Exhibitors Herald (1926)

EXHIBITORS HERALD 13 April 10, 1926 acting. Seemed to please most o£ them, though, and that's all I care about. Six reels. (Harris, Bancroft, Idaho.) COBRA, FP, Rudolph Valentino, Nita Nsldi, Oertrude Olmsteed, Casson Ferguson, Eileen Percy. Lillian Langdon, 7. — About the best piece of acting ever done by Valentino. No posing: good support. A very creditable production. Went over good for me, but he is well liked here. I think this picture will ntake him many admirers. Photography very poor in spots. (Lyric, Terrell. Tex.) We didn’t see anything bad about this, except the terrible photography. In fact, it seemed to please generally. (Texas, Grand Prairie, Tex.) We were lucky with this. Ran it just before Christmas. A gootl place to kill it. There’s just a little bit less than nothing to it. (Cresco. Cresco, Iowa.) Reports on this picture have not been the best, but for the life of me I don’t know why. It is a good picture and should go over well with any audience. (Saunders, Harvard, 111.) A miserable story about a crooked woman and a man not worth hanging. No good for nobody. (Sunshine, Darlington, Ind.) Valentino plays a part but he does no acting, except the art of acting without seeming to act. It is a smooth play and smooth work which does not add anything to his fame. It paid last night. It will lose tonight. (Blite-Kozy. Metropolis, 111.) Very ordinary. Valentino's a dead bird here. Just a little posing instead of acting. You have to pay Paramount but don't get much in return. (Seneca, Blakely, Ga.) In these days of mechanical perfectjion the poor photography of this picture is absolutely inexcusable. The titles are the only clear spots in it, the rest is hazy and never sharply outlined. The whole thing is draggy and Eudy simply walks through it and acts by occasionally lifting one eyebrow. It has not a particle of pep and dash of former pictures. It is frankly bad — though it drew a big house — and It disappointed even his feminine admirers. No more like this, please. (Temple, Bellaire, O.) Produced in Paramount’s usual style, but Valentino badly miscast. Poor ending and some of our customers walked out. Not a small town picture. (Palace, Ashland, O.) Say, Rudy, if it's all the same with you, please step down and out and don’t hand us any more junk. Everyone is feeling the same way about you. (Kentiand, Kentland, Ind.) Only fair picture. Lost money unth extra advertising. (Lyric, Morrison, 111.) A big flop at the box office. It did not please. (Lyric, Wooster, O.) Valentino can quit as far as I am concerned. (Majestic, Camden, S. C.) "Thank God for five-yard McCarthy.” Amen, to you, "Chicago Tribune." Boy, "The Chicago Tribune" editorial hit the nail right on the head in that editorial. It's goodbye Rudolph as far as I am concerned. "Cobra” has nothing to warrant the price I paid for it. Nothing more than any fifteen dollar picture that I can buy with more solid entertainment and just as much drag at the box office. This chap is living only on his sheik reputation and that is not carrying him far in these country towns. As decided a flop as has ever crossed our screen and I don't mean maybe. There is not a flash of anything in it that would keep anyone but a few female morons awake. A dead draggy production that I bet Famous Players-Lasky were ashamed to put out at the price, their only justification being the price they paid him. (Columbia. Columbia <^ty. Ind.) Simply a rotten picture. Photography very poor. Picture too slow. Business terrible. Valentino sure lost his drawing power as far as this picture is concerned. If you don't want to play to an empty house, lay off this one. No doubt this picture was oversold to everyone as it was in this house. How about a credit? (Bugg, Chicago, 111.) A no 'count picture as far as box office is concerned, but the cast made an honest effort to make a picture and if the thing is sold to you on an honest basis, you will probably make money with it, but the honest facts of the situation with me is that I paid more than average rental for it and did less than average business. Seven reels. (Cozy, Winchester, Ind.) COMING OF AMOS, THE, PDC, Rod LaRoeqae, Jetta Gondal, Noah Beery, Arthur Hoyt, 5,677.