Publix Opinion (Aug 31, 1929)

OPINION, WEEK OF AUGUST 3ist, 1929 ; foordeerdemsfenifonientienteenf-onfveniirenteanteenteeuteutea-dvedie ie-edemaietee te ' Relation Dept Insures ~ Honesty In Advertising (Reprinted from VARIETY by Permission) The old-time, flamboyant press agent is through in the picture industry. While this generauy has been recognized, it remained for Paramount Famous Lasky to be the first picture company to establish a Public Relations department to handle the publicity, advertising, and exploitation of Paramount pictures upon a basis comparable to that used by the other ranking industries in the United States. In creating the department of Public Relations, executives of the company were mindful of the obligation to the public that the corporation has in the matter of entertainment; also of the obligation it has to the newspapers and mag azines for honesty aad truthfulness in publicity and advertising. In-the not too distant pagt some press agents and advertising men used methods, unethical and unwise, to fool organs of public opinion and thereby mislead the public. Exaggeratians of facts were not uncommon. These methods reacted against the motion picture industry and recalcitrant press agents sometimes did immeasurable harm, not only to his own company, but to all others. The policy of the Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation in publicity and advertising matters always has been on a basis of honesty and truthfulness, Three cardinal principles have governed the writing of news or Paramount pictures. This news must be fresh, accurate and informative. No exaggerated statements and no misinformation las been tolerated in the publicity department of the company in the past. To insure an even higher basis of dignity and to give the departments that tion about Paramount pictures to the public a rating.commensurable with their importance, the board of directors of the company, at the suggestion of Adolph Zukor, president; S. R. Kent, general mana ger, and Sam Katz, president of| Publix Theatres Corporation, ereated a new major department to be known as the Public Relations department. In this department are the pub-| licity and advertising departments ofsthe Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation, the publicity and aavertising: departments of Publix Theatres Corporation, the company’s radio! activities, the exploitation departments of the three companies, the ad sales and poster departments, and all other departments of the company whose function is to deal directly or indirectly with the public. Charles E. MeCarthy, who has been publicity director for the company during the last 10 years, has been appointed head of the new department. Ps eae meena CATALOGUE OF PUBLIX DISCS SERIES THREE Record No. Titles 1040 P TRLE BLUE LOU (from Dance of Life) HERE WE ARE 1041 P LITTLE PAL (from Say It With Songs) USED TO YOU (from Say It With Songs) , 1042 P ORANGE BLOSSOM TIME S’POSIN ? 1048 P WHY CAN’T YOU? {from Say It With Songs) MAYBE—WHO KNOWS? THE ABOVE RECORDS ARE NOW AVAI ‘PLEASE MAKE IT A POINT present the informa-| Annette Henshaw . Annette Henshaw Walter Cummins. Walter Cummins Publix Ten & (from Hollywood Revue of 1929) Ted Smith Publix Ten & a THIS WORKS House Manager R. O. Gregory of the Publix Colonial Theatre, St. Joseph, Mo., arranged. a tie-up with the Piggly Wiggly stores in advertising Buster Keaton in “Spite Marriage.” * Each.one of the 6000 handbills put out by the stores had a different number; the holder of one of these numbers being entitled to a free admission to see the picture if his or her number corresponded with one of the 60 numbers posted in the Colonial lobby. The bottom third of these handbills was devoted to copy about the stores while the remainder of space was devoted to copy about the pieture, star, theatre and play dates. Since the handbills were printed and effectively distributed by the Piggly Wiggly people at no cost to the theatre, it proved an excellent means of getting widespread publicity with the least possible effort. “SWEETIE,” BEST PICTURE MADE © BY PARAMOUNT “The biggest picture ever made by Paramount” was the way Jesse | L. Lasky, Vice President of Paramount, characterized ‘Sweetie,” with Helen Kane, Nancy Carroll and Jack Oakie, in a telephone ; conversation to Mr. Sidney Kent. “In Mr. LaSky’s opinion,” de the big pictures we have done so| well this year. He told me that words. fail to express the en-! thusiasm he feels and’ says this should be one of the big long-run pictures of the season.”’ WATERLOO CHANGES _Mr. Richard Emig, at present manager of the Paramount, Waterloo, was transferred to Columbia, Davenport, on August 26. Mr. Emig will also act as City Manager of that town. Mr. Arthur Stolte took over the management of the Paramount, Waterloo, and will ‘act as City Manager of that town. Mr. H. L. Davidson, acting as | manager of the Columbia, Davenport, will be transferred to manage the Palace, Canton, Ohio, which: house operis August 31st. Artiste Type Voecal—Orch. Acep. Vocal—Orch. Acep. Vocal— Nov’ ty Acep. Vocal—Nov'ty Acep, Vocal | : : 3 i : 2 | Vocal Ted Smith Sammy Fain Kate Smith & Harmonians LABLE AT YOUR WAREHOUSE. TO REQUISITION SAME, — Voeal Vocal H1VAN SEL AAMNNOREO UNO NARE AHH N aT gamEEN UH NAF Ky SeAAVG HOE HEALENEEHOORROAAINDA EEL FOMARSO TH gone SUNOUH DERE TMOAU TED EU NO neconONeED COTE DEONNACAteRY $ clares Mr. Kent, “it outranks ‘The | : Dance of Life’ and equals any of | the | HARL A. WOLEVER Harl A. Wolever assistant manager of the Denver Theatre, Denver, came to .Publlx mi with a rich educationgsl and business background. He is a graduate of gate sity with degree i] Bachelor 7 Science, “Hing belonged to many social and hon * $ graduation he was technical chemical for salesman Dextro Products, Buffalo, N. Y. and insurance Spector for the of Syracuse, N. Y. While training for a managerial position in one Harl A. Wolever of the branch offices of this com| .pany, Wolever became interested in the theatre business and enrolled in the Publix Managers Training School from which * graduated in October, 1928. — He was assigned as house manager of the Texas Theatre, Antonio and remained there until Theatre, Dallas, as manager, succeeding James O. Cherry, who became district manager. January, 1929, Wolever transferred to his present at the Denver Theatre. H | | was ELMER R. DANIELS A veteran showman of 15 years’ standing is Elmer R. Daniels, manager of the Capitol Worcester " Mass Ten years of that time spent the Worcester Olympia Co., which originaily : h ¢ Theatre, theatre Capitol The in 1929 February. Daniels was retained aa manacer of the Capitol, a post he had held since opening 1926. itt Elmer R. Danicl« . oO SENN WON ee eee eee ee Wee eee sey eee ese ee se: MUS CERES R CREE Da a SSIS SDSS SSIS 9 BERRA EROS Cae & |. EDDIE PARDO, Stage Band| | Leader, opened at the Metropol-| j}itan Theatre, Boston, for one! week, beginning Thursday, August! | 15th, replacing Gene Rodemich. | GUY HARRISON, Musical Di-| | Feetor, Metropolitan Theatre, Bos-| | ton, closed on Wednesday, August! | 28th. | | HYMAN FINE, District Musical | | Adviser, conducted the overture | | at the Metropolitan the week be-| ginning Thursday, August 29th. | | DAVE RUBINOFF, Musical Di-| réctor, will close at the New York | Paramount, Wednesday night, | September 4th and will open at| } the Metropolitan, Boston, on! Thursday, September 5th, for an} indefinite perjod. . JOE ALEXANDER. featured or-| ganist *t the Tampa Theatre, | Tampa, closed there Tuesday | night, August 20th and opened at | the Piceadilly Theatre, Rochester, | on Saturday, August 24th. He was not replaced. in Tampa. ALEX KEESE, District Musica] | Adviser for the Southeastern division and formerly State Bana Leader at the Alabama Theatre, Birmingham. opened as Stage Band Leader at the Metropolitan Theatre, Boston, on Thursday, August 29th. Col| Univer| Inc., | in| Retail Credit Co., | he | San | the latter part of December when. | he was transferred to the Melba | In | post | Theat.re,| waa) with! owned | wae : sold to Publix its | al il lia el Oe ee NELSON L. TOWER Nelson L. Tower, manager of the Rosetta Theatre, Little River, Fla., entered the show. business as a} doorman § j one | of | a William Freihofer thea~ | tres in Phila-jdelphia, One] month later, | he was pro-]moted to manager of that theatre. | Two months] later, he was promoted to the Colliseum Theatre in West. Phila-]delphia . from } where he was again \pro: motéd to. the Nelson L. Tower pejmont Theatre, also in West Philadelphia. Shortly after, he resigned and went to Boston to engage in a | private business enterprise. i Moving to Florida in 1921, he entered the newspaper business as an advertising solicitor and became circulation manager of the paper within six months. He held this position until 1925 when he resigned to sell real estate. In 1926, he re-entered the theatre business as manager of the Rosetta Theatre where he Ia still employed. HARVEY G. COCKS Cocks started his | as an usher at) the Glen The| Harvey G. | theatrical career: / fourteen. } From this ' job, he work: ed his way up : ‘ through the : various promotion stages | stage / and, atage 4 manager, Projee : tloniat, assistant manai ager and ; finally tman : ager : Coeks came with Publix | in June, 1925 : maou when he was Harvey G. Cocks made sassietA ant manager of the Fields Corner »~ Theatre, Dorchester and became | having § manager in October, 1928 In ; makes of April, 1929, he was transferred to accomplial the Capitol Theatre. Allston, as | ated} manager, which ia his present | played tn the | assignment. i vaudeville, sess Seee +++ m assumed the map Bedford, Mass., on August 19th. Mr. Louis De Wolfe, manager of the Minn., has resigned effective August 3rd._ Mr. Anson will take care of the Strand Lyceum Theatre! He will be assisted in : by Mr. C. H. Murray ; a On August 19th, Mr. David J, Walsh of the Strand Theatre, Pittsfield, relieving. + Mr. J. 5S. McSween, formerly manager resigned effective August 9th. yer replaced Mr. M Mr. Murrell Hill ust 2nd. j charge effective Aug ' Mr. Walter L. Nolan assumed the Theatre, Lowell, Mass.. August 17th, — of t con Mr. Roland Waterson h Theatre, Marion, Ohio. well as manager of the as been appointe Mr. Huebner is City Palace Theatre Mr. Joseph V. Shea will assume th North Adams, Mass., on September Ist, theatre, a The Federal Theatre, Salem, wil : Dunn assuming charge of this theatr gt *