Publix Opinion (Dec 6, 1929)

suggested two September. could be promote doing both. “Tt can’t be done!” complained a lot of people, who sneered at the Mr. Dembow offered a cash priz gest number 0 Nearly fifty Publix showmen reported 20 “parades” ; nineteen; over 100 reporte ever, the $250 was sent to Marsline K. Moore, Division Director L. E. Schneider, and Division M the photos and reported that Mr. and staged FIFTY-ONE free street parades. saturated everyone in Fort Worth who reads; notion. between ten and don’t read or listen. first time in the nationa As a result, grateful civic 1 where are show ticipated in the campaign outlined in PUBLIX OPINION, planted the news stories sent out by this publication, is entitled to an equal share of the glory. gigantic circuit or show business has ever known. an annual event in every city, and Publix will be eagerly sought for leadership being the case, it behooves everyone to be alert next September, and start planning early to take control-of the idea. opposition bring it up first next year and peat you out of your own property. was carried Press, The United national News, Universal Service, and “planted”’ Editor. 3,500 daily dition, local theatre managers and press agents who planted a similar story sent out to them by Your Editor, registered effectively in at least which papers, press. During the September PARAMOUNT MONT street-parade ballyhoos, turned in the report of the lar those who listen, an advertised in September, and his Moore and his staff h His newspaper exp his radio exploitation satura d his 51 free street-parades stampeded those who run but It the attractions at his theatre were well month gross was sensa photographs of the achievement, published three weeks ago, should be of As a resu ¢ PUBLIX OPINION, WEEK OF DECEMBER 6ru, 1929 They Couldn't Be Done—But They WERE rr e of $250 to the theatref street-parade ballyhoos. twenty reported d more than a half-dozen. Howof Fort Worth, Texas, after anager Barry Burke verified ad actually promoted loitation ted tional. The s H DRIVE, Your Editor daily, for each of the 30 days in With the suggestion was a brief outline of how these parades d, with minimum cost, and effort—and somebody else permanent instruction value to every other theatre in the Publix circuit. An hour before going to pres hunch that the familiar co-op tieup page, Publix made Hallo Every Publix showman who par or who The thing is one of the most good-will builders the It doubtless will become in the matter. Such Don’t let your Below is reprinted a story which by the Associated press, Inter several mail-syndicates, in New York by Your This story hit at least newspapers. In ad 3,500 ‘more publications included weeklies, school and foreign language PUBLIX HEAD IS PRAISED NEW YORK, Nov. 23.—(Spe-. gial) America’s first safe-and sane Hallowe’en is credited to the more than 1,200 Publix Theatres in hundreds of letters addressed to Sam Katz, president of Publix Theatres Corp., and Adolph Zukor, president of Paramount Pictures, by mayors, chiefs of Police and fire departments, school principals and teachers. At the suggestion of Mr. Katz and Mr. Zukor, all of the Publix Theatres offered. free shows last October to school children who signed pledge cards promising to refrain from Hallowe'en mischief. As a result, it is indicated by the flood of congratulatory letters now being received that customary Hallowe’en celebrations caused less personal injury, violence and property damage in nearly 200 cities in the United States than ever before in police records for each com-| munity. Nearly every letter asks that Publix Theatres repeat the national experiment next year. LIX SHOWERED WITH THANKS FOR ‘SAFE-AND-SANE’ HALLOWEEN ween “safe-and-sane” for America, for the hat night of hoodlum horror. L history of t d thinking Americans every eaders an d leaders with congratulations. MEET THE BOYS: ering our theatres an To promote acquaintance, respect and mutual understanding Publix, these one-minute biographies are offered. here portrayed. We want the photo and biograp ROBERT E. HICKS Robert E. Hicks, 2 member of the Publix organization for the past two years, is @ jative Texan, and for twelve years after finishing school, was associate d with daily newspapers in ‘| wichita Falls, the City Editorship of the Ft. Worth Telegram to accept publicjty directorship of the ©| Publix Worth “\ Theatre in Ft. Worth, Texas, in November, 1927. In July, 1929, he was given his present assignment as manager of the Paramount Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia. R. E. Hicks WALTER MORRIS Walter Morris, manager of the Stanley, West Palm Beach, Fla., . obtained his theoretical and practical knowledge of the theatre while at the University of Tennessee. From the time of his entrance into high school in 1920 until the: e.-O mM = specialized course at the university, Morris was employed by t h e theatres ‘of Seen wae] Amusement Co.; | Tennessee Hunter > prises, Inc.; Southern Enterprises, Inc. and Publix Thea tres, in various capacities, from usher to house manager. Morris, since then, has acted as assistant manager and manager in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Asheville, N. C., Jacksonville, Fla., and Miami Beach. Walter Morris name, pletion of his | the . s for our Nov. 22 issue, Your Editor got the which every showman in the WEE letters receive broadcasting § week, he gets talk on theatres.” FRANK B. QUINLIVAN Frank B. Quinlivan, manager of FEF. B. Quinlivan the Buffalo Theatre. When the Kensington opened in December, 1926, Quinlivan was sent to that house as assistant manager. from Canisius in June, 1926, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and the following September was appointed manager of the Ken sington. Hi. E. Billings wine Other signments 0 Minneapolis, Range. staff that tory and KLY TALK ON RADIO BIG HELP —_——— “Jack” Frost, of the Publix Alabama at Birmingham, has a cold but he’s a tickets, as evinced by a flood of d at the local radio tation, where Im>re= turn for ten pairs of passes