The Exhibitor (Nov 1938-May 1939)

15 HOLLYWOOD NEWSREEL The Christmas Spirit Is Mixed Up with the Football Game • HELLO FOLKS! This is WARREN STOKES speaking to you from Hollywood over the JEP network. Wa continue our play by play broadcast of the ANNUAL FILM INDUSTRY CLASSIC from the Celluloid Stadium where the exhibitors and producers have waged a thrilling battle for the first quarter! What excitement in the last few seconds of play in that first quarter! The producers invaded that exhibitor territory for coverage that could only be equaleld by that ABC combination of the JAY EMANUEL PUBLICATIONS — a leader in the field where you can see more than a quarter back for every penny invested. There’s the whistle! • THE EXHIBITORS are now in punk formation. Somebody is going to kick. Maybe it’s a patron? No! The patron is out in front and it’s a "Bank Night’’ reverse. That was a short one to BALABAN which turned out to be the KATZ. The exhibitor was thrown for a heavy loss. He’s in pretty bad shape. That was a five grand play. He was tackled by three creditors on the short end; time out for the exhibitors. A neighborhood exhibitor is yelling for a better scat. Most of his patrons are doing the same thing. How’s your seat? Consult the Better Management section of these publications for the latest improvements. Time out for replacements. • THE MAN WITH THE IRON MASK is coming in for EDWARD SMALL. JIMMIE ROOSEVELT is warming up for SAM GOLDWYN, E. W. HAMMONS is straightening out that FINE ARTS fumble, WARNER BROTHERS are taking DICK POWELL and JOAN BLONDELL off their roster of players, grooming JOHN PAYNE for the Powell spot in the feature line-up and most of the exhibitors are struggling along with the:r first string. • THE PRODUCER LINE-UP holds the usual promise for 193 9. But the exhibitors are still skeptical. Still waiting for the producers to make a few SRO plays which can always be converted at the box office and play is resumed with the exhibitors making one more attempt for a first down payment on their new equipment. • THE EXHIBITORS are coming up to the line of scrimage, fighting with their backs to the wall, trying desperately with two feature plays and a free China passing system which was a dead giveaway for no gain. As a last resort they are now trying a Jitterbug contest tackle. Most of them already have the jitters and some of them are going bugs. • PETE SMITH SHORT WAVES from Palm Springs suggest the exhibitors change their tactics and put more showmanship passes across to the public if they hope to make a better showing with the producers and put more life into the game. Pete should know. He even put life into a billboard. Remember that living billboard on Metro’s first "Broadway Melody?” But para phrasing that popular delivery of the famous Pete we are forced to reply, "Say, feller! putting life into a billboard is a clever idea. But how do you put life into a billfold?” Start a campaign to spread the use of single bills. Oh, yeah! • VALUE OF EXPLOITATION cannot be denied. And that brings in a local department store for a spot announcement. This store is now offering a waxed paper package for lining pails — and it is labeled GARB-O! Even Pete’s ingenuity is overshadowed by this latest Hollywood commercialized gadget. The first time in the history of picture making that anyone has successfully combined word of mouth advertising with a door to door follow up. • THE ROSE BOWL CLASSIC has nothing on this brilliant gathering. The California sunshine makes everything look brilliant. Even the exhibitors are beginning to see the brighter side of things. But the most brilliant performance in recent years was delivered by REGINALD OWEN in Metro’s "A Christmas Carol,” just released. • THE STANDS ARE CHEERING FOR LEO. He came around the left end and passed that picture right into the hands of waiting exhibitors who grabbed it like a ray of sunshine in their darkest moment with only a few seconds left to make a showing. The exhibitors come from under the gun which ends the half of this Celluloid Classic, confident that they can hold that line with "A Christmas Carol” and fight their way over the holiday slump. The score is still nothing to nothing in favor of the exhibitors, leaving both teams with another tie for Christmas. See you next week when we set up our JEP transmitter for the third quarter. This is WARREN STOKES saying, "So Long, Folks!” and a MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU JEP LISTENERS EVERYWHERE. