Exhibitors Herald (Dec 1924-Mar 1925)

March 21, 1925 EXHIBITORS HERALD 49 Scenes from the newest of Pathe serials, “Idaho," which presents Mahlon Hamilton and Vivian Rich in leading roles. A New Kind of ‘^Exploitation Last week the editor of “What the Picture Did for Me” wastebasketed some fifty or more spurious reports on a new short subject. They came from everywhere, except from legitimate sources, indicating that perhaps salesmen had received a general order to pad the returns on this subject at whatever cost. The cost will be plenty, for the attempted trickery necessitates direct check with legitimate contributors of reports on the subject, which occasions delay. Presumably the responsible company classifies this effort as exploitation. The word covers much, in its trade interpretation, but nothing worse than this. Newsreels Tried; Nature Intervened Some tribute is due those companies which went to extremes on Inaugural Day to supply middle west towns with a newsreel of the Washington ceremonies. Because they lost their race in the air in the face of sleet and snow is no reason to let their effort pass unnoticed. All was done that could be done to put pictures of the inauguration on Chicago screens six hours after the President had taken his oath. One aviator was willing to go back into the storm after his plane had been brought down with a broken rudder. Only the lack of another plane kept him from taking the risk a second time. ' The newsreel man knows that news is only valuable while it is still fresh. He has come to value time in offering his subjects. Competition has prodded him in this sense. Nevertheless a constant effort is being made to supply fresh news and lives are risked in the attempt. No less credit is due them because nature beat them this time. Newsreels are becoming more proficient with regard to service. It has become commonplace for us to witness pictures today of an earthquake which rocked buildings yesterday in a city 1,000 miles away. And why is it improbable that the newsreels will not profit by the transmission used by newspapers aiding them to send pictures across the country by telegraph wires? So, without going clear into a realm of fantasy we can imagine a day not far off when the theatre will offer us the picture of a sinking ocean liner before the boat’s last passenger is drowned. Felix Goes Calling Louise Fazenda had her picture taken as she sat at her portable dressing table. (The dressing table looks more like a traveling bag.) We think she’s wise. On the front of the dressing table Pat Sullivan had painted a picture of his “Felix, the cat.” Places in “Believe Me," where comedy begets laughter. Billy West stars in this Arrow Broadway comedy. Louise knows what a champion that cat is. She knows Felix is a popular feline. Therefore the picture went well with the press. And since Felix in real life is Pat Sullivan, we think that Mr. Sullivan is a more sincere artist than he appears. But Don *t Try Solving Em The only great difference between the crossword puzzles we have found on the screen and those in the twenty-five cent books is that the latter can be solved and the former can’t. Occasionally we strike one that seems intelligent. As a rule the answer is flashed on the screen just as we try another word in the squares. We know a man who can solve them. But he can’t solve the kind in our book. But we enjoy them. They are just as well as they are. We don’t want to work them. Our sense of humor is satisfied by reading the answer and snickering. They are good for cross dispositions.