Publix Opinion (Jun 6, 1930)

{ PUBLIX OPINION, WEEK OF JUNE 6rq, 1930 J. A. KOERPEL—A SALESMAN, A SHOWMAN AND A SCHOLAR | J. A. Koerpel, recently appointed Division Director in charge of the Carolinas and Tennessee for Publix, left the public schools when he was ten years old and became a pharmacist’s apprentice, but that was only the beginning of his education. He continued his studies, entering night school, and after spending three years as a drug gist he gave it up in order to de vote all his time to studying medicine, with the intention of becoming a physician and surgeon. At eighteen, however, the universal urge to move west hit him, and he withdrew from college to accept a position as travelling salesman for a lace and button house. His territory was Wyoming, Montana, Utah, and the Dakotas, and he travelled the West in the days when a sleeper jump was a luxury, and he was lucky if he didn’t have to make his towns via stage coach. From selling lace and buttons, Mr. Koerpel progressed to selling paint, and as representative of the Sherwin-Williams Company: he made his home in Omaha. Then, in 1904, when he was twenty-four years old, he returned to New York and entered the motion picture field, in which he has ‘been ever since, establishing a record for experience in the industry which is excelled by few. Opens Theatre Mr. Koerpel opened a theatre at 138th Street and Alexander Avenue, and it was so successful that in short order he opened four additional houses. These five Koerpel theatres constituted one of the first ‘‘circuits’’ in the Hast, and in them he gained a tremendous amount of experience which perhaps accounts for his rapid advancement with Publix in the comparatively short time for which he has been associated with this organization. If not the first, Mr. Koerpel was surely one of the first to realize that music and sound effects were an important adjunct of motion picture presentation, and even in 1904 he added a trap drummer to his orchestra, provided him with fifty different effects, and saw to it that his pictures were cued and played as accurately and appropriately as possible. At this early date he also went in for a ‘‘presentation,’’ in addition to his pictures, to enhance the entertainment value.of his programs. Songslide singers, magicians, fortunetellers and mind readers were his added attractions. Mr. Koerpel was an exhibitor when the big producers were Vitagraph, Biograph, Hssanay, Lubin, Kalem, Selig and Edison, and his posters featured the names of John Bunny, Flora Finch, Arthur Johnson, Maurice Costello, and Broncho Billy. Mary Pickford and Francis X. Bushman rated lights then too, as now. He saw Edison’s Cameraphone, the first talking picture device, come into being, but because he did not find the imperfect synchronization to his liking he silenced the recorded voices and had a man and woman speak the lines from the pit. Organized Exhibitors League When Federal censorship first reared its head, Mr. Koerpel, in company with Samuel Trigger, organized the first Exhibitor’s League in the City of New York, or, as far as records show, anywhere else. His work in this connection attracted the attention of P. L. Waters, General Manager of the General Film Company, who was successful in inducing him to dispose of his theatres and enter the employ of that organization, then the colossus of filmdom. Beginning as a salesman he advanced successively to the positions of assistant manager, manager, and division manager, and while he was working in the latter capacity the company was ordered dissolved by the Government. Immediately associating himself with the World Pictures Corporation, Mr. Koerpel was sent to Philadelphia as manager, became district manager, and was finally transferred to Seattle, where he remained for four years as divisjon manager. Then Felix Feist, World’s general manager, went with Samuel Goldwyn, and Mr. Koerpel came along as West Coast district manager for the Goldwyn