Publix Opinion (Feb 7, 1930)

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS OFFER MANAGERS CHANCE TO CHECK ON KNOWLEDGE Honesty, like charity, should begin at home. Are you equipped to operate a sound thea est with yourself? tre? How do you know? Are you hon After Mr. Sam Katz’ statement two weeks ago that “Noth ing short of perfect and flawless sound reproduction will be tolerated in Publix theatres” Publix Opinion is presenting a self quiz for the purpose of enabling managers to check them selves. You should know the answers to every one of the questions given below. If you don’t, then you don’t know sound opera tion—and if you have any regard for your standing in the industry, you’ll make no bones about finding out every thing that you can about it. Publix Opinion wishes to do more than simply furnish questions for test purposes. It also wishes to teach. And so you will find the answers to the questions elsewhere on _ this page. Try putting your answers down on paper first. Then compare them. How many did you get perfect? How many didn’t you know? What are you going to do to find out? QUESTIONS 1. What is the purpose of the reproducer arm on the disc pick-up? 2. What will cause the needle to repeat a sound? 8. How can a bad exciting lamp be detected by the naked eye? 4. What is meant by the pilot cell in a storage battery? What is its purpose? 5. When trouble. occurs in the fader, how can repairs be made without noticeably interrupting the show? 6. How loudly should the monitor horn be run in the booth? These are just six questions on sound when a hundred might be asked. But each one is simple and fundamental. In succeeding issues, we will ask other questions. If you are weak on these, will you be better prepared for those that will come later? ANSWERS 1. The function of the reproducer arm is to transfer mechanical energy (the side to side motion of the needle as it travels in the record groove) to electrical energy so that it may be magnified through the use of amplifiers to such strength that it can be emitted from a horn unit in the form of sound. 2. Sound will be repeated: (a) if the wall of a groove in the record is broken due to the needle hav ‘ing jumped its track, if the needle point is broken or bent, improperly guiding in the groove, (c) if dust or dirt get into the ball-bearing, causing the reproducer arm to get stuck. 2 A bad exciting lamp can be detected by the naked eye, because, after the lamp has been considerably used, the filament may show a tendency to sag. Once the filament has become sagged, the exciting lamp is useless for quality reproduction of sound. Another result of aging that tends to cut down the volume is blackening of the lamp bulb, which reduces the amount of light emitted. This condition is also readily detected bythe naked eye. Therefore, as soon as the filament begins to sag noticeably or the glass begins to darken, replace the lamp. 4, By pilot cell is meant the eell in each battery group which is used in specific gravity readings and for testing purposes for each group. The readings are entered on a Battery Log Sheet. This is of the utmost importance to the (b) Spurs Pupils To See “Disraelt’” With Credits Realizing fully the appeal ‘‘Disraeli’”’ would have in schools, City Manager F. J. Miller of Augusta, Ga., prevailed on the principal of the local high school to not only discuss the picture in the school auditorium but also to offer three special credits to every pupil that attended. This not only had a tremendous influence on the pupils, but also on their parents, many of whom were informed of this request on the part of the school principal. This is but one illustration of the co-operation to be obtained from school authorities whenever conditions warrant them. Publix Opinion cannot urge too strongly that every advantage be taken of such aid not only because of the collective action of a large group, but because of the enthusiasm which high school and _ grade school pupils can develop over most anything at all. Besides this, Miller effected a tie-up with a dancing school and had a complete stage revue given at the Imperial Theatre without any cost other than meagre expense of presentation. service engineer who cannot otherwise properly take care of the installation. 5. On the fader, in the upper extreme right-hand corner will be found a switch key, which, when trouble occurs in the fader, will operate the fader at a normal setting equivalent to point 9. If trouble occurs in the red machine, the switch should be thrown to the red mark, if in the white machine, to the white. This emergency switch is not found on the dummy fader, but only on the master fader. : For example, if trouble should occur in points 11 and 13, it is possible to continue the show on a normal setting while the repairs are being made. 6. The monitor horn in the booth should be run just loud enough for the projectionist to determine whether the sound is coming over properly and loud enough to enable him to determine the quality of the sound. It is not wise to run the monitor horn at such a level that it can be heard in the balcony because it may create a disturbance and possibly echo to the patrons sitting in the neighborhood of the booth. YOUR QUESTIONS? These are the answers to our questions. How about