Exhibitors Herald (1927)

14 BOX OFFICE RECORD SECTION OF April 30, 1927 (Continued from page II) Ala.) A wonderful picture. The best Roug has ever made. Book it and play it ; you will never be sorry, (Oxford, Oxford, O.) Great kids picture. Adults not interested. Beautiful colored photography and what was done was well done, except where the hero swims ashore and finds a horse conveniently awaiting him on a deserted spot. They all wanted to know where the horse came from. (Strand. Ft. Wayne, Ind.) A real money maker. United Artists sold me their product right and have been mighty nice to deal with. (Pastime, Medicine Lodge, Kan.) Barring one mistake, we consider this one of the best features we have ever played. Technicolor has good advertising appeal, and picture pleased. One ridiculous mistake where Doug swims ashore to an apparently deserted coast and finds a wonderful white horse, saddled and bridled, roaming around waiting for him. (Border, Rock Island, Canada.) Very beautiful picture in Technicolor. Above the average fans, as it is probable but hardly pos•sible, but will please. (Gibson. Bateeville, Ind.) Our patrons divided on this one. Some thought it great and others only fair. Personally I thought it a wonderful production. Douglas’ acting was good and the entire picture being in colors made it a wonderful treat to the eye. Made a little money on it. so can’t kick. (Globe. Savannah, Mo.) A wonderful production. Technicolor the best I have ever seen. We can always bank on Doug giving us the best. (Orpheura, Lancaster, Wis.) This was the best picture I have run for ages. Drew well and pleased 100 per cent. Coloring is very effective in this. (Favorite, Schuyler. Nebr.) BLARNEY, MGM, Ralph Graves, Renee Adoree, 6,500. — Not so good, not so bad. Some like it and •some didn’t, and we played it on our bargain night at that. (Plainview, Plainview, Nebr.) A picture that is different. Story of boxing (bare fist) days in 80 's. While a little rough in spots, still fair entertainment. Drawing power poor for me. May go better in large town. (Greenhalgh, Ferron, Utah.) This picture was played on a bad night. Only $5.00 gross house, and I sure was glad of it. Absolutely nothing to it but the prize fight, and that was good. (Prescott. Prescott, Kan.) Very well received by a rough crowd who came to see the fight. Not high class en tertainment. (Palace. Memphis. Tex.) If ever there was a rotten one, this is one. They walked out on this one. If you haven’t used it, stay off it. Wish I had canned it. (Fairyland. White Castle, La.) I have just about decided that MetroGoldwyn hasn’t but one or two even fair pictures in the current group. So far we have played only two good ones, and if they don’t get better will pay for them all and leave them in the can, with one exception (“Exit Smiling,” another M-G-M), this is the biggest piece of limburger ever offered in the form of a celluloid strip. Six reels of raw film stock would have pleased better than this miserable spectacle; and I could have walked the streets again within a month without fear of being mobbed. How much more can we stand from M-G-M? “The talk of the industry?” I’ll .say 60. (Ingram, Ashland, Ala.) Lay off this. Not a good word for it from our patrons. (Movies, Brocket, N. D.) A very good picture for men in general and prize fight fans, but hardly an audience picture. If you have it coming, advertise it as you would a prize fight, aiming special appeal to the men, and it should go over big. (Princess, Buchanan, Mich.) This seemed to please. Can’t understand why there should be complaints on this. Has plenty of action. (New Mazda, L’Anse, Mic'n.) In reviewing “What the Picture Did for Me I found several unfavorable reports on this, consequently I did not push it as I should, but to my surprise this was a dandy, action and real stuff, the most realistic bare fist fight we ever saiw. As one patron put it, I didn’t know old ^Iph Graves was such a good athlete after seeing him in Pathe comedies. We like Ralph’s acting. (Enterprise, Glenalum, W. Va.) Just ordinary good. Prize fight story of Ireland. Cannot see much to write home about. (Liberty, Pasco, Waeh.) Here is one for the roughnecks. They will think it fine, but it isn’t much of a show for the ladies. Mostly barefisted prize fighting and some real good scraps. Would advise advertising it for just what it is and make special invitation to the boys that like to see fights. We did fairly well on it, but it isn’t so much. (Rex, Colby. Wis.) Not so good. (Temple & Opera House, Federalsburg, Md.) 