20th Century-Fox Dynamo (February 3, 1940)

8 NEW DYNAMO |Seen And Heard At Premiere That Turned' | Glamorous Miami Into “Little Old New York” j L incoln theatre, miami BEACH, FLA. — Theatre magnates galore turned out. There are so many of them here, you meet them everywhere. Prominent among these at the premiere were Charles Skouras, the Schine brothers of Glovers- ville (N. Y.), Abe Blank of Des Moines, N. L. Nathanson of Canada, Sidney Meyer and Mitchell Wolf son of Miami and many others. • T)RODUCING and distributing executives also turned out en masse. From our ranks came Southern District Manager Har- ry G. Ballance, Atlanta Branch Manager Paul S. Wilson, Cleve- land Branch Manager I. J. Schmertz, Florida Representa- tive Fred Dodson and Print Manager Harry Mersay. • A PPLAUDING vociferously this demonstrated hit were Nicholas Schenck, president of Loew’s, Inc.; Maj. Albert War- ner of Warner Brothers, Nate Spingold of Columbia, Edward Small of Edward Small Produc- tions of Hollywood, Nat Fleisch- er and others. • rpHE sports world was repre- A sented by the one and only Mike Jacobs, No. 1 sports pro- moter; Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney, Col. E. R. Bradley (whose Bimelach is being given a heavy “play” in the winter “book” to win the Kentucky Derby on May 4); Col. Clyde E. McBride, Kansas City Star Sports Editor; Henry Prusoff, the 10th ranking U. S. tennis star, of Seattle; heavyweight boxer Billy Conn, Walter O. Briggs, owner of the Detroit baseball club: Detroit Third Baseman Hank Greenberg; top- ranking U. S. tennis amateur Bobby Riggs of Chicago, and others. • N ATIONALLY known news- paper writers also were at- tracted. We noted Walter Win- chell, Damon Runyon, Nick Kenny, Jim Kilgallen, Publisher John Knight and all the local stars of Miami dailies. • T HERE was one good-looking chap in this brilliant, all- star audience who had a great and personal interest in “Little Old New York.” He was none other than Tony Martin, husband of Alice Faye. Martin has scored a huge hit personally in Miami, where he has been pack- ing the Royal Palm Club. He was besieged by autograph hounds. Right after the show- ing he telegraphed his congratu- lations to Alice, who is appear- ing before the cameras at Movietone City in “Lillian Rus- sell.” Later he phoned Alice— and told her all about the pre- miere and the fine comments her performance earned from mem- bers of the audience. A L JOLSON who appeared with Alice Faye in “Rose of Washington Square” last season, made this comment: “There is the best trouper in Hollywood. An angel to work with, she seems to do better in each suc- ceeding role. I’ll bet my shirt she’ll make the sort of Lillian Russell that that grand old gal would have been proud to meet.” Alice’s ears must have scorched, for the stars certainly raved over her performance. • W ALTER WINCHELL, New York’s Newspaperman No. 1, tosses orchids to all who had a hand in producing “Little Old New York.” R ichard greene’s Robert Fulton took the audience completely by surprise. Film magnates, theatre men, column- ists, heiresses, sportsmen, stars of stage and radio and just everyday movie ticket-buyers joined in highly praising his per- formance. There is no doubt this role will put him right on top in male popularity. • ‘TTtHE BLUE BIRD” world pre- A miere was a gala affair, and “The Grapes of Wrath” press preview drew many notables in New York, but this first show- ing of “Little Old New York” dwarfed them for number of “name” patrons, ballyhoo and electrifying brilliance of the fes- tive event. No Hollywood open- ing has been more colorful, dra- matic or festive. Stunts were so good they have won national newspaper prominence. Plenty of showmanship and the Womet- co crowd can be congratulated for a history-making world pre- miere. Showmen like Maj. War- ner, Blank, Sparks, Skouras, and others of national prominence “raved” about this opening. Broadway and Hollywood would have been swept off their feet. It was that well handled. • A S a matter of actual fact, the world premiere of “Little Old New York” was staged here because Florida is at present housing every truly big New York “name.” Everybody who is anybody on Broadway and lead- ing “lights” of night clubs, poli- tics, society and finance are down in this neck of the sun(?) smitten peninsula. And most of them were at the premiere. The Lincoln was so packed with “name” personalities, Mr. and Mrs. Average Citizen got two- shows-for-the-price-of-one — on the screen and in the audience. • M iami beach’s popular mayor, Jack Levi, after sur- veying the turnout, said to your correspondent. “Mayor La Guar- dia must be very lonesome up in New York tonight.” • A FTER the premiere many old-timers, who “knew old New York when—,” exchanged stories of other days. They talked about David Belasco, Flo Ziegfeld, Lillian Russell, O. Henry and others. Whereupon Joe E. Lewis, night club star who appeared in several of our pictures, said: “Yeah, but they won’t mean a thing to people to- day until Darryl Zanuck puts their life on the screen.” • P EOPLE came here to bask in the sunshine—to escape the cold. At night if the weather is right they walk, go to the dog races, or gambling dens or to the cabarets where the price is so high you pay the tip on the installment plan. But, it was not warm last Thursday (Jan. 25). So, the radio got a grand “play,” for everybody talked about that “Little Old New York” broad- cast. And the Wometco boys told