Publix Opinion (Dec 12, 1930)

Hallowe’en Shatter All Records Hallowe’en matinees, held the Saturday after Hallowe’en by Publix Greater Talkie Theatres in Detroit, met with sensational success at the box-office, and more than merit repeti tion next year, Paid juvenile admissions at the Century Theatre, man aged by Joseph La Rose, numbered 1062, 500 more than average for Saturday matinees, and 300 over the record. In addition, 700 children from homes for orphaned and crippled were admitted, conducted to the theatre by members of the police department in cars onated by the street railways. These cars, bannered, were side-tracked in front of the theatre until after the show. Police department also sent a special detail to cover all street crossings in the vicinity of the theatre, and help kids find their way home. Only four children were lost during the afternoon, and La Rose personally returned these to their parents. Entertainment was supplied by two members of the Detroit Recreation Department, who organized and led group singing; an act from the Michigan Theatre stage show, and “Uncle Reg and His Kiddies” from Station WMBC, in addition to the usual screen fare and serial. Gifts for Children As children entered, they were sent down a line of gift tables and received promoted paper hats, candy, cakes, ete. Promoted prizes had been offered for novel costumes, and following the stage entertainment 350 kids paraded across the stage for elimination by audience applause. Attendance at the Redford Theatre eclipsed that at the Century. Manager J. D. Smouse had an audience of 3,144 including 1162 paid juvenile admissions, 582 paid adult admissions, and 1400 ‘children as guests, selected by Community Center organizations from among poor children ordinarily unable to attend theatres. Police officials arranged for transportation to the theatre, supplying trucks, buses and drivers. The police also furnished entertainers from their own ranks to supplement the screen program. Each youngster was given a hat, andy and cookies, and 57 prizes, including shoes, sweaters and gloves, were used for masquerade contestants. The Redford’s intake for the matinee was the second greatest in its history, exceeded only by Kiddie Club attendance on its last Zane Grey feature. Ramona Theatre At the Ramona Theatre, 831 “POO 0-00-0001 0-01 0+-0-0+ 001-0 10+-0-0+-0-+-010-00 INFORMATION ! t Complying with the wishes $ of Mr. Katz, the Candy Sales ¢ Department will immediately t start to keep the records of } all the candy concessions ex; isting throughout the circuit. ! In order that the records $ of the department be accu; rate, Max Schosberg of the 3} Candy Sales Department re} quests each manager who ; has a candy concession in his $ theatre, to send him the folt lowing information as soon $ as possible: 54 1. Name of theatre, city } and state. ¢ Name of concessionaire, ; When lease began. 3} When lease terminates. } Amount of rent and ; how payable (monthly: $ yearly, etc.) $ Has concessionaire kept ; up payments? e 6. Any other information $ that might be pertinent. 3 2. 3. 4 5 bed Niet heel Nid Loe eed Od So ek eed Se med need end eee te ot Le cat te wan Te ot Ye ay Te nt SS any Oy Sy PT 10-20-09. PO OO 10-0 10+0+0+-0+0081-010-018 PUBLIX OPINION, WEEK OF DECEMBER 12th, 1930 Matinees KNOW YOUR ORGANIZATION! These Publix personalities depend upon your effort, just as you depend upon theirs. To know and understand each other’s personalities and problems will lighten the burdens of everyone, and make our tasks enjoyable. For this reason, PUBLIX OPINION is devoting an important part of its space to these brief biographical sketches. paid juvenile admissions represented an increase of 400 over the average. Seven bushels of apples were distributed, one to each child. Manager S. B. Doane’s party started with a balloon blowing contest. Then 15 girls participated in an apple-eating contest, with apples on a string and hands tied. Following this, two blindfolded children fed each other ice cream, stopping the show with their act. The regular organ party preceded the screen show, and to end the party all in costume were brought on the stage for elimination by the audience. Promoted prizes went to winners in all contests. Matinee gross for the Birmingham Theatre, managed by H. C. Holah, was the biggest since March Ist. The day’s intake showed an increase of $179 over the corresponding day last year, and $223 over the previous Saturday. Paid juvenile admissions numbered 736. Lobby apple-biting contests preceded the screen program and costume judging, and each child leaving the theatre was given a bag of candy. Seventeen promoted prizes, beginning with cameras, indoor golf sets and dolls, were awarded in the costume contest. Annex Theatre All matinee attendance records for the Annex Theatre, managed by A. M. Hisner, were shattered. The house filled completely, with 2200 paid admissions, 1530 of them children. Party opened with usual community singing, followed by an 8-year old singer furnished by a music publisher and 15 juvenile entertainers from the Kiddie Club, who competed for prizes. Three hundred children were costumed, and winners. received prizes. In addition, each child received a box of candy. Matinee attendance at the Alhambra, managed by F. E. Wesp, was 1160, with 781 children. Total attendance on the previous Saturday’s matinee was increased by 431 paid admissions. MEntertainment and contests here took place both in the lobby and on the stage, promoted prizes going to winners and all kids receiving candy. More Patrons Than Seats Standing room was at a premium at the Royal Oak Theatre, where Manager Rex Minkley had 350 more patrons than seats at the end of the feature. Paid admissions included 1276 children and 643 adults, with 265 underprivileged children brought in by the Visiting Nurses Association. Matinee admissions exceeded the best Saturday in months by $60. All children on entering received promoted ginger ale, cookies, cakes, candy and apples. Entertainment included the regular organ sing, which was broadcast over Station WEXL, ten children from the audience who sang and danced, a shoe race, an apple-eating contest and a costume contest. Prizes rewarded all winners. Usual contests entertained the children at the Tuxedo Theatre, Managed by Louis J. Mitchell, with promoted prizes to winners. There were 1077 juvenile and 438 adult paid admissions, an increase of 260 over the total for the previous Saturday. Publix Greater Talkie Theatres in Detroit are supervised by District