Publix Opinion (Jan 10, 1930)

6 Diversity to be Keynote of Production (Continued from Page One) opened up a virgin forest of material that is suitable to the screen and that was barred to us through the limitations of the _ silent screen. Musical comedy, operetta, society drama, comedy drama or farce will be filmed in as diversified a manner as is possible.” With the production of ‘“‘The Dance of Life,’ from the stage success, ‘‘Burlesque,”’ the picture 4ndustry entered into a new and important phase of entertainment. Method. Perfected In this picture, Technicolor and sound were combined on a single strip of film in the big revue sequences. This development, which followed months of experimentation, has resulted in the making of many all-sound, all-color productions in 1929 and the projected filming of many others during 1930. According to Mr. Lasky, the next development will be the enjlarged screen, although the executive says this ‘will not come until the public is ready for it. This big screen, together with color and -sound, will bring a new entertainment triumvirate to audiences. During 1929, Paramount elevated several featured players to stardom. . These were Richard Arlen, Ruth Chatterton, Gary Cooper, Nancy Carroll and William Powell. According to Mr. Lasky, all of them have won public approval because they had been well groomed to occupy the star spotlight. ‘We brought other players from the stage, and they have been successful,” said Mr. Lasky. “Among these are Moran and Mack, Dennis King, Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald, Helen Kane, Lillian Roth, Kay Francis, Skeets Gallagher and Fredric March. The great majority of our former silent picture players have remained with us and have been equally successful in talkies.” During 1930, Paramount plans the release of approximately seventy feature pictures, although the exact figure has yet to be decided upon. ‘Vagabond King’ Two of the most important will be “The Vagabond King,’ starring Dennis King, photographed entirely in color, and “Paramount On Parade,’ the cinefestival, presenting all of the company’s stars and principal players. One of the notable achievements of the year from a directorial standpoint was Ernst Lubitsch’s direction of ‘‘The Love Parade,” the executive stated. ¢ ¢ Photo-Economy! From Manager Edward Harrison, of the PublixBroadway Theatre, Springfield, Mass., comes a good suggestion which is in perfect line with the economy drive recently instituted by Publix. Instead of hiring professional photographers to take pictures of lobbies, ‘displays and exploitation stunts for PUBLIX OPIN-. ION, ad records or other uses, Manager Harrison takes them with an ordinary Kodak (post card size), which adequately serves the purpose. The only exception is in the case of personal photographs where a fullsize portrait is necessary. Joseph S. Borenstein, manager of the Publix Imperial Theatre in Pawtucket, R. I., practices this sensible eco 1s O00 © -0+0-10-0101 0-101-066-1061 1-616 +00 06+ 6 105-6102 O-10 8 6-66-06 = © °O*-O-O+-O-O+-O+O:-O+O*SOOO SOO +O+-D °O--S 0" +O>-S O'S 0: SO" @ -@O+-OO+-@ -O:-@O°-O-O-S Gt G-G> i PUBLIX OPINION, WEEK OF JANUARY 10ru, 1930 =A THANK YOU, responsibility for them. these volumes. fullest extent. 22) NAA A “T am advised that bound volumes of Publix Opinion are being sent out in the same manner that other supplies are shipped to the theatres and a receipt will be obtained for each book. These volumes are to be left in the theatre when the managers are transferred and the new managers will assume “At the time this matter was first broached, I strongly supported the suggestion that all managers should receive I trust that the men in the field will sustain me in this contention by appreciating and using them to the They are a veritable gold mine of information and suggestions on theatre management-exploitation. know of no other source through which we can all obtain so much valuable knowledge in so interesting a form.” \ MR. MAYER I | Arthur L. Mayer, Division Director. HAT ‘Sweetie’ Gets Another Candy Store Tie-Up A candy shop furnished 206 pounds of nutty fruits, which were distributed to outgoing patrons of the Publix Tampa, Tampa, Fla., in advance of the showing of “Sweetie.’”