Publix Opinion (Dec 27, 1929)

3 VAGABOND KING TO SET NEW GROSSES — (Cont. from Page 1) wrecking challenge to those huge box-office grosses piled up ay “Cockeyed World”, “Singing Fool”, “Birth Of A Nation”, “Virginian”, “Gold diggers”, “Cocoanuts’’, “Sunnyside Up”, or “On With The Show”. An uncut “scratch: print” from the studio has been previewed py Messrs. Katz, Dembow, :Chatkin, Saal and Botsford. = All division directors, and your Editor saw it, too. Despite the more exacting demands of a view point based on| daily contact with audience reactions, all of these Publix showmen subscribed to the statement that) “show business has never before]. had such a tremendous attraction |. of such wide popular appeal.”’ As a result, officials of both Pub-| lix and Paramount immediately went into consultation to prepare}. for the solution to the opening problem of this picture. We're going to establish in every Publix town, the new gross-record for a theatre in that town, and the record will be one that won’t be beaten soon. “Vagabond King” will do it. To accomplish this, officials of both Paramount and Publix have collected every scrap ot “selling” information,. every idea, and every aid. These are now being tied into the campaign for the world’s premiere of the attraction when it opens February 10 at the “Criterion” in New York. Simultaneously, the campaign will be broadcast to every theatre that will play it afterwards. In order to get the maximum benefit of the avalanche of publicity that the premiere will attract, Paramount has consented to its general release in Publix keytowns, two weeks after its Broadway opening. Thus all of the benefit of national magazine ads, press-syndicate publicity, newsreel-shots, etc., will be available and timely for every theatre that is fortunate in having “Vagabond King” booked. The first ticket-selling consultation between both Paramount and Publix was held last week. Here are some of the developments from that meeting: PREVIEWS Key towns to preview the picture the first week in January. Lobbies, ads, trailer, press sheet, stills, will all then be ready. There are three radiobroadcast dates, February 8, 15, 22. There is a possibility of getting Dennis King to be featured in one of these broadcasts. Another of the broadcasts will feature Jeanette Mac Donald. The third one will feature the presentation of the opening of THE VAGABOND KING at the Criterion. Local chain stations to announce local playdates. The picture will open February 10 at the Criterion with a preview for the critics. ~ The gala opening to the public, will be held on Lincoln’s birthday eve, February 11. . BOOKINGS Following the opening at the Criterion the picture will PUBLIX OPINION, WEEK OF DECEMBER 27ru, 1929 DES MOINES DID IT! M. L. Elewitz, of the Publix Paramount Theatre in Des Moines, Ia., put over the idea explained by these cards. In the bank tieup, instead of awarding $250 in paid up savings accounts, as originally planned, that amount in cash was given away at the theatre on Christ mas Eve. The second card was displayed in 170 street cars at no cost to the theatre. \PERPEONERT TOPE RIE LEMME SD) : FREE! DOD DOH DBD Dw fe fe $200 IN CASH WILL BE AWARDED AS PRIZES BY THE BANAERS TRUST C0: FREE! DDH DDD DoVDw AND , = PARAMOUNT THEATRE 2 @ At The 9 0’clock Performance play in the following towns on or about February 22:— Century, Buffalo; Washington and Uptown, Boston; . McVickers, Chicago; Paramount, Detroit; Denver, Denver — to follow in the Rialto; St. Francis, San Francisco — (following closing of LOVE PARADE); Paramount or Pantages, Los Angeles; Newman, Kansas City—to follow in the Royal; Paramount, Salt Lake; Century, Minneapolis; Paramount, Toledo; to follow in the Princess; Eastman, Rochester —to follow in the Piccadilly; Grand Central, St. Louis; Circle, Indianapolis. TRAILERS It is planned to have a special announcement trailer made to run in these theatres February 8. This announcement to be followed by the Technicolor trailer. It is planned to have a news shot taken of the opening at the Criterion and to get this out immediately to run in the theatres February 15 and to also include the color trailer. Also, to make a special presentation leader to run ahead of the main title of picture. Also, to run some trailer announcement concerning the fact of the broadcasts Feb. 8, 15, 22. Sound Screen To Spread Culture (Cont. from Page 1) the talking-screen arrived. “People think more, and faster, nowadays, than in 1920. They read and see more, and _ travel more. Consequently, they can absorb more of the benefits of experimentation. “It will always be true that the public clings to certain general preferences. This prevents revolutionary changes. However, now it is possible to profitably present works of great authors, musicians, and other creative geniuses which, hitherto, have been unappreciated, except in limited circles within big cities. America has developed its mentality a hundredfold, in the last ten years, and with this has come a popular artistic and spiritual appreciation never known before. “This encourages the theatres to universally present proper entertainment of every kind and depth of thought. Ten years ago, only the shallowest kind of entertainment could hope for patronage from the general public. The finest offerings of music and stage were then available only under most limited circumstances. “Today, any crossroads hamlet will turn out for attractions that would have been ignored a decade ago as being ‘too highbrow.’