Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1940)

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Page 38 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW October 12, 1940 ort Subject Review 6 {Continued from page 36) excellent satiric impressions of Rudy Vallee, Carmen Lombardo, Bing Crosby and Fred Allen. If your patrons like music, songs and dances — and few small town audiences don't — then this is a good booking to add pep to a dull program. Larry Ceballos directed. You might stage a jam session on the evening you open with this. Feature the "acts" on an Aboard in your lobby. Crazy House I Satisfactory I Univ. (5241) Lantz Cartoon No. I 8 mins. While out on a pleasure drive, Andy Panda and his papa get stalled, have to "put up" at a crazy house where all sorts of weird things that only an animator could conjure, occur. Some of it is amusing, and some is carried a little too far. On the whole, however, it's a satisfactory Technicolor cartoon that won't make or break any program. It was produced by Walter Lantz. Floating Elephants (Timely and Good) Col. (2972) Cinescope No. 2 9 mins. The "floating elephants" in the title refer to the giant balloons which weave a deadly fence of steel cables as defense against destruction from the sky in England. The method in which they are put up, as well as a dramatic scene in which enemy bombers attack a British ship, make this a timely and interesting offering. It was produced by Arthur Leonard and Dick Hyland. Current war news headlines from your newspaper should form the background for your lobby display. Devote extra space to the subject in your newspaper advertising. The Spook Speaks I Fairly Amusing) Col. (2422) All-Star No. 2 18 mins. Audiences who delight in "spooky" slapstick will find a number of laughs in this comedy ; for others, it will be boring. The plot concerns Buster Keaton's and Elsie Ames' experiences when they become caretakers of a house owned by a magician, who is away. One or two spots have genuine laugh merits, but as a whole, this is not nearly up to the standard set by past Keaton efforts. Jules White produced and directed. Master of the Cue (For Billiard Fans) Col. (2801) Sports No. I 10 mins. Willie Hoppe, champion billiard artist, demonstrates the evolution of the game from the time it was rail billiards until it became the more difficult game of today. Trick shots, in which cues, girls and duckpins serve as "props," are shown and are ample proof that Hoppe deserves his title. Although the reel should please any audience, its principal interest will be for billiard fans. Dan Seymour narrates. Display posters of your showing in all recreation parlors. Farmer Tom Thumb (Good! Col. (2751) Fable Cartoon No. I 6 mins. A baby born to the farmer and his wife grows no taller than two inches, thus earning the name, Tom Thumb. Because he is so tiny, he is unable to help with the farm chores, and the farmer is afraid of losing his farm. Tom Thumb, however, proves his worth by ordering huge quantities of vitamins which, when properly administrated, make the crops, horses and cows grow. The whole family will enjoy this cartoon. You have a natural drug store tieup on the value of vitamins. Schoolboy Dreams (Cute I Col. (2701) Phantasy Cartoon No. I 5 mins. Scrappy hurries to school where he discovers the new teacher is very pretty. So entranced is he that he falls asleep at his desk, dreams he is a knight and the teacher is his fair lady in the clutches of the villain. He awakes just as the new teacher is putting a dunce cap on his head. This is a cute cartoon that will fit nicely into that 5-minute spot on your program. Tangled Television fGoodJ Col. (2501) Color Rhapsody No. I 8 mins. Professors No-Stoop, No-Squat and NoSquint demonstrate their new television apparatus. A television "dream girl" is the first projection on the screen, and others include an optical journey to interesting places. There are many good gags in this Technicolor cartoon, which was produced by Sid Marcus. Importance of "Soak the Old" Makes It Good Exploitation Film "Soak the Old" is a short subject that should appeal widely in view of the fact that most people these days are "social security conscious." So that the public in general may be aware of attempts by racketeers to "muscle in" on the old-age benefit law, all civic organizations should be more than anxious to publicize your film. Have "Soak the Old" screened for officers of these clubs, and get them to advise their members of your showing. With the cooperation of the classified advertising department of the newspaper, arrange a contest whereby, in advance of your showing, patrons enter their social security number in