Publix Opinion (Feb 28, 1930)

8 PUBLIX OPINION, WEEK OF FEBRUARY 28TH, 1930 STORY ANGLE SELLS MUSICAL SHOW! a SUNNY SIDE UP’ IS SAVED BY AD COPY Proceeding on the theory that every picture presents its own, individual problem in ‘‘merchandizing,’ Publix Balaban & Katz analyzed carefully’ the methods employed in other cities, and the measure of success attendant upon the respective campaigns in each, before opening ‘‘Sunny Side Up’’ at McVickers Theatre. By their favorable reactions to “The Virginian’? and other pictures of either an outdoor or simple background, audiences of Chicago, it was concluded, had tired of the song-and-dance opera. It was therefore planned to ‘‘bury”’ the music angle of “Sunny Side Up,’’ and instead play up its drama of a girl from the slums who beat on the locked doors and hearts of society, eventually winning a rich young husband. But to capitalize the vast plugging the song hits had gotten on the air and everywhere, the ads suggested that these hits were originally from the picture. Mercury Drops However, ‘‘Sunny Side Up” opened to sub-zero weather. People stuck close to home and the radiator, and at first it was feared that even the suggestion of the music had kept them away. Taking no chances, the style of ad copy was changed immediately, and only the drama and the love romance were played up. The Fox office aided in this by throwing in extra ’money on a semi-attraction, semi-institutional halfpage ad. Business began building instantly. Displays in front of the house also submerged the song hits and Starting out on the wrong foot in selling “Sunny-Side Up,” the Chicago boys quickly reversed their steps, and instead of playing up the musical side of the photoplay, stressed the Gauno 9 A WITH EYES OPEN! Restaurant, drinking stands, Postal Telegraph and florist tie-ups. were but part of the campaign used in selling “Sunny-Side Up.” The ad-copy campaign appears at the bottom of the page. Your magnifying glass will reveal the hot tie-up copy. Fig WewasH INGTON AB 2960 ExT 263 Raa eee s§ . GHA25S7 56 COUNT QNS AND DASH BLUE _ NOLLYWOOD CALIF JAN 6 1930 140P BERLAND'S SHOE STORES 12 WEST WASHINGTON ST CHICAGO ILLS THIS TO INFORM YOU THAT "SUNNYSIDE UPT MY LATEST TALKING AND SINGING PRODUCTION COMES FRIDAY JANUARY 17TH TO MCVICKERS THEATRE YOUR CITY FOR INDEFINITE RUM STOP 1 INTRODUCE SEVERAL OF YOUR J-B STYLE SLIPPERS IN THIS CLEVER LITTLE ROMANCE STOP THEY SERVE TO KEEP ME SMILING "SUfiNYSIDE UP SINCERE REGARDS VANET GAYNOR BZEPM. played up the romance and drama, and were augmented later by a large easel bearing a series of dramatic stills, including no musical comedy scenes whatever. Miniature displays behind glass and a February Campaign easel also pointed to ‘‘Sunny Side Up” as one of the big pictures promised McVickers’ patrons for February. Egg Prices Rise One of the big tie-ups which undoubtedly helped ‘‘Sunny Side Up’’ go over, and which came simultaneously with the big ads, was the Thompson Restaurants quarter-page ads, showing Gaynor and Farrell and Paul Ash eating eggs sunny side up at Thompsons’ and giving very prominent mention to the stars, the picture and _ the theatre. These ads ran intermittently in all the papers and proved so popular, Thompson Restaurants reported, that the price of eggs was shot up two cents a dozen— and business at McVickers naturally increased. This tie-up was the work of Les Kaufman. They also contributed their fifty-two windows, using window strips of the ad proofs, enlarged, and also enlarged photographs of the group which appear in the larger ad on this page. The colored 14x17 enlargements were also utilized for special window displays, with theater mention snipes on the corners. Other Windows Milton Levy, assistant in loop theater exploitation, obtained 250 windows through an Orange Drink Association, using a certain still from the original set. Strip reproduced in layout. Kaufman succeeded in getting OS $B e-O-+O0-O-Oe-B-$ Oe S-OeB+ Or-O-1 Os BOs O62 O-10-O-G0-@ SHOWMANSHIP! When lights and power were shut down recently in Toledo, Manager Marsh Gollner of the Princess immediately procured a portable victrola from a neighboring music store, placed it on the stage, and entertained the audience for forty minutes