Distributing Corporation. Later he was made division manager for New England, and by the time Goldwyn and Metro merged, he was division manager for the Middle West, stationed in Cleveland. Shortly after this merger Mr. Koerpel was engaged by First National as their European General Director, and was sent to Paris to open up direct distribution through branches in twenty-one countries. Making his headquarters in Paris, he travelled over all of Europe, Egypt, Palestine and Syria. . : Activities Abroad In Paris, Mr. Koerpel made the first motion picture presentation to the Chambre Syndicate, in an effort to have the noninflammable film act vacated. Here, too, he exploited the first American long run picture in France, with the opening and showing of ‘‘The Lost World.” In connection with his European activities, Mr. Koerpel also had occasion to visit South America and the Orient, preparatory to direct distribution. Owing to the illness of Mrs. ATTRACTIVE FRONT Don Hoobler cites the front reproduced here as an example of intelligent and inexpensive adaptation of a manual suggestion. Executed by Peoria District. Poster Artist “Dusty Rhodes,” the garden wall of this front at the Madison, Peoria, is in a stippled shade of rose, with air-brush paintings and artificial wisterias, cocoa mats and palms. KNOW YOUR ORGANIZATION! depend upon theirs. our tasks enjoyable. These Publix personalities depend upon your effort, just as you To know and understand each other’s personalities and problems will lighten the burdens of everyone, and For this reason, PUBLIX OPINION is devoting an important part of its space to these brief biographical sketches. J. A. KOERPEL Division Director Koerpel, from which she was never to recover, Mr. Koerpel returned from Europe in 1928 in order to bring her home. In November of 1928 he became connected with the Publix Theatres Corporatior. Appointed Tennessee District Manager in March, 1929,. Mr. Koerpel was later sent to Cleveland to assist in the reorganization of the circuits taken over in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. He: received his present assignment. as Divisional Director, on January Lp 193.05 As we stated at the outset of this’ sketch of/Mr. Koerpel’s colorful career, leaving school was but the beginning of his education. He has never stopped studying, and his faculty of absorbing and adapting everything he has found in books and in his daily contacts over a long. period of successful endeavor has been a decided factor in his rapid rise with Publix. He is today, among other things, an accomplished linguist, speaking French, German, Spanish and Italian with equal facility. Lobby Ideas Successful On Chevalier Picture Ten days in advance of ‘‘The Big Pond’’ at the Florida, St. Petersburg, Manager Walter Morris spotted a miniature ‘‘pond”’ in his lobby. In it were fishing weights, with ‘‘eyes’’ at each end, and numbered tags attached. Cards invited patrons to try their luck in “The Big Pond’’ with the small fishing rods supplied. Patrons were given two chances to hook a weight, with lucky numbers exchangeable for passes. Postal supplied Morris with a large map of the world, on which the Atlantic was labelled ‘‘The Big Pond.’ From Venice, Paris, New York and Cleveland ribbons ran to small cards bearing copy such as “He met her here,’’ “‘“He wooed her here,’’ ete. Map was moved to downtown Postal window on opening day, and displayed with appropriate date copy. MOTHERS’ MATINEE Initial institutional publicity effort of Thomas H. James, in Norwalk, Conn., who was recently transferred from Boston to manage the Regent there, a new Publix operation, was a Mothers’ Matinee, on Mothers’ Day. Admission was by coupon from the Norwalk Hour, leading daily; tieup resulted in front-page stories. Bank Co-operates on “Sarah and Son” Stunt Bank and newspaper tie-up of Manager L. H. Davidson of the Capitol, Sioux City, on “‘Sarah and Son,’’ resulted in plenty of publicity. Bank offered a $10 account