Publix Opinion (Dec 27, 1929)

| J hlek ah se a eile init le Spiess AV eiepetced aR eE i is SS ——— EX-B&K ‘GRIP NOW WIZARD OF LIGHT Perhaps no company, in any line of commercial endeavor, has furnished so many outstanding successes in its own, and closely affiliated industries, as Balaban and Katz. Prominent among them is Roscoe H. Major, president of the Major’ Electrical Equipment Co., Chicago, consultant lighting engineer for Publix, and one of the greatest authorities on theatre lighting in the world. Major started his theatrical career aS a stage hand in Balaban and Katz’ old Circle Theatre in Chicago. Fascinated by the mysterious effects that could be obtained from the playof light, ‘Major made an intense study of this branch of the theatre. It was not long before, by dint of painstaking theoretical study and careful observation and experimentation at the theatre, he became an expert in that field. Then came his great chance. Balaban and Katz, always believing in giving their own men a ‘‘break’’—which later Roscoe E. Major developed into the Publix ‘‘Promotion From Within” policy—entrusted their former stage hand with the job of drawing up the plans for lighting ‘‘the world’s greatest movie house.” This was the Tivoli Theatre. His First Chance In an empty dressing room back-stage of the Circle Theatre, Major started to work. A young man of 31, with 12 years of lighting work behind him, including a job as stage manager of the old La Salle Theatre and some nice theatre lighting creations, he felt confident of his ability to lay-out -a masterpiece in theatre-lighting for the greatest show-house ever built. Here was his chance. Yet, there was a fly in the ointment. Like everyone else at that time, Major didn’t believe the theatre would ever be built. Balaban and Katz had only been in business a short time and, although they were doing nicely, where did they get the nerve to think of building ‘“‘the world’s greatest movie house!”’ 3 Unhindered by the consideration of cost and other practical draw-backs (since the theatre would never be built anyhow) Major let the artist in him enjoy full sway and, in an orgy of unhindered creation, set to work on his masterpiece, indulging his passion for utilizing the decorative resources of lighting, in deft touches and lots of color—mostly green, for he loved that shade. f ‘ | electric i hoist sandbags PUBLIX OPINION, WEEK OF DECEMBER 27ru, 1929 STII TA Important ! Be Specific In Ordermg Trailers! With the advent of sound and the necessity of screen masking, different lenses or other possible devices in connection with the use of movietone film, it is now vitally important that district and house managers specify their exact requirements in their orders_ for screen leaders, ‘‘ends,’’ date leaders and special trailer announcements of every character. Be specific as to whether you want movietone width or full width, the number of prints required and the color. It is understood that amber prints will be delivered unless other color is ordered. Let’s eliminate the guesswork at this end, save a little money and avoid a lot of grief. All erders for this service should be addressed to S. D. Palmer, Home Office. | IIT TT D | UIT TTT TTT III EAT ATT ATA VUUNUUUNUUTUA SAULT = 1 all The rest of the known. The Tivoli Theatre was built, exactly according to his plans, and the former stage hand found himself famous. Work in Demand Since that time, he has lighted several other ‘‘world’s greatest theatres’”’ both in this country and abroad. He has laid out the lighting plans of every Publix de luxe theatre. He went into business for himself and his electrical equipment was in demand ali over the world. Wherever a great opera house or theatre or public building of unusual elegance is constructed, inevitably, one channel or another, the word spreads that Roscoe EH. Major is the man to get hold of to lay out the job. As a result, spotted over the surface of the entire globe, are monumental symphonies of illumination housed in magnificent palaces, which bear testimony to the genius of the former stage hand who used to in Balaban and Katz’ Circle Theatre. Major’s domestic happiness, like his business success, started at the Circle. For Mrs. Roscoe E. Major used to be the organist at that theatre when he was toiling with his plans in the back-stage dressing room. A romance started and they married. They have five children. Their home at 2600 Wilson Avenue, Chicago, is a marvel of decorative beauty, for the most part effected by the wizardry of electric light. It has 215 outlets, 280 lamps, and a total connected load of 8,285 watts, switches at both the front and back doors which turn on lamps in every room of the house and push button switches in both the master bed-rooms to do the same. It is a veritable house that light built. story through | is well} depend upon theirs. our tasks enjoyable. HOME OFFICE DEPARTMENT! Here is the fifth of a series of stories about Publix Home Office Department personalities who 