a book in your lobby. Each day during the engagement, have several of these numbers, picked at random, placed throughout the classified section. Patrons who find their numbers therein are eligible for guest tickets to your theatre. Another good stunt would be to have a large wheel, similar to that used for Bingo, on your stage or in the lobby, with digits from zero to nine. Have the wheel spun at intervals until some person has all the digits on his social security card. You might also take a certain number, say 35 or any you choose, and offer guest tickets to those having social security cards whose digits, when totalled, equal that number. FIRST RUN SHORT PRODUCT BROADWAY, NEW YORK (Week Beginning October 12) CAPITOL— Information Please No. 13 (RKOPathe) rev. 8-10-40; The Baron and the Rose (MGM) rev. 9-28-40; Football Thrills of 1939 (MGM) rev. 9-28-40. CRITERION— Our National Defense (Col.) ; Fishing in Hawaii (Col.). PARAMOUNT — Popular Science No. 2 (Para.) ; Doing Impossikible Stunts (Para.) rev. 8-17-40. RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL — Britain's R.A.F. (RKO-M of T) rev. 10-5-40. R I ALTO — Onion Pacific (Para.) rev. 6-8-40. RIVOLI— Bone Trouble (RKO-Disney) ; Picture People No. 1 (RKO-Pathe) rev. 9-14-40. ROXY— How Wet Was My Ocean (20thFox) rev. this issue ; He Asked For It (RKO Radio) rev. 9-14-40. STRAND— Fly Fishing (Vita.). CHICAGO LOOP (Week Ending October 12) APOLLO— Football Highlights (Vita.) rev. 8-31-40; Puttin' on the Act (Para.) rev. 8-24-40. CHICAGO— On Foreign Newsfronts (RKOM of T) rev. 9-21-40. GARRICK— Stage Fright (Vita.) ; The Spook Speaks (Col.) rev. this issue. ROOSEVELT — Football Thrills of 1939 (MGM) rev. 9-28-40; Popeye Meets William Tell (Para.) rev. 10-5-40. UNITED ARTISTS — The Capital City (MGM) rev. 9-7-40; Bill Posters (RKODisney) rev. 5-25-40. Radio Plug for Short March of Time's "On Foreign Newsfronts" was plugged on a special broadcast of the Vox Pop program last week. Many members of the Overseas Press Club attended. Pictured above are Westbrook Van Voorhis, March of Time commentator and writer Linton Wells. Universal Plans Serial With Cast of Prominent Players A serial in which the prominence of the cast will rival the star names usually found in an important feature picture has been announced for early production by Universal. Titled "Riders of Death Valley," the chapter play will present such well known players as Dick Foran, Leo Carillo, Buck Jones, Charles Bickford, Nan Grey, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams and Noah Beery, Jr. While serials have been on the yearly schedules of a number of film companies since the industry began, it has been many years since Pearl White, Ruth Roland, Ella Hall and Francis Ford made the so-called "million dollar" serials which ran regularly (and weekly) in the nation's finest show houses and had adult followers equalling if not surpassing their juvenile fans. Such silent serials as "The Perils of Pauline," "The Master Key" and "The Million Dollar Mystery" enjoyed wide distribution and almost as much general patronage as the biggest features. During all these intervening years Universal has produced four serials each year as a part of its regular releasing program. The company recently greatly improved its serial budgets and cast the chapter-plays with important names. Inspired, however, by the results obtained during the past two years which indicate a possible trend back to this type of entertainment, Universal is now putting into preparation the nearest thing to a million-dollar serial that the industry has seen in many years. Miniature Pressbooks Issued for Donald Duck Friday 1 3th Playdates Taking advantage of the fact that September 13th fell on Friday, the publicity and short subject department of RKO Radio Pictures made a drive for the booking of Donald Duck shorts, this being the featured star's official birthday. To aid showmen who booked a Donald Duck subject for the September 13th week, a miniature pressbook with a cover suitable for line cut reproduction was distributed to exhibitors and newspapers throughout the country. The cover depicted the Walt Disney star pointing to a calendar wherein Friday the 13th was emphasized. The material within consisted of an interview with Donald on the good luck omens connected with 13, an up-to-date biography of the quacker, instruction on the Donald Duck Doodle Dance, a schedule of the Donald Duck and other Disney releases wherein Donald appears, and paragraphs for newspapers and theatre programs. In addition to the Donald Duck subjects, of which RKO Radio has some thirty in its exchanges, Donald has a starring short in the Walt Disney Festival of Hits.