Exhibitors Herald (1926)

EXHIBITORS HERALD April 10, 1926 33 kind of stuff. In fact none of them need the old bedroom hokum if their directors would use their brains they are paid for having. Witness the best comedy hits of the year — Without hedroom or bath. {S. T., Porker. S. D.) lucky devil, the, Richard Dix, Esther Rsiotcn. Edna May Oliver, 5,835. — ^We ran this two days and pleased our audience very much. Esther Ralston made a very pretty female lead and I certainly want to see more of her. Miss Ralston and Dix made a good couple. The auto race set the kids wild. (Y, Nazareth, Pa.) Very good. Our house sounded like a country fair when the old constable got into action. Book it and your people will like it and you will he satisfied with box office. (Coliseum, Annawan. 111.) A real audience picture. This kind makes ’em glad they came. Lots of good comedy and plenty of action. Auto races good. (Star, Montevideo, Minn.) No question but what this is the best Dix picture to date. Played "The Shock Punch” week before and this is much better. The automobile race is thrilling and there are good comedy touches here and there. What I call a real audience picture. Don’t be afraid to boost it big. (American, Wautoma. Wis.) Good, as all of Dix are. (Princess, Traer. la.) Good picture. An especially blustery Saturday. No doubt cut down the receipts. (Regent, Bogota, N. J.) The pi&. ture went over good for me. many stopping to tell me how well they liked it. Plenty of comedy and suspense. (Opera House, Fennimore, Wis.) My patrons sure did enjoy this one. It's good for any day and will be a good one for Saturday. It has everything, thrills, comedy. This one will go good for more than one day in small towns. (Dixie, Russellville, Ky.) One of the best program pictures I ever played. (Silver Family, Greenville, Mich.) Good business. Picture pleased. Auto racing story from Byron Morgan’s story. (S. T., Parker, S. D.) Not distinctive in any way. Just another one of those fast moving speed pictures, which is not the kind of picture Richard Dix can do. Therefore, it is a box oiBce failure and only makes fair entertainment. (Cozy. Winchester, Ind.) Just what my patrons had been looking for. Pleased as near 100 per cent as anything we have shown the past year. Made a dandy New Year’s show. (Russell, Somerset, O.) Good action; good comedy. Picture pleased and drew well. (Solon, Spencer. la.) A fast action comedy-drama with Dix hitting on all eight. (Ritz, Spokane. Wash.) Very good. Our house sounded like a county fair when the old constable got into action. (Cozy, Fayette, Iowa.) Dix has arrived. This picture is a winner. Fine. Palace, Ashland, Ohio.) Very good comedy in this one. A good auto race. Is sure to please any audience. (Princess, Guttenberg, la.) Pleased everyone. Suitable for any audience. A very good out-door picture. (Auditorium. Revillo, S. D. Extra good. This is a dandy for any house. (Rich, Montpelier, Idaho.) Best Dix picture to date. Lota of comedy. Very exciting. Great, audience stuS. (Mission, Wichita Falls, Tex.) A good picture. Did very good on Sunday and Monday. Full houses. Eight reels. (Lincoln, Milwaukee, Wis.) Extra good show. Action in auto race tense. Did not draw for me. Seven reels. (Dreamland, Providence, Ky.) LUCKY HORSESHOE, THE. F. Tom Mix, 5.— I ran this picture before it was released two days and I wish I had waited. Had never seen it. This picture will hurt Mix more than anything he could have done. It’s hokum for the small town, especially an oil town. If they put Mix in another picture like this, it’s just goodby Mix. Admission SO-lOo. (Princess. Olney, Tex.) Something different in a Mix picture. I personally enjoyed it. And some who never cared for Mix expressed themselves as pleased with it. But the regular Mix fans expressed disappointment at the fancy stuff Instead of the regular action. Good crowd first night. Flopped second night Arcadia, Vandergrift. Pa.) William says this is the best picture Tom ever made, but don’t take it too seriously. My patrons apparently didn’t think so. Lights went out at 7:30 till 9, so cannot judge box ofiSce value. Fox advertises seven Tom Mix Westerns for 26-26, but this one is far from it (Royal, Spirit Lake, la-) Not as good at box office as "Riders of the Purple Sage” or "The Rainbow Trail.” Too much costume stuS to please my Mix fans. . Had several say they did not see why It was net a straight Western. Will get by with the Mix fans if you tell them it is not all Western. (Peery, Darlington, Mo.) Tom Mix has no equal in popularity in a good Western picture, but in this kind of picture, while it pleased those that like elaborate