Publix Opinion (Jun 6, 1930)

2 x 7 PUBLIX OPINION, WEEK OF JUNE 6ru, 1930 AS CONTEST NEARS END re Initiate (Continued from Page One) This campaign, which is based on awards to patrons for consecutive and consistent theatre attendance, is being pushed in every town of the entire Great States Division. Typical of the manner in which districts everywhere are going after June business are the various campaigns being used in the territory presided over by Charles G. Branham, Florida District Manager over Jacksonville, Tampa, Daytona, Lakeland and St. Petersburg. Amongst these is “The Thousand Dollar Identification” contest recently held at the Tampa Theatre, Tampa. This contest received its title by reason of the fact that for it one thousand dollars worth of merchandise was offered in prizes. These prizes were, of course, promoted by the theatre from local stores. Assures Consecutive Attendance The contest was so constituted that patrons desiring to participate had to attend the theatre twice a week consecutively for three weeks in order to have a chance at winning one of the prizes. Patrons were required to identify the stars who appeared on the screen of the Tampa Theatre over a period of three weeks. For this purpose The New Show World trailers were used, presenting Paramount singing and talking stars. In addition to identifying the stars in all the pictures played at the theatre for three weeks, each contestant had to answer these two questions: “why is Tampa Theatre my favorite amusement centre,’ and “What does the pirate girl in the lobby ‘represent.’ The last question was the joker and proved a poser for most persons, for the lady in question was a very attractive girl dressed in a pirate costume who made herself useful in the lobby answering questions and giving out contest blanks. She was sup“plied to the theatre by the jewelry store from which the silver service “was obtained and she represented ‘the trade mark of the Rogers Silver Company. Blue Ribbon Month : Another measure being used in Tampa, and which is relied upon to boost box-office business during June, is the Second Annual Blue Ribbon Month. This month was celebrated in Tampa last June and “so improved business in the thea“tre, that it is being repeated this year. The pasic idea is one of cooperation between theatres and stores, all stores featuring blue “ribbon sales and the theatres pre senting blue ribbon special feature ‘pictures,—— and both stores and theatres cooperating so as to impress the public with the fact that during June special values may be had from each. “" Added Bookings ‘In the last issue -of Publix Opinion, Mr. briefly, the list of fine pictures which have been set definitely for June showings in our theatres. Two outstanding attractions, however, were inadvertently omitted from this list. One of these 1s the Metro. picture “The Big House’——a pretentious production in which Wallace Beery, Chester Morris and Robert Montgomery are presented. This picture is of great timeliness, dealing as it does with an attempted prison break, with prison life and with a theme, generally, that coincides with sensational news that has been 10 our newspapers in the last two months. In addition to this; che Big House”’ is a Cosmopolitan production and it will have the decided advantage of tremendous newspaper publicity in all of the cities in which the Hearst newspapers are circulated. There 1S no doubt of the fact that the addition of this picture to the June list gives it another unit with real boxoffice pulling power. _ -Sinee the last issue of this paper went to press, Publix officials have viewed ‘‘So This Is London,”’ and the forecast in our former issue that this is a picture of strong audience appeal has been Chatkin reviewed, | confirmed. Will Rogers has a laughing hit in this picture, which is replete with merriment from start to finish, and which can be relied on for audiences in the small towns-as well as in cities. Strong Paramount Film But strongest of all added attractions, and not listed last week, is the Paramount picture ‘The Border Legion’’ made from the celebrated Zane Grey story. It is in this production that Jack Holt, beloved of so many fans, returns to the screen in a Paramount Western. He appears beside Richard Arlen who has the leading juvenile role. The unusually fine cast is strengthened by the presence of Fay Wray and Eugene Pallette. ‘‘The Border Legion’’ with Arlen and Holt should be a tremendous draw for every class of house, Preparedness On all of the pictures mentioned in the Publix Opinion issue of May 30th, Publix manuals have, already been shipped with the exception of ‘“‘Way Out West’’ and “Dangerous Nan McGrew.’ The manual on ‘The Border Legion’’ has also been completed and shipped to the houses playing this picture. June bookings, therefore, find us in a happy state of preparedness which has not been equalled at any time this year. To Publix managers and their assistants it may be said—You have the pictures, you have the advertising aids, you have the theatres and you have the greatest incentive ever given you: Let June results speak in terms of record accomplishment. Sereen Ads (Continued from Page One) of these fashion pictures. The completed films will be, in every sense, news pictures in the field of fashion—fashion news that can be relied upon by the women in theatre audiences as absolutely as the news of fashion appearing in the Vogue magazine itself. The decision of the Condé Nast Publications to broaden the field of the Vogue magazine by presenting on the motion picture screen Vogue’s news of Fashion, its fashion predictions, and its canons of good taste in dress, has: come after more than two years’ of deliberation and investigation.’ The growing demand for fashion pictures and the fact that the screen offered an opportunity: of presenting life and action fashions as distinguished and style-right in content and as beautiful in form and presentation as a page from Vogue i itself, led to the decision for the production of the Vogue pictures. Full resources of the Paramount Studios will be used in producing the pictures which are to be in full sound with music accompaniment. Fashion points are explained by the use of the voice and the mannequins used will be selected from mannequins employed by the Vogue magazine. The Vogue pictures will make | their bow at the Paramount Thea tre in New York on June 20th being presented under the auspices of Saks-Fifth-Avenue. Arrangements will soon be completed for the presentation of the Vogue pictures on _ fortnightly schedule at other DeLuxe Publix houses throughout the country. Is yours a balanced campaign? Are your Second Quarter Contest efforts properly balanced—or are you neglecting some avenue of approaching prospective patrons? Men who will divide $30,000 in prizes at the quarter’s end will be those who have utilized all angles of attack—men who have devised complete, comprehensive campaigns, designed to permeate their trade territories with publicity. A campaign, you know, consists of at least 20 successfully completed selling efforts for each media. attraction, covering all / Maximum grosses—and maximum profits—are im possible without maximum coverage. Such cover age can be obtained only through studied, balanced campaigns. Complete your campaigns without increasing costs by supplementing usual media with ticket-selling exploitation effort suggested in your bound volume of PUBLIX OPINION and current files! Here are proven, repeatable ideas, of and for Publix showmen. Use them! Balance campaigns with repeatable ideas from Publix Opinion ENTIRE CIRCUIT ON EDGE = Fashion Film|FIELD AUDITORS ‘SPEND WEEK AT HOME OFFICE Culminating a complete program for furtherance of Publix’ “Know Your Organization” policy, divisional auditors from the entire circuit spent all of last week in the home office with Comptroller F. L. Metzler and executives of the accounting department. “Simultaneous acquisitions of large groups of theatres in all portions of the country during the past year,’ Mr. Metzler stated, ‘left us with no better means of instituting and explaining Publix systems of accounting than a hurried trip over the circuit. Naturally many details were left unfinished, and with both the New York and divisional accounting offices congested with work, we have hitherto had no opportunity to get together and straighten out such matters. | “This meeting supplied that opportunity, and it has been extremely helpful to both the home ‘office and the field in making possible a complete interchange of ideas and full, informative discus‘sion of Publix accounting practice. It signifies the final step towards ‘complete assimilation of the theatre groups represented, in so far as unity in accounting practice and purpose is concerned.”’ Auditors Present Divisional auditors present at the series of conferences were Elmer C. Upton and C. EH. Perrine, Chicago; L. E. Stouse, New Orleans; J. R. Isleib, Dallas; A. F. Martin, San Francisco, and R. W. ‘Bolstadt, Minneapolis. At the first meeting; on Monday ‘morning, T. X. Jones outlined pur“poses of the session and the schedule. Mr. Metzler detailed func | tions and advantages of divisional ‘accounting offices, relation of ‘these offices to the operating department, their service to the operating department and _ the home office, and contacts with partners. He stressed development of manpower in divisional accounting offices. Monthly Reports _ Following. Mr. Metzler’s talk, Jones covered monthly reports, including operating reports, comparative profit and loss statements, estimates, and statements of percentage of advertising to admissions. Jones and T. de Boer took up