Publix Opinion (Apr 11, 1930)

“COPY” with Roscoe Karns (21 min.) 8827-28 THE POTTERS “AT HOME” (15 min.) SELLIN G “LUMMOX” by BRUCE GAI GALLUP Advertising Director, United Artists (Not For Publication) Here is one of the gréatest mother love stories ever written. It’s human appealing heart-warming. Approach your campaign from this angle, It’s a picture that will strike a responsive chord deep down in the heart of everyone and it should be sold from that standpoint. “Lummox” has a number of excellent selling points. It’s the type of story the public has been seeking for several years, a profoundly stirring heart drama of today, which should get over the force of a “Stella Dallas’? and ‘Sorrell and Son.’’ . The central character in the story is one of the most sympathetic the screen has had. Stress the youth, beauty and talent of the lead ‘ing player; sell the great human qualities of the self-sacrificing and loving creature she portrays—the soulful woman who lived for others and enjoyed her greatest happiness in seeing her child thrive under the watchful care of kindly strangers. In your copy let this wonderful figure dominate. as follows: / The story of a woman’s child-like trust, and of a mother’s sorrow and love for her child whose love she never knew. She lived for others who were neither thankful nor worthy, but her life reaped a rich harvest of happiness and nobility of soul. Out of the depths of obscurity and heart-ache rose this modern martyr to be the inspiring force of the small world in whieh she lived. The story of a simple-hearted creature who so lived in adversity and humbleness as to earn a halo of sainthood. Remind them about the great mother pictures of the past. Make analogies with ‘‘Over the Hill,” ‘‘Stella Dallas, ” «The Old Nest,” “Four. Sons,” and pictures of that calibre. With talk, “Lummox’”’ is greater than any of these mute masterpieces. Fannie Hurst is author of the best seller from which the picture is taken. Miss Hurst was: author of “Humoresque’’ the book on which one of the screen’s first great heart dramas was based. They still talk about it. ‘‘Lummox’”’ is head and shoulders above it. Cash in on her name through bookstore tie-ups. Herbert Brenon is the director. An ace film pilot since. the days he directed the box-office sensation “The Lone Wolf,’’ Brenon today ranks with the foremost craftsmen in his field. He made ‘Beau Geste,”’ ‘‘Peter Pan,’ and ‘‘Sorrell and Son.” f Then there’s the cast. Every name to be found in “Lummox’’ is big. There are Winifred Westover, who plays the title role, Ben Lyons, William Collier, Jr., Edna Murphy, Myrtle Stedman, Danny O’Shea,. William Bakewell, Lydia Yeamans Titus and many others. Every one of these celebrities is well known to the fans. Play them up for all they’re worth. Stress the marvelous characterization essayed by Miss Westover. Use straight pictures of her in the ads. Emphasize. the marvelous transformation in your copy. \ Sell the great drama. The brilliant.acting. The tremendous heart appeal of the story. “Lummox’’ is a big box-office drawing ecard, and properly handled should roll up big grosses and give patrons a decidedly worth-while evening in the theatre. he i i ic ie i i i Sc ee hee SHORT REVIEWS OF SHORT FEATURES By LOUIS NOTARIUS _— Publix Theatres Booking Department Belfort ddobeteopetofet seteeetobbotbbtetngne Use such text PARAMOUNT FIT TO BE TIED with Burns & Allen. (10 min.) A short with gags that will give 100% entertainment. The scene is a Department Store showing two sales girls gabbing about their flirtations, when in comes a customer asking for a tie. Unsuccessful in his attempt to get attention, he walks to another counter and meets a ecrogsword puzzle fiend in the form of a dizzy brunette. Before you know it, the poor sap is partaking of this American pastime—all gagged up to the hilt. The act winds up at the music counter with a funny song and fades out. Not a moment wasted. Holds the interest from the start with a laugh in every line. Sure-fire. METRO-GOLDWYN As the title implies, this is a dramatic Short Feature with a newspaper office as the background. Contains the usual newspaper man’s banter, when suddenly the plot becomes serious. The editor is about to expose the owners of fire-trap sight-seeing boats. The plot increases in its dramatic tenseness when the wife and child of the editor are presumed to be on one of the burning ships with a toll of hundreds of children. All ends happily, however. The editor’s family is home | safe, having changed their minds the last minute. Holds the interest in spite of the hoke ending. Will g0 well with a musical comedy feature such as ‘‘Be Yourself.” CASUALTIES with Robert Ober (19 min.) gone in for the serious Short Subject. It seems That Metro has Here we get a domestic tragedy in which the husband—a casualty. of the war—kills his|' wife when he discovers her in a compromising position with his doctor. Made unusually drab by its general tone and double death, when he falls dead at the finish. Would have to be used with an extremely light, slapstick feature with low comedy built around it in the front show. Pass it up unless this type of subject is absolutely necessary to get the proper contrast and balance in the show. — HOT DOG (15 min. ) A two reel novelty with an all dog east, which is excellently directed, in