Exhibitors Herald (1927)

EXHIBITORS HERALD 63 April 23, 1927 film rent. — Dr. F. M. Childs, Cozy theatre, Villisca, la. — General patronage. ELLA CINDERS: Colleen Moore. 92%. March 27. We did not expect to have a very large attendance for this picture on account of Lent. (This is a strictly Catholic community.) However, we figured that it was a hundred percenter in so far as entertainment was concerned, but you will note by percentage above, it came near being that financially too. The highest receipt we had in a long time. Besides 15 complimentary tickets. Since this picture was released our patrons have been asking us when we would play it. Judging from some of the remarks the writer heard, they did not like this as well as her two or three last pictures. Quite a number said they liked “We Moderns” and “Desert Flower” better. Personally, we think that this little picture is good, but not as good as some of her others. However, our advice to all exhibitors is, whenever business is dull, and you are blue, just book a Colleen Moore picture. It is a sure cure. Print in first class condition. Seven reels. — J. S. Landry, Columbia theatre, Morganza, La. — General patronage. PALS FIRST: Special cast — 70%. Two stars in a good stoiT with comedy relief by George Cooper made this a dandy picture. Hughes is quite popular here. First National can be depended upon to deliver consistent pictures and this one pleased a good sized crowd. Seven reels. — L. E. Palmer, Postville theatre, Postville, la. — ■ General patronage. PALS FIRST: Special cast — March 31 and April 1. A very fine, pleasing and interesting picture. The three hoboes, Lloyd Hughes, Alec Francis and George Cooper, are very good, although, perhaps, not as good as the three in “Miss Nobody.” However, this is a different sort of a story and one which will keep them guessing until the final flicker. The leading lady adds nothing to the picture neither in looks, acting or drawing power. Had many good comments on the picture, which were deserved. Nothing big. just an extra fine program picture. Seven reels. — Wm. E. Tragsdorf, Trags theatre, Neillsville, Wis. — Small town patronage. MEN OF STEEL: Special cast — 75%. March 1. A truly remarkable picture. Sills and Kenyon great. Great story, great direction. Any theatre that can’t make money on this should close down. Had two basketball games and a party to buck, but if I had clear sailing I would have stood them up. First National, I congratulate you. Ten reels. — L. E. Palmer, Postville theatre, Postville, la. — General patronage. MEN OF STEEL: Milton Sills— March 29. This was very pleasing and nothing but favorable comments as they passed out. Did not raise the price, but it could very easily stand a little raise. Ten reels. — M. J. Babin, Fairyland theatre. White Castle, La. — General patronage. THE SILENT LOVER: Milton Sills— 65%. March 27-28. My patrons do not care for desert stories, but they got by very nicely. — R. W. Small, Markle theatre, Wymore, Neb. — General patronage. AMATEUR GENTLEMAN : Dick Barthelmess . — 10%. March 23-24. This is a good story of merry old England back in the days when the men wore skin tight pants and the women wore a thousand times more clothes than they do today. If your crowd likes this Duke-CountessPrincess-Lord stuff this will go big, as it’s well made and a good story. Dick Barthelmess is the poorest drawing card on the First National program. In fact they just won’t come out when his name goes up in the lights. Seven reels. — Steve Farrar, Orpheum theatre, Harrisburg, 111. — General patronage. THE PERFECT FLAPPER: Colleen Moore — 60%. I note that the Sage of Nebraska, alias J. C., complains that I don’t write and that my awful silence forbodee trouble. You bet it does. Old Timer, for I have just nominated Colleen for that most popular star contest that the Herald is running, and believe me she is going to give your “Clara” a fierce run for the money. To prove that she is more popular in the hearts of the fans than all others, just see what this old play, “Perfect Flapper,” did to the box office last night. We had a mob on a Tuesday, Wednesday night too. To be sure we put on a concert by a splendid Salt Lake orchestra, but then we always do something special for Miss Moore when she arrives in town, as the Lord knows she deserves it. Why, she carried her part in this (and a mighty hard one, too) in a manner that all your Clara’s, Laura’s, Junes, Madges and Patsies or no other actress could begin to imitate. Boy, how she can act 1 Here was one fine play and the moral lesson was great. I enjoyed it supremely and believe all feel as I did. If Colleen does not win the Contest, but shucks what’s the use of talking ? She’s going to win it, that’s all. Come on, you exhibitors, vote early and vote often and be sure and vote for the best J. C. Jenkins — His Colyuin DEAR HERALD: WENONA, ILL., April 10, 1927. It begins to look now like the country would settle down to business. Vox Pop, and the rest of the hoys in Chicago elected “Big Bill” for mayor, Andy Gump has got a new set of tires fOr “348” and it hasn’t rained now for twelve hours. There is nothing quite like these Glorious LInited States of America for doing things when we once get started, and we’ve started