to first child born between 8 A. M. and 11 P. M., on the picture’s opening day. Preview for the P. T. A., Women’s Club and Ministerial Association was tied in with the Hays code, just announced. : BANJO CONTEST Over 2000 amateur banjo players participated in a banjo contest at the Saenger, New Orleans, recently. Manager Bert Winstanley promoted five banjos as. prizes for the survivors of a series of eliminations. Contest was in charge of Lou Breese, M. C. and banjo virtuoso. PILOTS PARADE The 109th Aero Squadron of the Northwest Airways were guests of Manager A. J. Sonosky when “Young Hagiles’’ played the Riviera, St. Paul. Marched to the theatre in a body, and posed in front for newspaper photos. Huge searchlight from the aviation field centered an interesting display in the lobby. Broadway Revels Title of Radio Hour June 14 A unique musical presentation entitled ‘‘Broadway Revels” is to be the feature of the Paramount Publix hour Saturday night, (June 14) which will be broadcast over the national network of the Columbia Broadcasting System at 10 o’clock (H. D. S. T.) Among the entertainers who will be heard are Paul Ash; Marcia Freer, mezzo-soprano; Jesse Crawford, organist; Paul Small, tenor; Fred Vettel, dramatic tenor; Foursome Quartet; Giersdorf Sisters and Vic Ince, trumpet soloist. The complete program: Overture—‘‘Overture Francaise” Paramount Orchestra Organ Solo Jesse Crawford “Song of the Soul’ Marcia Freer BROADWAY REVELS “Thank Your Father” Hot Chicago” Vie Ince and Orchestra “Do You Play, Madame?” Paul Small and Foursome Quartet “Springtime in the Rockies” Orchestra and Foursome Quartet “International Revue’’—Medley Orchestra “Livin’ in the Sunlight, Lovin’ in the Moonlight” Giersdorf Trio “Telling It to the Daisies” Orchestra and Foursome Quartet “Rich Man, Beggar Man” Fred Vettel “Without Love” Ensemble ‘Red Mill’—Medley Marcia Freer and Fred Vettel “Paramount Medley” Orchestra ‘Lord Jeffrey Amherst” Orchestra and Ensemble Entertainers Get Big Play at City Spelling Bee and ‘Red When the Detroit News sponsored a Metropolitan Spelling Bee for the school children of Detroit, Monk Watson, m. ¢c. at the Riviera and Joe Penner, comedian in Publix units, put on a twelve-minute program at the State Fair Grounds where some 20,000 people were gathered. Program was broadcast over station WW4J and stories and pictures appeared in the paper before and after the spelling bee. ¢ 9B e-O-9 0 eB92 -B9B -@-$ Ge SO -B-$ Oe -O-+ Oe B-0O2S-9eSOB Ge Alibis! (From “Variety”) ¢ 6 The rain killed us.... Opened too soon... .Weather too nice....Too many openings against us....That big radio program keeping them home....Those lousy critics murdered us... .Not enough sex....Bad cast... No direction... .Great notices but nobody reads them nowadays....Great chance if we had a bankroll.... } Not enough advertising.... 5 Star is too old. ...Bad thea¢ tre, out of the way....Bum }¢ title....They’re all out in ‘ their cars on a night like this....Too hot....Too $ cold. ...Looks like rain.... 3 Agencies. killed us... .Le¢ blang not pushing our show ; ....Terrible press agent... They should have taken my ; advice about the second act ; ....They don’t want clean shows....Too many people ; out of work....The stock $ market. ...Overhead too big ¢ ....Too many stage hands ; ....Seenery bad....They ; are used to too much for ¢ ; t t $ e : t i : : 4 al their “money....Too many musicals in town....No voice in the show... .Good show, bad picture. ...Good picture, bad show....The flappers don’t like the M. C. ....Got the second stringers ....He’s getting too much money....Got the first stringers....They’re too wise cracking. ..Not a name in the show... Talkies killed everything. 6 D> Oe D9 Ge BO 0-D Be G-0 Go-Go PBOD 9G e-B2GoGO e-S Oe S 0 OeOO -S-+Oe-SO2S$ Oo B+ Os -S -S $ Oo-GG9-B-° Bo-S-Oo-O-2Oo-DOo-SO-G-2OoOGe -S-+Or GOo S + O+OO D+ O2GS-2 GOH 1GeS ~B-°Be-O-0Be-O-¢B e-D-1Oe-S-O-SB°-S-Os-D-2G+-G-18e-S-O-S-0G> eS } Se seer cape sy: nell pera,