Publix Opinion (Jun 13, 1930)

y, | ‘PUBLIX OPINION, WEEK OF JUNE 13rx, 1930, a SHORT REVIEWS OF SHORT FEATURES By LOUIS NOTARIUS Publix Theatres Booking Department Paramount Publix KANDY KABARET (10 min.) Undoubtedly the best act made to date. Backed by a lavish set, these youngsters step out with pep and assurance at break-neck speed which never lags. If you want to see some real acrobatic dancing! in all of its forms, good singing and a clever juvenile Master of Ceremonies, see these youngsters work. A flash act which will entertain 100%. “LADY, YOU SLAY ME with Johnny Perkins. (8 min.) Here we find that roly-poly comedian: in an act which has definite elements of entertainment, combining comedy, song and dance. It all takes place} on a college campus in front of a dormitory. The comedy moves about Perkins who attempts to get a laugh from a rather severe spinster. Incidental songs are rendered by the Cheer Leaders Quartette, and| Perkins himself, who puts over a character number. <A good act. OLD MAN WHOOPEE (10% min.) with Art Frank, who made the rounds of our circuit in a Publix Unit and who is at the present time at the Palace Theatre, New York City, headlining with great success. He portrays the star in a character role of an old-timer ‘rarin to go.’ He winds up in a whoopee joint doing a specialty comedy dance. A novelty which will prove entertaining in the opening spot of a front show. eee Hollywood BATH TIME AT THE ZOO (10% min.) <A subject, altho educational in character, will serve as excellent entertainment. It presents all types of animals partaking of their daily’ baths, accompanied by audible description off-screen. An element of natural comedy is presented, which will undoubtedly get many laughs. The subject is different and will add a touch of novelty to a program. Worthy of a place on a program everywhere. Vitaphone 3931 LONELY GIGOLO with Lottie Loder (9 min.) . This girl from Vienna, dark and pretty, with a foreign accent, impersonates a gigolo, rendering a song entitled ‘““‘The Lonely Gigolo.”’ She is assisted by a group of dancers. By a process of super-imposed photography, she is transformed into a charming Spanish senor ita and does a Spanish fandango with a male partner. It is all done in technicolor and presents ‘class’ atmosphere. A large eostumed chorus adds life and color to the act, which all takes place in a ballroom set. Consider it a good opening act. NILE GREEN with Helen Broderick. (8 min.) This subject has seven (7) scenes and is supposed to take place on a tour of Egypt, with Helen Broderick wise-cracking and satirizing on tourist life in Egypt. She is assisted by Lester Crawford, who makes up the ‘comedy team of Broderick & Crawford, from the musical hit, “Fifty Million Frenchmen.” She burlesques the hardships the travelers will gladly suffer while supposedly seeing the world, giving the impression that they really don’t know what it is all about. Miss Broderick’s humor is of that dry type which will get laughs. Consider it a good number two act on a three unit front show program. 998 WEBSTERIAN STUDENTS with Ryan and Lee. (8 min.) This famous low-brow vaudeville team are seen in a library where they give their own peculiar meanings to words of seven syllables or more compiled by Mr. Webster. The male of the team, Ryan, is the composer of several songs, such as ‘Mississippi’ and “When Frances Dances With Me.’’ He is also the originator of the East Side Kid type. The humor is of the low variety and their play on words will get laughs. Consider it a low hokum comedy to be played with a dressed-up feature. 990 THE HEAD MAN with Hugh O’Connell and Kitty Kelly.(9 min.) In this act Hugh O’Connell is sober. We find him in the role of a hen-pecked husband who is suddenly carried back to the stone age, which makes him realize his weakness as a man and turns the tables on his wife with the old fashioned spiked club. However, a surprise finish puts his ,wife in a dominating position. The scenes are a living room and then flash back to a cave. This is a fair comedy and should be buttressed by strong opening and closing acts. 8826. THE WEDDING OF JACK AND JILL. (8 min.) This is a novelty technicolor flash, portraying the gorgeous wedding of Jack and Jill of nursery rhyme fame. The ceremony is attended by beautiful rag dolls from every land. The Vitaphone Kids provide the entertainment for the wedded pair—they sing and dance with skill for tots, all of which is enhanced by the technicolor. The numbers rendered are: z “The Wedding of Jack and Jill” “Bad Babies’’ *“Allana’’ ae “Hang on to a Rainbow’’ 987 Consider it a good flash and should be used as either an opening or closing number and should please both young and old. 3880 ONLY THE GIRL. (6 min.) The scene is the exterior of a southern mansion and the garden seat. All done in technicolor. Presents a fantasy of love making contrasting the romance of the 90’s and those of the modern age of jazz. The lovers are Buddy Wattles, who appeared in the stage success “Hit the Deck,’’ and Vera Marsh. The act is built around the song entitled ‘‘Only the Girl’ which is well rendered. Consider this an opening number which has definite elements of ‘class.’ . It will undoubtedly serve its purpose well to support your show. MGM . MANHATTAN. SERENADE (20 min.) This is the latest colortone produced by Metro Goldwyn. It has very many novel elements, partly done in black and white, but with the song and dance numbers done in technicolor. Presents a country girl in the park who is accosted by the jovial Raymond Hackett. The girl, discouraged by the big city, is made to realize all the wonderful things that can be found in a city like New York, if one knows what it’s all about, which is presented by means of flash back, taking you to Broadway, Harlem and other places where out-of-towners go for a good time. By this means we get song, dance, etc., all of which combine to make an excellent flash act. Consider it an outstanding number for any program: to close the show. NEWS SPACE TO ~ MOVIES NOT ADEQUATE ‘Variety’’ does a signal service to the movies by pointing out the fact that newspapers generally, beside discriminating against the movies in the matter of advertising* rates, discriminate also in point of news-space devoted to competitive commercialized enter tainment. ; In the article which we reprint, “Variety’’ says that for every person who wants to read about anything else in the newspaper, there are thirty who would rather read about movies—a fact that Publix Opinion has often urged upon you and one that you should impress thoroughly upon local managing editors and circulation managers. Here is the story. Does any part of it fit your local situation? If it does, re-type the article and see that it gets into the consciousness of your local newspaper contacts: Motion picture companies in New York and through the country spend millions and millions of dollars a year on newspaper advertising. Each major film company spends from ene to five million dollars a year; the average is three and a half million. They pay instead of the usual run of the paper rates which are 60 cents a line, amusement rates at $1.50 a line, with the understanding that publicity goes with it. 4 But when it comes to the publicity in the majority the pictures are neglected in comparison to the drama. The dramatic advertising does not give the papers one-fifth the amount of money pictures do, yet in the Sunday papers while one page may be / devoted to picture publicity, three to six pages are given over to the badly whipped drama. From a purely business standpoint the pictures are not being given a fair’ break and the picture companies are talking to ‘their publicity departments about it. Picture press. agents feel that as long as they are doing four-fifths of the paying they should at least have one half of the space. If they are paying the amusement rates and don’t get any publicity they are being cheated. There is one daily paper in New York that has realized this condition without being told, but the rest go on with little or no consideration for pictures. Where one person is interested in the stage 30 are interested in pictures. The newspapers while allowing dramatie critics to become absolute columnists and write endless stuff about the stage, which film fans don’t or won’t read, ignore the real reader interest in Sunday amusement pages, and pictures are slighted. Two Radio Tie-Ups Plug Detroit Theatres Two radio tie-ups effected by Lou Smith of the Publix-Kunsky Theatres in Detroit give the theatres there’an excellent plug, and at the same time are an undeniable asset to the hours on which they are used. Announcer of Station WJR’s daily ‘“‘Home-makers Hour,’’ broadeast from 9 to 10 a. m., picks ten names daily out of the telephone’ directory. He tells listeners that persons named may have two guest tickets to a certain Publix-Kunsky Theatre by calling at the box-office and identifying themselves. A coming attraction is plugged in the announcement, giving the name of picture, star and theatre several times. Listeners are'requested to ‘phone friends if they hear their names announced, Response has been about four pairs of tickets per day. Same system is used in the “Amusement Guide,’’ broadcast daily over the same station from 6 to 6.15 p. m. Those whose names are announced are instructed to write in and tell what theatre and show they prefer to see. Advantage of tie-up on this hour is that it segregates Publix-Kunsky attractions from those at other theatres which are announced at the same time. % 11 SELLING “THE SOCIAL LION” By RUSSELL HOLMAN, Advertising Manager, Paramount Pictures (Not For Publication) The wise showman is the world’s greatest opportunist. He’s the lad who’s there with the ice cream cones when the thermometer hits 90. He cashes in on the demands of the minute. Right now America is nuts over Jack Oakie. The public demanded him as a star. With ‘“‘The Fleet’s In’? he started to grab the limelight. “Sweetie,” “Fast Company,’ ‘‘Paramount on Parade’ and other sparkling Oakacions clinched his grip on audiences’ funny bones. Paramount, always there with the hot numbers, stars him in ‘‘The Social Lion.’ It’s cash in the till for you. Selling ‘‘The Social Lion’? means selling Oakie. Copy: You Wanted the Big Grin Boy as a Star. Here He Is! Or: There’s Happiness in Every Seat. Laughing Jack Oakie is Here in his First Starring Fun Fest. Or: He did a Little Social Lyin’ and became The Social Lion.’ Come and Laugh Yourself Silly. Or: Is Business Bum? Come and Forget it for an Hour. Drown it in‘the Oakie Laughs. It’s a Great Tonic! Or: He’s Louder and Funnier than Ever. He’s Fresh Every Minute. Jack Oakie in “The Social Lion.”’ More Copy: See and Hear Oakie Leap into the Social Swim and Ride the Swells! He Dives into Hot Water but the Last of a Thousand Laughs is His! Or: See and Hear Happy Jack Play Polo and Woo a Ritzy Millionairess. See Grins Win Again! Or: Roar with The Social Lion in the Joy Jungles of Society. And Still More: HAM PRIZE FIGHTER CRASHES SOCIETY! Lands’ Upper Cut on Upper Crust as Spectators Roar with Glee. Not forgetting the swell supporting cast with which Paramount has fortified Oakie: Mary Brian, Skeets Gallagher (his pal of ‘‘Fast Company,” “Close Harmony” and ‘‘Paramount on Parade’’), Olive Borden. Charles Sellon, E. H. Calvert (‘‘District Attorney’’ of the Philo Vance hits), and others. The story is by Octavus Roy Cohen, author of the famous ‘Florian Slappey’’ yarns in the Saturday Evening Post and of “Why Bring That Up?’’ Director is Eddie Sutherland, who knows comedy like nobody’s business. Oakie’s picture name here is Marco Perkins. He starts as a palooka prize fighter and becomes a society polo star. Marco Polo; get it?) Mary Brian is the pretty neighbor girl who loves him and who gets the air temporarily when he falls for millionairess Olive Borden, who uses him for a laugh. At the end he comes back to Mary and knocks out an important pug in Madison Square Garden. The bulk of the atmosphere is swell country club life, in which audiences are just now plenty interested. I just got back from a cross-country jaunt during which I talked to theatre men in' many different spots. They will say that the type of stuff going over best with audiences right now is fast, really funny comedy that makes folks laugh rather than think. They analyze it this way: Business in most lines is bad. Many are out of work or, . at least, worried. They go to theatres to forget their troubles and grin. Comedy is the antidote. Jack Oakie in ‘‘The Social Lion’’ is right down this comedy alley, and that’s the way to sell it. Oakie—first star laugh hit—‘“‘Social Lion’”—a swell opportunity for the opportunist-showman smart enough to cash in! SELLING AL JOLSON IN “MAMMY” By A. P. WAXMAN Director of Publicity and Advertising Warner Bros. Pictures. "a (Not For Publication) It’s a Joyous Jolson Jubilee of Jokes, 1. Nothing but laughs! Jazz and Jollity. ° 2. To awaken mass interest in the opening a minstrel parade has proven a rousing money-getter. Tried on the New York premiere, the minstrel parade has worked elsewhere with enthusiastic success. Local musicians and rented costumes will turn a trick that can’t be beat. 3. Jolson got his start in minstrels. He gets back to where ‘he began in a merry story of “the road’; the trials and triumphs of the nomad minstrel. Jolson is ‘‘set’” in the best subject he has ever had for the talking and singing screen. 4, Irving Berlin’s story and songs are a “natural. Jolson singing Berlin’s songs is “‘Check and Double Check.’’ An unbeatable combination for advertising—and unbeatable combination for entertainment results. 5. Louise Dresser, as the mother; Lois Moran, Lowell Sherman, Tully Marshall, Hobart Bosworth —a cast of ‘‘names’” that all have box-office appeal and all cast in roles that afford opportunity for each favorite to give their best. : 6. Jolson the singing minstrel and the sure-fire actor assure good entertainment and the magnetic Jolson personality bubbling from the screen and bursting into true Jolsonian vocalisms. Five of Berlin’s hit songs are supplemented by a number of Jolson’s old favorites—including the perpetual advertiser for the creator of songs. Mes dle jolboi'd previous Vitaphone hits have been way-pavers for this, the biggest hit of his career. Mention them all and they simply build a structure of public popularity that means packed houses. nnn EEE 99 Crashes Civic Parade— And Gets Thanked For It | Manager R. K. Fulton of the Broadway Theatre recently helped the Greater Council Bluffs Association form a “Bragger’s Club,” already recounted in Publix Opinion. As a result he was thanked for crashing a civic parade. Fulton’s float, a covered wagon plugging ‘Montana Moon,” was given the place of honor in a parade inaugurating ‘Exposition Week,’’ and passed made-to-order crowds, right behind the band. Association wrote Fulton later, thanking him for participating in the parade! PROMOTES TABLOIDS Charlie Cottle, energetic manager of the Publix Riviera theatre in Detroit, promoted two flashy tabloid papers, advertising current and coming attractions, for dis tribution in the theatre and neighborhood, by selling local merchants on the value of theatre tie-up. Thirty thousand of each were paid for by local merchants, half of them being passed out among patrons of the theatre while the remainder went to door-to-door distribution and counters in neighborhood stores.