productions, it fails to please those that like a true Western picture. (Grand, Alvin. Tex.) Another good picture credited to Tom Mix. This one is more pretentious from production standpoint than his previous offering and will go over with the better class patronage, and Tom Mix goes over as usual with a bang. Did average business first night with biggest snow storm of season on in full blast, to better than average business second night. (Cozy, Winchester, Ind.) Yes. an extra good entertainment. (Sliver Family, Greenville, Mich.) Very good Mix. A little different type Mix, but pleased all our fans. (Char-Bell, Rochester, Ind.) Here is another Mix picture gone to the dogs. If Tom keeps this up, his well built drawing power will be lost. (Helene, Rockdale, III.) This is a very good picture, but not for Mix. Our customers want Tom in Westerns and will accept him in nothing else. (Crossett, Crossett, Ark.) Drew big business but did not satisfy all our Western fens, as this is not a Western picture. Title misleading. Not enough action. Buck Jones in “The Desert’s Price” was far better. (Princess. Chilton. V/is.) A real good Mix picture, but many would rather see Tim on the Westerns, and this is not a Western picture. (Rialto, Terril, Iowa.) The saddest thing we have ever reported on a star: Tom's zeal for costume stuff has relegated him to the lowest rung of the ladder of Western players with cur people. (Rex, Gilman City. Mo.) Won’t please Mix fans, but will please those who don't care for horse and gun operas. It’s a lavish picture, well staged, after the order of "Don Q.” (Auditorium, Crockett, Tex.) Hootchy-kooteby. pipe dreams, a dash of Western, Doug Fairbanks stuff, Richard Talmadge, Fred Thomson and Tony — mix it all up and you have it. They seemed to like it. though. (Texas, Grand Prairie, Tex.) Okay for any small town if you can get them without buying Fox Film Corporation to get them. Played to average Mix business. (Rainbow. Mechanicsburg, O.) Did a good business with this picture. It is a very average picture for Mix. Not nearly as good as his last three. (Highland. Guthrie, Okla.) What’s wrong with this picture? Nothing. It’s Tom MLx and that's enough. (Princess, Obion, Tenn.) Another “Dick Turpin” and the devil of it was that my patrons knew it before I did and stayed home. (Scelye, Abilene, Kan.) Good picture but a disappointment to the Mix fans on account of too much costume stuff. Wish Mix would lay off this kind of stuff and give us more real Westerns. Five reels. (Royal, Ne%vark. Ark.) This is a good entertaining picture. Has a dream portion in it that is full of comedy and thrills and the story gives Tom a chance to lick a dozen men as usual and pleases. (Grand. Pierre, S. D.) Here we find Tom Mix at his worst. A regular flop. People came out of the house staggering or gasping for breath. This but shows the temperamental side of the public. If Mix or Fox think this O. K.. our patrons made faces at us as they passed out and said "rotten.” Five reels. (Crystal, Tombstone, Ariz.) M MADAME BEHAVE, PDC, Julian Eltinge, Ann Pennington, Lionel Bclmorc, Jack Duffy, Tom Wilson, 6. — Very satisfactory picture. Business light. But the weather and streets very bad. (Arcadia, Vandergrift, Pa.) A very good comedy-drama. If your patrons like comedy dramas you can’t go wrong in booking this one. (Eagle, Westville, 111.) They say this is a cousin of "Charley’s Aunt,” but to us it proved to be a twin sister. Boys here’s a good one and can be bought right. Colored photography at the end very beautiful. If your patrons like to laugh get this. (Plainview, Plainview, Neb.) Very, very good. Patrons enjoyed it from start to finish. (State. Tawas City. Mich.) Very, very good, both from the patrons and exhibitor’s standpoint. They liked it and we made money on it. That makes the end of a perfect day. (State, Tawas City, Mich.) Here’s one, boys, that's as good as "Charley's Aunt." Laughs In every scene. Played it two days to good business. Six reels. (Liberty, Hardin, Mont.) MAN FROM RED GULCH, PDC, Harry Carey. Harriet Hammond, Frank Campeau. Mark Hamilton, 5,450. — Now here is another good one. Well put over and suited 80 per cent. All said good. Let them come. (Amuse. Hart. Mich.) Just Fair. Not as good as his other productions. (State, Two Harbors, Micb.) This is not much but still not rotten. Six reels. (Gem. Batesville, Ark.) MANICURE GIRL. THE. FP. Bcbe Daniels, Halo Hamilton, Edmund Barns, Dorothy Cummings, Charlotte Walker, Marie ShotwelS, 5.859. — This is very good entertainment. It was a good story with a part that suits Bebe Daniels to a “t.'' (Community, Minneota, Minn.) Bebo is