each a daily ‘‘ten minute They're not printed as vanity ticklers of everyone in Publix. Shea’s He was HARRY E. BILLINGS Harry E. Billings is at present, city manager circuit frequently puts over to sell a single picture, would be possible on a four-weeks’ basis. Also it occurred to him that it could be done on a circuit basis, as part of the December Drive. In addition, sf the idea would work for a single newspaper page, «+t would work for more than one. If it could be done for page-ads, it would apply equally for heralds. Added help for the idea became possible by considering the “Shop-and send-early” angle, with possible free distribution from local postmaster. When the paper came off the press, a dozen Home Office showmen said it couldn’t be done. While they were saying it, the Publix-Balaban & Katz showmen were actually doing it, having conceived the idea independently, long before it occurred to Your Editor. The next day, Lou Goldberg of the Brooklyn-Paramount reported that his follow-up on the idea was threefourths completed; Charley Taylor, the “ace” merchandiser of Buffalo, reported likewise. Earl Payne, of Lexington, Ky., sent in a tear sheet of his, (reproduced on page 2) and Messrs. Ronan and Worley of Danville, Ml., wired that they have sold a series of them (page 1). Jay Rubens, of Publix-Great States reports that the idea is a cinch for every town under his supervision. PUBLIX OPINION is going to ask Mr. Botsford to collect all of the reports and samples of these heralds and tear-sheets, and compile them into a manual, which will be available for the entire circuit, for NEXT year. Get yours in EARLY, so that you'll be represented in that manual. Profit Drive’ Works Up To q Big Climax | (Continued from page Five) sale of tickets for gift purposes)” These tickets are to be the same) that are sold at the box office 4 that the recipients will not he compelled to exchange them at they box office when they attend the theatre. Z They are to be enclosed i decorated envelopes containing no advertising. They are not to) be sold at special rates. These) tickets are to go on sale at leas) three weeks before Christmas ant are to be pushed by trailers, news) paper advertisements, and her y, alds. always sells Publix as an organization, and all of the institutional facts he can get, as well as exciting his invisible audience about coming attractions. There is a radio station in nearly every city in Publixland and it is possible, as PUBLIX OPINION has often pointed out (see radio salutes) for you to get FREE time on that station at least once a week, and oftener if you have the energy and ingenuity. hot seller of Of course he of the splendid individuals who comprise for the showmen WILL J. GLASER will J. Glaser, manager of the Paramount and Sun_ theatres at \ Faribault, Minnesota, is one of the veterans in the i) exhibiting end "| of the motion picture industry. Starting as program boy, in the old Faribault Opera House in 1904, he continued in that theatre at various minor duties, until 1912 e\ when he was ‘appointed manager. In 1916, ta Dee American Amusement Company of Minneapolis, purchased the Opera House building, re-named it the Grand and appointed Gluser aS manager, present Kensington Theatre, Buffalo, stent hae started his theatrical career as an usher in Shea’s Court St. Theatre in October, 1924, while attending Canisius College. The | \| following sea Palace Theatre Gary, Indiana To combat both the Mond) Y night and the December slump Manager M. J. Wolf suggest a give away contest for evel Monday night during ti month. Merchants will furnis a radio, sets of silver, or othe items in return for a week (| publicity on the screen. Hai the people put their name al address on each chance tick and the store will be able f build up a mailing list. Another proposal is to give sly hose or some such item to eva tenth woman coming to the thee tre.. Tickets are given at the gai and all those ending in 6 or 1S any other number determined © get the merchandise. io Publix Theatres Utah-Idaho | A Bake-a-Cake Contest il an unusual flavor to the Chik mas activities of the Utah-ld district under Advertising Mi ager W. Jd. Murphy. Some the prizes to be given away a Whippet automobile, a git” piano, @ Majestic radio, in that capacity until the theatre closed in the early part of 1925. During he e worked as an usher. and doorman at Will J. Glaser building, and operated it as owner and manager. chased the opposition known as the Sun theatre. Later, he’ leased the theatre to Fi stein & Ruben, continuing a8 resident manager for that concern until January 31, 1929, when a disastrous fire old Grand theatre. Paramount was erected on that site Glaser was assigned to man age it. graduated ‘ SIDNEY S. HOLLAND of four Publix ; : ge Sidney S. Holland, a graduate L f Lia Guat yeas of New York University, left the ranges, diamond rings, Be tres in Virany atag many others. The contest ginia, Minn.’ (i921 to prorunning an entire month 1 ae oe duce vaudeannouncement of winners st State, Royal ville 8.8 @ duled for the mght of Decetm and) Rex. ilu Wage eg 24th. 3 “ Billings has Flolland’s een asSso"\first contact S ciated with with Publix Le Clair T heatre the Finkelalwas in April . Moline, Ill. 1926, when he fp romote d several thousand dollars worth of gowns from the ea Gee mount studio, to be used in a fashion show he was producing in Pittsburgh. Hooliand’s present as& RR. ass. 8. Holland signment is were at in Brockton, Massachusetts, as manager of the Rialto Théatre. The suggestion from F Kennebeck that parcel stall be established in the vat neighborhood theatres Wid post office clerk in attenz secure post office co-op¢ tion for more than fifteen years, having joined that company in 1914 after being with the Orpheum circuits at. incoln, Neb. and Duluth, Minn.,” from 1908 to was so well received by Frudenfeld, district ma to the end that these ] that an effort will be m tions may be establisligi every theatre in the ¢ The theatre will furnish? and an expert wrapper. | q f Billings’ St. Paul, and Iron