with non-sync records. During this time there were only two refunds and no walkaways at the box office, even though the delay in the show was being announced. This incident emphasizes the importance of similar preparedness on the part of every manager in Publix, particularly in all-sound houses where no talent is available to fill breaks in the entertainment occasioned by failure of the power supply. Oo 0-0-9 O20 OO © O+ OO 0-1 O0-@ +00 O10 +-O-1 00-018 10+ 610-6100 O10 O02 O18 O02-8 : ; t : t t ' : t t i : ¢ | | “DO s-S-0Be-G-e-O-2Be-O-2B2-S-08"-O-°O°-O-+O°-S-1O+-+O"-O-O+-O Oe 1,200 windows through the “Say It With Flowers” gag with the Allied Florists, Inc. Also obtained about 75 music store windows, with special displays in nearly all of them, through co-operation with the music publishers. In addition 300 Brunswick News Flashes were sent to Brunswick dealers, at no cost to the theatre. A Brunswick Panatrope was played, using Brunswick recordings of ‘‘Sunnyside Up’’ song hits, with a loudspeaker placed on the marquee. Enlarged Telegrams Twenty-five windows of the Berland Shoe Stores, used enlarged Postal Telegraph gag, while 40 more windows, on same telegram, were displayed in Postal Telegraph windows. Two hundred other enlarged Postal Telegraph blanks were displayed by Victor Record company. The outstanding tie-up was that PUNCH-PACKED COPY SELLS! aes 750M. “pees Of ‘ ants oh GONT Ms story angle. Read the copy in the ads reproduced below, and read the story on this page for a detailed explanation. Pull your reading glass on this one, and study the copy carefully. \ |\STAL Nh When BIG PICTURES COME TO CHICAGO--YOU SEE THEM AT OUR THEATERS! That's where yousaw “The eee Ered Ne eas nee Sunny. Side. Up!'== That Mer’ oe will see MAURICE CHEVALIER in “THE LOVE PARADE.” The talking hits of the past a bee ORS The hits that are coming—cast their shadows ot greatnes thee he in TODAY’S SENSATIONAL SUCCESS—» JANET CHARLES | GAYNOR?“ FARRELL WILLIAM FOX MASTERPIECE : z Performances at McVickers Theatre Ever ee tas Who Sought the Extraordinary in Entertainment Can Honestly Say That They Found It Here. t : i THERE CERTAINLY MUST BE A REASON WHY i houting Its Praises—Singing Its Songs—' Today Cheese Hs ROMANTIC. MARVEL HAS TAKEN THE WHOLE NATION BY STORM! ‘ It Tells the Mott Remarkable Love Story of a Girl From i i Cold Hearts of Society and Serre Wealiby, Young Husband o Her Rewer! SEE AND HEAR ITS —Spectacular New York “Block Party.” —Magnificent Curtains of Water, Gorgeous, Fashionable Society Show. —Bevies of Dancing Peau Chars —Most Enchanting Story Ever FilmeaSpl ‘and Colorful Old New York. —Sensationa “Turn On the Heat” Spectacle. cae ssw RA ge DE LES Re oe ung actt Sea RR AIRE tT err ibis a “Publix” is featured. Yow’ll find it time well spent! appear in individual ads because each is part of a large combination ad with a standard banner head in which Candy Bar Helps ‘Vagabond King’ Exploitation — As a result of a tie-up with Norris, Inc., of Atlanta, candy manufacturers, effected by N. E. Beck, publicity director of the Atlanta |Paramount, a ‘Vagabond King” candy bar has been placed on the || market in each of the twenty-five key cities in which the picture opens March 7th. Retailing at 10 cents, the wrapper of the bar carries a three-color reproduction of Dennis King and Jeanette MacDonald in a scene from the picture. In Atlanta, the tie-up nets the Paramount 200 dealers’ windows, among other things. Nationally, the Norris sales force of 150 men will concentrate their efforts for the next two months on the ‘‘Vagabond King” bar. Mr. Beck suggests that managers, particularly in the 25 key cities, contact their local dealers immediately in order to derive full benefit from the tieup. with Thompson’s, which accordingly opens the way for future hook-ups with them. They liked the contact so much that they have recently added an exploitation and publicity department where heretofore they had been exceedingly conservative. The picture had an unusually long run, and there is every reason to believe that its success in Chicago is attributable to playing up the romance and drama first and the songs last, with the help of course, of the window displays and exploitation. Publix trade-marks do not