Publix Opinion (May 2, 1930)

4 ere ae RET 40 ITEMS LISTED BY RUBENS AFTER DIVISION WIDE CHECK Following a trip over the entire Publix-Great States Division, visiting houses in every district, Division Manager Maurice M. Rubens listed the operating faults observed and called them to the attention of all managers under his supervision. “While I noted many commendable things in connection with theatre operation,” |closing performance. Mr. Rubens 6. Not opening box-office punct : ‘6 ually; closing box-office before Does d, I also scheduled closing time. made notes of Read this carefully! Make up your own 7. No sign on box-office anlist to check] some faults|nouncing time of opening and frequently! which should) start of performance, Should be prominent announcement of this at all times during closed hours. 8. Cashiers carrying funds from the box-office, alone. This should be done by managers. Cashiers’ Conduct 9. Cashiers’ conduct: not saying “Thank you” with a smile; eating candy, chewing gum, applying make-up, combing hair and reading in box-office; not giving courteous treatment to pass-holders and delaying them. Passholders should be treated exactly as cash customers. 10. Improper handling of company’s funds: managers permitting cashiers to keep petty cash and vaudeville funds in box-office; using petty cash fund for advances to employees and borrowing cash for personal bills; refunds not being made by managers. : 11. Doormen not courteously requesting pass-holders to obtain tickets at box-office; all passes not being presented at box-office for be corrected immediately. Keep this list before you and refer to it frequently for the next thirty days. I would be pleased to have you notify me personally if there is not a single item listed that applies to your operation.” Items listed by Mr. Rubens are as follows: 1. Too many attractions billed in front of theatre at one time, dividing interest and causing confusion. 2. Not enough attention given to our most important selling medium—the attraction board or marquee. Copy not made up by manager, but left to some other attache; poor spelling and phrasing; copy without punch or selling value; letters not properly spaced or firmly joined, light leak The idea fits everywhere. ing out. tickets, j 8. Lights out in sign or mar12. Doormen, cashiers and ush‘quee, ers carrying on extended conversa tions with patrons. 13. Lighting auditorium and lobbies too early. Using full lights for cleaning instead of work lights. 14. Persons telephoning not receiving correct information on attractions playing and_ starting 4, Front lights on too early or too late. Former means a waste of current, latter a loss of patrons. Should be checked by manager personally. 5. Front billing not changed until morning of show; change should be made immediately after BEST AND EASIEST Tie-ups like the one reproduced below are the easiest and the best! These ads appear in the Chicago papers every Friday, the first day of the picture openings. In addition, 250 stars photos, with appropriate copy are paid for by the store and distributed to customers. Les Kaufman, reecntly transferred to the Brooklyn Paramount publicity staff, promoted this tie-up before he left the B &K forces. Now Appearing at the UPTOWN & PARADISE in i “The Sacred Flame”, Appesrit 0: at th, SEV ELT in g ort! ING ten. ah CH d and the Baa + ; BELOVEY Combinazion g RO ‘ALK Jp creation ae Wrist Watch Is ALUBASCH Ko. ~eereOnen 218 So, State Ge 00 o-O-0O0-O-9Os-O-O9-B-O+-B-+O+-B2G +-O-2Os-B1O>SG 'G18" SOs S PUBLIX OPINION, WEEK OF MAY 2np, 1930 OPERATING FAULTS UNDER SCRUTINY! | D> °Oe-OOe-O-1O9SOe S962 O-Os-S Oe SOc G+ O0SG: OS O0 OOo ARCH REEVE’S BOX-OFFICE TIP-OFF Arch Reeve, reporting to the Home Office, tips off the theatre managers on a new box office cinch. “The verdict after ‘The Devil’s Holiday’ preview is simply this: it is a smash hit. You will be shaken and moved by the terrific emotional acting of a new Nancy Carroll. You will be thrilled and delighted at the amazingly good work of young Phillips Holmes. You will gasp at the daring showmanship and masterful craftsmanship of Edmund Goulding’s story and direction. You will live with every member of the distinguished cast. You will be happy to be with the only company that can produce such spring tonic as this.” OOOO © + 0-O01-01 O:-O $+ © O2-O-1 01-10-01 Os © 0s-O-0O1-OO+-O-1 02 O-1O+-O-1 02-100 O10 ©0810-6888 S £0 2-@-20:-@-+O*-@-18e-B-G0-S -O-O-O-O-O-Oo-G-G+-SBo SO e-S-Oo-B-1OeGB sSOs S-18e-O-18+-S 8 0-@-08:-O-180--18:-6-180-@ time of features. Managers’ Conduct 15. Manager not on floor at the opening of his house, to welcome patrons. ; 16. Not checking house before opening and seeing that all exit doors are in working order. 