a comedy with a plot. The dialogue effects off screen are cleverly synchronized with the mouth movement of the dogs—all resulting in an unusual short comedy which will undoubtedly cause a lot of word-of-mouth advertising. Used for a run in New York City with PUTTIN’ ON THE RITZ and received excellent comments from both patrons and critics. An outstanding subject. Sure-fire anywhere. SCREEN CLASSICS 40 WINKS (7 min.) A Felix The Cat Cartoon that ranks better than average. Fine synchronization, good cartooning, and funny gags, in addition to fast movement, make this subject worthy of Publix houses. Will help to round out a good program either as an opener or closing number. i VITAPHONE ; $68 LOBO—The Dog of Dogs, with Clarence Moore (7 min.) Lobo is a trained dog who obeys orders in a most intelligent manner. He resembles Rin Tin Tin. While it is an interesting novelty, the routine is somewhat slow. Will appeal mainly to children. This is the second of the Potter Series, satirizing small town American life. Here we PUBLIX OPINION, WEEK OF APRIL litu, 1930 HAYS OUTLINES SIGNIFICANCE OF PICTURES (Continued from Page Four) Macedonia, writing to the Chicago Daily News, tells of visiting a barbershop and of commenting there upon the style of chairs used by American barbers. ‘Oh, don’t tell me,’’ said the Macedonian barber, “I know. I saw Adolph Menjou and his father running a barbershop. I get same.’’ Public Undorsewens The motion picture industry is young but it has set new standards for the. world in certain important relations. We have invited the public to share leadership in our enterprise, past any previous instance in the history of business, and I want to leave you with a sense that’ motion pictures are your industry. You have made them so by this patronage of 115,000,000 weekly in 1929 in the theatres in the United States alone —three times the weekly attendance in 1922.. Such an endorsement from the American people could only have come to a form of entertainment essentially wholesome and responsive to the needs of the public. The Public Teaches | We are always learning about motion pictures from this great audience. A while ago we cooperated with forty-two great newspapers in forty-two large cities in awarding a trip around the world as a prize for the best 300-word essay on ‘‘What the Motion Picture Means to Me.” Over 700,000 Americans wrote such essays. Local judges for the forty-two newspapers culled the three best essays from the thousands in each city. The last 126 came up to George Barr McCutcheon, Alice Duer Miller and Richard Washburn Child in New York —with their authors unidentified. It was an interesting situation. The first prize was won by Mrs. Ruth Griffith Burnett, who lived in a little white house on the shady side of the road on Rural Route C, out of Indianapolis, where her husband clerked in a store. She was the daughter of a minister of the gospel and the pride of her life was a baby of six months. They told us afterward she had never been further away from home than a trip to Chicago. She and Mr. Burnett parked the baby and went around the world in splendid fashion. It was like a Cinderella or Aladdin’s lamp story. Mrs. Burnett must have had the gift of prophecy. Writing while the Warner brothers, stirred by the dream of bringing music to the screen, were fitting sound to a SELLING “THE TEXAN” By RUSSELL HOLMAN, Advertising Manager, Paramount cub iat a! ~ (Not For Publication) After the big success of Gary Cooper in “The Virginian’’—now Gary Cooper in “The Texan.” Like “The Virginian,” ‘The Texan” is all-outdoors, all-action, all-talking., Story by the famous. O. Henry. Adapted by O. H. P. Garrett, author of ‘‘The*Street of Chance.’’ Directed by John Cromwell, who directed ‘‘The Mighty’’ and ‘‘The Street of Chance.” Cooper is great in the show as the quick-shooting cowboy with a price on his handsome head. Ex-Montana cowpuncher in real life, Cooper plays this kind of a part perfectly. Fay Wray as the heroine is prettier and better, than you ever saw and heard her before. You’ll say Wray can be developed into one of the big female star bets of the séreen after you see this show. Emma Dunn, star of such Broadway shows as “Old Lady 31,” plays Gary’s “mother” in a way to tug at the old heart strings like a block and tackle. James Marcus as the gospelquoting sheriff who shouts Biblical oaths at his enemies as he blazes away with both guns is as unique a screen character as he is funny. Sell ‘“‘The Texan’”’ on the basis of the success of “The Virginian.”’ You won’t disappoint. \ Cash in on the present tremendous vogue for Westerns. They’re crashing b. o. records all over the country. And remember—nobody ,can make Westerns as well as Paramount can. We proved that back ‘in the Zane Grey silent days and we’re doubling and re-doubling the proof today with material like “‘Light of Western Stars,” ‘The Virginian’’—and the best of the lot, ‘“‘The Texan.” Sell Cooper: ‘‘The Virginian” is ‘‘The Texan’? now—and he’s twice as exciting as ever....No other star can play big he-man, outdoor roles as Gary Cooper can. Born to the saddle in real life, he’s the perfect hard riding, hard loving, fighting, exciting caballero. O. Henry never wrote a better story, than ‘“‘The Texan’; Gary Cooper never played a more fascinating hero... .