20th Century-Fox Dynamo (February 3, 1940)

NEW DYNAMO 3 KUPPER MONTH OPENS 12-WEEK DIVISION MANAGERS’ CAMPAIGN Quota Guaranteed By Many Offices—$8,000,000 Worth Of Pictures Will Be Released During Testimonial Period Bill Kupper’s Month Monday officially launches what is destined to be a history-writing Division Managers’ Testimonial Delivery Jubilee that will consume a period of 12 weeks. General Manager of Distribution Herman Wobber predicted a cam- paign that will “easily exceed returns of the last Kent Drive.” This became a foregone conclusion as assuring wires and letters poured into this office from district and branch managers, salesmen, bookers and others. With “Little Old New York” month campaign was certain to get off to a spectacular start. From most of the branches in the Western division came reports pre- dicting quota de- livery ! But the divisions led by Bill Gehring and Bill Sussman will not content themselves with sit- ting on the sidelines. On the contrary, Central and Eastern branches promise a delivery during this month that will come up to the high expectations of com- pany executives. The last Kent Drive definitely is relegated to the background already, for the Division Managers’ Jubilee is launched with unsurpassed enthusiasm and finds the field plunging into a voluntary campaign that will do much toward making this the greatest season in company history. As a matter of fact, every branch personnel is out to offset the Drive deficit and to pile up a revenue that will leave no doubt as to the high esteem in which they hold their divisional heads. What makes this a unique campaign is that the field organization is “driving” itself. The fate of the campaign is in the hands of the man- agers and their employees. Territorial competitions are plentiful. A report from the Centrals’ Committeemen Clyde Eckhardt and J. P. O’Loghlin indicate that that division is out to set a 12-week record. Every office will be out to reach quota every week, not only during March, when Bill Gehring Month will be celebrated, but during Febru- ary and April as well. Eastern Division Manager Bill Sussman returned to New York this week from a month’s vacation. But during his furlough there was no absence of preparatory and precautionary activity among his branches. Their managers are wading into the campaign with prospects for an outstanding 12-weeks’ delivery brighter than ever in its history. April will be Sussman Month. But District Managers Bailey, Moss and Roberts have left no stone unturned to place their division in first place in February and March. In Miami, Southern District Manager Harry G. Ballance expressed the prediction that his branches would launch Bill Kupper Month with a quota delivery for Dixie. Offices like New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago will play a much more prominent part in the Division Managers’ Jubilee than they did during the Drive. This Managers Buxbaum, Callahan, Gross and Eckhardt predict “will certainly happen,” as one of them put it in a letter to this publication. Reports sent to Kupper by his assistant, Edwin H. Collins, who has been visiting the West’s offices, promise an outstanding month. The month of January belonged to Gehring’s East insofar as delivery was concerned. This jeopardizes the West’s divisional leadership—and February’s campaign is being launched with that fact uppermost in the minds of the West’s district and branch managers. On the other hand, the Centrals frankly state they aspire to effect divisional leadership during Kupper Month. Nothing could be more ironic than such a happening during the month when Kupper celebrates his 20th anniversary of field sales activity with this corporation. The Division Managers’ Jubilee delivery standings will cover weekly delivery against the 12 weeks’ quota. They will be separate from those published as a reflection of the accumulated delivery for the season. As announced in New Dynamo last week, to the manager of the branch that finishes first will go a beautiful plaque. This will be presented to the winner early in May. Company officials are very enthusias- tic over the recep- tion that greeted this campaign. They know that “the heart of the whole field” is in this campaign. The presence and availability of coa- cededly the most powerful box office attractions of the season have addeffi to the field’s enthu- siastic and ambi- tious expectations. The volume of playtime promises not only to surpass that accrued during the Drive, but to be productive of a con- siderable amount of revenue in every office. Especially keen is the competition that will prevail among the district managers. Mid- Eastern District Manager G. A. Roberts sees an opportunity for his three offices to rehabilitate themselves to an extent where they will zoom high in the standing. Cleveland, Cincin- nati and Buffalo have an exceptional opportunity to reach weekly quota. The Coast and Scott’s Midwest should have no trouble at all piling up their highest 12-weeks’ delivery. The South “guarantees” to turn in the “biggest February, March and April business” in its history. Advance reports from its offices are extraordinarily bright. Great Lakes is out to acquire the district championship. With Detroit and Milwaukee out front now, the district’s status will be determined largely by what Chicago and Indianapolis do. O’Loghlin is promising a record from Canada. Levy’s Prairies, like the Mid-Easterners, have a made-to-order chance to rehabilitate themselves and play a more active role in the season’s delivery. Minneapolis continues to be outstanding, but Des Moines is giving it increasllg competition for district leader- ship. Omaha, too, should have no trouble running up the high 12-week delivery by company officials. Returns from this campaign will be closely watched by not only Mr. Wobber and his divisional aids, Messrs. Kupper, Gehring and Sussman, but also by Messrs. Kent, Schenck and Zanuck. These will better reflect the real strength of the Department of Distribution than those obtained in the last Drive. The company is investing some $8,000,000 of film in this crucial campaign. Not only Home Office and field, but exhibitordom generally concedes that no three-month period has been launched more auspiciously insofar as entertainment power is concerned than this Division Managers’ Jubilee. No less than five $1,000,000-plus super specials will be available during the 12 weeks. Right now the entire nation is anxiously awaiting the release of the Technicolor special, “The Blue Bird,” currently being road-shown in New York, San Francisco and Detroit, and the most sensational motion picture ever produced, Zanuck’s picturization of “The Grapes of Wrath.” The campaign itself starts with “Little Old New York,” which got off to a flying start at Miami Beach, Fla., the Roxy theatre in New York, in Pittsburgh and other key cities. Exhibitors are responding encouragingly to the field’s request for support. furnishing the firing gun, the three-