17. Managers not. checking sound on first performance afternoon and evening and at frequent intervals. 18. Incorrect show schedules. 19. Confused manner of making up time on shows, due to not working out running time before opening. 20. Movietone mask on machine and curtain not properly matched; not having same in or out on time. 21. Managers not checking kinobooth to see that lamp houses, lenses, condensors, mirrors, etc,, are clean. 22. Managers not getting down early enough in the morning to check the cleaning. 23. Failure of managers. to eliminate objectionable language in stage show. 24. Running too many trailers; not over two sound trailers should be run during any performance. 25. Advertising and sound trailers being run longer than a week without being changed. 26. Short subjects being eliminated from program without consent or notification of division office. 27. Ushers not alert enough in checking parcels. 28. Box-office doors open and no safety chain. 29. Leaving confidential reports on office desk with door open and manager absent. 30. Lobby display frames across exit doors, creating a hazard. Advertising Tie-ups 31. Making advertising tie-ups without consent of home office, such as giving outsiders letters of authority to use our name in soliciting local merchants, 32. Making donations without authority from home office. 33. Locally purchasing supplies in improper manner. This should be done by requisition, giving local vendor’s name. Instructions should be asked for if not clear. 34. Wasteful lithographing: not checking available locations before ordering paper; not checking after posting to see if proper showing has been given. 35. Managers. smoking in foyers and lobbies, where patrons are not permitted to do the same thing. 36. Skylarking in theatre by ushers and other employees. 37. Managers in office instead of on the floor during peak business hours. 38. City Managers and theatre managers absent without permisgion. : ected in closed houses, 39, Not having meters disconto save and the smaller one two columns no cost by Manager Hugh J. Smart to exploit the showing of “Sunny Side Up” at the Publix Imperial Theatre in Charlotte, N. C. idea is repeatable with songs from any picture. and music stores will be glad to co-operate in this fashion. THESE ARE REPEATABLE! These advertisements, the larger one three columns by ten inches by six inches, were obtained at The Department stores In “SUNNY SIDE UP,” with Charles Farrell and Janet Gaynor now playing at the Imperial Theatre—a Steinway Piano was used throughout to accompany these stars in their vocal selections. meter rental charges. 40. Insufficient thought given to selecting right type of theatre personnel, “In some cases,’ continued Mr. Rubens, “I found that managers have not organized themselves. Instead of arriving at the theatre in the morning before opening time, in order to check their houses and clean up their office work, they come dashing in a few minutes before show time—hand the change and tickets to the cashier—then go out for breakfast and a shave. While it is true that we have very few managers of this type still with us, yet it is absolutely essential for each man to conduct his theatre in a clean-cut organized manner, giving thought beforehand to all things connected with its actual operation. is done the manager will find that If this. things will function more smoothly and beneficial results will follow. “Publix has spent millions of dollars in building up an organization. We have also built up a fine code of ethics of which we are justly proud and have determined to maintain. No manager will be permitted to cast any reflections on the name of Publix by his conduct in a community. Those who do not take care of their personal obligations, or whose affairs are not conducive to good moral behavior, are fooling no one but themselves. Their connection with Publix will be short-lived, “T have set forth above forty faults which I have actually found in theatre operation in our division. Upon my next trip I feel sure they will be conspicuous by their absence.”’