Publix Opinion (Dec 6, 1929)

READ THIS FO SERIOUS WORDS, SPOKEN IN JEST, POINT OUT BIG STUNT MISSED BY PUBLIX With his head hanging in shame, Mickey Finn, Special Stimulator to PUBLIX OPINION, and Director Of Special Movements For Your Editor, comes slouching into the editorial sanctum today, confessing that he has allowed PUBLIX OPINION to get scooped. Consequently he takes the blame and onus for defrauding you of a chance to pull a gigantic, eyesmashing town-exploding bombshell of attention on all of your December attractions. PUBLIX OPINION, WEEK OF DECEMBER 6ru, 1929 “VARIETY” WAS RIGHT, AGAIN! A back-page advertiser in “Variety” recently screamed in pain “that ‘Variety’ is wrong again,” and most of us giggled. But on the front page, “Variety” was taking its thirdconsecutive-week whack at its job of reporting pre-Christmas merchandising efforts being executed by the big stores and mercantile interests. The sheet told about window displays that looked like theatres, of departments operated stage-fashion, of mannequins that out-“looked,” the hottest of stage-mamas. They told of exploitation stunts grabbed hot off the rim of the Press Agents Old, Hokum Bucket. Probably most of “Variety’s” show-business readers glanced painlessly at it, and passed on. But to imaginative theatrical press agents, it was a stabbing stimulation of warning to “get hot” before theatrical exploitation goes the way of the billboards. Billboards you may remember, were invented by the theatre, but became so successful that mercantile interests eagerly ran up their cost until they became prohibitive to show business. So show business turned to press agents instead. Now the press-agenting methods (we Read This Carefully and Weep If You Wish — BUT REMEMBER TO MAKE A NOTE OF IT AS SOMETHING TO DO ON NEXT THANKSGIVING R NEXT OCTOBER FIRST} ‘BUDDY’ ROGERS plays five musical and sings, one of the most popular of motion picture stars, will be the outstanding attraction on the Paramount7 Publix radio hour to be broad7 cast Saturday night (December 7) © at 10 o’clock (Eastern Standard 7 Time) over the nation wide net7 work of the Columbia Broadcast7 ing System. b phone in the Paramount studio in Hollywood, Rogers will sing and) play popular successes in honor) IN MUSICAL | RADIO HOUR Charles “‘Buddy’’ Rogers, who instruments in addition to being Standing in front of a micro7 He knew that his guilt was well-known and of the bitterness towards him for his negligence. “J caused Publix to miss the chance to get a smashing, circuitsnatch ideas and pop them up in wide start on December Drive,” PUBLIX OPINION so you can bat apologized Mickey. “On account|’em for a home run. But he of me being asleep at the switch, | flopped miserably—and in addibesides being generally dumb, | tion flopped on this publication’s Publix missed the chance to get{very own preaching. the credit and value of a huge The annual “Thanksgiving Day”’ Thanksgiving Day afternoon|parade of Macy’s Department “Shop-and-Send Early Parade.” store is the cause of his shame. In making the admission, Mickey |The parade, which is promoted stood posed in proper attitude for|and staged every Thanksgiving a swift kick where it would do|Day afternoon, is a “parade of most good. . toyland,” designed to let the threeIt’s his job to anticipate, and miltlion-crowders-of-B roadway know that Macy’s toyland is PUCKETT SCORES! open. As a matter of fact a $10,000 Macy toy display was also Precedent was' knocked for a banner in Brooklyn when the at the moment being shown in the New York Paramount TheaBrooklyn Paramount opened its anniversary show on November DAY. should call it merchandising, being seized by Broadway, is an example. ing in the air, dollars worth tre lounge-room. All of this whizzed past Mickey’s thick skull, and didn’t even penetrate. Then the parade passed him, and he 15th. As the photograph below shows, a gala decorative scheme peed boge © Goda" hes was to get fired. prevailed on. the canopy and paralyzed in the stooping posture If you building. For the first time in Brooklyn theatrical history, permission was obtained to stretch a banner advertising a theatre. Ray Puckett of the publicity department got the permit. banner was stretched across Flatbush Avenue. Colored lights were hung in strands from the roof of the building to the canopy. during the last two years the cost of advertising your spend the ad-budget saving described above. He was moaning. “My-y-y-y-y Ga-w-w-w-wd!”’, he babbled. ‘Why didn’t I think of a merchants shop-early-parade on Thanksgiving Day that would have displayed banners of every December attraction in every Publix theatre in each of all these hundreds of Publix towns! I must be going nuts! I can’t see how I muffed it! After we’ve been yelling about merchant co-operation too! ! Only a week before, we bragged that our idea for 2 parades-daily dur ing PARAMOUNT MONTH resulted in 51parades in Fort Worth. We awarded, a $250 prize to Marsline K. Moore! And we’ve been yelling that ‘Shop Early’ would ditfuse the ruinous 2-week shopping period over four weeks, and thus make better theatre-going! And with. all of those cards in our mitts, we flopped! Shoot me somebody!’