Manager Harry Lustgarten, with Dave Davidson as advertising manager. CUMMINGS WEDS Evert Cummings, division manager for Nebraska, was married on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27, to Miss Hazel Gregory. Ceremony took place in Cedar Rapids, Ia. admitted that he didn’t business. When Publix was being asked Paramount for a man who knew everything about the mo—what was more important—could PAUL RAIBOURN Raibourn Representative Of Research In Industry When Paul Raibourn know a tion picture industry and quickly and accurately recruit special information, as well as keep constantly in touch with new developments. Paramount answered with Raibourn. Asked in 1925—or 1930—the question he answered in 1920, Raibourn himself would give the same answer, a modest disclaimer of any special knowledge whatever concerning the business of distributing and exhibiting motion pictures. But ask him a specific question, and you’ll get an immediate answer indicating the broad and deep knowledge of the industry which he actually possesses. Ask him, for instance, how many dollars were paid into the box-offices of American motion picture theatres in 1917. Two hundred million, you learn, with the additional information that this figure had tripled by 1920, when it amounted to six hundred million. In 1930, box-office totals will approximate one billion dollars. One billion dollars is over one percent of the national income, a proportion evidencing the possibility of future growth for the industry which will eclipse even its phenomenal development in the past, Is a Hoosier Paul Raibourn was born in 1896 in Frankfort, Indiana—not Kentucky—and lived all over Illinois, in towns too small and numerous to mention, he affirms, He went to high school in Waterloo—Illinois, not Iowa—and then entered the University of Illinois, where joined Paramount in 1920, he frankly thing about the motion picture organized in 1925, Mr. Katz he majored in engineering and economics. During his summers he worked in Chicago, for Western Electric, and the impression he made on executives of the company was such that upon his graduation from Illinois he was offered a permanent connection with them in New York City. The World War brought interesting work Electric in the form of éxperiments in radio telephony, on submarine detection devices, and the like. Entry of the United States into the war did not affect the nature of his work, except that he carried it on under the aegis of the Government instead of Western Hlectric. This group of military engineers not only perfected radio telephony to a point which made it possible to carry on conversation with flying planes, but were successful with a transatlantic telephone conversation in 1914, over a decade before it was made commercially possible. He joined the air service, and Was sent to the Post Field School of Fire and Observation, at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. At the close of the war Raibourn returned to New York, to resume his research work with Western Electric and at the same time engage in graduate Study at New York University and Columbia. This time he remained with Western Electric only nine months, then joined Westinghouse to correlate commercial possibilities with with Western]: FAMOUS MUSIC WEEK SET FOR JANUARY 2ND Week of January 2nd to 8th inclusive has been designated “Famous Music Week,”’ to be observed generally by Publix theatres. All managers, masters of ceremonies, organists and musical directors are being requested to lend their co-operation in getting plugs for Famous numbers during that week, The Famous Music Corporation, publisher for Paramount, has grown in stature in the one year of its existence until it now ranks as one of the foremost firms in the song publishing industry, leading the field in the quality and quantity of hits published during 1930. Theatre personalities have been acquainted with details of Famous Music Week, and during that week radio broadcasts of gigantic proportions have been arranged for Famous tunes. Each theatre is being requested to arrange local broadcasts, so that every possible situation may be covered, Such songs as “Peach of a Pair) rtm Yours,” ‘Baby's Birthday Party” and “Homemade Sunshine” are those which organists and stage band leaders are requested to feature. An especially arranged overture of past Paramount hits, in conjunction with “Monte Carlo” tunes and Chevalier’s ‘‘My Ideal,” is being sent to house conductors. Additional information on plug tunes and details of the week may be secured by contacting Rubey Cowan, in care of Boris Morros at the home office. SV engineering research for that organization. With Paramount After another nine months, Raibourn joined Paramount and was given the job of making a statistical study of the organization. Shortly after he had embarked on this task, the Federal Trade Commission brought its complaint against Paramount and other film companies, and Raibourn was as‘signed the job of collecting data and testimony for use in the case. He travelled the length and breadth of the country in making the necessary investigations and surveys, interviewing distributors and exhibitors everywhere. Thus the foundation of his remarkable knowledge of the industry, past, present and future, was laid. It was while in Chicago on this mission, too, that he first met Mr. Katz. Raibourn’s first assignment upon his transfer to Publix was the organization of what is now the Theatre Management Analysis Department. He still exercises general supervision over the department, in addition to his responsibilities as a member of Mr. Katz’ executive cabinet. : : : GALA, OPENING! A gala $5.50 opening will bring “The Royal Family of Broadway” to New York the night of December 17th. Originally scheduled for the Criterion, the premiere will take place at the Rivoli, a larger theatre, after which the picture will run at popular prices. Fredric March and Ina Claire, stars of this outstanding production, as well as other Paramount stars in the East, will attend this premiere. Enthusiasm of Home Office executives is unbounded. The popular stage play is expected to prove an even greater success on the screen. Plans for a two a day run had to be abandoned because of the continued popularity of ‘Hell's Angels” which is still holding forth at the Criterion. +P $O9-O+0+0-8 oe 8+-5 1O+-O-0>-S+01-O+ PHO PO 210+ O° 0+ DO GO D1 O+ D+ O+ S20+O10 O91 81-0-+ 8+ O-10rO10 Os0+ O04 § -0+-0-0+-©-+0+-0-+0+-0-0+0+-0-+0+0-+0+-0-+0+-0-+0+ 010-0 0--0+0+00-00-08 0-0-0-8 ! i |