'This is about the poorest piece of junk I have run yet. Where are the 56 directors the salesman hollered in my ear before I signed the contract? They must have been at a picnic when this picture was made. Imagine two fighters standing up three hours fighting hard without any rest ; then, after the fight, not a mark on either one. Some fight. I will also add they fought with bare fists without any rest between rounds. (Odd Fellows’ Hall. Schaghticoke, N. Y.) This is the original knock’em down and drag-’em out show. Should make a big hit at Sing Sing. Don’t expect many women when you run it. We had our usual gang of men but the ladies stayed away. (Opera House, Montour Falls, N. Y.) “Bologny” would have been more appropriate for this Metro lemon. Fans don’t want this kind of junk. (Seneca, Blakely, Ga.) Shooting gallery stuff. (Arvada, Arvada. Colo.) Can’t hand this one much. There are a few good fist fight scenes, but its appeal is mostly to the men class. Women will resent it in a way, it is so brutal. I can’t recommend it to you if you play to a high class trade. It failed to click at the box office, giving me the smallest Saturday in over a year. The title is bad and so is the story. The only redeeming feature is Renee Adoree, who does the little she has to do fine. Graves ordinary in his part. (Regent, Indianola. Miss.) Terrible. (Strand. Alama, Mich.) Very poor. Pass this one up. Business very bad. (Apollo. Indianapolis, Ind.) Absolutely the bunk. (Arcade, La Grande, Ore.) A very poor picture that did not please here. It has no entertaining value to an intelligent audience. They walked out on it here, and I didn’t blame them. (Lyric, Easley, S. C.) Not much to this picture. Weak plot and too much fighting. (Gem, Greenriver, Utah.) BLONDE OR BRUNETTE, Par, Adolphe Menjou, Greta Nissen, Arlette Marchal, 6,500. — Adolphe Menjou, like most of Paramount’s famous players, is getting his run of disappointing pictures. It’s fairly funny and shows him and some others off well, but if our patrons are disappointed the picture must be far from great. (Kenwood, Chicago, III.) “Blonde or Brunette” is some show. Menjou and Miss Nissen are great. A little spicy, but done in a manner not to offend. We had a small attendance but no fault of picture. 'The long green is usually short around this time of the year. Play this big if your town likes Menjou, because he’s better than ever. (Arvada, Arvada, Colo.) I am running this one hot and will say that I like it better than anything he has previously done. The two girls are better than in “Lady of the Harem” and “The Cat’s Pajamas” would lead you to expect, so would classify the picture as an agreeable surprise. (Grand, Pierre, S. D.) Very good picture. Adolphe was as usual and Greta Nissen was better. That is, we could see more of her in this one. Her form is very good. In fact, some of the boys came the second night to see if anything else would happen. I don’t blame Greta. If I had a form like hers, I would display it, too. (Moon, Neligh, Neb.) One of those bedroom things with Menjou. Greta Nissen and Arlette Marchal all displaying plenty of the things that are generally kept for the privacy of one’s own room. Would class it as too spicy for small town. Poor for any town. (S. T., Parker, S. D.) A very good offering. Pleased the bunch here. Good for high class house. (Reel Joy, King City. Cal.) Fair at the box office, but a very good picture. (Oxford, Oxford, Ohio.) Very good. Menjou type picture not strong here, but for its clap of picture, it’s okay. (Palace, Ashland, Ohio.) The ladies certainly fall for Mr. Menjou and he is a very capable actor, doing splendid work in this vehicle. This picture doesn’t stand up to “Grand Duchess and the Waiter,” but has some very clever comedy situations. Mr. Menjou is very ably supported by Greta Nissen and Arlette Marchal. (Manzanita, Carmel, Cal.) BLONDE SAINT, THE, FN, Lewis Stone, Doris Kenyon, Ann Rork, Gilbert Roland, 6. — The scenery was wonderful, but it didn’t have the story. Just ordinary progi'am. (Brooklyn, Detroit, Mich.) Another good program from First National. Stone really too old to play the parts he does, but being such a good actor he gets by with it. (Reel Joy, King City, Cal.) Very good program picture, nothing big. Average business. (Oxford, Oxford. Ohio.) I would say if you have this contracted for, shelve it. It’s the bunk unless you are playing to a sensation seeking clientele. A few more pictures like this and it will be goodbye Lewis Stone. These are the kind of pictures that keep the great American family out of the theatres. (Lynwood, Lynwood, Cal.) Was surprised in this. Wasn’t expecting much, but picture was good entertainment. (Pastime, Medicine Lodge. Kan.) A fair program picture. Not a special, but an average picture. (Royal, Gallon, Ohio.) BLUE EAGLE, THE, F, George O’Brien, William Russell, Janet Gaynor, Robert Edeson, 7. — Here is a dandy melodrama with a story of naval atmosphere that barely missed being a special. Janet Gaynor and Robert Edeson share acting honors with O’Brien and Russell in a delightful picture that has a great fistic battle, perhaps unequaled on the screen. Several exhibitors have panned this picture