? Your Editor, always eager to oblige, pulled out a flit-gun, and was about to take aim, when three other people interfered. “Don’t shoot,’ they objected. “Wwe want to take advantage of that posture and get in some punting-practice! Anyway, ‘he don’t deserve shooting because he must have been half-shot last week, or he’d have thought of the paradegag!” So they spent the next half hour punting in the places on Mickeys anatomy where \everybody else in Publix during the on the fellow do the work gas some more. babies work OPINION—just thank or missed. Thanksgiving Day afternoon, of course, is the ideal day for a parade and the launching of the “opening of Toyland’ and “the Shop and Send Barly” movement. Let’s all remember it for next year and campaign. ‘LOVE PARADE’ Seventy-five per cent of the population of San Francisco has seen “The Love Parade,” according to a telegram from Herman Wobber to Mr. Katz. The Chevalier picture is going like wild fire on the Pacific coast, as well as in New York, where S. R. O. sign is out constantly at the Criterion Theatre. because we personally swiped that word ten years ago from the department stores) are of his latest Paramount starring) vehicle, “Half Way To Heaven,” 7 to which this hour in the air is dedicated. Rogers’ act will be re a the department stores. ‘ing Day “Toyland Is Open” parade, viewed by 3-million on Five miles long, and $15,000 to produce, with helium-inflated rubber animals and_toys floatit was aj sensation that got Macy’s a million of remembered free advertising. Which, of course, will make every other to get some of the same. The practice will doubtless spread in these days of fast communication. All of this means several things to the alert showman. If you’ve been apologetic and timid about permitting your merchants to benefit themselves by basking in the reflected attention-getting qualities of a nee prices—or if you've been passing out passes for window tieups—turn about and steam up your bass voice. With present available knowledge, you ought to a tieup, same to be entered on the account.on your box office report. It is legitimate theatre by-product income. If you give passes for tieups, haven’t been taking PUBLIX OPINION’S advice and failed to let the merchants pay shows thus permitting you to for additional entertainment, you’ve been missing a big bet. REAL tieup idea up to now, be so antiquated in another month that your like an inverted Christmas tree. expert at tieups which sell your tickets and bear the expense, then step on the It’s the only way your job next year, because these slow starting mercantile fast when once they start. start fool you. The press-agenting racket will be such tough going for theatres, next year, in competition with the big stores that even calling yourself a “merchandiser” won’t save you. Remember, these big stores buy page-ads daily in all papers, and employ hundreds of influential “letter writers” and voters and money spenders. Mark this tip in your hat, and don’t “VARIETY,” and renew your subscription and change its mailing address to your home, where you'll have time to read it all, in retentive mood. Se ee SSS last few weeks has either kicked | National Radio Hook-Up and in October, get the merchants Thursday evening, December 5, on association to promote the parade ee ee Macy’s Thanksgiv New York merchant hasten film-tieup that carries mati charge money for “miscellaneous income” you ought If you haven’t been “hot” get hot quick, or you'll beard will look If you’re already a hot-shot and make the other you'll be likely to keep Don’t let their slow thank PUBLIX On Hollywood Premiere Twenty of Hollywood’s most famous film stars were heard over the coast to coast hook-up of the Columbia Broadcasting System, the occasion of the Hollywood premiere of Ronald Colman in “Condemned” at the Chinese Theatre. It was the first national broadeast of a Hollywood premiere. ; Ronald Colman, Vilma Banky, Dolores Del Rio, Corinne Griffith, Ann Harding, Lupe Velez, Fannie Brice, Rod LaRocque, Harry Richman, Louis Wolheim and many other stars of all film companies participated. COSTUME ECONOMY A suggestion for economy in costumes has been advanced by Nate Frudenfeld, Tri-City district manager. Those theatre intending to have a Santa Claus would do better to buy a suit rather than rent one. These can be kept from year to year. . layed directly to the Columbia)” Station WABC in New York City” and then re-broadcast to the sixty 4 associated stations of the system.) tion of the hour, the program will be highly musical, being staged in7 the Paramount-Publix Playhouse, the de luxe theatre of the ainy Following selections by the con4 cert orchestra under the direction’ j of David Mendoza, and an orgal solo by Jesse Crawford, John & Carlile, head of the Paramount radio department, will introduce Paul Ash as master of ceremonies) who will conduct the stage show bute to this musical stage presen: tation of the air are Paul Small) and Dorothy Adams “Let’s Be Common’; Miss Adams in a solo, “I’m All Atwitter’; a7 band number, Doll,” and ‘“‘When The Real Thingy Comes Your Way,” Moon, Same Old June”; ‘You Di Something,’ from the Broadway stage Frenchmen”’; “On The Road To Mandalay’) Yvette Rugel in a vocal number; the Paramount Four; Fred Vettel” tenor, soprano. Set ‘Applause’ Title -|yanee trailer available Home Office, which includes silem and sound shots, particularly om¢ which gives the effect of deafeny ing applause as the trailer is be ing run in the silent-shots. has succeeded I. R. Waite as mal In addition to the Rogers por re Among those who will contri singing, “Lonesome Little “Same Old) success, ‘Fifty Million Tony Gale singing” and Veronica Wiggins)” This Way for Effect When you play “ApPLAUSs@, the suggestion is made’ that yol y have all captions, whether trailer poster, or ad-type, set in the fore going manner, to give emphasis) to the syllable, ‘““PLAU.”’ It seem to put a punch in the word, which is amplified by an exclamation F point after the word, which, @ % course, is quoted. . 7 There is an exceptional fine ad in they f MANAGERS SWITCH Homer Le Tempt, former mani ger of the Majestic, Austin, Texagy” ager of the Queen Theatre, Galvety ton, Texas. Waite assumes thi post of Le Tempt at the Majestit, ATI AT YOUR NEW YORK THEATRES WEEK OF DEC. 6 THEATRE PICTURE Paramount, Halfway To Heaven Rialto........The Trespasser Rivoli, he Taming Of The Shrew B’klyn Paramount, | x é Halfway To Heaven, Criterion ($2), AAA The Love Parad: : ST mM MN Ih