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR For Next 100 Years Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Gentlemen ; I purposely did not give my opinion of The Exhibitor since it became a weekly magazine, because I wanted to be certain that what I would say would be the truth. Everyone knows that the sample is always considered as good, if not better, than the regular article. Therefore. I wanted to wait until a few other issues were published to see if they compared with the sample issue. However, I am glad to say that in my estimation each issue has been better than the previous one, and when I say that I like and enjoy reading The Exhibitor, I sincerely mean it. Congratulations and may you live to publish for the next 100 years. Sincerely, Ben Harris, Booking manager, Masterpiece Film Attractions. From Middletown Middletown, Pennsylvania. Gentlemen: Congratulations to you for your swell new weekly publications. Some say that the cover is nice but that is of small importance — that which is under the cover and "not under cover” is the important thing. The weekly idea keeps the exhibitor more alert and up to the minute on the happenings far and near. Your "out and true” writings on every fact in the business means plenty to the exhibitors who are faced every day with new angle that may entangle him unless he is set for it. Very truly yours, Doug Carpenter, Manager, Elks Theatre. (Continued on page 20, column 2) ADVANCE SHOTS Brief Glimpses of Features , Shorts to Be Reviewed Received too late to be included in last week’s Blue Section were the following features. These advance shots are given for the record pending the publication of the next Blue Section. CALIFORNIA FRONTIER (Columbia) — Buck Jones, Carmen Bailey, Milburn Stone. 54m. A high-rating action western of the non-choral school, this has Buck Jones in rare good form. CONVICTS AT LARGE (Imperial)— Ralph Forbes, Paula Stone, John Kelly. 5 8m. A copsrobbers yarn, with Ralph Bellamy the hero, Paula Stone the singing heroine. DEVIL’S ISLAND (Warners) — Boris Karloff, Nedda Harrigan, Stuart Holmes. 62m. A highrating action thriller of the French penal colony, this should satisfy excitement-seekers. SHINE ON, HARVEST MOON (Republic) — Roy Rogers, Mary Hart, Lulu Belle and Scotty. 5 5m. An okay western, according to formula, this has Roy Rogers better than his material. SMILING ALONG (20th Century-Fox) — Gracie Fields, Mary Maguire, Roger Livesey. 8 5 m. Another importation, with England’s No. 1 comedienne, this story of show people is exploitable, should build from word-of-mouth. SONGS AND SADDLES (Road Show Pictures) — Gene Austin, Lynne Berkeley, Walter Wills, 6 5 m. Exploitable western, this has its best peg in the concurrent personal appearance of Gene Austin, Candy Hall, Coco Heimel. SWING SISTER SWING (Universal)— Ken Murray, Johnny Downs, Kathryn Kane, Ted Weems and Orchestra. 63m. Cinema jam session, with a song-and-dance-man story, this should go best with the ’teen-age crowd. THERE’S THAT WOMAN AGAIN (Columbia)— Melvyn Douglas, Virginia Bruce, Margaret Lindsay. 70m. The Reardon family (from "There’s Always a Woman”) continue their comedy, thrilling antics, this time with jewel thieves. TOM SAWYER, DETECTIVE (Paramount) — Billy Cook, Donald O’Connor, Porter Hall, Elizabeth Risdon. A natural for the younger followers of the Mark Twain hero (with exploitation angles to pull adults), this has Billy Cook in the title role, solving thievery, murder. TRADE WINDS (United Artists)— Fredric March, Joan Bennett, Ralph Bellamy, Ann Sothern. A better than average sophisticated comedydrama, his has copper-boy Fredric March meeting accused murderer-girl Joan Bennett. (Love conquers all!) Short subjects reviewed during the past week included the following: AFRICAN JAMBOREE (Modern Films). 10m. A diverting Cinecolor travelogue of France’s northern Africa colonies. OH SAY CAN YOU SKI? (Paramount) — 10m. Cinecolor skiing subject (a Paragraphic), this is good, timely. ON WITH THE NEW (Paramount) .— 7m. Betty Boop gets a job at an orphanage, returns, however, wimpy-slinging. ROMANCING ALONG (RKO-Radio)— 2 1 m. Phil Harris, orchestra in an excellent number, with a romantic episode embellished with sweet music. TWO BOYS AND A DOG (Paramount) — 10m. The Rice-Husing-Paramount triumvirate slip here, in this Montana-laid Sportlight. UNUSUAL OCCUPATIONS, No. 3 (Paramount)— 11m. The usual good collection of interesting miscellany. WINTER STYLES (20th Century-Fox)— 1 0m. Second of the Vyvyan Donner fashion subjects in technicolor, this excellently offers what the well-dressed miss will wear "In the Snow,” "In the Sun.” December 21, 19) 8