Exhibitors Herald (Dec 1924-Mar 1925)

EXHIBITORS HERALD 73 February 7, 1925 PRODIGAL DAUGHTERS, with Gloria Swanson.— A very good evening’s entertainment. Film in fine condition and very clear and distinct. Six reels. — M. W. A. theatre, Soldier, Kan. — Small town patronage. TRIUMPH, with a special cast. — Real good in every respect. Eight reels. — Crosby Bros. Lily theatre, Buffalo, N. Y. — Neighborhood patronage. TRIUMPH, with a special cast. — Just nine reels of blank film would have been better. This is terrible. De Mille must have used up all his talent in the making of ‘‘Ten Commandments” and had none left for this. This is not there, in any respect. And — sweet po — ta — to — how I did get hooked on this baby. It did not gross film rental for two days. Nine reels. — L. F. Wolcott. Grand theatre, Eldora, la. — Small town patronage. WILD BILL HICKOK. with William S. Hart.— Hart drew well and we have nothing to say detrimental to this one, but must say the comedy, “The Lion and the Mouse.” was one of the best Sennett ever produced and helped our entertainment. Zero weather every day this month and city plant out of order. Had to use Lizzie. Seven reels. — Bricker and Green. Gem theatre. Green River. Utah. — General patronage. THE STORY WITHOUT A NAME, with a special cast. — A good melodrama revolving around the death ray and the radio. Plenty of action and thrills. My bunch liked it, one day. Six reels. — L. F. Wolcott, Grand theatre, Eldora, la. — Small town patronage. THE INSIDE STORY, with Antonio Moreno.^ — Very good mystery story. Many comments on it. but it didn't draw exceptionally. Title not much of an asset. Six reels. — H. M. Johnson, Louis theatre, Toppinish, Wash. — Small town patronage. THE SPANISH DANCER, with Pola Negri.— Fine photography. Good story, a little long, and some ways they don’t seem to get them in with Negri, but to us she is very capable and some day will be a winner. Weather and other conditions may have been responsible for the loss we had. Seven reels. — Bricker and Green, Gem theatre, Green River, Utah. — General patronage. THE SPANISH DANCER, with Pola Negri.— Aside from being a costume picture, which same does not hit in the small towns, and a few other minor details, such as the excessive length, this is a real show. Negri’s work fine. It is mounted in the faultless Paramount style, there is good suspense and action and it should be a bet but wasn’t. Nine reels. — L. F. Wolcott, Grand theatre, Eldora, la. — Small town patronage. BLOOD AND SAND, with Rudolph Valentino. — Not as good as we expected, but pleased the majority. Eight reels. — C. A. Jordan, Opera House theatre, Cogswell, N. D. — Small town patronage. PIED PIPER MALONE, with Thomas Meighan. — Too long, too slow, too many kids, too much overdone in all its phases. It is not a box office bet, even with Meighan. One man remarked— he is a traveling man and sees on an average of five pictures a week — that he hoped, up to the final fade-out, that Meighan would trounce the deuce out of the bird who came home with the story about them being drunk when the ship was sunk. That, I believe, was the weak point in this show. Not enough action. Eight reels. — L. F. Walcott. Grand theatre. Eldora, la. — Small town patronage. PIED PIPER MALONE, with Thomas Meighan. — More compliments on this than any Meighan ever shown, but played to poorest business of any of his pictures. He is never a big drawing card, but this was awful. I don’t know how to account for it, unless it was the poor title. Really think Paramount needs help in their selection of titles here lately. Eight reels. — A. N. Miles. Eminence theatre. Eminence, Ky. — General patronage. THE VALLEY OF SILENT MEN, with a special cast. — A very good picture of the beautiful Northern country. A story of the mounted police. Pleased everyone, I believed. Many good comments. No knocks. Paramount has good pictures. Used a Star comedy. Seven reels. — O. K. Stablein, Star theatre, Alexandria, S. D. — General patronage. WEST OF THE WATER TOWER, with Glenn Hunter. — Only the few who had read the book came out to see this one. It is not a big nor a good picture, although I paid real money for it. Eight reels. — L. F. Wolcott, Grand theatre, Eldora. la. — Small town patronage. THE SUPREME PASSION, with a special cast. — Evidently an English picture. They like it, the few who came. Good for March 17th. Six reels. — Crosby Bros. Lily theatre, Buffalo, N. Y. — Neighborhood patronage. SINGER JIM McKEE, with William S. Hart. — Now, in all my wisdom, I propose to say for the benefit of Bill and the Paramount force that, in my opinion, if a suitable story had been pro duced with Biil as the star ; a story which has a little more action, and not so much “drammer I am of the opinion that he would have "come back” strong. People were glad to see him again. They said so — in nickels, in dimes, in quarters — one day. But they weren’t pleased. As it is, lay off : let the dead rest in peace. Seven reels. — L. F. Wolcott, Grand theatre, Eldora. la. — Small town patronage. BACK HOME AND BROKE, with Thomas Meighan. — This is the best picture Meighan ever made. Eight reels. — S. G. Fry, Palace theatre, Omaha, Tex. — General patronage. BACK HOME AND BROKE, with Thomas Meighan. — Thomas Meighan at his best. They ought to put a brand new print of this picture and “A Bachelor Daddy” in every Paramount exchange in America. Here are two masterpieces of delightful, homely human stuff. Seven reels. — Donald H. Dorchester. Community Centre theatre, Southbury, Conn. — -Rural patronage. THE HUMMING BIRD, with Gloria Swanson. — A truly magnificent production with a real story. The acting of Swanson, who I cordially dislike, by the way, is really great. I put on an advertising campaign worthy of the picture, too. but outside attractions proved too much and we enjoyed just the usual program