Publix Opinion (Feb 7, 1930)

WW, pean gaan, boomed Ay Sect BREEZY SCREEN FEATURE HAS VALUE Nothing like a breezy, friendly chat with your patrons to build that ‘“‘glad to be here’”’ feeling in them, even if the chat must come via the screen. It is being done in the Publix-Balaban and Katz theatres in Chicago through ‘‘Publix Paragraphs,’ a screen feature which was originated by the publicity and advertising department and is edited by C. A. Leonard. The paragraphs are made up of short pithy sayings about talking picture personalities. The subtitle describes it as ‘‘Flashes From Filmland About People and Pictures.”’ It is credited with the following advantages. First, it offers film fans the latest news and gossip from the studios. Secondly, it builds up the newer stars by acquainting patrons with their names and giving details about their lives and the type of roles they portray. Third, it is an interesting and entertaining institutional advertisement, and fourth, it helps sell pictures booked for the immediate future. Nearly all of the frames sent to PUBLIX OPINION have punch and piquancy. Note these. The talking pictures are ac cused of hitting the stage hard. It’s like saying that a_ nice young man would take a punch at his doddering old grandfather! Billie Dove, playing the night club hostess in ‘‘Painted Angel,’’ promises to beat Texas Guinan at her own game. That seems only fair—Never PUBLIX OPINION, WEEK OF FEBRUARY 71n, 1930 A PUBLIX PARAGRAPH A frame from “Publix Paragraphs,” a screen feature that is proving popular in the Publix-Balaban and Katz theatres in Chicago. The feature not only elicits smiles and chuckles, but sells coming attractions and stars. | tless 1 ous f At t. ifty Be: rnle: if: See story in adjoining column. eibere have» ° pubon Frenchmen cant But there are a hundred million Americans — who feel the same. way | le Ne Rese ea a ee eee ee ee ee give a sucker-chaser an even eee lien, break! Institutional selling is found in in the last two frames which read ‘“Remember—the foremost stars and pictures come to Publix-Balaban and Katz theatres first!’’ and “Thank You. See You Next Week.” GOOD ONE SHEET GAG! This is a reproduction of an inexpensive two-color block one sheet, on which photographic stills were pasted. Les Kaufman of Publix-B. & K. in Chicago only paid six cents per display for 500 of these. cations in town—free! “Phat’s the Theme Song of the Navy !” Say ‘WM. HAINES and ANITA PAGE Starring in the All Talking Comedy Romance “THE NAVY BLUES’ Week Beginning Friday, JAN. 3D Balaban & Katz CHICAGO State near Lake CROSS & BANTA, CHICAGO = «gape And without the use of passes, he nailed 500 of the best lo ‘| Beach, and Palm Beach, with of + ASSIGNMENTS : F eteetoietoteeieieineehintetss Managers assigned to the recently acquired State and Maine theatres in Portland include Charles Bassin, formerly at the Paramount, Needham, Mass., transferred to the State, and H. F. Goss, formerly at the Park, Bangor, transferred to the Maine. Ralph Pinkham replaces Goss at the Park. The Nicholas Theatre, Fair mont, Minn., has been closed, and W. L. Nicholas, manager, transferred to the Strand, Fairmont, replacing Herbert Nicholas, now assistant Manager. Foster Norton has been assigned to the Strand Theatre, Crawfordsville, Ind., as manager.. Managing the Grubel Theatres, recently taken over by Publix, are A. F. Baker, at the Electric, Kansas City, Kas.; Reynolds Maxwell, Electric, Joplin, Mo.; and Theresa Nibler, Electric, Springfield, Mo. S. Sidney Holland, formerly manager of the Rialto, Brockton, Mass., has been assigned to the Stadium, Woonsocket, R. I., replacing W. EH. Spragg, who becomes District Manager. Wilfred Tully has been promoted from the assistant managership of the Strand, Pawtucket, R. I., to the managership of the Rialto, suc. ceeding Mr. Holland. Homer Prince has assumed the management of the State Theatre, Virginia, Minn., replacing H. E. Billings. Leaving the Wisconsin Theatre, Eau Claire, in the hands of Harry Greenberg, formerly assistant manager, Dick Bradley has taken over the managership of the State and Grand Theatres, Hau Claire. Frank F. Colburn, Jr., student manager at the Bijou, Bangor, has taken over the management of the Central Theatre, Biddeford, Maine. He succeeds F. A. Vennett, who has been transferred to the City Opera House, Biddeford, replacing J. P. Rundle. Charles G. Branham, formerly Tennessee District Manager, has been transferred to Florida as District Manager in charge of operation in Jacksonville, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Daytona, and Lakeland. His headquarters will be in the Florida Theatre Bldg., Jacksonville. Jesse L. Clark has been transferred to Miami, as District Manager in charge of theatres there and in Lake Worth, West Palm fices in the Olympia Theatre Bldg. UU WE’LL DO IT IF YOU’LL DO IT ° UOUUUTUUEUAVUCEUCU UU CE EECA TEL r. Benjamin H. Serkowich, Editor, Publix Opinion Dear Sir:— Because of my position on the “Publix Opinion” mailing list or some freak connection in the TULL LOL oe SUUGONUANGDNASO ANSE ONADOCNOGAONUCOL EONS Fem bnenn transportation of mails, my three} copies of “Publix Opinion’ always reach me at least twenty-four hours late. I am cer tain of this Im case anyone because Mr. else would like Espy, who to change his is also in name for the a same reason, we this | office, are suggesting receives his the following: copy twen AABIE AACIDOPHILUS US aed AADENOID hours _bepans fore I get AAGNOG mine. This AAHEM apparently AAI is due to the alphabetical position of our respective names on your mailing list. Because of its great: value to the writer in his work, it will be a great favor to me if you can “juggle’’ around the mailing list in some manner so that these twenty-four hours can be saved. We drop everything the moment your publication reaches us, using it as insurance-:on many of our pictures, since we play right up with release dates most of the time. I would even change my name to “Aaron’’ if it would facilitate matters and get ‘‘Publix Opinion” to me a day earlier. Yours very sincerely, B. V. Sturdivant. GINGER ROGERS SETS RECORD FOR SPEED Confronted with the problem of transporting Ginger. Rogers, former Publix unit comedienne now featured in musical comedy, from her theatre on Forty-sixth Street in Manhattan to the Brooklyn Paramount, in ten minutes, stagers of the Publix Radio-Vues knitted their brows mightily. Promising to appear in one of the weekly broadcasts from the stage of the Brooklyn Paramount, Miss Rogers had been spotted for the latter half of the program on January 28. But her show, in which she appears in the finale, does not close until 11.35 P. M., and the broadcasts are from 11.30 to 12 midnight. In order to secure proper program balance it would be necessary to have her on the stage ready to sing at 11.50, which meant a ten minute trip. Rubey Cowan of the Music Department, arranging the program, and Maurice Bergman, theatre publicity director, knew that the after-theatre rush would be on, and that it would be physically impossible to make the trip in less than thirty minutes by subway or the fastest taxi. The resourcefulness not uncommon in Publix solved the problem. Miss Rogers, pausing only to don a coat, dashed out of the stage door of her theatre at 11.36, and through the stage door of the Brooklyn Paramount, miles away, at 11.46. She made the trip in a police ambulance! ART THAT SELLS! A few of the posters in the lobby of the Publix Tennessee Theatre, Knoxville, Tenn. painted by Harold Parrott, theatre artist, which effectively sell coming attractions.