? The candy was in glacine bags which contained copy about picture, playdate and theatre. In return for all this, Manager J. McKenna permitted the candy} shop to utilize a portion of the lobby space for a decorated showcase of chocolates. The candy concern also paid for co-operative ads in the newspapers as well as having co-operative window displays in their stores. NEW ADDRESS A. J. Moreau, district manager, will now have his headquarters at. the Strand Theatre, Portland, Me. Wm. T. Powell, publicity representative, will be located at the same address. lie NO STORY TREND IN 1930 TALKING FILMS PARAMOUNT STUDIOS PLAN west coast production. The first project, necessitated by the increasing demand for talking pictures, will be the construction of a _ four-story administration building, in which will be located the executive personnel of the company. This structure is to replace a one-story business managers’ and library building. Dozen Stages Reconstruction of at least two more of the silent picture stages for the making of talking pictures is a part of the progress. Several already have been rebuilt and production is under way on them. With the new ones, Paramount MEET THE BOYS! To promote acquaintance, respect and mutual understanding of the splendid individuals who comprise Publix, these one-minute biographies are offered. They’re not printed as vanity ticklers for the showmen here portrayed. We want the photo and biography of everyone in Publix for the benefit of everyone in Publix. NAT HOLT Nat Holt, manager of the California Theatre in San Francisco, is a veteran showman, having had more than 15 years of expsec 1-ecn-c,€ managing stock companies, vaudeville houses and straight picture operations. In 191 2, Holt became assistant manager for Turner and Dahnken in Stockton, Cal. He managed the California Theatre for Herbert L. Rothschild for a period Get three years. In 1926, he joined Publix as manager of the Granada, San Francisco but shortly afterwards resigned to enter business for himself, managing his own theatre. At the end of three years, he sold his property and, _ re-entering Publix, was assigned to his old post at the California, which had since been taken over by Publix. R. W. WATERSON A College graduate who has had many years of theatrical experience, both as a performer and as a manager, is R. W. Waterson, manager of the Marion Theatre, Marion, Ohio. Waterson, was an instructor at the Onarga Conservatory of Music after his graduation from that institution. Lured by Nat Holt the call of the theatre, he got a job as assistant manager and treasurer of the Oliver, South Bend, Ind. Later he joined the Saxe Enterprises in Milwaukee, as assistant manager of the Modjeska. He was soon promoted to the Wisconsin as manager, where he remained for two years, when he turned performer, as organist, at Saxe’s Tower. He later resigned to enter Notre Dame University, from where he was graduated. He joined Publix upon the completion of his course’ and was assigned to his present position. RR. W. Waterson LEWIS NEWMAN Lewis Newman, manager of the Central Sq. in Cambridge, Mass., is a graduate of Harvard and Northeastern Law School. He has had a number of Nee Aeris = O21 newspaper and publicity experience. While at school, Newman worked on a Boston newspaper later leaving that field to enter the thetre game at the Washington, Boston. Newm ano, shortly afterward, withdrew from the managing end of the theatre and went with a number of star acts, as publicity director. In 1928, he returned to theatre management, at the Washington St. Olympia, as assistant manager. A few months later he was promoted to the managership of the Field’s Corner Theatre, from where he was transferred to his present post. HARRY L. DOW | Harry lL. Dow, manager of the Uptown Theatre, St. Paul, has had arich and varied business exXperience. The Hill interests in St. Pra le C= ployed him to work out special exploitation plans in connection |) with the First National Bank “| and the Great Northern Railroad. He “i was with this ‘torganization for more belie Nea eave “years, also acting as pureon a-Si ns agent, advertisinge’ manager and city solicitor. Later he did special publicity work for the Northern Pacific Railway and also superintended the dining car department office. For nine months, Dow acted as a secretary to Mr. Harold D. Finkel-| stein of the Northwest Theatre Circuit. While with this firm, he managed the Dale Theatre, St. Paul and was superintendent of the maintenance department. L. Newman H. L. Dow ROBERT T. MURPHY Robert T. Murphy has been in the motion picture business for ‘more. than fifteen years. His first job in this industry was with the Mutual Film Company in 1914. Prior to his entrance in the U.S. Army during