one of roy best drawing cards. They always turn out for her. This is a very good one. It and on Our Gang comedy pulled capacity Saturday night business. So laugh that off. (Strand. Paoll. Ind.) Good. Played on Sunday and held up well. Did our usupl business. (Hudson, Rochester, N. Y.) Picture very ordinary. E.xpect more from this star. Can’t get a following with such poor pictures. (Reel Joy, King City, Cal.) A good picture for Bebe Daniels. Fair business to pleased audience. (Rex, Wahoo, Neb.) A very good light comedy with a slow start, but very satisfactory ending. (Cozy, Fayette, In.) They like this. Good Saturday show. (Regent. Bogota, N. J.) A fair program show but not enough action for a Saturday night here in this house. It is not as good as "The Crowded Hour” and has very little real comedy in it. (Y.. Nazai-eth, Pa.) Five cents worth of coloring and acid to a gallon of water makes alluring circus lemonade. Lasky must have learned this trick In his early days and saved it for this play. Bebe, a dandy girl, a handful of nondescript actors, a serious plot and a few jazzy sub-titles are mixed into a play labeled "a fine comedy drama funnier than ‘Miss Bluebeard,’ " but unfortunately somebody forgot to put in the comedy. Please page Mr. Barnum! (Rex. Salmos, Idaho.) This was pretty poor stuff, advertised by Paramount as a comedy, but we never could find it here. Very slow and tiresome. We knew it beforehand and booked in the Chaplin re-issue. "Dog’s Life.” Did most of our billing on the comedy and had two exceptional days. (Star. Menard, Tex.) MANNEQUIN. FP. Alice Joyce, Dolores Costello, Warner Baxter, Zasu Pitts, 7,300. — I don’t blame them for paying Fannie Hurst $60,000 for this. It's worth it. What a story 1 What a cast! What direction I What a picture! One of the very best stories filmed this year. There's going to be a lot of talk about this picture. It’s a sort of "Humoresque” story, though entirely new and original in theme. A kindly blizzard accompanied its Cresco run, but lots of you boys can make a lot of money with this. (Cresco, Cresco, Iowa.) One of the most interesting pictures ever made. Also a good box office bet. I rate this as one of the ten best of the year. It isn't big but it is a fine story and a fine cast and fine direction and, with the national publicity, it is a fine box office bet. (Grand, Pierre, S. D.) This one is a Sunday treat. Lent is with us, but would not know it by the lineup at the box office. Story opens in 1907 with all details to perfection and then flashes to the present day with orchids, style show, a dash of paprika, courtroom scene and a beautiful ending. Nothing big, but better than an ordinary program offering. (Rialto, Pocahontas, lo.) Don't make the mistake I did, booked it only two days, and while I promised a lot I did not say near enough. I should have played it three days and honestly believe it would have stood up four. I have been catching it from those who did not get to see it and have been grieving myself for not arranging a longer run at the time I booked it. Miss Costello is a winner. Book this and then boost as you never have before. (Empress, Shenandoah, la.) A very good picture. Will draw in any theatre. Everybody pleased. They will come out and tell you how good it is. (Royal, Gallon, 0.) Very good picture and many favorable comments. Ran on Sunday. If followed on Monday, will make your Monday good. (Shuler, Raton. N. M.) “Liberty Magazine” prize story. Did a fair business and pleased. On account of heavy advance publicity, expected better businass than was done on it. (The Majestic, Camden. S. C.) A wonderful picture for entertainment but no good at box office. (Bonners Ferry, Idaho.) A real picture and all liked It. (New Geneseo, Geneseo, III.) Entertaining picture that seemed to please the majority. (Crossett, Crossett, Ark.) Very good. Seven reels. (Palace, McGehee, Ark.) A good picture and was well liked by all. Bxisiness was good. Seven reels. (Benn, Philadelphia, Pa.) Here’s one that didn't draw, I think because of its title. "Liberty” doesn’t appear to be extremely popular down here. But the picture pleased an unusually high percentage. If you have it coming tell your folks about it. Seven reels, (Texas, Grand Prairie, Tex.) A very good picture. Trial scene wonderful. Good entertainment and well worth playing. A Sunday program. Seven reels. (Paramount. Wyoming. III.) Good picture. Pleased all who saw It. Not very good at box office, though. Seven reels. (Auditorium, Barrington, 111.) MAN OF IRON; THE, Chad., Lionel Barrymore, Mildred Harrb, Jean Del Val. 5.600. — Just another piece of Chadwick junk. Why waste