us it did much to arouse advance interest in the local en- gagement. Wise Showman Sonny Shepard bought an announce- men of the premiere, made right after the Coast-to-Coast and border-to-border broadcast. They did not miss an angle in ex- ploiting the picture down here. E ddie cohen, the most widely read motion picture editor in the Southeast (lucky Miami Daily News!), got behind There's Love in Brenda Joyce's Eyes j that “Little Old New York” mayoralty contest—but with his whole heart. Result: the most interesting, news - developing stunt pulled in this area in many a moon. • W ATCH the syndicated col- umns for further news re- garding the entertainment glam- our of “Little Old New York.” Louis Sobol, Jack Kafoed and a flock of others all plan devoting a column or so, in the not dis- tant future, to this production. It’s a “natural” for the column- ists. • ARL ERBE, who publicizes everything that’s anything from Miami to Havana in Win- ter and a flock of big attractions in New York in the Summer, is the lad who “planted” that neat, national publicity-grabbing may- oralty * stunt with the Daily News. It was a classic, arousing so much competition among such topnotchers as Milt Berle, Joe E. Lewis, Abe Lyman, Tony Martin and others that most of the can- didates gave platform speeches at night clubs and “stuffed” the ballot boxes (and they weren’t fooling either). M AYOR LaGUARDIA was in- vited by Mayor Levi of Mi- ami Beach to fly down here at the latter city’s expense to at- tend the premiere, but the “fighting chief of New York” was too busy occupied with mu- nicipal matters to make the flight. • T HAT was a fine piece of po- licing the Miami City law guardians did at the premiere. It was policing with a smile. Credit goes to Director of Pub- lic Safety Reynolds of Miami and Chief of Police Yocum of Miami Beach were in charge. Assisting them were Sergt. Seiler and Officer Barney Bow- ers. • I T WAS to the Dempsey-Van- derbilt Hotel, the most popu- lar rendezvous of New Yorkers in Miami Beach, where the pre- miere crowd went after the showing. It was “Little Old New York” night at the the Great Mauler’s hostelry. By the way, a “Little Old New York” night was observed at every hotel on some night 10 days in advance of the opening. • T HE sixth race at Hialeah on Wednesday was called the “Little Old New York” Handi- cap. Too bad Alice Faye was not entered, for it would have been a walk for that grand horse! This race attracted national at- tention to the picture, for every paper in the land running turf results featured the race by its honorary name. • M IAMI’S Mayor Sewell was in his glory as he led the march of the Miami Boys’ Drum Corps up Lincoln Road to the Lincoln theatre where he and Miami Beach Mayor Levi were introduced by Milton Berle to the assembled throng. They “crowned” and exchanged greet- ings with the newly elected may- or of “Little Old New York.” I’T'HAT red-plush carpet rolled A out of the lobby right into Lincoln Road gave the premiere a regal tone—and how some of the boys and gals strutted on it! • T>UBLICIST Erbe didn’t miss A an angle. He even “dug up” a descendant of Robert Fulton, whose life is dramatized in the production. The direct descen- dant was none other than Mary Soule, who happened to be visit- ing in Miami. She was the eve- ning’s guest of honor. E DDIE GARR, one of the “Jeeters” in the New York production of “Tobacco Road,” was one of the candidates in the “Little Old New York” mayor- alty contest. He was appearing on the stage of the Olympia the- atre in Miami. The Olympia is opposition to the Wometco chain, being operated by Paramount. But, so wrapped up in the con- test was Eddie that he forgot the opposition angle and from the stage made an appeal to the audiences to support his candi- dacy, mentioning “Little Old New York,” the Lincoln theatre and all the other facts that prompted the promotion of this campaign. • P AT RILEY, Miami’s ace cam- eraman, headed the New Dy- namo staff of lensmen at the pre- miere. This writer has operated with crews in New York, Chi- cago, Kansas City, New Orleans, Albany, Boston, and many other key cities, but to none of them need Pat tip his hat for efficiency and speed. Within one hour after the opening he had deliv- ered to your correspondent some three dozens of prints, enabling us to come out on schedule (we hope). H arry richman was to have been on hand, but he had an engagement in Palm Beach that he could not cancel. Harry, who co-operated with the boys in the advance exploita- tion, appeared at the society ball in Palm Beach in celebration of the President’s birthday. • H OW Sidney Meyer, Mitch Wolf son and Shepard are able to do a day’s work in peace is beyond the writer’s under- standing. Film magnates from New York, who should know bet- ter, seem to feel that these gen- tlemen have nothing more to do than serve as a “have-a-good- time-in Miami” committee. But this trio always finds time to make the “visiting firemen” feel at home—and, at the same time, operate one of the best circuits in the land. • D IRECTOR Henry King, who never passes up an oppor- tunity to fly to Miami between pictures, was on the phone right after the premiere to ascertain how “Little Old New York” went over. The report Shepard was able to give him gave him every reason for being proud he di- rected this grand piece of cellu- loid entertainment. • A PHOTO of the opening was wired to Motion Picture Daily for publication in their Continued on Page 9