Moving Picture World (Jan-Feb 1927)

January 1, 1927 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 25 ARRY HUGHES, speed salesman ior Whozit Films, tapped an impressive forefinger on the pine table which served as a desk in the manager’s office in the Cameo Theatre, Willisville. “Look here, Duff,” he pleaded, “don’t boot a hundred dollars out of the office. You take ‘Women’s Wiles’ for two days and if you don’t break every record you ever hung up, I’ll eat a reel of the film.” Billy Euff, president, vice-president, secretary-treasurer and general manager of the Cameo Cinema Corporation, licked his lips anticipatively. “Wish I could, Barry, he said earnestly. “But I can t pay your rental unless I have two good days, and I can t afford to pay your price for a three-day run. A picture like that takes a day to get advertised.” “Look here.” The star salesman shot his final bolt. “You book the picture for a Friday and Saturday and I’ll get the film to you in time for a Midnight Matinee on Thursday. Boy, it’s a knockout. “Not with me,” corrected Buff. “I want to get the women on this one. First midnight matinee I gave I had 241 men and seven women. Second time there were 286 men and Miss Filkins. She made me lend her one of the ushers to escort her home when she found she was the only woman. Had to give her her money back and pay the kid a quarter to take her home.” “Will vou let me run this?” asked Hughes. “I’ll put it over like a million dollars. I want you to clean up on this, Billy." “I’d like to,” admitted Buff, “but it’s a lot of money.” “I’ll put it over or give you a receipted bill,” offered Hughes, and immediately thereafter they went into executive session. A few weeks later Willsville was thrown into an uproar by a quarter-page splash in the daily paper announcing a two-day run of “Women’s Wiles” with a preliminary midnight matinee for men only. It was guardedly suggested that no man with red blood in his veins could afford to miss this special show. That evening Daisy Peters, who ran the telephone exchange on the day shift, dropped into the Cameo for the second show. In view of the good she could do him on the wire, Duff had put her on the free list, and Daisy appreciated her privilege. She dropped into Buff’s office on her way to her seat. ‘T think I ought to tell you, Mr. Buff,” she voluntered, “that some of the women feel pretty sore about your advertisement. They’ve been talking about it all day. Mrs. Tribbets put in ’most a hundred calls. She’s the president of the Women’s Reform League, you know.” “She can’t stop me,” protested Buff, “and it won’t hurt any if she talks. I want ’em to talk, Daisy. That’s why I'm giving a midnight matinee. Anything you can do over the wire— you know — thanks.” Daisy did a lot in the next few days, but she was a weak sister alongside Mrs. Tribbets, who sat at the phone until her long suffering husband fairly dragged her off to bed each night. Buff just smiled over Daisy’s nightly reports and remarked again that he wanted them to talk. Thursday afternoon the film cans arrived, and were escorted from the station by the High School Cadets, with their fife and drum corps, tailed by little Johnnie Henson with a banner announcing the midnight matinee. The last night show was well attended and as soon as the “Good night” slide flashed the crowd made a break for the box office to purchase seats for the midnight show. But no one beat Mrs. Tribbets to the window', for she had established herself in that point of vantage as soon as the sale for the regular show had stopped, and when the curtain of the box office went up she w^as the first to shove her quarter across the shelf with a challenging “One, please.” “This is for men only,” protested Grade Bell, who acted as cashier, and Buff, who had come into the lobby, added his explanation. Mrs. Tribbets turned to Judge Belding, wTho stood at her elbow and the elderly magistrate frowned portentously. “Do you know, sir,” he demanded, ‘‘that the courts in this state have declared the motion picture theatre to be a public utility?” “But I was told that if I gave them the same show the next day I could make this stag,” protested Buff. “I'll give a special matinee for women only, if you say so.” “We do not say so,” thundered the Judge. “As a citizen I demand that you admit this lady.” Billy raised his voice in argument. He had to raise his voice since bv this time the lobby was packed and the crowd overflowed the curb. He recited all the arguments that Barry Hughes had given him, but without avail. The judge had two law books and the stronger voice. In the end Billy gave in as gracefully as he could and Mrs. Tribbets led practically the entire membership of the Women’s Reform League into the choicest seats, after they had given three rousing cheers for their staunch legal supporter. When the house vras packed the lobby was still filled and the crowd ran well down to the corner. With a capacity of 583 seats and room for about a hundred standees. Duff figured a sale of 721 tickets and a turnaway of more than a thousand. Of those inside the house more than 500 were women. Mrs. Tribbets and some others probably never will be convinced that Duff did not cut the show on them. They are morally certain that he had suppressed some particularly racy comedy or perhaps even a couchee dancer. There must have bee'n some reason for holding admissions to men only, but the show they saw contained nothing to offend even Mrs. Tribbets’ fine sensibilities. The picture was a splendid one, and her opinion led off the two column story the Willsville Courier ran the following morning. It was a great little story, and it certainly did not hurt business any. ^ Late Saturday night a single light burned in the office of the Cameo, and Bill-' ijuff laboriously picked out a letter to Harry Hughes, using two fingers, an eraser and a Urge vocabularv as h<= hit the wrong keys. ‘‘Dear Barry,” he wrote. “I’m sending you a box of cigars. Be sure the exchange manager doesn’t gyp you out of them for these are good ones — not the kind I smoke myself. “Your idea went over like it had been rehearsed. I couldn’t coax the women to come to my midnight matinees, but when I told them they could not come, they insisted, just as you said they would. They even pulled a lawyer on me, which gave me a good excuse to give in gracefully. It’s been the best week I ever had these last two days. “Think up another idea like that and I’ll give you ten per cent of the net. “But how in hell do you come to know so much about women? You’re not a married man.”