Exhibitors Herald (1926)

16 BOX OFFICE RECORD SECTION OF April 10, 1925 isinal title. (Illinois, Sullivan, III.) Not a knockout, but very good. (Princess, Obion, Tenn.) This one pleased my patrons. Fight scenes very good. Fox calls this a special, but it is not, although it is a very good program picture. (State, Tawas City, Mich.) FINE CLOTHES, FN. Lewis Stone. Percy Marmont, Alma Rubens, William V. Mong, Raymond Griffith, Eileen Percy, 8. — A splendid picture. A little dangerous in spots. More of a city picture than a country town. (Silver Family, Greenville, Mich.) Too many pictures like this. Suits a few. Poor attendance. (Community, David City, Neb.) This is only a fair picture and is a very poor picture for small towns where people do not care for society or suggestive stories. Too bad to waste Stone in this one. (Bijou. Beach, N. D. ) This one did not please at all as it was too slow. John Stahl productions usually go over well here, but this one didn't. No life to the story at all. (Atlantic, Atlantic, Mass.) Rather good picture, especially for the women. Failed to draw average business, but pleased majority who saw it. (Crossett, Crossett, Ark.) Why not cut it down to six reels, First National, and speed up the development 7 This picture would have drawn well for me had not the temperature stood at 23 degrees all day, which is some weather for Louisiana’s damp climate. These three and four star combinations are my best bet. I always exploit them from that angle. (Arcadia, Crowley, La.) If you haven’t got this on your booking list, then it's time you were getting it on there. The cast includes Lewis Stone, Alma Rubens, Estelle Taylor. One of the best for a good cast, (Plainview. Plainview, Tex.) Fair production. No drawing power. Patronage fell off second night of showing. (Palace, Malta, Mont.) This picture was not up to the usual high standard of John M. Stahl productions. It started out just fine hut after the second reel it seemed to go all to pieces. It jumped from a perfectly clean picture to a very suggestive one. The hero spent four reels trying to induce the heroine into going with him. but somehow the fool woman couldn’t make up her mind. The title means nothing and the picture will haixlly mean anything to your patrons. (Lyric, Greenville, 111.) Mighty good program picture. Would give better satisfaction if one of the male leads had been a younger star. (Star, Price, U. ) Good show but not for the box office. (Liberty. Pasco, Wash.)* FIRE PATROL, THE, Chad,, Anna Q. Nilsson, William Jeffries, Spottlswoode Aiken. Madge Bellamy, Helen Jerome Eddy. Jack Richardson, Gale Henry, 6,600. — A real good production and pleased my fans. Film poor. (Strand, Ransom, Kan.) Real melodrama of the deep that made a hit here and brought lots of comments. (Khattar’s, Sydney, N. S.. Canada.) This is not much of a picture. Was fed up on it as a great fire picture. People did not like it and said so. (Whynot, Greenfield. Ind.) A good program picture with lots of pep and plenty of thrills. Played on Saturday to a good crowd. Patrons well pleased. Six reels. (Palace, Clifton Heights, Pa.) The poorest piece of junk I ever run. (Lincoln, Milwaukee, Wis.) FIRST YEAR, THE, F, Matt Moore, Kathryn Perry, John Patrick, Frank Currier, Margaret Livingston, J. Farrell MacDonald, 5.— F'ine dope here. We play a Fox comedy with Kathryn Perry, and when the much advertised feature starts same Kathryn Perry takes a lead. Some jump from a comedy to a super-special. Wonder how many stars do this. Fox sure has the dope to string exhibitors with. Wonder how many bit. (Plainview. Plainview, Neb.) Just another picture to show. No pep. If you have it bought run it, otherwise lay off. (Opera House, Apache, Okla.) If I were paying a program price for l)rogratn pictures. I would think this a nice little picture. But this was sold me for a special at a special price and what I think is not printable. (Arcadia. Vandergrift, Pa.) A good program picture. Nothing more. (Texas, Grand Prairie. Tex.) Splendid entertainment in this picture. Plenty of comedy and will please. Seven reels. (Palace, Mt. Pleasant, Tex.) Very good light comedy drama. Will please any audience. (State, Tawas City, Mich.) FLOWER OF NIGHT, FP. Pola Negri, Joseph Dowling. Warner OSand, Ed Brady, Ealalic Jensen, Helen Lee Worthing. 