quarterly financial reports, and L. A. Schroeder spoke on intercompany accounts. During the afternoon Jones and Schroeder, with C. F. Dixon, took up candy sales, sound trains, art shops and sereen advertising. Remainder of the session was. devoted to insurance, with Henry Anderson presiding. On Tuesday, Jones and accounting department unit heads covered department routine, personnel, cash receipts, bank . reconcilliations, disbursements, ledgers, aceruals, depreciation, fixed charge notices, payrolls, film rental, preparation of financial reports, monthly closing dates and forms. In the afternoon Mr. Metzler, L. M. Savell and Walter B. Cokell spoke on finances, commitments, cash forecasts, cash allocation, petty cash funds, and contributions. J. H. Elder, maintenance supervisor, maintenance, accessories, ment transfers, job orders. ; Gowthorpe Talks equipinventories and Wednesday morning was given |. over to a discussion of overhead and the expenses which make it up by M. F. Gowthorpe, Cost Control Executive. Gowthorpe detailed methods of allocation between wholly owned theatres, partnership theatres and _permanently and temporarily closed theatres, together with changes in status of theatres. In company with C. C. MacPike, Gowthorpe discussed the work and aims of the Cost Control Committee. Split figures were covered by Gowthorpe, F. J. Ewald, G. McDermott and Austin C. Keough. A continuation of the conference on split figures took up much eovered warehouses, | of the afternoon, and was followed by discussion of real estate accounting by E. E. Ericsson of the Real Estate Department. Manager’s Reports F. L. Wieber spoke on managers’ weekly reports on Thursday morning. J. A. Walsh, executive assistant to Mr. Chatkin, recounted the work of the statistics division. T. X. Jones reviewed the entire session on Thusday afternoon. A. J. Michel, General Auditor, who has just returned from ~ Europe, spoke to the divisional auditors of his foreign trip and the company’s foreign expansion program. For the remainder of Thursday, all of Saturday and much of Monday the divisional auditors were occupied in individual conferences with Messrs. Metzler, Gowthorpe, Jones, Walsh, Anderson, respective divisional directors and members of the general auditing de KELLY T0 HEAD NEW PROGRAM DEPARTMENT (Continued from Page One) lished warnings in your backfiles of PUBLIX OPINION, as follows: May 2, 1930, pages 1, 7; Apr. 4, 1930, pp. 1, 5; Mar. 14, 1930, p. 5; Feb. 14, 1930, p. 1; Jan. 3, 1930, p. 1; Aug. 3, 1929, p. 11; June 22, 1929, p.> 2; June 8, 1929, p. 2; May 25, 1929, pp. 1, 3, 6; May 11, 1929, pp. 1, 5; Apr. 27, 1929, p. 1. Necessity for immediate correction of this condition, Mr. Katz points out, is the most imperative task that now confronts all departments and personnel in the company. Little Thought Given “T was not satisfied with what I saw ‘in general practice in the matter of frontshow program con-— struction. Invariably it was apparent that too little thought, ingenuity and effort were being given to this most important phase of our business. ‘‘Because of this I am convince that all-sound programs have not had a fair trial in our theatres. “The most important thing that — each manager should see, is that the series of short subjects preceding the feature have proper balance in relation to each other. In the larger houses, particularly, anything less than greatest pos-. sible care and thought in shortsubject plotting, invariably produces disastrous results. “T appreciate the fact that in certain exceptional eases we have lacked the proper short subject material to make up faultless programs. . This, however, is not generally true. Nevertheless most managers have taken it for granted that it is true everywhere, and front-shows have been loosely and carelessly put together, with a destructive effect on the company’s reputation as well as on immediate box-office returns. . New Dept. Will Help “The new Short Subject Department will help to remedy this con— dition, but in the meantime; while it is perfecting its mode of operation, every Publix showman must bend all possible energy to the job of getting advance information, seeing’ previews, and learning how to properly assemble a satisfactory program. , An all-sound theatre cannot be successful in the long pull, until each theatre manager and his entire staff concentrates on the job of expertly creating a satisfactory alignment in the units of his program. “T want everyone to take this matter immediately to heart. I feel that this problem is one of the most dangerous weaknesses we have to overcome. I want those few showmen who are now handling the matter successfully, to report their methods and ideas every week to PUBLIX OPINION, so that the entire circuit may have the benefit of successful ideas. The best of these will be printed each week.