Press: Hullabaloo

When the incredible magazine which is now Ballyhoo was in preparation. Publisher George T. Delacorte Jr. wondered what to call it. He and Editor Norman Hume Anthony favored Hullabaloo for a title but were afraid it might infringe on the rights of Cartoonist Peter Arno whose book of last year bore that name. So they agreed on Ballyhoo. Discovering later that there was no objection to the use of Hullabaloo, Publisher Delacorte decided to have another magazine with that name before someone else could start competition to the astonishingly successful Ballyhoo (current issue: 1,750,000 copies). Following the basic idea of Ballyhoo, which makes fun of advertising, advertisers and the press at large, Hullabaloo would make fun of the cinema. First issue of Hullabaloo appeared in Manhattan last week, about a fortnight earlier than scheduled.

Publisher Delacorte had been having trouble with Publisher Bernarr Macfadden because four months ago he brought out My Story, an unsuccessful 10^ confession magazine patterned closely after Macfadden’s successful 25^ True Story. Macfadden sued. When the fight was at its hot test Publisher Delacorte heard that Publisher Macfadden was plotting to rush into circulation a magazine called Hullabaloo in order to wrest from Delacorte (by publication) the copyright to the title. The suit was settled out of court last week with Publisher Delacorte withdrawing My Story. Ostensibly, hostilities were over; but to make sure, Publisher Delacorte released Hullabaloo earlier than he had planned. (Afterward Publisher Macfadden denied that the name Hullabaloo was ever under consideration. Harold Hersey, who publishes three magazines for Mac fadden, revealed that he will bring out a 15^ humorous monthly next month.)

The first issue of Hullabaloo, edited by Lester Grady who also edits Delacorte’s Film Fun, did not seem to warrant the hullabaloo which it caused. As a caricature of the cinema and of cloying movie-fan magazines it scarcely transcended the unconscious absurdity of the fan magazines themselves. Plainly Publisher Delacorte did not want to be too rough with the industry which supports three of his publications—Film Fun, Screen Romances, Modern Screen—the last the second most successful (after Ballyhoo} of his string of fourteen. Some features of Hullabaloo’s first issue:

¶ A page of burlesque cinema reviews Sample:

“MOPEY DICK—Another gang picture. Don Juan Barrymore and profile in the leads. Remainder of cast could be arrested for non-support.”

¶ A page of silly questions and answers by “Uncle Ned, the Answer Man.”

An announcement of the “Lousiest Picture of the Year” ballot.

¶ A page of “news flashes,” thus: “Production on Noah’s Lark . . . was halted yesterday when it was discovered that Paula Pushova, the star, couldn’t say Noah.”

¶ A composite of “Greta Garbo’s Dream Man” showing Cinemactor Conrad NageFs hair, a set of teeth allegedly George Bancroft’s, and Jimmy Durante’s “schnozzle.”

¶ A superb burlesque of the usual rotogravure portrait section with pictures which might have been taken from a penny arcade; a fashion section suggestive of the 1915 Sears Roebuck catalog.

¶ Sample joke: “Don’t you agree that the movies should be kept clean?” “Absolutely! Something should be done about these people who throw candy boxes and peanut shells on the floor!”

Hullabaloo is planned as a monthly. But those who are familiar with Publisher Delacorte’s methods know that if the first issue of 300,000 copies at 15^ proves not popular, a second will never appear. His investment in the magazine is small; even the covers are of the lot which was printed for the current Modern Screen, and therefore carry the same advertisements, but without charge. Otherwise Hullabaloo, like Ballyhoo, was adless.

Publisher Delacorte, 38, has amassed a fortune from cheap publications. He was the second of ten children of Lawyer George T. Delacorte. His mother was also a lawyer, as were both of her parents. Publisher Delacorte attended Harvard, married in his sophomore year, failed to make a place on the Lampoon staff, made $2,000 by gathering signatures at 10 cents each on petitions for the Presidential nomination of Woodrow Wilson. He was graduated from Columbia in 1913, worked as a free lance advertising solicitor, made money in the War by soliciting advertising for all of the military camp papers in the East. Afterward he organized an agency to handle circulation for Current Opinion, Le Bon Ton, Popular Radio. Ten years ago, with the late crippled Author William Andrew Johnston (Limpy), longtime editor of the New York Sunday World, he started Dell Publishing Co. Their first publications were 10 cents pamphlets on “character analysis,” meaning of birthdays, horoscopes, etc.. etc. First Dell magazine was Sweetheart Stories, which the house still publishes. Next was War Stones which Publisher Delacorte claims opened that particular field in which 22 competitors appeared in two years. In the next ten years Publisher Delacorte started and discarded about 20 magazines besides the 14 which now comprise his list.* Modern Screen and Modem Romances he publishes for sale in Kresge & Kress chainstores and on newsstands in towns without those stores.

Not all other publishers like Publisher Delacorte. He travels strictly alone in the business. He is inclined to be boastful, but all credit him with shrewdness. His success is largely due to three practices: severest economy (his magazines are published in an old office building where about $50 a month rent is chargeable to each), payment in cash, willingness to take a quick loss rather than nurse a lame publication.

Publisher Delacorte has three daughters and two sons, one a sophomore at Princeton. His only game is Kelly pool; his favorite diversion, playing the flute, was taught him by famed Georges Barrere. Because the first office building that housed his company had doors which swung open in a peculiar manner, he has chosen buildings with similar doors for succeeding sites.

Odds, Ends

The tabloid New York Daily News last month suddenly became conservative. Keyhole-peeping gossip of marital infelicity and philandering was ruled out. Divorce stories, when subjects of court record, were ordered reported without frills. No reason for the change was announced, but Newshawks heard that Publisher Joseph Medill Patterson made the decision, after witnessing the film of Five Star Final, in the belief that neighborhood movie-goers would accept the atrocities committed by the tabloid in the play as typical tabloid practice. Last week the News took another step away from ordinary tabloid practice. Apparently as an experiment, it copied the style of TIME’S picture captions on three of its pages. Samples:

Admiral Hugh Rodman

. . . says Hoover’s Navy policy is O. K.

Francis Riley

. . . saved his sister from closet prison.

Rudy Vallee

. . . “young couples dance close, married couples carelessly.”

¶ The Kansas Supreme Court upheld the acquittal of a Herington, Kan. newsdealer of charges that he had violated the State’s “blue laws” against unessential labor on Sunday. His “offense”: selling the Sunday edition of the Kansas City Star. Opined the court: “From the small boy, whose first thought on arising Sunday morning is the comic section, to the son grown older who turns eagerly to the sport page; the young daughter, who peruses the society columns, and father and mother, who turn their attention to the more serious pages, the Sunday paper is looked upon and has grown to be a necessity.”

*Film Fun, Screen Romances, Modern Romances, Modern Screen, War Stories, War Birds, War Aces, Western Romances, All Western Stories, Sweetheart Stories, Cupid’s Diary, I Confess, Ballyhoo, Hullabaloo.