6. — Personally thought this to be n very good picture, with Pola getting away with a difficult part Impossible to tell what the public would think of it, as we are unable to get enough out of a Negri picture to judge. (Crossett, Crossett, Ark.) Good picture but Negri is not very well liked here. Her pictures will not draw. (Orpheum, Pipestone, Minn.) This picture is not a small town picture, not in the way that there is anything objection Abbreviations Abbrevistions used in this issue, together with Home Odice addresses of £lm companies designated, are as follows: AE — Associated Exhibitors, 35 West 45th St.,. New York. CHAD — Chadwick Pictures Corp., 729 Seventh Ave., New York. COL — Columbia Pictures Corp., 1600 Broadway, New York. E — Educational Film Exchanges, 370 Seventh Ave., New York. FP — Famous Players-Lasky, 485 Fifth Ave., New York. FBO — Film Booking Offices, 1560 Broadway, New York. FN — First National Pictures, 383 Madison Ave., New York. F — Fox Film Corp,, West S5th St., New York. MG — Metro-Goldwyn Pictures, 1540 Broadway, New York. P — Pathe Exchanges, Inc., 35 West 45jh St., New York. PF — B. P. Schulberg Corp. 1650 B'roadway. New York. PL — Principal Pictures, 1540 Broadway, New York. PDC — Producers Distributing Corp., 527 Fifth Ave., New York. UA — United Artists, 729 Seventh Ave., New York. U — Universal Pictures, 730 Fifth Ave., New York. V — Vitagraph, 1400 Locust Blvd., Brooklyn. N. Y. W — Warner Brothers, 1600 Broadway New York. State Right distributors designated by name. Numerals indicate length of picture in footage or reels. able in 'it, but because the average small town audience '|s not educated up to the amount of emotional apting this star does. She is not a box office bet, (fo(ng the poorest business of any star in this house. v.The tense scene that should grip an audience is ^ways the sign for the ribald guffaw, and my people are not below the average intelligence, but her work in every picture we have played of her does not get by with the audience. Either she is too Latin in her acting and mannerisig or else the stories and direction have fallen d^wn, anyway she does not go over and as I have one more play to play of her I am going to play it and either take the loss or arrange for another production in its place. As the gods decide. In the five or six pictures we have played of her she has not grossed a nickle profit and I am through with Negri for all time. This is the last; attempt to put her over in this town. She is absolutely not there with a small town audience, not a single comment favorable. (Columbia, Columbia 'City, Ind.) Well, well ! Pola, where did you get the leading man ? Wonders never cease! The ne.xt time, why not try Ben Turpin and we’ll know whether to laugh or cry? But, I must say this much, the story is more to the taste of the smaller towns. The first day’s run was only fair (giving it a wide margin) but public opinion made the second day much better, but how they razzed the male lead. Don't let them tell you at the exchange it’s a special. (Arcadia, Crowley, La.) A good picture. Pleased all that saw it. excepting for a title. "American Pigs." Bo not think much of the director who would say that. If he is a foreigner he had better go back where. Although Pola is a favorite here. (Family, Attica, N. Y.) It was a good picture, but sure flopped at the box office. I don't believe that my patrons figured that it would be an outdoor picture or it would not have flopped so bad. I wish that Paramount would can her and Gloria Swanson or get their pictures down to where a small town can afford to run them. (Washington, Atoka. Okla.) Good Western drama with Pola below her standard. Pleased the majority. One of the Farewell group. (Cozy, Wagner, S. D.) A very poor picture, to poorer business. No excuse for this one. Pola Negri n. g. so far as suburban business is concerned. A high priced star that is a flivver. (Ridgemont. Seattle, Wash.) A fine story, but Poia never was a star as far as the box office is concerned, and it’s what counts. The cast was terrible. Her leading man I think had never seen a camera before. No drawing power but you have to take this junk along with the rest. Do not run this one if you can help it Seven