— Here was one that was a dandy. A lot of good stuff. Rod sure did well as a i-ube from a sheep ranch. Noah Beery was good, as well as Jetta Goudal. Some fine settings; suited all. But we are playing very close to release dates. In fact, 1 think I will not do it again. Too new. We do not get the publicity from the cities. (Amuse. Hart, Mich.) This should prove an A-1 program picture for the average movie. Not big, but well done. (Liberty, Pikeville, Ky.) A dandy picture. LaRoeque pretty well liked here. Bad weather held this one down. (Halfway, Halfway, Mich,) We ran this one first in the state and will say it is great. The wise ones will buy Producers and step on them. They are winners. Rod LaRoeque made a great hit. Why worry about Paramount when you can get such pictures as Cecil B. DeMille is now making? All I can say for better production is that here is one company who is doing it. (Cozy-Folly, Hollis. Okie.) Excellent picture. Will appeal to any audience. Well acted and directed. (Char-Bell, Rochester, Ind.) This is my first Producers picture and if they are all this good and draw as well, everything will be Jake. But it needs advertising. (State. Tawas, Mich.) A splendid picture in every way. Wo flopped at the box office on account of weather but the picture is 0. K. (Palace. Ashland. 0.) A very good picture. Played to a good Sunday Monday business. (Community, Tacoma, Wash.) Just a picture. No more or no less. Seven reels. (Capitol, Hillsboro, Iowa.) A fair program pioture. Opens in Australia and winds up on the dear old Riviera. The love scenes between Rod and Jetta are too long and draggy. Picture would have been better if cut to five reels. Seven reels. (Trags, Neillsville, V/is.) Rod is a real star and with good stories and direction behind him will make them all sit up. Noah Beery at his best. It proves in this case that the direction is the big thing in making a star work and not pose. Six reels. (Lyric, Frostburg, Md.) COWBOY AND THE COUNTESS. THE. F. Buck Jones, Helen B’Algy, Diana Miller, Harvey Clark, 6,200.— Red hot stuff, boys. Someone has said that about 75 per cent of the people that attend the movies are under twenty-four years of age and naturally they like pictures with dash and pep. Buck is giving them the action, comedy and stories that they crave. Give someone else the big 9 and 10-rsel long drawn out dramatic specials and let me have Buck. Tom, Fred and Hoot about six days out of the week, fifty-two weeks of the year. (Electric. Browning, Mo.) Say. Buck, if you continue making pictures like this, you never need worry. Best you’ve ever made. (Plainview, Plainview, Neb.) A few more like this with Buck’s horse, and Silver Ring will have to eat an extra measure of oats. Buck and his horse are as good as Fred , and Silver in this one. (Texas, Grand Prairie, Tex.) This star is making 'em better right along. (Moon, Omaha, Neb.) Buck Jones' best, and so thought my patrons. Six reels. (Princess, Treer, la.) COWBOY GRIT, V, Pete Morrison, 7.— Pete Morrison is one of the best drawing cards. This series from Vitagraph have held up fine. (Garden, Portsmouth, O.) This is just an ordinary Western picture with some horseback riding but little action and a disconnected plot. Good photography and beautiful scenes of outdoors, hills and timber country. But it is mistitled, as the title would lead the public to think it was a cowboy picture, whereas it is a crook picture. De Luxe. Spearville, Kans.) As good as any of his, and pleased the majority. The horse and mule did some good stunts, but who wants to see them ? You can buy it cheap. If your patrons like Westerns it will please them. (Oi)era House, Mesquite, Nev.) This show pleased nearly everyone from reports given by them. Drew a large crowd. This show is full of pep ; actions are different continually : itl isn’t this soft, mushy love affair. This was what I call a real good show. Rating 95 per cent. Film condition good. Yes for Sunday. (Jewel, Verndale, Minn.) Good action Western with some good comedy touches. Business okay. (Grand, Rainier, Ore.) COWBOY MUSKETEER. THE. FBO. Tom Tyler, Jim London, Frances Dare. Frankie Dairo, 5. — Good Western. Honestly advertised and sold to the exhibitor. To my mind a producer should be held responsible for delivering the kind of a picture sold the exhibitor. F. B. O. makes good. I cannot say as much for some of the others. One in particular sold me specials at special prices and are delivering the poorest pictures I am getting. (Arcadia, Vandergrift, Pa.) If this is a fair sample of Tyler’s pictures that I have under contract. I am sorry I bought them. It is only five short reels and. aside from three or four scenes of action, it is mostly posing for having their pictures took. (De Luxe, Spearville, Kan.) Good picture. Tyler will be a winner if they keep him in this kind of picture. (Pastime, Jefferson, O.) A very good program picture. Good for Saturday night. (Star, Fowier. Colo.) This is a real good program picture. Has not got as much as "The Wyoming Wildcat." (Rialto, Terril, Iowa.) Tom Tyler is sure a comer. Liked very much by our big audience. Fine business. (Odgen, Odgen. Utah.) A real Western picture full of everything It takes to make them life it. F. B. O. is a real bet for exhibitors. (King Tut, Rising Star. Tex.) CRIMSON RUNNER, THE, PDC, Priscilla Dean. Alan Hale. Ward Crane, Mitchell Lewis, Taylor Holmes, 5,650.