. Next year will see America’s intellectual progress, as reflected in theatre-going, in its highest state of development.” (CONGRATULATE The recordings of Dennis King and other stars in the| picture will be checked to see what recordings there are on the songs, for use with special announcement trailers and other purposes. _ \ PUBLICITY A special series of stories will be prepared with a New York date line involving the opening at the Criterion and follow-up stories which will be immediately sent to all theatres, designed to carry along until the opening of the picture at these theatres mentioned above. . It is planned to run a series of ads, or at least one or two ads, in these out of town engagements on the day the picture opens at the Criterion. Proofs of the Saturday Eve. Post ad will be obtained and sent out for lobby display to the theatres. Technicolor will have a Saturday Eve. Post ad on THE VAGABOND KING, January 25. Local theatres will try for herald inserts here. The large cooperative ads will be made into! still further enlargements and colored, to be sent around for lobby display to the theatres. The question of using the 4 color ad on the back of the American Weekly, Feb. 15 which will affect, so far as Pub ALL PUBLIX ON DRIVE (Cont. from Page 1) Katz, Executive Vice President Sam Dembow, Jr., commended the enthusiasm displayed throughout the entire circuit during the campaign and urged Publix showmen to profit by the impetus of the December Drive and carry on in the same or accelerated stride through the new year. “With the ticket-selling machinery of every Publix theatre now ‘hitting on all six,’ ‘Mr. Dembow said, ‘‘a splendid opportunity is offered for rolling up the greatest grosses in Publix history during the first few months of 1930. With the magnificent product that is ahead of us, and the knowledge of our sage ine December achievement behind us, nothing should stand in the way of-our attaining that goal.’ David J. Chatkin, General Director of Theatre Management, was particularly gratified with the way Publix man-power stood up under the strain of the epochmaking drive. ‘We expected every man in Publix to do his duty,” was Mr. Chatkin’s comment, “and the way the boys came through _proved to us that our confidence in them was not misplaced.’’ One of the outstanding high lix is concerned, the following towns, will be taken up :—Boston, Chicago, ‘Detroit, — San Francisco, Los Angeles, Rochester, Syracuse, Atlanta, San Antonio. LOBBY DISPLAY Photos of the theatre front and lobby display, crowds, etc. will be taken, copied and sent out for lobby display to the theatres. A lobby display treatment that can be followed throughout the circuit will be planned. to stress in campaigns is the fact that this is the first perfect all-colored picture. ° Among the things] SENSATIONAL SHORTS FOR © NEW ERA (Cont. from Page 1) Paramount short subjects by Publix showmen, with the en-_ tire Publix stage and musical production departments to assist him. This will include Boris Morros, General Director of Publix Musical department, and Stage Producers, © Jack Partington, Frank Cam-_ Petroff, Charles — McDer© mott, and other famous crea-_ All of | bria, Boris Niggemeyer, Louis tors of entertainment. the resources of the Publix William Morris Agency, which has contracts with most of the q musical — notable vaudeville, comedy, operatic, and motion — picture stars, will be available. With the high compliments _ to Publix implied by Para mount in these two tributes to _ Publix showmanship, Publix is expected to line up to a man in _ “backing up the shorts” —partic— ularly Paramount shorts. Every possible playdate for 1 Paramount shorts that can be 7 arranged on a Publix theatre | program will immediately be | scheduled, by order of Mr. Katz. Special containing all needed informa-_ tion as to music, casts, running — time, footage, directorship, au-_ thorship, and a brief synopsis — of the character of each, will be — furnished for each “short,” to-@ gether with suggestions for — posters and art-work. Possibly — photos, will also be a a few “still” prepared by the publicity department, each theatre by way of the local Paramount. film exchange, so that ample helps may be available to managers in plot: ting and selling their programs. Home office and district information’ sheets _ and forwarded to — bookers will be charged with | the responsibility of aiding managers in properly “spotting” each “short” into its most effective place on a program, | lights of the drive was the intelli gent and energetic way in whichit was sold to the public, according to A. M. Botsford, General Director of Advertising and Publicity. “Every sales medium known in show business was exploited to the fullest extent in making the December Drive a success,” declared Mr. Botsford. ‘Not a single gag, stunt, or tie-up in the advertising man’s old hokum bucket but found its counterpart in some branch of Publix operation, either in its original form or embellished with a new twist. The entire country was washed with a wholesale sales effort which bore enviable fruit and will continue to do so in the immediate future.” William M. Saal, Director of © Film Buying and Booking, called — particular attention to the effort devoted to the selling of shorts. “It is extremely gratifying,” said Mr. Saal, “to note that — Publix showmen have awakened to the _ realization of. the importance played by the ‘short’ in building up their volume of business. In many instances, during the December _ Drive, great stress was placed upon the short subject, both in — billing and in newspaper adver— tising and publicity. In every case where this was done, a profitable return was noticed at the box office.”’ f