right now. * * * I saw an exhibitor the other day out in front with a paint brush and a can of paint and I went up to him and said, “Boy, lay that paint brush down and let me have hold of that right hand of yours. I want to shake it until you get the rheumatism, and I want to compliment you, for you are the kind of an exhibitor every community needs.” He looked at me in surprise for a moment and then said: “I’m just the painter, the manager hasn’t got up yet.” 4: 4: * Ray Link just about ran me ragged yesterday. Ray, you know, operates the Scope theatre here in Wenona. He took me in hand yesterday and said: “Come on, get in that old rattletrap of yours and we will go and call on a bunch of my exhibitor friends.” You can see now what effect Frank O’Hara’s letter in the HERALD will have on the exhibitors when he called Clara “an old rattletrap.” Well, anyhow, she ran so smooth that before we got back home Ray had fallen asleep and I had to wake him up when we stopped at the hotel. Now you tell one. We drove over to Taluca to call on Ross Barracklow of the Isis hut found that Ross had gone to Chillicothe, where he has taken the management of the new Sunset theatre, which was to be opened that evening, and of course Ross was a busy man. We met Mrs. Barracklow, who assists Ross in the management of the Isis, and she certainly impressed us as a lady of energy as well as courtesy. She showed us through the theatre and gave the information out, cold turkey, that she wouldn’t attempt to run a show without the HERALD, to which we both responded, AMEN, right out loud. At Chillicothe we found that W. W. Sturm, a contractor, had built the new Sunset theatre right across the street from the Palace, a theatre operated by Mrs. Myrtle Warren. The new Sunset is a beautiful little theatre, so is the Palace, and we are going to leave it to the people of Chillicothe to decide the matter. Our guess is that it would have been much better for all concerned had Mr. Sturm bought the Palace instead of building the new Sunset, but then, that’s none of our doggone business, and we hope both of them win. We went over to the Palace to call on Mrs. Warren and found that she had gone to Quincy and we therefore missed meeting her. We called on Dr. O. P. Morse of the Royal at Minonk and was surprised to hear the Doctor say that he didn’t know much about the HERALD, as he had not been taking it for some time, but when the HERALD man informed him that his subscription to that periodical was paid to October, 1927, he fessed up and said he hadn’t been reading it much, but guessed it was a pretty good magazine. H. M. Farbell of the Henry theatre at Henry was busy going over his Packard when we called. The theatre was built for an all-purpose house and dances are given quite frequently. It is the only theatre in the town and from all indications we judge he is doing good business. * * * If you have never played water golf you have missed a lot of fun. When you go to Noweaqua hunt up Vern Coffman of the Lyric and have him take you out to their golf grounds and you will see our tracks in the mud. Vern took the writer over to the hotel and filled him up on corned beef and cabbage and then drove him out to the golf course, where we hooked up with a couple of other fellows and played a foursome and there are two more scalps to be hung on the HERALD’S golf scalp line. Vem and I trimmed ’em up easy. It was right after a heavy rain and if we drove the ball high it would come down and plunk in the mud out of sight and if we drove low it would skip along through the water, but it was fun nevertheless. This course is a lovely one when it is dry, but it wasn’t dry. At the Lincoln Square at Decatur I gave the usher my card and asked him to take it up to the manager, which he did, and down came a fine looking gentleman and grabbed me by the arm and hustled me up to his office, where I found that he was none other than my old friend Jim Wallace, who played my house in Neligh many and many a time in the old days. Maybe we didn’t have a real gabfest going back over the old days and calling to mind many an old trouper known to both of us. The Lincoln Square is a beautiful playhouse and the owners have a real manager in James Wallace. It is a real pleasure to meet the boys who used to play the kerosene circuits. B’gosh, I’d like to go back to those old days again. Gus Constan of the Avon and H. A. Barnes of the Morrow at Decatur both have fine theatres and were enjoying good business when we called. The Raymond Film Company were taking scenes of local interest in Decatur and were receiving hearty co-operation from the various civic clubs of the city. The Rotarians, Lions, Kiwanians and other organizations, including the public schools, were lending assistance in making the scenes which were to be shown in the Lincoln Square and afterwards the films were to be given to the city to be preserved for posterity. This film company develops their own product and has their own printing machine so that the pictures are ready for showing within a very few hours after being taken. * * * Michigan has contributed three very prominent people to the welfare of the nation, Mr. Lawrence of Kalamazoo, who is now the manager of the Orpheum thea {Continued on next page)