Publix Opinion (Dec 13, 1929)

WA PUBLIX OPINION, WEEK OF DECEMBER 13rH, 1929 MR. KATZ ISSUES FRESH RNING AGAINST ALL ~ SALACIOUS AD COPY A fresh warning that Publix Theatres will not tolerate salacious advertising copy has been issued by President Sam Katz in a memorandum to A. M. Botsford, Director of Advertising and Publicity. It was occasioned by the following ad copy, used by ' one of the Publix Theatres: q The Season’s Most : Daring Picture! F MILTON SILLS Z LOVE AND a THE DEVIL ¥ Secret hidden passions. . ‘ Repressed desires Insatia able loves tempting, 7 desirable women love mad men q You'll find all of this and much more daringly revealed in the glamorous setting of a new Italy! “Love and the Devil’? may shock you, but it cannot disappoint! " Many times your attention has ~ deen called in PUBLIX OPINION | to the fact that Publix Theatres > ust not lend itself to this character of copy. Im such copy as ' this is hidden all the dynamite of ’ censorship, anti-Sunday agitation, ' adverse tax legislation and other deterrants to our business. The agitators do not point out. the character of the pictures themselves. They take advertising and ' point out this character of adver| tising as an example of the bane ful effect of motion pictures. Aside from the fact that it is ' poor business policy to use this " kind of copy, Publix Theatres are supposed to appeal to the family trade, to the decent minded people " who are looking for amusement. " We can well understand that ' the enthusiasm of a manager for salacious copy because it gets re" sults at the box-office, may be the » reason for this excess of lurid copy. "The standing rule that will bear ' no changes whatsoever. is, that your advertising copy must be kept clean. You can be as sensational as you wish but you cannot use such words and phrases as ‘‘hid‘den passions, repressed desires, tempting, shocking, love-mad, etc.”’ “indescribing any picture that plays in a Publix Theatre. Any other policy is short-sighted and can only work havoc, not only to your lags a \ ‘tres as a whole. ~~ ' GOES TO OKLAHOMA ' Fred Hoenscheidt, formerly “manager of the Palace, Abilene, Texas, has assumed the manage“ment of the Sugg, Rialto, and Kozy Theatres, Chickasha, Okla. SE le ra FE ib = ma <= ° pa =] ime an es < Trailers! »= ‘Two special synchronized = SOUND-on-FILM trailers for = CHRISTMAS and NEW = YEAR are being prepared now and will be ready for | distribution on or about De' cember 14, according to Bo_ ris Morros. | Running time — approxi_mately three and a half (3%) minutes. Price to be _ determined with the booking department or district book_ ers for each theatre individually. _ Oonsiderable trouble was “experienced by his depart“ment, due to late bookings for the Armistice and Thanksgiving novelties and § will appreciate your coeration given by advising interested under your imiate supervision to book | subjects as soon as itple. brnsnnsnnnn MAQUTAUNAECCAUUAEEUUUCALOCAUCAATEA CCA TE A EUA CUCU CAAT EARNS eeE ETRE =] own theatre but to Publix Thea-| HOME OFFICE DEPARTMENT! | White Publix Shield Prints More Clearly Word has been issued to all Saenger theatre managers that the black Publix shield be replaced by the white in all advertising. The white line shield reproduces much more clearly than the other, which has a tendency to smudge. It injects the instititutional element into all theatre advertising in a very simple way and hence is of value. depend upon theirs. Here is the third of a series of stories about Publix Home Office Department personalities. They depend upon your effort, just as you To know and understand each other’s personalities and problems will lighten the burdens of, everyone, and make our tasks enjoyable. For this reason, PUBLIX OPINION is devoting an important part of its space to these brief biographical sketches. FRED L. METZLER _ Comptroller, Publix Theatres Corporation Some men are born great, others acquire greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them. Fred L. Metzler, comptroller of the Publix Theatres Corporation, does not belong to the first or third class. Mr. Metzler is a native of Buffalo, where he attended the public schools. Circumstances prevented him from receiving the benefits of a higher education in college or university. . In fact, he was not even permitted to complete his high school course. “My family needed my earning power urgently,’’ explains. the comptroller quietly, ‘‘I was obliged to forget about studies and go to work.’”’ This handicap did not keep the youth from considering and acquiring further education, however.. But the degree of Certified Public Accountant which he finally attained represented many long months of study in night schools, much struggling at home with correspondence courses, coupled with practical experience in offices where he was employed. Becomes Athlete But if it was night work ata sacrifice of personal diversion and entertainment which enabled young Mr. Metzler to obtain his start in the business world, it was devotion to his particular hobby— athletics, which brought to him the opportunities to apply his training as an accountant in lucrative spots and to win the rapid advancement and promotion to which he was entitled. “All of my early business contacts, I mean those which meant the most to me in opening doors to opportunity which I sought, were made on basketball courts, at swimming pools or: in gymnasiums,’’ Mr. Metzler says. Denied the normal