Exhibitors Herald (1927)

August 13, 1927 EXHIBITORS HERALD 51 *‘What the Picture Did For Me” VERDICTS ON FILMS IN LANGUAGE OF EXHIBITOR Copyright, 1927 This is the original exhibitors* reports department, established October 14, 1916. Beware of cheap, misleading imitations. *‘What the Picture Did for Me” is the one genuine source of exhibitor-written box office information. Address: *What the Picture Did for Me,” EXHIBITORS HERALD, 407 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, III. Columbia RICH MEN’S SONS: Special cast— 50%. July 22. A splendid entertaining program picture. Better than the average. — Bert Silver, Silver Family theatre, Greenville, Mich. — General patronage. THE WRECK: Shirley Mason — Here is one of the best pictures we have had this summer. Pleased almost 100 per cent, both men and women. Shirley Mason is splendid and the story is good. Better than a lot of the socalled specials. — O. F. Craig, Royal theatre, Newark, Ark. — Small town patronage. FBO TWO GUN MAN: Fred Thomson — 85%. June 3-4. Ran this against a tentshow, the strongest opposition offered against a small town movie, and did very well. No question but what Silver King is the big draw. Story ? No. Acting? No. Box office — Oh, boy! and that’s what counts. Six reels. — L. E. Palmer, Postville theatre, Postville, la. — General patronage. OUT OP THE WEST: Tom Tyler— 70%. July 22. Another good one from Tyler. While a Western it is really a baseball story. Away above the average Western. Five reels. — E. M. Biddle, Strand theatre. Paoli, Ind. — Small town patronage. HER FATHER SAID NO: Special cast— 46%. July 19. Although the story was rather weak, yet a splendid cast makes it entertaining. Some good laughs in this, Cooke and Guard being a fine comedy team, and the boy, Frankie Darro, makes a real hit. Seven reels. — G. S. Kenny, Community House, Greenwood, Ind. — General patronage. LURE OF THE NIGHT CLUB: Viola Dana— 40%. July 20. Not as good as her first releasee. Weak and very little comedy in it. Five reels. — Mrs. Richard A. Preuss, Arvada theatre, Arvada, Col. — Small town patronage. OUT OF THE WEST: Special cast— 40%. July 5. This was a Western and baseball story combined. Tyler good, and the youngster, Frankie Darro, Beans, the dog, and the horse are there with action and laughs. Five reels. — G. S. Kenny, Community House, Greenwod, Ind. — General patronage. MOULDERS OF MEN : Conway Tearle — 38%. July 26. This picture deserves a better percentage than shown. No fault of the stoi’y or cast. Little Frankie Darro does some big league work in this. Well presented, well acted, well — what more can we ask? Seven reels. — G. S. Kenny, Community House, Greenwood, Ind. — General patronage. BREED OF THE SEA: Special east — 33%. July 12. Ince plays the part of two brothers. Not a big picture. South Sea setting. Seven reels. — G. S. Kenny, Community House, Greenwood, Ind. — General patronage. GALLOPING THUNDER; Bob Custer— July 26. Too much hokum. This class of Western photodrama is not getting over in this town. The people want action and lots of it. but they also want a partly plausible story. Print brand new. Five reels. — Ivy D. Arnold, Cresco theatre, Cresoo, la. — Genera! patronage. THE MAGIC GARDEN: Special casl^July 19-20, Another Gene Stratton Porter that drew good and pleased. Certainly a wonderful picture. Seven reels. — Dewey L. Kisor, Sterling Editor’s Note Percentage ratings given by exhibitors in reports to this department are obtained in the following manner: Average daily gross of picture reported is divided by average daily gross of picture holding house record to determine relative box office value in terms of percentage. EXAMPLE: $75 (average daily gross of picture reported) divided by $100 (average daily gross of picture holding house record) equals .75 (percentage rating given picture in report). When a picture has received percentage ratings in 10 reports it is entered in THE BOX OFFICE TICKER with its current gross average indicating relative attraction values of pictures listed therein. THE BOX OFFICE TICKER appears on page 49. theatre, Fairmont, Neb. — Small town patronage. LADDIE: John Bowers — .luly 18. There’s something different about FBO pictures, the shots, the stars, the stories and everything, and