reels. (Lyric, Fi-ostburg, Mo.) FOOL, THE, F, Edmund Lowe, Raymond Bloomer, Henry Sedler, Paul Panzer, Mary Thurman, Brenda Bond, 9,463,— Edmund Lowe is right ori the top round of the ladder of success in this wonderful William Fox picture. Of course, it is not a perfect picture, as it is not quite good enough to sustain interest through 10 reeks. However, most folks will sit through it and proclaim it good. Edmund Lowe, you are an actor. (Cozy. Winchester, Ind.) This is a great picture and a most excellent sermon. The work of Edmund Lowe deserves the highest praise. But from a box office standpoint it fails. It is too long, too depressing. People come to the theatre to be entertained, not preached to. While a few patrons appreciated it and liked it. most of them did not. I had it bought and had to run it at a long rental. Lost money. It is not worth a long price. (Bijou, Beach. N. D.) I was a fool to book this for a small town. Believe me. when my contract is done, no more block booking for me. (Opera House, Arlington, Iowa.) If you are in a town where they are opposed to Sunday shows, get this one. Better than a sermon. While we did not like this picture as well as "Thank You!" (another Fox picture) yet it caused more talk, which gave us a better business on the second day’s showing. Truly a great picture and a credit to the industry and Wslllam Fox. The only complaint we heard was that it was too long and personally we think it would have been much better in seven or eight reds. (Crystal. Flandreau. S, D.) The best of the Fox super specials. Although we did not make any money on it, it's a picture that can be run in any house at any time, especially suitable for a Christmas showing. (Plainview, Plainview. Neb.) Stage success don’t mean anything in my town. Rotten business. Pretty weather, in good season. Failed to register even rental. (Gem, Memphis. Tex.) A fine Sunday .show that will appeal to your better class. A bit of unnecessary swearing in some of the subtitles hurts it to some extent. Gentlemen don’t swear before ladies. Why put it in pictures? The main objection to this picture is the length. On the last few reels everybody was restless and the shootem ups walked out. (Palace, Long Pine, Neb.) One of the best pictures I’ve ever shown, but as a business getter it failed like all Fox specials. Wonder whan William will awaken to the fact that it’s the star that gets the dough for the man who digs up the money to keep Hollywood going. (American, Ada. Okla.) A picture that will long remain in the memory of everyone who sees it. Excellent. (Pearl. Highland Park. 111.) This is one of those really fine pictures. 1 did not particularly care for the story, but it has a lot of meat on it and the picture is well thought of by many. I have had a lot of favorable comments since I ran it. It makes a lasting impression and raises the standard of the movies. (Grand, Pierre, S. D. ) A wonderful picture of its kind. Pleased on an average better than "The Ten Commandments,” and lost about the same amount of money. Our folks do not like this kind of stuff. (Rex. 'Gilman City, Mo.) Showed this Christmas night and the night after. It is a good Christmas picture but too long and did not get the money for me in proportion to what 1 paid for it. (Electric, Browning, Mo.) This is a good picture for those who like this kind but it didn’t go over at the box office (Piainview, Plainview, Tex.) If this had four reels of colored hokum this would be called far ahead of "The Ten Commandments.” If you have it bought, make your drive on the nongoers, as it will please them more than your regulars. Yes, you are safe in asking the preachers. (Texas. Grand Prairie, Tex.) FRESHMAN. THE, F. Harold Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston, Brooks Benedict, Pat Harmon, 6,883,— It 8 all they claim for it. Stood 'em up for four days in a 2 day town. (American. Ada. Okla.) Positively the greatest thing Lloyd has ever done. We used every means of advertising and the results, a packed house both nights. (Temple, Aberdeen Miss.) An average Lloyd comedy. Nothing to rave about when you consider the price. Will go best in a college town. Draggy in places. Not equal to "High and Dizzy.” which we consider his best. (Royal, Lehi, Ut.) A very good