the World W ar, Murphy was employed by a film exchange. After the war he joined the Universal ESi-bimCom= pany in Buffalo. In 1926, Murphy left the distributing branch of R. T. Murphy the _ business_ and entered the exhibiting end—with the Shea Circuit, as manager of their North Park ‘Theatre, Buffalo, N. Y. From then on, when a new theatre was opened in Buffalo, Murphy was called to manage that house. It happened when the Kensington opened in December, 1926; when the Bailey opened in Sept. 1928; and now he has been appointed manager of Shea’s New Seneca Theatre which opens January 11. HARRY WAREHAM Manager Harry Wareham of the Metropolitan, Seattle, Washington, is a graduate of the first Pub lix Managers’ School. He is an alumnus of Kansas State College and attended the Chicago Art Institute prior to his enlistment in the U.S. Navy. After operating his father’s theatre in Manhattan, Kan. for a few, years, Wareham entered the Manag ers’ School. Upon the completion of H. Wareham’ iis training : there, he was assigned to the Tivoli, Chicago, as assistatnt manager. Later he went to the coast aS house manager of the Criterion, Los Angeles. After serving in a managerial capacity in several theatres in Washington, Wareham was assigned to the ‘‘Met,” in Seattle. : EXPANSION PROGRAM WITH SEVERAL NEW SOUND STAGES An expansion program involving the erection of several new sound stages and buildings and the enlargement of others on the twenty-six-acre Paramount studio property in Hollywood was announced today by B. P. Schulberg, general manager of — will have twelve fully-equipped and modern sound-proof stages. A new assembly shop for the putting together of sets and an extension of the monorail system, an overhead railway which transports sets from the assembly plant to the stages, are among the contemplated construction plans. Several new sound picture projection rooms are to be installed in a new building located where Paramount’s former experimental stage now stands. In this building also will be housed a second portrait gallery. New Pavement The capacity of the studios’ transportation department is to be increased, permitting the housing of many more passenger automobiles, camera and property trucks, Schulberg stated, and the laying of new concrete streets in the ‘back lot’ is soon to be under way. Another important item in the expansion program will be the construction of a new electrical and equipment building,. wherein will be stored and repaired the vast assortment of are and Kleig lights needed for motion picture production. Announcement of the Hollywood building program follows closely on the heels of the word from Jesse L. Lasky, first vicepresident in charge of Paramount production, that a similar expansion has been launched in the Astoria, Long Island, plant of the company. RIO RITA SOLD BY OPPOSITION The opening of a series of concerts in Bayfront Park, Miami, | Florida, meant strong opposition to Manager Earle M. Holden of the Fairfax Theatre. He took advantage of this opposition, howover, in a most effective way. : Some of the numbers scheduled for the concert were from Rio Rita the attraction at the theatre. Holden prevailed upon the leader to announce through the amplifying system the fact that the picture was at the Fairfax and the playdates. In addition to this plug, Holden ‘had some of his ushers in Spanish costume carrying neat placards on their backs, mingle with — the audience. 90 e-O-$Oe-O-0e-OO-S-O:-O-8+ SO SO? SO SO+ 9" S O° BLUE MONDAY STUNT! Helen Kane, Paramount’s newest singing comedienne, | who is now playing a Series of personal appearances in and around New York, has developed an_ exploitation idea that can and should be used to advantage by all theatres which have a Helen Kane picture on the way. A Helen Kane ‘Double’ contest ought to be a good Monday business _ builder.. Have all the little girls, who think they look, act. and boop-a-doop like Helen, get up on the stage and do their stuff. Prizes, offered by local merchants and ostensibly paid for by Helen Kane, should lure a half dozen or so entrants for each of a succession of blue Mondays, pepping up the last evening show and building patronage for a gala finale at which the prizes are awarded. O-@-2 0+ OOOO O02 SOOo O20 -O-0-O+ O+-O-O:-S-+ OO 101-12 O +O" OO" DOS 1B! SO" DOD O:-D 10: O10: DO S-$ 0 +-O2O2-O 2-9-9 B°-G-+O9 SO" HO" SO> SO" SO" DO °-D > S>-B-$O*-S $O*-@ °O°-S °O>-S -H2Oe-SO:SO SH S*-SO* r) ° ~D°Oe-O-+Oo-O-O--S-O-S-2O*-S°O*-S+O*-S O° 0" S20" G0" So ?