Publix Opinion (Sep 26, 1930)

10 > cent and the 40 cent value is in the manner of presentation. “So it is with your programs of today. Assuming that the equipment is reasonably good, we have the same sound show to present which Broadway presents. This is the great stride forward this industry has taken in the entertainment field. How are you presenting this program, in a 15 cent or a 40 cent manner? People know, demand and appreciate values. Remember that! | Color and Novelty | “Of first importance, therefore, is the presentation of this program. In this complex business, presentation has much to do with the success or failure of a theatre. There has never been a time when there was such a demand for color, life, variety, novelty, as there is in the presentation of programs today. This is made all the more important in ‘all-sound programs because you lack in the strictest sense of the word the human color that a person can put into a show. But it is being definitely proven daily that a sound program (can be greatly enhanced in entertainment value by the deft, clever and novel treatment that can be given it. And people pay money for the unusual treatment! CONVENTION SPEECH BASIS FOR TRADE PAPER ARTICLE iehlicht of a recent Southeastern Exhibitors’ Convention was ee by Montgomery S. Hill, District Manager supervising Publix-Saenger Theatres of North Carolina. His speech so impressed “Motion Picture News” that he was asked to base an article for that trade paper on it. Excerpts from Hill’s article are reproduced here by Publix Opinion, from the Motion Picture News of Sept. 6th. After discussing the physical features necessary in the complieated theatre operation of today, Hill takes up program construction, as follows: Corps Cs Tie st BAR = fy eee. eS so that there will not be a sameness of character as the newsreel progresses. “A highly dramatic, heavy feature requires the lightening effect of comedy, relief before or after or both; conversely, a comedy feature requires the balancing and contrasting value of a dramatic or class short subject. Highly tragic features, such as ‘Journey’s End’ and ‘All Quiet on the Western Front,’ often have startling endings requiring a silent pause at the end. You should then follow with a light cartoon, or a comedy number giving the audience the relief that is quite essential. “The assembling of these units of the show with the aforesaid balance and contrast will make of a mediocre program a good program, and will make of a good “Can anyone doubt the value of careful study of the program thetheatre has to offer? It not only means that a program must consist of the best product available, but also that the program must be well bal-: aiced. There | Program an outstanding two hours/ “Projection plays a most imM. S. Hill must b e|of entertainment. portant role, and the projection room is one place where. equipment should be kept in the finest condition physically. Your projection must have definition, it must be bright and well cut, it must be smooth, there must be no waits or blank screens, and changeovers must be so smoothly made that the audience is not subjected to any break in the action or the dialogue. | Sound All-Important | “Can you imagine anything more important in the theatre today than the proper control of sound? What are you doing in your theatre to make sound perfect? It was assumed in the first place that you had the necessary equipment and acoustical treatment, but these mean nothing if sound isn’t intelligently observed and properly controlled. How is this to be done? “Wyery sound program should be previewed and volume cues arranged for most effective presentation. This, also, acquaints the operator with the changeover cues, and it gives the sound observer or the manager, preferably both, the opportunity of learning the dramatic continuity of a picture, an essential knowledge in proper sound control. “Sound must be controlled from the floor; this means that there must be someone charged with the Tesponsibility of observing and checking sound at all times. Ventilation, variations in crowds, outside noises, all tend to vary volume, and only an alert sound observer is in a position to get the sound adjusted quickly for the benefit of the audience. “In observing sound the observer should not be in the rear near the aisle entrance because his ear is affected by outside noises, by air rushing through the opening./ He should be as near the rear of the house as possible, however. “Some of the fine points of sound control that add so much to a program are stepping up the fader on newsreel titles, emphasizing funny gags by increased volume, varying volume for openings and closings, checking carefully on disc changeovers so that the dialogue, music, or action will be continuous. Add to this that in it the element of contrast, which is merely a way of saying that it must have comedy, drama, beauty, color, so linked together and so presented that it is worked up from a good beginning to get better and better as the show progresses. “Tt stands to reason that a newsreel can be edited to be made more effective in any community. There are some shots that, from an entertainment standpoint, may be eliminated in your community to the program’s advantage. Certainly the newsreel should open big, and you should vary the shots Presentation Touches “Tn considering presentation I like to think of Jule Delmar’s story at a meeting of Southern Enterprises held in Atlanta a number of years ago. In explaining the difference between ‘big time’ and so-called ‘small time’ vaudeville, he laid the difference to the manner of presentation. “He gave as an example the following. You go downtown, go into a restaurant, order half of a grapefruit. A fat’ waiter slices a grapefruit, puts it in a heavy piece of china, dishes it down the vitrolite counter, gives you a blunt spoon with which to eat the fruit, and you pay him 15 cents for the order. At the Biltmore dining room, in an atmosphere of beauty and comfort, you enter on well carpeted floors a music filled room of architectural splendor, with attractively equipped tables. Well-liveried waiters render you a class service immediately. You order a half grapefruit. It comes in resting on a high comport of crushing ice, the seeds have been removed, the grapefruit is neatly cut out and there is a cherry in the center. You are furnished with a fruit spoon, and pulverized sugar. You pay 40 cents for the order. It’s the same grapefruit. The