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 For this reason, PUBLIX OPINION is devoting ‘an important part of its space to these brief biographical sketches. MORRIS GREENBERG Supervisor of Construction Official curiosity equipped Morris Greenberg for his work in supervising the activities of the Publix construction and maintenance departments. That curiosity was required of him in his capacity as NOVEL ‘OH, YEAH’? BALLY “Si”? Latta, shown in the “road duster” here, is chief projectionist for the Skouras-Publix theatres in Indianapolis, but he’s a great aid to the Advertising Department, as well. To be convinced of this one has only to look at his car. It was adorned with these “Oh Yeah” stickers for two weeks prior to the opening date of the picture at the Yndiana. and Maintenance Depts. eost accountant in charge of approval of expenditures for the Balaban & Katz organization in Chicago. When Mr. Greenberg joined B & K five years ago all of his previous experience had been in the clothing industry. It was a varied experience, to be sure, and not confined to either the manufacturing or selling phases of the industry. Although he had begun at the bottom—and could make a suit of clothes today if he tried——he had qualified as an expert production engineer and cost accountant before he quit the business. First Theatre Job His association with B & K was his first contact with the theatre. After some scattered preliminary work in cost accounting and budget preparation, Mr. Greenberg gradually rose to a post where he was approving all expenditures in all departments of the B & K operation. This contact with details of the various unit activities familiarized him with all branches of theatre operation. Transferred East He thus acquired a general knowledge which enabled him to assist materially in the organization of the B & K construction department which functioned so efficiently that he was transferred to ‘VAGABOND KING TO GET FULL PAGE AD On January 25, Technicolor i will run a full page ad in the Saturday Evening Post, on “The Vagabond King.” By that time you’ll know your playdate for this attraction, so you ought to be able to make an arrangement with your local newsdealers to permit you to rubber-stamp on each copy, the information that it’s coming to your theatre on whatever the date happens to be. Maybe he'll let you insert a special small flat herald. Many Publix theatre Managers report that it’s easy to do either or both of these things, and that it’s done once a month. Ushers take care of the job, and a few passes makes it easy to get the privilege. It gives you the full local benefit of the local circulation of that great magazine, and only costs the effort involved. After you’ve done it for the Technicolor ad, you can repeat it on the page-ads that Paramount is buying. The next issue of PUBLIX OPINION will tell you the date and page number of the Paramount “Vagabond King” ad. Watch for it. RADIO STATIONS OPEN TO PUBLIX Announcement is made by A. M. Botsford that every radio station in the Columbia chain has been instructed to permit local Publix theatre advertising managers to intepolate a brief announcement of coming pictures, etc., during the Paramount-Publix hour. This is a big privilege, and affords great opportunity for ticket selling publicity. Write out your announcements and get friendly with the station announcer, so that he’ll make them in a manner beneficial to you. Another Manager Finds Local News Shots Good Good use of moving picture photography for a local event was achieved by C. Frederick, manager of the Capitol Theatre of Pittsfield, Mass. On Thanksgiving Day a championship football -game between the two local high schools was the talk of the town. The Walk-Over Shoe store was sold the idea: of paying for the cost of motion pictures of the entire game played before a crowd of 5,000. Good shots were obtained of the game, street parades of both teams, the mayor and city officials, ete. These shots were shown for several days. New York eight months ago for similar work in connection with the entire Publix circuit. Mr. Greenberg was born in Russia some thirty-five years ago. He came to the United States at the age of nine and received his education in the Baltimore _publice schools. It was in Baltimore that he began his association with the clothing industry, an association which did not terminate until he had acquired a wide technical manufacturing experience, had familiarized himself with general accounting practice and had specialized in the more involved field of cost accounting. Natural Executive His associates know that he has a natural gift for administration work and that his ability as an executive alone amply qualifies him for his post. Mr. Greenberg das not concentrated upon cost sheets, contracts and budgets to the exclusion of other interesting subjects. Literature is one of his hobbies and he is remarkably well informed upon the topic. In addition, he is an amateur sculptor and a devotee of music. oncaPereeae ines eacemgib as" ee