Publix Opinion (Jan 21, 1928)

>-RODUCTION WITH PUBLICITY ANGLES “HAVANA” Dubhlix Opinion “RAINBOWS” ol. Il Publix Theatres Corporation, Paramount Building, New York, Week of January 21st, 1928 No. 3 RIZES FOR CHRISTIE CAMPAIGNS 20,000 HOCKEY FANS CHEERED! | BEST ADVERTISING AND JAVANA” GREAT UNIT SHOW HAS MANY FEATURES With colorful settings, fast mpo and a company of great Hertainers, ‘‘Havana’’ will be igeived as one of the best Pubg stage productions yet reased for national tour. The jening scene is an applause tter, showing an unnsually ell proportioned Spanish patio ‘terior with red tiled roofs and opical foliage against a deep ime sky. The band center invo rows accompanies the Peof girls in a fast number. Down in Old Havana Town. second orchestral feature folwws and the girls render ‘‘The lamingo.”’ New Antics Wally Jackson, comic dancer traordinary next introduces yme new antics which invarialy stop the show and after nu‘erous encores is followed by ae sensational vocal team of oster and Hewlitt rendering Dream Kisses’? accompanied 7 the orchestra. Show Stoppers Jackson comes back for li ig specialty, leading the or hestra, after which George lewey Washington presents, tst ‘‘Mandalay’’ with two enpres, ‘“‘Let A Smile Be Your mbrella’’ and ‘‘Blue Heaven. ludiences at the Olympia 1 lew Haven and at the Paralount in New York just would ot let Washington leave the sage. Colorful and Smart The Petroff Girls next present The Serenaders’’ as an introuction for the big specialty Lolita” danced by Dorothea ferke and Mario Naldi which finds up with ‘‘Under Your kies of Blue’’ sung by Miss lewlitt who descends behind he bend as if suspended at the nd of a monster mantilla. The irls enter both sides and mount ide Stage stairways as a huge panish shaw] opens right and it behind Miss Hewlitt. A hort black out to display lumious shawls and decorations is Sed to magnify the finale hich is up to Partington’s sual showmanship. All in all, he entire unit is fast, colorful nd smart with a clicking tem0 that keeps the action at high itech from the first curtain to he final drop. In “Dancing Feet’’ Harry Rose, singing and danc '§ Comedian, who has appeared 1 Many Broadway revues, has een engaged to appear in Paul scard’s Publix stage production, Dancing Feet.” eet New York, Jan. 18th,—Madison Square Garden was the scene of a tremendous ovation last evening when John Murray Anderson ie sisted by Ruth Taylor, star of “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, pr sere the Paramount Theatre Trophy to a committee of New ge Spo : Writers who will in turn award it to the most valuable p a a New York team at the end of the current hockey season. ih en the announcement boomed over the huge crowd from sixty amp: i and Miss Taylor accompanied by Anderson walked to ee oie the world’s greatest indoor arena, the multitude applauded ag f and again. “RAINBOWS” OPEN IN INDIANAPOLIS TO RECORD APPLAUSE i i ij ‘-ked by a thunderous aphirty-three minutes of stage show mat ; j HR all hysterical laughter greeted the speciality numbers and talent in the routine of Boris Petroff’s ee at which opened at the i Theatre, Saturday, January 14t i hy 3 i Aga 4 unit of entertainment in “Rainbows” 1s a show posi in point of applause. This fact caused long and congratulatory telegrams to be sent to New York from Indianapolis where the “‘Rain id j miere on cre Z hake tated abate ugh saa Hi. Lie. |advertised it to the limit, despite the fact that there was a very. strong film on the screen. the Publix circuit. rf ber, owner of the Indiana genet ee ene bare siere ns The following are some of the Poh ge eee eae ae excerpts from the ee ° ¢ ‘ cessful stage production from an gnltrrs tami ye te pe, audience stand point brs has Lee aupariunity ot Steele a created in several months. hiuera (Gt: a: Abus oroHuanel “You can safely say that ‘Rain-| True, the stage presentation at the bows’ is a 100% stage entertain-|Indiana is not of the gigantic ment” declared Mr. Berry, who proportion of some of the famous was done on the part of the con STUNTS FOR COMEDIES TO WIN CASH AWARDS Publix Theatres Corporation is this week launching a unique contest in which its managers will develop novel