chance for athletic activity in high school and college, the young Buffalo accountant applied himself as aggressively,to such diversions as he had previously devoted his energy PULUUULL UU ‘Slump-O-Graph’ To Be Used For Sag Periods A 1929 statistical chart, or graph, to be compiled and drawn by every Publix manager, has been suggested by Mr. Katz as a means of anticipating and averting slumps during 1930. This chart, or “Slump O Graph” will contain no figures, but will clearly show the falls and rises of grosses during the 52 weeks of last year. Although PUBLIX OPINION’S Daily Reminder Calendars will be in the hands of theatre managers before the first of the year, it is advisable that a 1929 “Slump-OGraph” of your theatre’s box office record also be made to act as a warning guidance for low gross CECE COCU eC CCeeeCO TULL CU LU DCCC points next year. “Blue Monday,” “school reopening,” “football sea son,” “poor Sunday matinee,” “Lent,” and “preChristmas period,” are only a few of the numerous ‘slump’ periods to be charted on your local “Slump-O-Graph.” When this graphic illustration is completed, it should be placed in a very conspicuous and_ easily discernible location on the desks of advertising and theatre managers, so that impending ‘sag periods’ can be immediately foreseen and forestalled. CUO EE Ee TTT UTE COO UOTE CUERVO UCC UCIT UU LOL ETOP ATTA TTTCETE TTT TT? his place in commercial circles. Sons Have Medals As a result, Robert Metzler, aged 14, and Roy Metzler, aged 10, are the proud possessors of a splendid collection of cups and medals, all testimonials to the prowess of their father as a basketball player, swimmer, shot putter and all around champion athlete. The youngsters never may become comptrollers, but they. certainly will be athletes, according to the father. Robert, an active Boy Scout, is developing great form in baseball, swimming and other sports, and his younger brother is proving a formidable rival. After affiliation with a railroad and a wholesale coffee house in Buffalo, Mr. Metzler took charge of the office there for the Ford Motor Company. Five years later he associated himself with a firm of certified public accountants. Assigned to Shea It was his work with this concern which gave him his first contact with the theatrical business. He was assigned to audit the books of the Shea Amusement Company in Buffalo. Ultimately he became identified with this company and for several years was closely associated with Mike Shea. In January, 1923, he was sent to Atlanta, Ga., to become secretary and treasurer in charge of the Southern Enterprises, Inc. Later headquarters for this operation were transferred to New York, where Mr. Metzler has remained since, holding offices in practically every theatre subsidiary company of Publix Theatres Corporation at one time or another. His present duties consist of handling the finances and accounting, assisting in the disposition of excess properties, and other work to the business of qualifying forrelated to the foregoing. DECEMBER PROFITS RISE (Continued from Page Four) of the gross receipts will. be turned over to a charitable institution. Brooklyn Paramount Theatre. LPI BEATE AoE ae NCE Sad Sy MEN Nene RE Advertising the December pictures as 1930 pre-releases ought to impress patrons with the unusual value of the attractions, according to Lou Goldberg, publicity director. He would sell this idea in the usual manner. ; Old favorites among moving pictures may attract quite a few patrons and it is suggested that these be run as an added feature after the last show. Since it can be obtained at the exchange at no charge, there should be no increase in rates. The added trade will more than take care of the overtime costs and leave a handsome last show profit besides. Waterloo, Iowa Art Stolte Arrangements have already been made) for the theatre to distribute $15,000 worth of merchandise supplied by merchants. The articles collected will be given away the week before Christmas. Mr. Stolte also sold the Electric Refrigeration Company 300. tickets. These will be given to people buying radios between now and Christmas. Furthermore, all those attending the Paramount Xmas Eve will receive some gift. This is in addition to the gifts being distributed as prizes. Alabama Theatre Birmingham, Ala. The toy matinee idea was used with great success by Manager R: C. Frost of the Alabama Theatre in preparation for his Christmas toy distribution. He has promised to send tear sheets of the publicity that this earned for him in the newspapers. He staged his ‘‘Happiness Party’? on November 29th and obtained over 3,000 toys. Boy Scouts and the city fire department are taking care of the renovating while the community chest council or the Salvation Army will attend to distributing them at Christmas. BIG ATTRACTIONS SET FOR JANUARY To offset the customary.,slump that theatres usually find on the second week of January (starts January 6, next year), William Saal, Director of Buying and Booking for the circuit, has saved some big attractions for that week. Chevalier in ‘“‘The Love Parade’”’ will play nearly sixty percent of our ‘‘A’’ theatres, and “Show of Shows” will play the remainder. Other big attractions available are: ‘General Crack’’ and ‘“‘Sally.’’ Start gathering your available information and get your HOT campaign under way. INDIANA OPENING The State Theatre in Anderson, Indiana, will open. shortly with Harry Muller, city manager, in charge.