‘‘The Texan’”—Big as the State Itself!....A tall, handsome, steelsinewed, drawling man of action has ridden like the wind into the heart of America’s millions— Gary Cooper. See him now in his mightiest role! ing Llano Kid of ‘‘The Texan.” minstrel complied. Sell the story: $1,000 for the Capture of the Llano Kid—Dead or Alive! her heart. Action blazing from guns and flying hoofs. The most exciting show’in town. Then he cheated his ‘‘mother’’ and the rita’s eyes. killed a man for cheating. girl he loved. . Leap into the saddle and we're off! love senoritas, ‘action and MORE ACTION! a for killing a gambler and robbing a beautiful girl of . Three peeks searched two continents for him. ae: Romance in a fiery seno“The Texan’’....He Off to kill killers A thrill a minute when you ride with the cowboy king of the screen—-Gary Cooper in ‘“‘The Texan’’. And he wasn’t her son. his head. Tie-up possibilities with the Texas Oil Company and other con-. cerns with Texas in their names. bookstores. the collection .‘*My son!” she cried and heaped love and wealth upon him. = was a gambler killer with a price upon Tie-up with O. Henry stories at (“The Texan” is from ‘The Double Dyed Deceiver” in called ‘‘Roads of Destiny.’’) Hold a reunion of all the folks in your town who come from Texas. Your copy could contain romantic elements connected with Texas: the Alamo, Lone Star, Rio Grande, ete. You've got another ‘Virginian,’ boys. Handle it accordingly. picture for the very first time, before she or any of the world outside know of that coming miracle, Mrs. Burnett began her prizewinning essay with the significant command—‘‘Sing us a song!”’ Sing Us a Song! Listen and by way. of goodnight, I will read you what that young mother said the motion picture meant to her: “« ‘Sing us a song!’’ was the demand of yore and the wandering As he sang the song of valor there unrolled before the eyes of his listeners a picture to teach, to inspire and to entertain them. «Tell us a story!’’ was the de {subtle sermons are abiding. see Pa Potter inviting his boss to his home for dinner with the hope of getting into his good graces and a raise. A tactless family, consisting of a saxophone-playing son, a silly daughter, and a mischievous little brat of a boy—all aid in pulling their old man into a discomforting dilemma. Only mildly amusing. pigs THE PAY OFF with Henry Walthall (12 min.) This is a aitort, snappy drama containing a climax with a punch. It portrays the lives of ex-convicts marked by the police, and forced by circumstances into crime. Henry Walthall, as the ex-convict who sacrifices himself for his daughter, gives an excellent portrayal. He is assisted by Barbara Leonard, Russell Hopton and Edwin Lynch— all of whom help to round out a superb dramatic subject. Will make good contrast with such productions as ‘“‘No, No, Nanette” and “Free & Hasy.”’ COLUMBIA CANNIBAL CAPERS—A Silly Symphony (6 min.) Fine cartooning— moves fast—and excellently synchronized. Will help to put life into a program. While not so good as “Springtime” and ‘Skeleton Dance,” still worthy of a spot on any program. A good cartoon. PRINCESS LADY BUG (10 min.) Another subject in color that is poorly synchronized and will detract from _the entertainment value of a plow. Should be discarded. CELEBRITY DON’T ARGUE with Robert Emmett Keene and Claire Whitney. (7 min.) While the sketch contains elements of entertainment and consists of capable players, it is marred by poor photography and sound flutter. Had possibilities if properly photographed and recorded. As it stands, unworthy of booking in our houses. This is the first of a series of twelve. Perhaps the subjects to follow ‘may show a decided improvement from a mechanical standpoint. Should be watched. ; mand of our fathers from the oasis of the firelight. And as the storyteller, beloved and admired, told the story there unfolded before the eyes of his hearers a picture to teach, to inspire and to entertain them. j “Show us a picture!’’ is our demand, and lo, we are given the magic of a real picture with the enchantment of the minstrel and the charm of the story-teller. “In the broadness of its scope and its capacity for the portrayal of things great and small, the motion picture shows me history, science, art and literature. From India, with its swarming highways, to barren Alaska, the world is mine, the generous gift of the camera. “Because it depicts humanity the motion picture inspires. ee takes from my tongue the timid ‘“‘I can’t,’’ and in its place puts a brave “‘J’ll \try!”’ It lightens the corners of pride and indifference and makes me a little more sympathetic, more tolerant and more fit to take my place beside my fellow men. “It entertains me. It draws me without my accustomed self and lets me laugh until the tears come, or sit upon the edge of my seat in . suspense. It makes me glad to be alive. “Hducation, “inspiration and entertainment. These three the mo tion picture mean to me.’’ LOBBY SINGER ee A local boy with a pleasing voice is used to furnish the lobby entertainment at the Rivoli, Bea-: trice, Nebraska. Singer accompanies himself with a uke. Through a special hook-up, a loudspeaker placed on the marquee carries the voice into the street, so that ‘singer not only entertains hold outs but-serves as a bally-hoo as well. Max Tschauder | is manager |of the house. The flashing, dash-__