business. Eight reels. — L. F. Wolcott, Grand theatre, Eldora, la. — Small town patronage. BLUEBEARD’S EIGHTH WIFE, with Gloria Swanson. — Very good. Eight reels. — C. A. Jordan. Opera House theatre, Cogswell, N. D. — ■ Small town patronage. THE CALL OF THE CANYON, with Richard Dix. — This is a good show and proved to be a box office attraction which made a little money for us. Many good comments were heard, coming for the most part from ex-service men. Seven reels. — L. F. Wolcott, Grand theatre, Eldora. la. — Small town patronage. THE CALL OF THE CANYON, with Richard Dix. — Ran this one to a very good house and it gave general satisfaction. It is a picture that any house may be proud to run. It can be bought at a fair price and I would advise all my exhibitor friends in the small towns to buy it. Seven reels. — P. W. Quinlin, Ideal theatre, Chateaugay, N. Y. — Small town patronage. THE CALL OF THE CANYON, with Richard Dix. — A well liked picture with Richard Dix. Beautiful Western scenery. Seven reels. — Donald H. Dorchester, Community Centre theatre, Southberry, Conn. — Rural patronage. THE CALL OF THE CANYON, with Richard Dix. — Dandy good picture, pleased 80%. although print in very bad condition. Paramount would not give me credit on same. Seven reels. — E. L. Fawks, Photo Phone theatre. Graford, Tex. — General patronage. FLAMING BARRIERS, with a special cast. — This is of the type of the Wally Reid pictures. It was well liked and enjoyed a fair business. Six reels. — L. F. Wolcott, Grand theatre, Eldora, la. — Small town patronage. BIG BROTHER, with Tom Moore. — Really good. How a New York gangster goes straight on account of a small boy left in his charge. The small boy, Mickey Bennett, just about carries off the honors of the picture. Played it the Saturday night after Christmas to good business. Seven reels. — A. N. Miles, Eminence theatre. Eminence, Ky. — General patronage. BIG BROTHER, with Tom Moore. — -A very good heart interest crook story which fell flat here two days, despite the fact that I tied in with the Boy Scouts on it. Seven reels. — Ij. F. Wolcott, Grand theatre, Eldora, la. — Small town patronage. THE BREAKING POINT, with Nita Naldi.— Fair picture and business the same. Seven reels. — Crosby Bros. Lily theatre. Buffalo, N. Y. — Neighborhood patronage. THE BREAKING POINT, with Nita Naldi. — Nothing to it. Surely could never be considered a box office bet. Seven reels. — L. F. Wolcott, Grand theatre, Eldora, la.^ — Small town patronage. THE BREAKING POINT, with Nita Naldi. — Mary Roberts Rhinehart’s name prominently displayed accounted for the good box office receipts on this. It is a fairly good program picture. Our people do not like Nita Naldi and several said she almost ruined the picture for them. Seven reels. — A. N. Miles. Eminence theatre. Eminence, Ky. — General patronage. TO THE LAST MAN, with Richard Dix. — A fine picture. Wonderful scenery. A good many visitors were in attendance who had been through that country. Made it very interesting for the others. Very cold night — another big snow, but they will come to see a good picture. Plenty of action. Any small town theatre can book this picture and make money. I did. Seven reels. — Mrs.' Linda M. Huyette, New theatre, Berryville, Va. — General patronage, TO THE LAST MAN, with Richard Dix.— Entirely gory. Everybody killed but the cameraman and the two principals, and one of them badly crippled. As the press book announces, it has enough of that type of action for a dozen pictures. We made a play for the Western fans and got out on this one all right, but that was about all. Seven reels. — L. F. Wolcott, Grand theatre, Eldora, la. — Small town patronage. TO THE LAST MAN, with Richard Dix. — Zane Grey got too bloodthirsty when he wrote this one. I don’t know where the censors were when this one got by. Not a fit picture for children to see and so unreasonable in some places that it makes it absurd. — H. E. Gilman, Club theatre. Weed, Cal. — Neighborhood patronage. TO THE LAST MAN, with Richard Dix. — Here is what my people like. I have a lot of woodchoppers and real he-man. Richard Dix and Lois Wilson act wonderfully together. They never did better than they do in this picture. There is a feud and all of both families are killed except the hero and heroine and it is a hard fight op to the last of the picture. There is a tremendous landslide shown. Seven reels. — Donald H. Dorchester, Community Centre theatre, SouthburyConn. — Rural patronage. HIS CHILDREN’S CHILDREN, with a special cast. — From Arthur Train’s novel. Those who had read the book came to see the picture, which really is good, but the rest of them didn’t know what it was all about and they wouldn’t spend the time nor — which is more important, the quarter— to find out. Business about normal, which ispoor. Eight reels. — L. F. Wolcott, Grand theatre. Eldora, la. — Small town patronage. STEPHEN STEPS OUT, with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. — Here’s a picture without an inch of the sweetheart stuff, yet a wonderful story. It appeals to the sophisticated. Seven reels. — Roy S. Hammonds, Recreation theatre, Hardburly, Ky. — Mining camp. STEPHEN STEPS OUT, with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. — This isn’t as bad as one might think. The kid hasn’t arrived yet, it is true, but this was different — not a girl in it — and old Theodore is good, as usual. The people wanted to see what young Doug was like so they came out the first night, but they must not have thought much of it because there weren’t any there the second night. Six reels. — L. F. Wolcott, Grand theatre, Eldora. la. — Small town patronage. NOW BOOKING Qlorence Vidor^ theOllUof GOLD ‘IVUh Malcolm MacGregor, Claire DuBrey, AUm Eloscoe, Bessie Eyton Charles French Directed by ; . . .John I nee Released, by TR OD UCERS ~ nis TRin iJ rmo corp orat ion*