unfairly. It should get the business if properly exploited. (Temple, San Bernardino. Cal.) This is a very good picture of war time on the sea. The sailors have a rough life and this has some rough spots in it, but the moral tone is O. K. and people liked it. (Grand, Pierre, S. D.) One of those rough and ready impossible pictures, but the men will like it and the women will stay away. I have never seen O’Brien do a picture yet that he didn’t get his shirt torn off him some way or another. (Rialto, Dickinson. N. D.) Very good action picture, but no drawing power. Pleased those who saw it. (Chili. Rochester, N. Y.) This proved to be a better picture than I had anticipated. American Legion helped to put it over for me. My patrons liked it. (Pastime. Warren, Ark.) This is a good action picture. George O’Brien well liked here. I fell for Janet Gaynor myself. Drew us extra business for two days. (Dixie, Winona, Miss.) I thought a good picture, but my patrons are not strong for so much fighting. It flopped good for me the second night. (Electric, Caldwell, Kan.) Good box office. (Fort Lee, Fort Lee, N. J.) A hard-boiled picture that the men will like (the ladies might object as it contains lots of fighting and the like) but I’d class it as a good program picture any day. (Arvada. Arvada, Colo.) It’s a real show, big and rough, but done in a nice way. Pleased. Business O. K. (Liberty, Pasco, Wash.) Good picture. (Texas, Grand Prairie. Tex.) A good roughneck story that will draw the class. Best prize fight seen in many years in a picture. (Wright, Gurdon, Ark.) Fighting. swearing, story of navy loaded with hokum and inconsistencies. Never showed above program calibre. Women did not like it. (Scope, Wenona, 111.) This picture pleased our patrons, but did not do anything extra with it, owing to a heavy snowstorm in the afternoon which kept people at home in the rural districts. (Rex, Montezuma, Ind.) A knockout. O’Brien great in the role of a blue eagle. Janet Gaynor deserves a lot of praise. She is a comer. Fox has been delivering good, consistent pictures this year. 'This is one of the big ones. (Walnut, Lawrenceburg, Ind.) BOY FRIEND. THE, MGM, Johnny Harron, Marceline Day, 6. — Monta Bell, you are a wonderful director, but why waste your time with such silly stuff as this? You are entitled to better stories and better stars to carry your knowledge of every-day life and directorial genius to the screen. (Manzanita, Carmel, Cal.) Good picture. Plenty of comedy. My patrons liked it. Paper on this a little below average of the poor paper that Metro puts out. Paper on this did actually hurt, and it’s a crime to have to pay good prices to Metro for paper and then hurt business. (Princess, Danforth. Me.) Just a picture. (Eagle, Eagle River, Wis.) Friday night to poor business, but at that it was better than I would like to see. In all my experience in business I have never seen a picture so absolutely rotten. If Metro claims this is one of their Parade of Hits, the exhibitors will soon feel the necessity of closing up and hitting the trail. You boys who have not booked Metro look out for this one. (Ideal. Chateaugay, N. Y.) I make a prediction, this can’t be the only bad report on this one. A rather clever satire but absolutely will not please over 10 per cent. Biz poor. (Star, Humble, Tex.) Just a pack of foolishness but it went for good entertainment, and although it drew poorly those who saw it enjoyed the show very much. (Grand, Rainier, Ore.) Almost too absurd to be funny, but has some very clever character portrayals of small town habitants. (Community, Minneota, Minn.) Several of our patrons classed this as silly, and I believe that term describes it Setter than any I can think of. It should never have been put out. (Temple. Bellaire, O.) Fair. No comments either way. Played it with a double bill and got by. Paper very x>oot. (Lonet, Wellington, O.) Just missed being a big picture. Something lacking, probably direction. Good theme and parts well handled by capable cast. Did not go over but fair. (Scope, Wenona, 111.) Can’t give anyone much on this, although it seemed to go over fairly well with what few we had in for it. No kicks, but it’s just another movie and don’t help your business any. (Rex, Colby, Wis.) Another poor one from Metro. They come fast and furious. If Metro were to produce a good one it would be a slip over on their part. (Johnson, Marmarth & Bowman, N. D.) The only amusing scene is the book agent’s visit. The rest is silly. Played one night to a good crowd and had kicks enough to last a month. The hero’s ignorance makes the audience feel sori'y for him. (Opera House, Montour Falls, N. Y.) Played this on our best night. Sunday, and was disappointed. Too silly. No one liked it. Probably all right on a week night. (Plainview, Plainview, Neb.) A good little comedy drama that pleased here, but nothing to rave