Publix Opinion (Nov 29, 1929)

: u PUBLIX OPINION, WEEK OF NOVEMBER 29TH, 1929 DEAF CAN HEAR' PICTURES AT THE ROYAL Here’s a new way to go after deaf patronage at no cost to you. Acoustic receivers, enabling deaf matrons to listen to talking motion pictures, have been installed in one section of the loges at the Publix Royal Theatre in Kansas City by Manager E.'S. C. Coppock. The stunt not only brings the patronage of deaf persons and their friends, but won méewspaper space by its novelty and created a wave of mouth-to-mouth advertising. Four microphones and a battery box were placed on the front wall! | of the balcony rail. A section of the seats were equipped with receivers,,each having individual volume control. Wires connect them with the microphones. Manager Coppock sold the dis-} trict office of Dictograph, manufacturers of the AcousSticon sets, the idea of installing the equipment aS an experiment, pointing out the possibilities of similar installations in all sound houses if it proved successful. He didn’t spend a cent for the equipment or wiring. Hight prominent deaf persons, including the president of the National Association of the Deaf, were invited to a special preview test, which was so successful that the feature will remain a permanent one at the Royal. No charge is made patrons for use of the equipment, but a five dollar deposit is retained at the box office while the receiver, which is portable, is in use. Managers Combine To Get Half Page Ad. A half page ad, tying up Moran & Mack’s, ‘‘Why Bring That Up?” with Columbia phonograph records, was obtained by George STREET SINGER’ “This pretty eee violinist was an effective ballyhoo for “The Street Singer” when it played the Publix Kirby Theatre in Houston, Texas. E. E. Collins, manager, hired a_ satidwich board carrier to precede the ' girl in her strolls about the business district. | baby, manager of the Publix | Washington St; Olympia and Harry Browning, manager of the Uptown, both in Boston. The unusual feature of the tieup was that the ad appeared in the dramatic section of the paper, which never occurred heretofore. SUUUTUNENQUOENUGHEGUEREGUOUGUOHOUOUONOHOUONOUOUOUOUOEONOONOUOUOUOUOOOQOUOUOONENOUOUONEQENENLE > OF" installments! thoughts! efforts. HIS'TORY -PUBLIX @ ITHEATRES It is being written, right Te your nose, and to the best of its ability. | PUBLIX OPINION tries. to serve it to you in easy-to-digest SAVE AND FILE YOUR COPY ( 1) You'll find the file invaluable in train ing of new personnel. It will help you to collect selling It will help you to plan campaigns for institutional, spot-entertainment and other merchandising and operating A vr FILM INDUSTRY OUTLINED BY WILL HAYS . The magnittide of the motion picture industry and its close connection with allied industries of nation wide scope were vividly brought before the public in a talk ‘recently given before the New York Board of Trade by Will H.| Hays. “The total capital necessary in the industry,’ he declared, “has climbed to $2,500,000,000, distributed among nearly 100,000 stockholders of the great producing companies and thousands of others who participate in theatre ownership throughout’ the country. The industry employs 325,000 men and women. We use 150,000,000 feet of negative film in this country each year and 1,500,000,000 feet of positive film.”’ 15,000 Ads Yearly He pointed out, in addition, that not only is the screen a factor in the stimulation of public desire for various articles depicted but that one company uses 5,000,000 pounds of cotton a year, that more silver is used in the industry than for any purpose except the coinage of money, and that 15,000 motion picture advertisements are prepared every day. According to figures prepared by the Department of Commerce, he declared, for every foot of film that goes abroad a dollar returns in trade. In his consideration of the status of the motion picture industry today, he stressed the fact that the weekly aggregate motion picture i audience in the United States has been increased by 10,000,000. “This,” he said, “means an increase each week of that,many direct stimuli toward the possession of comforts and. conveniences available to the American family. Despite that, however, motion picture’s greatest aid to business is the furnishing of wholesome amusement and relaxation at a price the workingman can afford.”’ Moral Tone Rises Mr. Hays declared that the industry makes positive efforts to raise the moral tone of its products and thus of the picture viewing population of the world. “We have contacts today,’ he stated, ‘‘with more than sixty important religious, civic, and educational organizations. We send to a studio relations committee in Hollywood all thoughtful and specific comments on pictures, for the guidance of all companies in future productions. We make available pre-viewing facilities to representatives of responsible public groups, so that they may independently judge pictures well in ad; vance of general distribution and help to build public support for what they believe is the best.” RADIO CONTEST INTERESTS FANS sold Manager Irvin R. Waite, the local radio station the idea of broadcasting six questions concerning “Hollywood Revue,” which was playing at the Publix Queen, Galveston, Texas. Prizes were presented to the first twenty-five who answered the question: How many male motion picture players appearing in HOLLY WOOD REVUE can you name? How many women players appearing in HOLLYWOOD REVUE can you name? Who are the two masters of ceremonies appearing in |HOLLYWOOD REVUE HOLLYWOOD REVUE? What song is sung about an actor who does not appear in the picture? What famous group’ of ballet dancers appear in HOLLYWOOD REVUE? What price was charged for in New York and what is the Publix Queen theatre’s price scale for this picture? SELLING ‘HALFWAY TO HEAVEN? By RUSSELL HOLMAN, Advertising Manager, Paramount Pictures This is the best Buddy Rogers picture since ‘‘Wings’’. Reasons? (1) They’ve let Buddy exude his natural freshness and charm instead of going dramatic. (2) Swell performances by Jean Arthur (Bow’s sister in “Saturday Nite Kid’); Paul Lukas (Carroll’s sugar daddy in “Shopworn Angel’’);: ‘Helen Ware (pioneer woman in “Virginian’), Also pte dak ee natural’ comedy bit by a fresh kid in tortoise-shelled glasses _ (3) Just about perfect direction by Ceevie Abbott that raises this film far above the average. Abbott, co-author and co-director of a dozen Broadway stage smash hits, makes the characters in “Halfway to:Heaven” live. See it and realize what a fine director can do for a picture. % (4) Good story, with a suspense climax that is THERE for thrills. Story is by H. L. Gates} and was serial in People’s Popular Monthly, a mag with big circulation particularly in small towns throughout middle west. Now 7%5-cent Grosset & Dunlap novel, with jacket and illustrations taken from picture. Tie-up. (Origwees are in serial, ‘‘Here Comes the Band, Wagon’”’.) Tou sell: xe Rogers. He gets as much fan mail as Clara Bow. When he appearediin person as master of ceremonies in Chicago, cops had to clear the streets. Make’ no mistake about his popularity. Jean Arthur is a bet if they talked about) her performances in “Greene Murder’ and ‘‘Sat. Nite Kid” in your town. Abbott is} a good name on Broadway and where they know his connection, with the stage success of “Broadway,” ‘‘Coquette”’ and other hits. He directed “Why Bring That Up?” Ad copy: : Romantic angle. Rogers and Jean Arthur. ‘Buddy has a new girl friend now.” “America’s boy friend and his new gir] friend.” There’s a verse in the press sheet about falling in love with a lady on a trapeze, quite a well known verse. Thrill angle. Built around the climax situation where Buddy has to trust his| life a hundred feet in the air to a man who has sworn to kill him. With a sack over his head, blinding him, he has to hurl himself through the air and rely on his revengeful love rival to catch him. Buddy realizes it’s practically suicide. So does the audience. But he goes through with it—and saves himself with one of the smartest surprise tricks you ever saw. Copy: “Love lifted him halfway to heaven; hate threatened to hurl him, smashed, toi earth.” Tie-ups: The book and serial. stills with horizontal bars, etce., smart showmen. REMEMBER! “HALFWAY TO HEAVEN” IS EXACTLY THE TYPE OF STAR PICTURE WITH EXCEPTIONAL MERIT THAT MR. KATZ EXPECTS EXCEPTIONAL BUSINESS FROM. _ Sporting goods stores, using in them. Plenty of more for LUCKY MERCHANT! This merchant gave away free clothes, but he knew that a picture of Ray Teal, popular band leader, at the Greater Palace, Dallas, would be more likely to catch the eye of prospective buyers than a prosaic ad-drawing, so he jumped at the chance of using these three pictures in his ad. Five hundred dollars for the privilege would have been cheap, too. This proves, as is pointed out often in these columns, that the merchants are equally, Ws not more anxious to tie up with you than you are with them. DO YOU READ YOUR BACK: FILES OF THIS PAPER FOR TIPS? |