Motion Picture Herald (Apr-Jun 1931)

80 MOTION PICTURE HERALD May 16. 193 PICTURES OR BRAINS? WHICH DOES THE INDUSTRY NEED MOST? EDWIN SEDGEWICK CHITTENDEN COPPACK. WHAT a name! But WHAT a showman!!! Some bird, maybe it was Longfellow, Abe Kabbible or perhaps Shakespeare, once wise-cracked and said, "What's in a name?" And just because no one took the trouble to answer they let it go at that. But here is what's in the name of (whew) Edwin Sedgewick Chittenden Coppack (imagine having to sign that name in full a hundred times a day). It is the handle of a bird who is making more history by accomplishments in the eastern show-world than a lot of the guys who think they are Mr. Showman in pusson. Maybe you'd like to learn a little more about Edwin — oh, hell — Coppack will be about as much of his name as we will try to use from now on. Well, here is a bit of dirt gleaned from the "Staten Island Advance," the local paper working so well with Coppack to make the Paramount Theatre in that New York Borough an outstanding institution. Says the "Advance": "He is 24 and still a stranger to the Double Life that Lohengrin beautified. On Manila shores he passed his kidlet days, thrice crossing the Pacific's expanse before he was three. He skipped through grammer school in three and a half years. The other kids took eight. At 14 he taught school in Texas and was the youngest ferule-swinger in the state. To add a sensational touch, he was expelled from Texas University when his prexy discovered he was operating a roof garden and three orchestras on the side!" What He Is Doing Let's get serious for a while now and dig into the interesting part of this tale about Coppack. Because we are particularly anxious for you to learn that here is a showman who can make his theatre a household word, not through the pictures they play, but because of the neverceasing parade of institutional activities and special events always taking place at the Paramount Theatre. If we are to believe everything the home office or what our numerous bosses tell us, we would have to assume that only good pictures are essential to the success of any theatre. But Coppack and his showmanship prove that such is not the case by any manner of means. True, he knows that good pictures are of great importance, but whether his pictures happen to be good, bad or rotten does not stop him from constantly engineering something new to attract the attention of the Staten Island theatregoer. It would take more pages than the entire Club section uses were we to go into a complete description of this man's activities; so we'll just use what space we can afford to tell you a little about his recent doings. You'll agree that they were not only interesting but mighty profitable as well. PARAMOUNT^O^^^^ CLUB PARAMOUNT ORGAN CLUB REQUEST BLANK ^OfamoutU ORGAN CLUB JO M.™.^./ ..J pi., .lie* >onj, N9 2820 M, N.m, Cut _ _ There is no denying the fact that good pictures are not only essential for good business, but absolutely necessary; yet, by virtue of the same argument, brains are equally as important. In this little yarn we are endeavoring to prove that institutional merchandising is just as essential to a theatre's success as are picture tie-ups and exploitation. And no small amount of the credit goes to this man Coppack for the numerous means he has created to bring this about. If you are weary of how this, that or the other picture is being sold to the public, read how other things besides pictures are being sold and made to count in dollars and cents at the box office. Thousands of other showmen would be making a wise move if they started to emulate the methods of Coppack because the stuff he pulls makes for much goodwill and good feeling between theatre and patron E. S. C. Coppack everywhere. It is a genuine pleasure to pay this tribute to an alert showman and we hope that much more of his "doings" will occupy a prominent portion of our Club pages. "CHICK" The Organ Club Coppack has a team of organists known as Betty and Jean, that are a credit to the theatre. So with such an asset, why should he just be content with their ability to play the organ? Here is how he worked up interest in them and at the same time made the Paramount Organ Club a mighty popular gag out his way. fi-om the Hub YOUR FRIENDSHIP MAKES US HAPPY AND OUR WISHES WOULD MAKE THIS ONE THE HAPPIEST ONE YOU'VE HAD, Betty and Jean He organized the Club and soon had several thousand members who were wearing the Club buttons to the Saturday matinees every week. These members turned in Request Blanks containing the names of three songs they wanted to hear Betty and Jean play. These blanks, as you will note, had room for the name and address of the member. The fun they had during the thirty minutes of "song and fun," as the card an.nounced, soon made this one of the most profitable ideas created. Another slant of the Organ Club is the neat birthday card sent to the members on their birthday. Naturally, this is one of those sidelights which please the youngsters so much. We are also showing the card and how it was worded. On the Golf Course Golfing is just as popular on Staten Island as elsewhere; maybe a bit more since we happen to know of quite a few folks who journey all the way from the mainland of Manhattan and Brooklyn to enjoy the marvelous Silver Lake