questions of your own? _ Anything you don’t understand about your apparatus? Anything you can’t find in the pamphlets, bulletins, and booklets issued by’ ERPI? Get in touch with the Home Office Sound Department under Dr. N. M. LaPorte. ‘Teaching men in the field is a Home Office duty—calling for aid when you need it, is an individual duty. How about it? TIMELY STUFF! “VAGABOND KING An example of tying-up a current attraction with a local event. ADS TO STRESS When the Manassa Mauler visited Atlanta, Ga., Marty Semon, manager of the Georgia Theatre, had Jack pose with Joe and ‘Scooter, who were playing in his stage show, together with two famous sons of Georgia, Jones and Stribling. Besides this photo, mention was given to Dempsey’s luncheon engagement with Semon and the two kids. Celebrities---Five of Em Four famous visitors to the city are shown above with Atlanta’s own top-notcher. Jack Dempsey, ex-heavy champ, who refereed the Goodrich-Cooper bout at the Auditorium is shown at the left in the top row; “Young” Stribling, a contender for the crown Jack once wore and referee of the WebbJoyner A000 EEE ee ee OBITUARY Cecil Collins, assistant manager of the Palace Theatre, Dallas, died suddenly at noon on Sunday, January 26th, according to word received from Division Director L. E. Schneider. %; JE VTE ts Publix Theatres Serve Free Lunch to Artists A “Green Room Buffet Luncheon” is being served nightly between the third and fourth shows to the artists at the Scollay Square Theatre in Boston, and the Bedford Theatre in New Bedford, Mass., has also taken up this goodwill gesture. It was first introduced in Publix by Mr. A. J. Balaban, who instituted the present practice of serving lunch to the artists at the New York Paramount, between rehearsals and the first. show on opening days. BEG PARDON! John McCormack has not been signed by Paramount in any capacity, according to Arch Reeve. Publix Opinion of January 17th erred in stating that he had been engaged to act as manager for Clara Bow. OO e-O-O+-D -O+-S02 G -O°-S-+O+ O° OOD OO o-S-9O-O-$Oo-O + O+-O-O-S 0-096: OS 1-0 o-<B-B2-O-Be-O-+O-S-Oe-S-+O-O-+9*-S OB 10° SO HOSH + fight on the same card, is in the center; RADIO SHOW AIDS STAR HEADS | (Continued from page 2) King,’ Publix Opinion thinks . that all advertising material ‘| should feature straight “star” heads, without . costumes or swords, and that the descriptive appeals should stress the angle of “the vagabond lover who fought and sang his way from the gutters of the rabble, up to the lovely arms of.a_ beautiful woman!” after that Punch your ad-readers with “the kind of love songs and love music that makes every dream come true!’ “Colossal choral numbers! Stirring, compelling Music! Moving, marching, titanic music that frenzied men follow—only for towering loves or great hates!” Don’t feature beards, costumes, spears or monarchs! Keep it human, dramatic, and musical — and “The Vagabond King” will be more at the box office than Mr. Katz expects. BATHTUB DISPLAY ATTRACTS CROWD Manager Robert: E. Hicks, put a bathtub in a music store win7 dow to obtain publicity for the “Show of Shows” at the Publix ~ Paramount, Atlanta, Ga. A girl in the tub, surrounded ~ by towels, bathmats, etc., sang the : hit song of the picture, ‘‘Singing : In The Bathtub,’ through the i medium of a loud speaker, for the | delight of hundreds who congre© gated in front of the window. When the girl stopped singing, a victrola record continued the ballyhoo. A one-sheet poster | above: the tub, told in what picture the song was featured, and when and where it was playing. ; Fe ee eee Ee Ed. Krause, manager of the State Theatre, Fargo, N. D., has 7 been granted a leave of absence. He has been relieved by J. Reisman. while Bobby Jones, THE Bobby of golfing fame, is at the right. Joe Cobb, left, and “Scooter” Lowry, of “Our Gang” comedy fame and who are playing on the stage at Keith’s Georgia this week, are wearing the big smiles in the front row, NEW REVENUE! One of the lobby vending machines eagerly awaited_\by theatre managers. The one pictured below is bringing appreciable revenue to the New York Paramount. With time these will be installed all over the circuit according to plans being developed by M. Schosberg, TEXAS’ BIRTHDAY To celebrate the third anniversary of the Publix Texas Theatre in San Antonio, Manager Al Fourmet, besides employing the usual birthday exploitation campaign, condueted an Atwater Kent Radio show that greatly aided in selling tickets, at no extra cost to the theatre. A special eight page section in the local paper devoted most of its space to the advertising of the coming pictures at the theatre and also to various features of the current program, together with cuts of the stars. head of the Lobby Merchandising Department. Facsimile of Ticket Exploits “Sophomore’’ The football ticket idea was very effectively used by manager William Spragg of the PublixStadium Theatre to advertise Eddie Quillan in ‘‘The Sophomore,” when it played in Woonsocket, Re I. Heralds very much like football pastecards were extensively distributed. They bore the legend, “This is not an admission ticket to see Yale versus Harvard, but without this ticket you can see the greatest football story ever filmed, Stadium, Eddie Quillan in ‘The Sophomore,” and a dateline.