Publix Opinion (Jan 24, 1930)

x Sa fi “3 rageteh oe as iS Re ee sist ts! Se ete RE EN _ 7 ] Hoh apy tab saeai me , Zp 3 ee 4 PU LL TOLERANCE DEVELOPS MAN-POWER INPUBLIX ° Vol Il UHTEROHRERGUEQOREOGEOOEGEOUEROEED UNENENOEOUAUAOGANOUUEATROEOOUEAENE = + | / <sviepua uve pnesanasnaa aaa vaLb as asnuOH ORE UEMLCDHE HALE AEUDAGADDUAODUALAGARLLOMAEO ULTEGRA DOE LAESTARET SR rd ee er tt cn me ace re = The Official Voice of Publix. Opinion divminimauinane dae Publix Theatres Corporation, Paramount ae New York, Week of January 24th, 1930 . J FUOUBHOUDOQROOUEOREDOEUOUUHOREROEOOSROOEHURRES TOLERANCE DEVELOPS MAN-POWER INPUBLIX °® No. 20 JRURERROSEENEN | FAULTY SOUND-PROJECTION OFFERS WORST MENACE T0 OUR BUSINESS _ PATIENCE AND TOLERANCE _ BEST FOR DEVELOPMENT OF EFFICIENT MAN-POWER) | Commenting on the dae in the Publix man-power building policy, which was brought to light by the difficulty in finding adequate temporary substitutes during the proposed District Managers School, David J. Chatkin, General Director of Theatre Management, tendered some sound advice to his lieutenants in command, which might well serve as the fundamental axioms of successful show business. “Choosing the easiest way out in the training of man-power,” declared Mr. Chatkin, ‘is bound to be disastrous, as it is in any project. The district manager, or theatre manager, who is constantly changing his men because they do not immediately fall in step with his ideas, is following the course of least resistance. Give your men a fair chance, just as you would expect one from those above you. Be patient with a new manager. He may be totally different from you, in temperament, background, mentality and general outlook. Work with him. Study him. Seek out his good points as well as his deficiencies. Develop the former; eliminate the y latter, gradually, patiently and in a kindly, helpful manner. Drop the Whip “Don’t set yourself up as Czar over your men. The history of the past decade has thrown a significant light upon the ultimate fate of this type of ruler. The logical reason for their downfall is that tyrannical, high-handed methods are always ineffectual. A tyrant is always disliked and distrusted. By constantly holding a whip over his men, he gets out of them just a bare, mechanical and disgruntled fulfillment of their duties; he loses entirely that vast wealth of additional effort which comes with a man’s personal interest in his job, initiative, pride in his understood and acknowledged achievement, an encouraged ambition and the eager, alert cooperation which is born of a sincere respect, friendly liking and gratitude toward a sympathetic, helpful mentor, with whom he is working toward a common goal. “Don’t try to do all the thinking for your men. If you treat your men as mere automatic figure-heads to carry out your instructions, they will become just (Continued on BO Two) -0-0-0-0-0-0-6-0 © -2-o Dennis nis King! Derithts King, star of Paramount’s super-picture ‘The Vagabond King,” will make personal appearances at the New York Paramount, beginning January 31, and at the Brooklyn Paramount the week of February 7. These will be King’s first motion picture house appearances and will afford an opportunity for syndicated interviews and feature stories which will hit the ek all over the country. TOLLS ON WIRE MESSAGES TOO HIGH Members of the Publix Cost Control Committee, according to Mr. Dembow.and Mr. Metzler, are being forced to the conclusion that the attention of everyone in Publix has not as yet been fully centered on cutting down telephone and telegraph tolls. Although aggregate sums expended for rapid communication service were sharply reduced up on the first pronouncement of the Cost: Control Committee against unnecessary and verbose wires and telephone conversations, much room remains for improvement. Copies of wires in the hands of the committee indicate the need for increased vigilance on the part of everyone in Publix. Comptroller F. L. Metzler cites the following incident to PUBLIX OPINION as an involved the needless expenditure of several dollars. The manager of a Western theatre requisitioned a check for payment of a monthly account amounting to $1767.20. Through error the check was made out for $1776.20, nine dollars in excess of the amount requisitioned. A little thought would have pointed out the expediency of settling the account with a credit balance of $9.00, informing the home office of the error and the settlement by letter. But the manager sent the accounting department the _ following thirty-eight word straight wire: ee Company check of .... .... requisition called for seventeen hundred sixty seven dollars twenty cents STOP your check returned seventeen hundred seventy six dollars twenty cents STOP How do you wish handle this overage Advise Regards.”’ ‘In giving as a specific sample a wire from the field to the home office,’ said Mr. Metzler, “I do not |. wish to imply that the home office is blameless in this respect. Here is a wire from an executive in New York, sent to a point in Florida. It contains approximately hundred and fifty words, and was (Conny on Euae Two) > instance which one) Premiere on Febr. 19 With plans ae a box-office landslide during the showing of “The Vagabond King” going on “at “a «rapid: pace; “the following words of acclaim come from Mr. Sam Dembow, jr, executive wicesDecsianys of Publix. “The Vagabond King’ is the greatest bit of property Paramount has ever made or owned and in my judgment the most powerful entertainment magnet in the history of show business!” This statement was made simultaneously with the announcement that the world premiere of the photoplay would take place at the (Continued on Page Two) “Vagabond King’ PERFECT REPRODUCTION NOW MANDATORY IN ALL PUBLIX THEATRES, ASSERTS MR. KATZ Sound in our theatres is now a year and a half old. It has passed out of the experimental stage and has become more important than any other single factor in the industry. For these reasons nothing less than perfection in sound reproduction will be tolerated in any Publix theatre. This is the tenor of a statement made by Mr. Sam Katz at the last cabinet meeting in which were outlined the activities of the department of maintenance and construction, toward making perfect sound as much a symbol of Publix as perfect service. “Sound today is in a position: analogous to projection many years ago,” declared Mr. Katz. “Poor projection was the rule because responsibility could rarely be placed. Projection problems have been reduced to a minimum today because managers have learned more about this phase of showmanship. i ieee that all men do the same for sound. “A manager not equipped to maintain excellent sound re production is not equipped to CORRECT SOUND RESULTS ONLY OBTAINED THROUGH CONSTANT CHECK ROUTINE By DR. N. M. “M. LA PORTE Research Engineer ae Publix Theatres . In last week’s PUBLIX OPINION, special instructions were published, entitled “Daily Projection and Sound Check. 2 was stated therein, that “The manager or assistant manager should make it his business to go into the auditorium at least every 15 minutes during the day, if only for a minute, just to assure himself that his sound is correct.” The: importance OL. aese1 a oe Fo: routine visits to the auditoriums at fifteen minute intervals cannot be overestimated. Your first iadenton on entering the floor should be the VORUME: LEVELicCol® the sound is too low or soft, parts of the speech or dialogue will not be heard, and this is more annoying than conversing with some one who speaks in a low voice, because you can’t ask the screen to repeat it. Echoes Distort Excessively loud reproduc tion is even more objection(Continued on Page Two) i cccnieca ince deco fcc Reasiess eaiee ate OT Important Check all “panic bolts’’ on all exits daily. If any are found out of order, have same repaired or replaced immediately. 0Oe-O-2OeD2 O2 O62 O+O° O82 OOo °O*-@-°O--O--O°-S--O"-SO*-O8*-O+8> "10-00: 0-@-*@*-O-+O*-O-O>OO O8-S-O" -0-10+-010+-0-0r-0-0" ‘CHAUVE SOURIS’ TOURS PUBLIX CIRCUIT In the thirty-odd large cities where Publix stage units play, as well as in the smaller Publixcommunities surrounding each, an item of important news to divulge to newspaper reporters, is the new and added drawing power that is being incorporated into Publix stage shows. These 30-minute concentrated elements of the best stage talent that the genius of vaudeville, musical comedy, night clubs, and grand opera can supply, wrought into a beautiful whole by noted producers, now rank as the most outstanding flesh-and-blood theatrical attractions en tour. | In a few weeks, the famous “Chauve Souris’ whicu for five years has been the annual European sensation of theatredom, (Continued on Page Two) It manage—and will not!” Crew In Field In order to bring sound conditions to a state of perfection within the shortest possible time a department of sound has been organized at the Home Office with complete jurisdiction in all matters pertaining to sound under Dr. N. M. La Porte. This department is one of the units of the Maintenance and Construction Department. In addition a crew of sound experts under the supervision of the Home Office Department has been put into the field to work with individual theatre managers. These men are accountable to the central department in New York and are under immediate supervision of the maintenance and construction supervisors in each division. Theatre Managers having complaints are to send them to the division supervisor of Maintenance: and Construction who will assign members of the sound crew ta work on the problem. Where necessary these technical experts will call the service men of the Electric Research Products, Ine., and follow through the work of servicing, replacement, etc., to the point where the equipment is (Continued on Page Two) 9Oe-O-¢ Oe-D@e-B-+ OeOO e-O-+ Oo-O-2OsD9 OeOS + OeO° Ge-S80S GeOS e REMINDER CALENDAR IN MAIL! After You've Received Yours, PENCIL-IN any additional reminders you may wish to add. SEND a list of. SUGGESTIONS and CRITICISMS to PUBLIX OPIN. ION, so that we can do a better job NEXT YEAR!! © If You Haven’t Received, Your Calendar by January . 30, write to the Editor, PUB. LIX OPINION, and same will be forwarded. OOo OB B+ Be-O--O2D-$O2 OS -D--O+O-+O+D+ O+-S-O°-O-+O'-O--S* DO HO+D ee a Tee aa eas $O2-S-O+-0-8°-@ 0-+0+-010-010:-0-0+ Od O01 6-1 OS 8 -O Or oe