course. So Coppack ofifered to donate the score cards, utilizing only the back cover for the theatre's institutional copy. And we're making a cut of the card, too, just so you won't miss a single trick. Another most interesting slant to Coppack and his methods is the Welcome Card mailed to every newcomer to Staten Island. The text of the cards tell the story completely. The means of securing the information for such a purpose are numerous, but, nevertheless, obtainable if you are on the job. Did you ever think of making arrangements with the real estate offices to furnish such information? Well, that's just one way of getting it. The apoartment house superintendents is another. He has created a slogan, "Keep Posted On What's Going On at the Paramount Theatre." And he plugs that slogan through a card in every laundrv package; a post card to a large and impressive mailing list and numerous other ways via throwaways, etc. And if you don't believe the customers were anxious to know what's going on at the Paramount, stand outside any evening and see the crowds flocking into that sumptions house. Novel Clock Contest And here is another novel piece of business-building created by Coppack and successfully put over to big business and plenty of newspaper space. He ran a Novel Clock Contest, confining all entrees to residents of Staten Island. The ■ photo with this story will give you a slight idea of the number .and variety of clocks entered in this contest. And when we say it had some novel clocks, we mean NoveL There was one in the form of a cat's head with one eye pointing to the hours and the other to the minutes. "Cockeyed clock" is what they called it and it must have been unique; it won first prize. Others included "twin clocks," a clock with a mouse inside, lighthouse clock and so on with most every variety you ever heard of — and plenty you never will hear of. The Fashion Show Recently we hear rumors of a great event taking place at the Staten Island Paramount and upon inquiry learned that a Fashion Show was going to take place for an entire week. Coppack again dem xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxae TO.NICillT There's a Good Show STATEN ISLAND PROGRAMS ■f S<lcc(cd Entmainmcni ptcscnieJ 1 batinnd harmoiif ai miainium ■he only S,s,en Island Theatif Miflncd ind built foi perfcci Jir xxxxxxxsoaoosxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx SILVER LAKE GOLF CLUB iFOBE for! FOHE GOLF Clubs Ball* Initructlon DEPARTMENT OF PARKS BOROUGH OF RICHMOND JOHN A. LYNCH. Pr„JJ,<., JOHN J. O'ftOUBKE, <jm-„.u„„ THE GREAT IMPORTANCE OF INSTITUTIONAL MERCHANDISING! onstrated his showmanship by su 1 rounding this great event with so mucj], local color that it was exclusively Staten Island affair from beginning 1 end. Local merchants only, all loc; models to wear the spring creation Everyone dined and entertained by a Ic cal restaurant. And coached by a Iocs girl who knew her Fashion Shows. ^tatttt Aslant) ^«amount tEljeatre sen ^tml. ^lopl.lon Si. OSiiirg. 7-7717 Wtlamt* ttaarman ^au inWl br uilrrrti) la ttoa unt* Hint hntii bt»n tntrbtb tor tjou u* our gursl. A pab[i Zhilln CioppOtb. ^g'" When we tell you that he packed th house throughout two complete change of program that week we are telling yoi how successful his Fashion Show was And it can be just as profitable for anj other showman who is not afraid of hare work and willing to go out and see £ good idea through to a big conclusion Don't do things by half measures, is Coppack's idea of this business and he proves it by the way he goes out and works. Picture Plugs Too Don't get the impression that he pays no attention to merchandising his screen attractions because we are emphasizing his other activities. On the contrary, he puts over some mighty fine campaigns for his pictures, but since the essence of this story is about his showmanship as applied to angles other than pictures we have left the screen selling in the background. It is not our intention of going into his screen merchandising in this particular story, other than to assure you that such activity is as outstanding as the slants we have discussed in this article. Some of them have appeared on the Club pages as regular exploitation activity; others will be incorporated into another yarn about Coppack and his up-to-theminute showmanship in connection with the Paramount Theatre. Originality For every angle presented on the Club pages, someone will step forward and try to convince us that such an angle is old and has been worked to death. Maybe so. We don't care a tinkers gosh darn if they are old. It's the original touches that a competent showman adds to an old idea that makes it new so far as we are concerned. We have often said in the past that it is not the ability to create a new idea so much that counts today as the ability to take an old idea and dress it up in 1931 style. We repeat that same opinion with added emphasis because it is so true. Don't waste idle moments speculating on whether an idea is new or original, use those moments to figuring out how they can be used for your theatre and community. If they bring dollars to the b.o. your efforts have not been in vain. Show business needs more Edwin Sedgewick Chittenden Coppacks. We could even forgive them a name like that if they are as good as this wide-awake showman.