difference between the 15 ‘HAPPY HOUR’ Bob Armstrong, director of publicity for the Paramount theatre in Seattle, took the stage show from the theatre aboard the U.S.S. Nevada to entertain the sailors during their ‘Happy Hour’ The stunt was a highlight of the visit of the Pacific fleet to Seattle and a good reaction was felt at the box-office, with increased sailor patronage. treatment, that you can give your show from time to time, and you will begin having people wonder what you are going to do next, and when you do that, you are operating a theatre with thought ‘the light of this—‘The manager of touch of light, color, variety, novel and, more than likely, with success, | Manpower Big Factor “The strength of any business rests upon its personnel—its manpower. What are you doing to improve yourself in this business and to select and train your employees? Are you making your theatre radiate personality through the attractive, and the natural courtesy of your cashier, your doorman, your ushers, yourself, or are you letting your theatre suffer because of the lack of that attractive personality that human beings appreciate and demand? “A natural courtesy is essential and your employees should be selected with due consideration to their moral character, personality, their ability, and their ambition to COMMANDING! Note the commandin tion reserved for dtiruablone bs iy Manager J. A. Jones of the Saenger, Pensacola, in this coop ad procured as part of his extra effort to combat the school slump. Original was two full solumns in size. LONG AFTER IT HAS PASSED YOU'LL ‘Remember September’ f WHY? Just Dectuse the NEWS-JOURNAL CINCULA.« ‘TION DEPT. is inviting you to allend the SAEN. GER THEATRE as guests of this newspaper to witneta w selections of the cearcn's greatest (talking ecresn altractions—fome ef which are— learn. ‘Those employees have al| most complete control of the sucEE aa} cess of your business and when ANYBODY'S | you consider that, you begin to WOMAN appreciate what moral character RUTH CHATTERTON is in your personnel. PAUL rueas “The training of employees cannot be overstressed and, after all, those employees are going to be guided by your action, so you set the pace, you establish the standard, and you will find your employees, if properly selected, following in your footsteps. Train your employees to know their business, let each of them know what his responsibilities are—give him a plan for the work that he has to do, help him to organize himself, teach him the eco TUES, WED, THURS, Sept, 9-10-11 . iy —an opic in the history oF the Talking J John McCormack in a story that will tug] at your heartstriugs XOUTIH-LOVE-LAUGETER end nomics of operation, teach him to wa wey BE feel this business, create within Dac eeereenes him a desire to go forward, to j “SONG O’ MY learn, to progress, and last, but HEART” not least, make him enthusiastic. You can’t expect these ideals in the employee if you haven't these ideals yourself. “J like to think of selling in ALICE JOYCE, MAUREEN O’SULLIVAN and J. FARRELL MacDONALD —Plus— REGULAR SAENGER SHORT SUBJECTS a 1,000 seat house can make 1,825,000 sales every year. He must sell to persons of all ages, and of various intellectual powers; he must sell his product for 365 days in the year and not just during any periodic selling season. His selling time on any one product is limited and once his program has changed he has lost forever the opportunity to sell more of that commodity. The nature of his business is such that he cannot afford to decrease his efficiency for even the shortest while, because the resulting losses can never be made good.’ ‘Sales Angles | “Now comes the problem of selling the programs, the policies, the theatre. How much reat study are you giving to this? Have you stopped to realize that .in the sound picture of today you have a great combination of all the merits of the roadshow, vaudeville, and pictures to present to your public? The people have seen great shows, and have become shoppers for entertainment, so this business has evolved, into something bigger than merely opening your door and collecting money. “Tf I were to get over one thought with respect to selling, I would want it to be the great importance of an intelligent analysis of the sales appeal. There’s no limit to the value you can get from this intelligent analysis. If you make this analysis, if you understand the appeal that you have, you can then arrange a master advertising campaign, and from the master campaign you can use those mediums to sell that you can afford economically, and that will cover the field in sales appeal. Please remember that the analysis of the appeal that you are selling is to my way of thinking the one thought about selling that you should remember, and put into effect. It’s the extra 15 per cent of effort and thought put into a proposition that spells the difference between success or failure, or the difference between a great The Law wanted him!—The UNDERWORLD admired him!— WOMEN loved him! Featurettes, Tool! Which will be follqwed tm order ag Usted—cn SUNDAYMONDAY, SEPT, 14-15 with ANN HARDING—MARY ASTOR Edward Everett Horfon—Robert Ames fm Phillip Barry's amusing and called it the great Misti sy) GARY COOPER SPA Min tread? eet of all talkies, HERE’S HOW—IT’S EASY! ta win Quest Tickets for ene or for ALL of these and other great talking pictures— Scout around ameng your friends and neighbors, find thore who are net regular subscribers to the NEWS-JOURNAL—Get them ta sign the coupon at bottom of this ad agreeing to subscribe to the NEWSJOURNAL fer # period cf One Menth, Three Months, Bix Months, YOU DONT HAVE TO COLLECT ANY MONEY, the subscriber Agrees to pay thé cartier Boy each Saturday during the term of the contract. THAT'S ALL! except fo bring the signed coupen to Circulaticn Manager of the NEWS-JOURNAL Circulation Dopartment and recelye— A 3 Guest Tickyts for ona of theses Shots—Jer 2 Ove Mogih Subscriptions, I Quest! Tieket-for all § Bhows—N Ose Minh Subscriptions. & Guest Tickets for 3 of. these Bhowe=Fer Foot ‘Three Mosth Subscriptions, 3 Guest Ticksts for all 5 cf {hese Shows—Fer ‘Two Six Menth Subscriptions, {willy Dreadway stage Kuccesa “HOLLIDAY” N. ¥, exiles ee eee ee ee coop! nave TIHS FILLED OUT AND BRING LUCK] tp TO THE NEWSJOURNAL, YOULL — | BE GIVEN SAENGER GUEST TICKETS success and a poor success. Use of Various Media | “Let us consider now the me diums of sales appeal. Normally (Continued on Page Eleven)