my patrons enjoyed this one as much or more than “Keeper of the Bees.” Made some money on this one and every other small town should for its hound to please. — H. E. Lane, Amuzu theatre. Gate City, Va. — General patronage. BIGGER THAN BARNUMS: Special cast— July 4, Played one night to fair crowd. Not so good as Universal’s “Spangles.” Pleased about 50 per cent. Six reels. — Dewey L. Kisor, Sterling theatre, Fairmont, Neb. — ’Small town patronage. HER FATHER SAID NO: Special cast — July 2. Did not draw usual Saturday crowd, but pleased those who came. Seven reels. — Dewey L. Kisor, Sterling theatre, Fairmont, Neb. — Small town patronage. FLAMING FURY : Ranger — Dog and story very good, but that is all than can be said as the cast does not amount to much. Five reels. — R. F. Hageman, Pleasure theatre, Sanborn, Minn. — General patronage. SONORA KID: Tom Tyler — Five reels of nothing. They advertise Tom and His Pals which must be the horse and dog, but they are just in the show, as they don’t do anything special. Five reels. — E. F. Hageman, Pleasure theatre, Sanborn, Minn. — General patronage. SPLITTING THE BREEZE: Tom Tyler— Factory made. You can get this kind of stuff from any mail order house. First one I got without Frankie Darro and must say Tom is not much without the kid unless he gets better stories. Five reels. — R. F. Hageman, Pleasure theatre, Sanborn, Minn. — General patronage. CACTUS TRAILS: Bob Custer— Good Western with plenty of action and just enough comedy to make a good show. Five reels. — R. F. Hageman, Pleasure theatre, Sanborn, Minn. — General patronage. BULL DOG PLUCK: Bob Custer— Double featured this and glad we did, as it’s not much. Custer has made much better ones. Five reels. — Mrs. Richard A. Preuss, Arvada theatre, Arvada, Col. — Small town patronage. First National THE LAND BEYOND THE LAW: Ken Maynard— 95%, July 2, This boy never let’s up. Still going like a house afire, and gaining friends with every picture. Never played a better series of pictures since I have been in the business, and that’s saying something. Keep up the good work, Ken, we’re for you, and we don’t mean maybe. Seven reels. — E. F. Ingram, Ingram’s theatre, Ashland, Ala. — S'mall town patronage. OVERLAND STAGE : Ken Maynard— 85%. June 16-17. Every time Ken Maynard comes to town I prepare for S.R.O. on Saturday nights. He sure does his stuff and his producers know their stuff. He is the best B.O. bet I have and that does not except Mr. Hold-EM-Up Harold Lloyd, either. Six reels. — L. E. Palmer, Postville theatre, Postville, la. — Genera! patronage. DEVIL’S SADDLE: Ken Maynard-— 80%. July 16. Not as good as previous Maynard pictures. However, Maynard’s ability to ride coupled with proper stories will carry him above any Western star on market. My people like him much better than Tom Mix, saying that Mix pulls too many impossible iron man stunts. — C. S. McLellan, Rex theatre, Eagle Lake, Tex. — Small town patronage. THE LOST WORLD: Special cast— 7.5%. June 27-2-8. Played this too late to draw a big crowd, but at that I made a little money on it. It’s a wonderful picture, but I don’t believe “Lost Worlds,” “Covered Wagons,” Arctic-Nu Airs, etc., will get ’em in this summer. It’s the poorest summer I have ever seen. Ten reels. — L. E. Palmer, Postville theatre, Postville, la. — General patronage. NAUGHTY BUT NICE: Colleen Moore— 60%. July 17-18. Good. Type of picture that seems to please the greatest percentage of patrons. Colleen, of course, has the following that seem to like her in most anything, but she had better hold her stride, or she’ll lose them just as fast. — C. S. McLellan, Rex theatre. Eagle Lake. Tex. — Small town patronage. AFFAIRS OF THE FOLLIES: Special cast— 60%. June 14-15. Very good attraction that drew well in the fall of bad weather. Well staged and made. Not a box office k.o. in small towns, however. Seven reels. — L E Palmer. Postville theatre. Postville, la. — General patronage. SUBWAY SADIE: Special cast— 43%. July 19. I didn’t see this but they said it was good. — Roy W. Adams, Pastime theatre, Mason, Mich. — General patronage. THE TENDER HOUR: Special cast— 40%. July 15-16. Real high class picture that will please the most exacting. Had a carnival for opposition. The percentage should have been