver campaign, is injecting what you would call a “lot of class” in the efforts of Jim Morrison’s employees. And, by the way, Hugh Rennie and Larry Paulson, already are launched on what seems a red-hot contest for branch lead- ership. • P RINTS can’t reach Ballentine’s San Francisco too quickly. They need pic- tures badly in that territory. “Elsa Max- well’s Hotel for Women” got the best introduc- tory campaign any- where in the Golden Gate City where Elsa is well-known; in fact, we believe San Francisco is her home-town. T \ B. Burkart tWO-FISTED Harold Lundquist, Minneap- olis Drive leader, hasn’t a kick in the world. The salesmen there are put- ting forth an unprece- dented effort, feeling that inasmuch as Minneapolis is Levy’s headquarters they will have to show the way to the rest of the country. We’re still getting a “kick” recalling Harold’s words at that Minneapolis meeting last month. • D ETROIT’S Leader Arthur Knapp, after a conference with Branch Manager Lester Sturm, who returned from the New York conference Thursday, lined up one of the wealthiest local campaigns pre- vailing at any branch. Details are pub- lished elsewhere. Keep your eyes on De- troit this year. • H ARRY BUXBAUM and Joe Lee were a bit happier this week. With Bill Sussman they were applying the finishing touches to several im- portant subsequent run circuit deals that will mean much to the Drive. Bear in mind that in the first week of last year’s Drive, the New Yorkers pushed into their deliv- ery figure a rentals fig- ure on “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” that was equal to the weekly Drive total delivery quota given Boston. R. A. Cringan • SEATTLE’S Drive Leader Robert H. LJ Osborne, back from a hard-earned va- cation, lost no time swinging into action. The Seattleans were among the 1938 prize winners and Manager Herndon Ed- mond predicts that with Bob stirring up things at that office, “nothing can stop us from repeating.” And here’s hoping, Seattle! • T AST year, at this time, Joe Huber of Winnipeg and Verne Skorey of Cal- gary had a wager up. We’ve heard noth- ing about a return bet, but we understand that Calgary’s Drive Leader G. R. An- thony is anxious to do a little investment if Huber’s Cringan is willing. You’ll have to decide that between you, boys! H ERE’S the “star-team” names the New Haven personnel has appropri- ate in the booking contest: “Marjorie Weaver” Tendler. “Arleen Whelan” Doohan. “Alice Faye” Weissman. “Nancy Kelly” Donner. “Sonja Henie” Curran. “Tyrine Power” Tichitelli. • A ND here are the “monickers” for the New Haveners involved in the adsales phase of the Drive campaign: “Hustler” Wright. “Knock ’Em Dead” Germaine. “Rip-Roaring” Hoffman. “Killer-Pop” Popolizio. “Two-And-One-Half-Gun” Richitelli. ’Pears to us as if New Haven intends to get a lot of fun out of this Drive. B UFFALO is determined to break the jinx.” Syd Samson’s branch has broken its territorial records year after year. It also has worked as hard as any prize- winning contingent. But always it fell short of the score entitling it to prize money. Buffalo Drive Leader Lou Blu- menfeld has money that backs his claim this year “things will be dif- ferent.” We hope Buf- falo wins! G. R. Anthony S PEAKING of what the office staff can do a report comes from New Haven that “Marjorie Weaver” Ten- dler through a letter got four helpful non- theatrical bookings—and from the State Reformatory. You never can tell where you’ll find that extra dollar! • T OM YOUNG’s Memphis was anything but pleased with the windup of the K-6 delivery contest. But, with a volume of K-7 contracts sufficient to catch Ira Cohn’s Pittsburgh, the Tenneseeans will Continued on Page 9 | Aim To Beat | Quota-And You j Cannot Lose!