ways of tying the Christie comedies into general newspaper advertising of the whole show. The contest, which carries a large prize list, (see page 5) is being staged under the direction of Ed Olmstead of the Publix home office in conjunction with the Christie Film Company. ENDS MARCH 17 The contest will extend from January Ist to March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day, and awards will be made thereafter when judging of the managers and theatre advertising men’s efforts will be done by a committee composed of A. M. Botsford, director of Publix advertising and publicity, Lem Stewart, Ed Olmstead and Pat Dowling, publicity and sales director for the Christie Company. From the heads of Publix Theatres comes encouraging stimulus to producers of short features in the fact that they are sponsoring a drive which will eall attention to the best ways of advertising, not only the feature but the comedy end of the show. SELLING THE WHOLE SHOW Sam Katz, President of Publix, stated: ‘‘Many theatres have in the past overlooked the fact. that comedies, properly advertised in connection with the bill, can sell not only many extra tickets on their own strength, but aid in showing that the theatres are presenting a well rounded bil! of entertainment on both the screen and stage. In my opinion theatres have often been lax in taking full advantage of selling the fact that there is a comedy on the bill, a unit which is very often played but lost sight of in the advertising. Our effort will be to assist in righting this condition and pointing out the very advantageous policy of selling the whole show.’’ Other Publix officials are enthusiastic on the possibilities which comedies offer for an additional appeal to the public. MORE THOUGHT TO THE COMEDY Sam Dembow, Jr., vice-president of Publix, stated: ‘‘that this Publix-Christie contest should be of decided advantage in encouraging theatre managers to give a little more thought'to the comedy end of their program from the advertising standpoint. It will be readily seen that there are many ways in which a worth-while short comedy attraction can be worked into the general advertising without necessarily adding one cent to the daily expenditure for display. ‘‘In my opinion every manager should sell properly every unit of entertainment which he is presenting, the feature, picture, the surrounding stage show where there is one, the comedy, the music and the newsreel events. Each part of a modern theatre’s program has its own particular fans who should be catered to, and in addition there is the class of patrons who want a lot of show. By properly advertising all of these elements, that class of picture patrons can be appealed to with the maximum suceess.’” ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS The sum of $1,000 will be distributed in prizes for the best newspaper ads and the best exploitation stunts. The Publix manager originating the best newspaper ad will receive the first prize of $400.00; second, $150.00; third, $75.00; and fourth $50.00. There will be three prizes of $25.00 each for the next most representative advertising efforts. The manager who originates the best exploitation stunt will receive a cash award of $150.00; the second, $50.00; and two third prizes of $25.00 each. In ease of a tie in any of these campaigns, a similar prize will be awarded. SU LLL musical comedies or plays, but ;ductor to stop the loud applause when one considers that stars of|so that the show could go on, ‘Artists and Models’ and other! We'll take the program in the orartists are brought to Indianapolis | ge; it was given. Miss Jean Gedfor a premiere, then Hoosier thea-| gag g demure littie girl who sang tregoers may well stick out their} piyes and danced, was followed by chests in pride. the Boris Petroff girls (Mr. Petroff “Charlies and his band start the | i; the man responsible for the pre program with “At Dawning.’ The |centation) sang “Broken Hearted band was forced to take several ‘Blue Bird” to an ovation, then bows and some quick thinking 2 (Cont. on Page 3) pemepenenr teresa: on ne rer nen eetea a tererarerenciesansnnenweauseeentaeesenrn ———— SSiioperesesctantereneeeenemenseneee