— A very good picture, worthy of any theatre. It will please the most critical. An all around good show. Book it, (Bugg, Chicago, III.) Good picture. Fine scenery, and great acting. (Princess, Ahvood, Ind.) Monday night poor business owing to very cold weather. This picture is a very fine little prognun. Better in fact than many of the high priced pictures with special tacked onto them. More real action in these five reels than in many of the eight reel specials. Buy "The Crimson Runner.” (Ideal, Chataugay, N. Y.) D DADDY'S GONE A’HUNTING. MGM, Percy Marment, Alice Joyce, Ford Sterling, Helen D’Algy, Edythe Chapman, Martha Mattox, 6. — Good picture. Pleased most of them. Some of the scenes in the Paris cafe a little fresh, according to reports from the older folks, but necessary to bring out the point of the story. (Alamo, Pernbine. Wis.) Good. (Ellendale, N. D.) Another one of those stories tlhat tell you about family troubles where husband goes away on business and brings home another fool woman and divorces his poor hard working and loving wife. Don’t have use for programs like this at all. Too much of this kind in everyday life. Should be omitted from the screen. (Royal, Kimball. S. D.) Not much of a picture. This would be a fair picture if the little girl didn't die in the last reel. Print good. (Sterling. Fairmont. Neb.) An entertaining picture. Advertising suggestive and some spicy scenes. Business below average here. (Grand, Rainier. Ore.) Fair picture to poor busine.sa. (Lily, Buffalo. N. Y.) DARK ANGEL. THE, FN. Ronald Colman, Vilme Banky, Wyndham Standing. Charles Lane, Florence Turner, Helen Jerome Eddy, 7,311. — We opened our new house with this. Our theatre is the finest; theatre in West Texas, seating 800. We recommend this to all exhibitors as we believe it is as perfect as any picture that has been made. (Plainview, Plainview, Tex.) Many told me the best picture they had seen this year, and I think that way myself. Played Armistice Day to good biz. (Regent, Eureka, Kan.) One of the finest pictures we have had on our screen this year. Miss Banky easy on the eyes and excellent in her part. Colman as the blind war hero also good. (Orpheum, Pipestone. Minn.) Almost a perfect picture from standpoint of production, and while it entertains some, there is quite a lot of folks that go to movies these days that it won't get over with. However, those houses catering to high class patrons will hove here a picture that will please 100 per cent. Ronald Colman does far better work than in anything he has appeared in. Vilma Banky is quite pretty and I am not so sure but she is or may be a very capable film star. (Cozy, Winchester. Ind.) A good one and it will stand up for two or three days run. (Dixie, Russellville. Ky.) You can’t go wrong on Uhls one. The scenery and photography is the work of an artist. Step on it. The story is different in the fact that it has an unusual ending and logical. Unusually large number of people remarked how well they liked it. If you can read the handwriting on the wall, you will get behind this one in n big way. (K. P.. Pittsfield, III.) This is a picture that will please any audience that appreciates good pictures. Everybody that saw it liked it. (Palace, Burkburnett. Tex.) An exceptionally fine picture. One that makes you glad to be in the picture business. Boost it. (Opera House. Shelby. 0.) It is certainly a pleasure to show pictures of this class While we do not believe it pleased nil, we have yet to find the first one who did -not like it. Received more compliments on this than any picture we have shown In months. Would rate it about 95 per cent. (Crystal. Flandrenu, S. D.) This is very, very good. Step on it and you will please. Vilma is a sweet little star. Colman also good in this one. (Grand, Yoakum. Tex.) One of the best from First National during 1926. Wonderfully acted and a well connected story. Ronald Colman is at his best and Vilma Banky, the newcomer, fits in to perfection. Geo. Fitzmaurice is a wonderful director and his ability in that line is noticeable throughout the picture. Opposition in the way of many holiday attractions kept the attendance down. It seems when a really worth while picture comes along one never gets a fair and square shot at It. Under ordinary circumstances this picture should do a fine business for any exhibitor. (Lyric. Greenville, 111.) One of the finest pictures ever run. Pleased one hundred per cent. (Home, Oblong, 111.) One of the finest made. Easily ranks with "The Merry Widow" as a production, but won't get the money. A business builder. Ran this during adverse weather. (Auditorium, Crockett. Tex.) If better pictures are made than this one and the others so far released in this group, they are somewhere outside the United States. Let it be said again — First National has